I wake late and head to work in a hurry. The lift in my apartment block, which already has a mind of its own, arrives with three other residents going downwards. The doors close on my floor, the lift lurches and the doors open again to show we’re between floors. The other three look unconcerned, one presses ‘G’ and the door closes again, another lurch and the overload light flashes (the lift is certified for fourteen people). He presses ‘G’ again and the performance repeats. Although I’m starting to panic, they have a plan and I’m a little slow to catc [View Full Entry]

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I'm sorry but today is dull. I've not really done anything exciting, been to work and seen some more bus workshops and I went shopping. Today's highlights have been seeing my first Defender over here, confusion over a bloke talking about his four arms (think about it) and musing on how my shower works - there's the right number of pipes but surely they're in the wrong order? See the photo - cold water is suppied to the boiler from floor level, split through the mixer tap. So how does hot water ever get back down to the shower pipe? Unless [View Full Entry]

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It’s a Monday so I’m trapped in work, and I think the novelty of having ‘the international student’ here has worn off since everyone has work to do (probably following the weekend) and I’m left to do my own work. Which involves writing a report about what I’ve seen (done) and apparently writing my blog. Most amusing point so far today has been hearing the morning news reporter in Beijing describe herself as my ‘windle on the world’ in true Bristolian dialect. After work I go to dinner with Arthur, a long-distance friend of the family, and he b [View Full Entry]

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Flicking through my guide book last night, the review of Stanley village sounds interesting so I decide to head down there. Buses run from Shau Kei Wan or Central but I like the atmosphere in the former so jump on the tram down there. Looking around I can’t see where the bus runs from and nobody is available or willing to help me, but I know the bus to Shek O heads down the right road and then turns off, so if I get off the Shek O bus when it turns, I can catch the next service to Stanley, right? [View Full Entry]

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Today is beach day so I head back to Shau Kei Wan’s bus station for an onward bus link to Shek O. The bus is hard to find using the local bus signs, but guesswork tells me to follow the throng of loud, brash, irascible Americans and I’m quickly proved right. The interior of the island is steeply mountainous, a little like parts of Wales but with fleeting glimpses of skyscrapers between the hills instead of lakes. The contrast with the concrete cliffs of the city is striking. To make the narrow passes the rock faces have been cut back and [View Full Entry]

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Another day placed with NWFB’s overhaul section, examining how they have long term goals in sight with their maintenance programme - fleet performance and public perception both play a part when the company is bidding for future franchises so a great deal of effort is made to ensure the vehicle fleet is smart, reliable and presentable. This drive for service quality is a stark contrast to the ‘enough to stay legal’ approach that the UK industry is reputed for, and I hope those companies will appreciate the economic benefits of investing seriously in maintenance facilities and [View Full Entry]

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It’s too hot to sleep with the aircon off and too noisy with it switched on. I think I managed 6 hours and woke too late to find a bowl for breakfast - the jetlag is probably also playing a part here - hopefully one more night should solve that. Got slightly lost on the way to work to boot and arrived late (not good) to be shown around the depot. The Chai Wan facility is considerable and impressive in scale and equipment - the vehicle powertrain units (engines, gearboxes and rear axles) are overhauled here, stores for the New World [View Full Entry]

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I wake at midday, well rested and still not in synch with local time - a good job I didn’t have to work today! My shower sounds like a bow continuously drawn over a violin string, with the note decided by the temperature (I settled on a comfortably cool D-flat). There’s no need to dry my hair, since a walk around Victoria park does that quite comfortably for me, delaying the effects of heat exhaustion. A walking tour of the town towards Central takes in the sights and sounds of the city again, including the Central Escalator, an immense system of [View Full Entry]

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After a visit to Barbara’s office to update my blog and check my emails, I took the Star Ferry to Kowloon The streets around the HK terminal are filled with groups of women sitting on the pavements eating, chatting and playing cards, a social time for them. The ferry terminal reminds me of a cross between a low-rate children’s amusement park and a French motorway toll plaza with concrete, pebbledash and painted lanes for different payment methods. The area is filled with Canadian, Australian and English tourists and seems somehow ‘fake’ for the benefit. The boat, with [View Full Entry]

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The harbourfront is a bizarre spectacle - hundreds of people line the waterfront for a coordinated light and laser show from the tall buildings on Hong Kong island. Lights from both sides of the harbour focus on the low cloud base in an impressive display, although it falls to the loud American beside me to declare loudly ‘well, it’s the biggest I’ve ever seen but, y’know, I expected more’. ‘Not bad for free’ I observe, but I think she rather missed the point. [View Full Entry]

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