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Published: September 21st 2007
“We’re not in Kansas anymore Toto,”…Toto…Toto…dear God, some one has eaten Toto! Just kidding, I haven’t seen any rotisserie dogs thus far, so you can stop gasping ladies.
I have only been gone for five days, but I thought I’d check in. I’m slowly adapting back into the swing of traveling. It’s not easy, especially the older you get. The sixteen hour flight took a toll on me. The Cathay Pacific plane was packed full and the seats were made for little people. Hong Kong is twelve hours ahead, so when I arrived it was night but my body thought it was morning. That didn’t help with the sleep and to add to the mix, my hostel was a zoo until about two in the morning. That is the life of a backpacker - amazing experiences, but not so amazing accommodations. It’s all good though, it’s what I expect and learn to adapt to…well except for the bed bugs, yep, you know it, I already have bed bug bites all over- gotta love it! Besides itching, one thing that's hard to adapt to is the communication. On my previous trip through Latin America, I at least knew some Spanish. This
time it’s a whole new ball game. Hong Kong won’t be as difficult as mainland China or many of the other locations I’m travelling to, but it's still no picnic. Let me give you a few examples: When I first arrived, I took a local bus (it’s much less expensive but more challenging than the train) from the airport to Kowloon (where I’m residing). I tried to explain to the bus driver that I needed to get off at 58 Nathan road (I pointed to it on the map and had written out the number 58!!) …well, he got the road right but I soon discovered that I had been dropped at 580 Nathan road instead of 58 and I was lugging two bags around at ten o’clock at night - just peachy. Long story short, I walked for an hour, dropped five pounds in sweat and finally found my hostel (The Mirador Mansion Dump). After settling in, I had another communicational mishap. I was attempting to sleep, but was having much difficulty due to the fact that I was sharing a terribly humid room with twelve other travelers and there was a bright fluorescent light burning just above me.
I couldn’t find the switch to turn it off so, I walked out to ask the front desk lady, who always replies, “What you want!” I thought I'd gotten across that the light was burning through my skull and I wished that it was turned off, but that is not what translated. Soon after I laid back down, the lady came in to the dorm room, looked up at the ceiling, said, “No problem!” and turned off the bloody ceiling fan (not the light) and walked out. I eventually got back up, stumbled along the walls of the room, found the light switch and got back to not sleeping. Phew… I know this all sounds like I’m hating every minute of it, but that’s not true. These are some of the only negatives of traveling cheap - the rest is amazing. Just always know that if the internet advertisement for the hostel says air conditioning/hot water shower/free Wi-Fi/scenic view, and the cost is only $7 a night, then what they really mean is your getting a fan/cold shower/per hour internet fee/alley view. It’s no biggie though, just one of those things that you grow to accept. Now, let me tell
I love these boats
This would look sweet cruising down Norris Lake.you a little about Hong Kong.
Hong Kong, which is said to be “where the East collides with the West,” is the largest Cantonese city in the world, as well as the brightest. This city is absolutely amazing at night. The skyscrapers that surround Victoria Harbor are all lit up and the billboards and florescent signs illuminate the streets. Every night down near the waters edge, you can sit and watch a light show (to music) that the city buildings put on. That’s right, every building flashes, blinks, and twinkles to music. This orchestra of lights goes on for a few minutes and it's like nothing you’ve every seen in any other city acround the world - I think (sounded good, but don't quote me).
Unlike many of the cities I’ve traveled to, Hong Kong is very clean and not as crazy as I expected. My first day I took the Star Ferry across the harbor to Hong Kong Island (separate from Kowloon and is also called Causeway Bay). I mingled through the buildings of downtown and made my way up towards Victoria Peak. About half way up, I caught a tram the remainder of the way and
soon stood staring out over the mighty Kong. It was a little hazy, but still a magnificent view. I didn’t stay too long, because I still had a lot to see. I crossed town by foot, through a park, past a market and on to the TurboJet boats that transport people to Macau Island. This is an hour trip by boat and requires immigration processing. The TurboJet boats are those speed boats that rise up on stilts (or something that floats) above the water. Macau Island was a Portuguese colony which now serves as a gambler’s getaway. The island is covered with casinos (the new Wynn Casino) and Cantonese palaces. I bartered a bike ride through the town instead of hopping taxis. My little Cantonese chauffer peddled us around to all of the main sites and soon returned me back to the dock. After, making my way back to Hong Kong and back through immigration (added another stamp and country to my trip -sweet), I dragged my sleep-deprived rear back to Kowloon and passed out.
The following day I took a stroll around Kowloon, checked out the Boardwalk of the Stars, tried out some Chinese dumplings and visited Lantau
Island to see the Giant Buddha statue and the Po Lin Monastery.
Kowloon is a madhouse of retail street vendors at every turn. You mustn’t make eye contact or even reply with a courteous “no thank you,” because they will be on you like Chad on a Chinese buffet. No joke, they are relentless. Besides being hassled, the area is very entertaining. There are many shops and restaurants on the side streets off Nathan Road (the main artery of Kowloon). I haven’t tried that much food yet (letting the stomach re-coup), but I did enjoy the Chinese dumplings with noodles (good call Dave) - they sure are slippery little suckers. The waitress noticed me fumbling about with the chop sticks, so she brought me a fork. I kindly declined because I need the practice.
The Boardwalk of the Stars is down along the harbor. It’s a nice breezy walk that gives an excellent view of the Causeway Bay area on the opposing side. Hand prints and autographs of famous Chinese stars are etched in the cement beneath your feet. The path leads down to the famous statue of Bruce Lee. It was definitely a cool statue; especially having
Hong Kong Island as a backdrop. Not only were there a lot of famous names to look at, but there were also a lot of fortune tellers. I swear I passed maybe five or six different Middle Eastern guys wearing turbines and claiming that I had a “lucky face”. I just smiled and replied, “Look at this nose, these ears and lack of hair - do you call this lucky!” That got them off my back.
The trip to Lantau Island was quite the adventure. I had to walk for about a half an hour to the station, take the subway for another half an hour and then a bus for another half an hour (the cable car was closed down). The long haul was well worth it though. I got to see the Po Lin Monastery and have a good look at Buddha up close and personal (big fella - doesn’t talk much).
Well, that about does it for Hong Kong. Next I’m off for Beijing. The communication will only worsen from this point forward. Atleast Hong Kong had English on most of the signs. That will be a different story for mainland China - should be
interesting. Take care and have a good night - don’t let the bed bugs bite…Son of a 你好!!!
Note: I forgot to mention that I flew over the North Pole on my way to Hong Kong. I stared out my window at the snow covered mountains and the glacier filled waters of the Arctic - It was breathtakingly beautiful.
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Jen (with one "n")
non-member comment
Happy for you!
Hi J, Glad to see you are safe and sound...if not a little itchy. I can't wait till you publish your first book of adventures. I will be the first to buy. Safe travels.