Blogs from Hong Kong, Asia - page 355

Still having a fantastic time here - I thought that the novelty of the city would wear off but it hasn't as of yet! During the day I went to the Peak and to Stanley Market. Hockey training in the evening was fun. As it was so long since i had picked up a stick that I thought I was going to be crap but it wasn't that bad! That said my legs have been aching since then. On Wednesday I decided that I had better get out of the city and went out to Lantau island by ferry and got the bus to see the big Budha - amazing. I can't believe how within an hour of HK centre you can be in the most remote areas. Included in the entry fee to see the ... read more

English Names Most Chinese, apart from their original names get English names while in their teens. They expect non-Chinese to be unable to pronounce or retain their names (I try but full names are hard). The other day, a friend of mine explained that it was his English teacher from Australia that gave him his name “Lackla” after a lake in Australia. So everyone introduces themselves to foreigners immediately by their newly selected English names: Candy, Sincere, Nicole, Joy, James, etc; At one of the cultural events, some one pointed out that my name said in Chinese (the sound pronunciation: SinDiAh) meant “Elegant Angel”, I’m loving this culture more and more…. The Buzz Hong Kong, which use to be Asia’s #1 trafficking spot for opium, is a huge region, with all the 200 islands around, but ... read more

Hong Kong - an exercise in controlled chaos! Quirky Factsheet No 1 Hong Kong consumes more oranges than any other place on earth. The territory has the world’s highest per-capita consumption of cognac (around 10% of the worldwide market) and highest ownership of Rolls Royces. The Kwun Tong District in Kowloon is the most densely populated place on earth, with over 50,000 people per square km. In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but only using her bare hands. The husband’s lover, however, may be killed by any manner desired... Tuesday 13th September After a long, but largely uneventful, flight I arrived at Chep Lak Kok airport on the afternoon of Tuesday 13th. This airport (a Motts job) replaced the old Kai Tak airport in 1998 - legendary for ... read more

We’re here…our last stop before returning to the states. Our journey from Guangzhou to HK, a total distance of about 100 miles, took 7 hours from door to door. If my math is correct, that’s about 14 miles an hour. We could have almost biked it faster. The flight itself was only 40 minutes. The rest was traveling to, from and waiting at the airport. One of the nice things was having limousine service from HK to our YMCA hotel. Well, it wasn’t exactly a limo, but it was a nice Toyota minivan that I’ve never seen before in the states. We had purchased a bus shuttle transfer to the hotel, but when they took a look at Sarah, the manager said, “For you, Mr. and Mrs. Hom, we have a limo waiting for you!” Ha! ... read more

Well, sorry to backtrack folks, but thought i'd better fill you in! I've left Hong Kong now and have just arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, but more about that next time! To get you up to speed with Hong Kong (its a long one... be warned!)... I set off from Teeside airport on Tuesday lunch time and arrived in London Heathrow about an hour later,... this gave me approx. 8 hours to kill,... well, sit and eat,... and eat and eat ! I enjoyed fish and chips for tea, possibly the last meal i'll eat that i'll actually recognise the meat! Well, eventually boarded the plane destined for Hong Kong. Got sat next to a chap called Martin who was going out to HK on business, he was my film buddy for the rest of the flight ... read more