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Published: October 6th 2007
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/Steven/
We were given almost a week's holiday from teaching, which happened to coincide with our visa expiry date, so with Hong Kong just 2 hours away, we arranged to take a break there.
Just last year I was selling long-haul holidays to the Far-East, amongst many places, and dreaming of being able to make the journeys that my customers were making, so living 2 hours away from Hong Kong now means that those dreams in an office in England are now my reality.
We took the ferry from Zhongshan, falling asleep onboard,due to the early start, and waking up to see a huge crane being pulled by a labouring tug-boat through Victoria harbour, with the skyscrapers of Hong Kong Island behind.
First thing was to find our guesthouse. Hong Kong, it turns out, is a difficult place for the spendthrift, with prices far out- stripping those of any destination in mainland China. This being the case, we had opted for budget accomodation in Kowloon at the famous(read infamous) ChungKing Mansions- this place was like a hive- 90 guesthouses alone, not to mention the various other businesses all crammed into one 1960's era pile of a building. All
Egghead.
A nice little figure found in the Hong Kong Art Museum, which, amongst several others, is totally free on Wednesdays! this and just a stone's throw away from the most luxurious hotel in Hong Kong- the colonial era Peninsula, which is skirted by a string of designer shops- versace, dior etc.
The Chungking mansions has just about every type of person from every part of the world passing through it- quite different from Guangdong, with a mix of either Han Chinese or Cantonese. It has 15 floors; we were luckily placed on the 8th floor, our 13th floor room was unavailable on arrival, so we could use the decaying stair wells to get up and down instead of always relying on the old lifts, and queing for them. the place was a bit of a shock at first, especially our cell like room in the interior of the building, so no windows!
You can get a suit made up in Hong Kong for next to nothing, given the Indian tailoring trade here, in fact every second person seems to ask you if you need a tailor. Speaking of the pavement life, the people in HK are super stylish, which complements the eye popping urban scenery.
We roamed all over the place in the four days we were
there from the island of Lantau, to see the big Buddha( a bit ill faited this trip, as we actually caught the wrong bus to the Buddha and ended up all the way back in the city proper, having to re-trace our steps) to Mong Kok in in Northern Kowloon, where the neon and other lights were so bright that it was possible to walking around in something approaching a man made daylight late at night.
The harbour was , obviously, spectacular- everything I imagined it to be. The best views of the harbour were from a windy Victoria peak after taking the tram- so steep that, it felt like you were riding straight up the buildings outside the windows. At the top, you are suddenly trapped inside a huge shopping mall with a series of escalators to a viewing platform on it's roof, which they charge entry for. We managed to escape this and walk along a winding and eerie path in a gail past look out spots, where there were crowds of photographers, huddled around their increasingly high-tech equipment, but with enough gaps for some breathtaking views of the harbour at night.
Lelde/
Ta nu ta,
ta ka shi nedelja mums bija briva no macishanas, pateicoties tam, ka Kjina vinjiem ir nacionalie svetki, mes nolemam aizdoties uz Honkongu, kas ir relativi netalu, tikai kadu 2 stundu brauciena attaluma. A bet kada starpiba!!!! Ipashi jau nu cenu zinja! Tadas pashas ka Anglija (droshvien anglji velejas justies ka dzimtene, un uzskruveja visiem cenas pec saviem standartiem, bet nu dzives limeni ari vinji nav atstajushi novarta!!! Honkonga ir ljoti bagata un multinacionala, multikulturara, kur gandriz visi un jebkusrsh runa angliski, autonoma, nu jau Kjinas, entitate! Beidzot pec ilgiem laikiem musu celjoshana noriteja bez komunikacijas problemam vai nesaprashanos vai parpratumiem 😊 Bet nu ar savu Kjinas aldzinju, neko parak shiku atljauties nevarejam un neliela istabinja ko bijam rezervejushi ta baigi dikti atgadinaja slimnicas palatu (palatinju, vadoties pec izmeriem😊. Pashiem sava superminiatura vannasistaba, ka ari dvielji un ziepes un pat TV, tapat japiebilst, ka numurinjsh bija tirs un uzkopts, bet nu..... Baltas flizes visur, spilgtas gaismas, metala gultas un bez logiem un, ka jau mineju, ekstremi minimala platiba ... Bet nu nekas - nakamreiz, kad dosimies uz Honkongu, tad gan ieperinasimies 5zvaigznju hoteli ar baseinu un saksim ritu ar shampanieti, bet pagaidam bija jasamierinas ar to, kas pa kabatai.
Nezinu vai tiesham pieprasijums ir tik liels, bet uz katra pilsetas stura vakte stav indietis un piedava vai nu uzshut uzvalkus pa leto vai pardot labus pulkstenjus. Un visi ka viens zina labu shuveju un visi ka viens ir parliecinati, ka Tavas vizites merkjis ir tikt pie jaunam lupatam. Biju jau atradusi no shada pardoshanas stila, dzivojoties pa miermiligi Kjinu😊
Vardu sakot - dinamiska pilseta un visa vienos spogulstiklos - eka pec ekas sabuveta shada stila. Intersanti ko vinji daris, kad tas izies no modes...bus viena nestiliga vieta...😊
Lielako dalju no savam maltitem es ietureju miljaja , jaukaja McDonalda!, jo, ne ta ka Kjina, kur MCDonalds ir 5xdargaks ka "parastais" ediens, sheit, man bija finansiali letak iegataties shis atras edinashanas iestades maltites. Bet nu bushu attedusies uz ilgu laiku. Kaut gan vinju shokolades milkshakes ir baigais karums!!!! Njam, njam!!!!
Tad nu vairak vai mazak4 dienu laika apskatijam visu, ko celjvedis ieteica. Kartejo reizi, nostaigajos lidz nelabumam un secinaju, cik gruta un sura ta celjoshanas shtelle ir!..... Vai man dieninj, nav nekads joks....ta ka visi tie, kas karo kaut kur aizbraukt, kaut ko apskatit, padomajiet velreiz un padomajiet ta kartigi, moshka labak un parocigak ir interneta bildes apskatit un
izlasit aprakstus par valsti (vai pilsetu) uz kuru ir velme aizkljut, un tad vesa miera relakseties turpat, kur esat. Mumi, uz Tevi tas jau vairs neattiecas, jo sava naivuma jau esi iepirkusi biljetes.😊
Ko lai vel tadu pasaku par Honkongu?....nekas nenak prata uz doto bridi...
Ak, ja, pagarinajam savas vizas un atkal tikai uz 2 meneshiem..., man bus vismaz piecas vai pat vairak Kjinas vizas mana pase, pec shi celjojuma!!!!
Lai vai, ka ja ronas kadi jautajumi, droshi prashnjajiet un es godpratigi centishos atbildet, ka ari, ja kaut ko atmineshos, ko, mana skatijuma, butu Jums intetresanti zinat, pierakstishu klat. Ja, citreiz ir labi, izchekot ierakstu pec kada laika, jo nereti mes papildinam rakstu, par to Jums info uz emailu nenak, jo mes neveidojam jaunu sadalju, bet tikai uzfrishinam veco. Lai Jums jaukas dienas - viena pec otras..😊)) Un padodiet man ar kadu zinju par Jums - es ar gribu zinat, kas Jusu dzives notiekas!!! Zinatkars cilveks ka neka esmu!!!! 😊
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Carloine
non-member comment
wow
Hey you two! Fabulous pics, could almost smell it. Seeing these is giving me itchy feet. Hope you both get some natty suits made to measure, I sure know I would. Lots of Lurve xxxxx