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Published: March 16th 2024
A Little Bit ‘o This and a Little Bit o’ That
Glitches Happen But ... THERE'S NO WAY TO TELL ANYBODY WHO CAN FIX THEM ABOUT THE GLITCHES (Yes, I'm Mad as Hell and I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore!)Tour Day 145 – SA 02 MAR 2024 – Hong Kong, China – The ship arrived on time and disembarkation began as scheduled. I retrieved my luggage, proceeded to the Uber pick-up location and began to summon an Uber. I began by calling up the IHG app to get the address of the “Holiday Inn Express Causeway Bay Hong Kong, an IHG Hotel” where (I thought) I had made a reservation. I was told I had “No Future Stays,” so I booked my room online without any problems. I went to the Uber app and summoned my ride (apparently) selecting my drop-off location as “Holiday Inn Express, 33 Sharp St E, Bowrington” from the dropdown provided. The Uber driver, who spoke virtually no English, arrived and took me to the point Google Maps and the Uber software had sent him (and I had apparently selected). A hotel sign was nowhere in sight! I have stayed in numerous hotels where the building is “blended into the woodwork” quite successfully. With everything moving along at a normal pace, this would not be a big problem. In a moderate drizzle, this is inconvenient, but aimlessly pulling around two suitcases with two injured wings makes
the situation much more problematic. I asked several passersby if they spoke English to no avail. Sooo, I pulled both suitcases to the corner of a much busier street and made my way into a cosmetics store, of all things, where the lady (who spoke very good English) gave me directions. The Uber driver had dropped me at the back side of the hotel. I walked half a block, made a right, walked half a block and eureka! In my room, I played around with Google Maps and discovered the address for the front side of the hotel is “Holiday Inn Express Causeway Bay Hong Kong, an IHG Hotel, Holiday Inn Express, Sharp St E, Bowrington.” Excessively wordy and redundant to say the least, but it is what it is! All in all, it was a very good day interrupted by several minutes of frustration.
I had, however, quickly learned that English is not as commonplace as I had anticipated. Despite having been under some form of British rule from 1841 to 1997 (apart from the period of Japanese occupation from 1941 to 1945 during WW II), many locals do not, or deny being able to, speak English. That
was not my only surprise. I also was amazed by how “unWestern” Hong Kong is in 2024. The hotel had non-potable water at the bathroom sink. Bottled water was aplenty and restocked daily, but I wasn’t quite ready to rinse my toothbrush using bottled water at a Holiday Inn Express. The elevator revealed there was no 14
th floor. Omitting the 13
th floor is not common in America but superstition does prevail in some buildings. I was amazed by the use of bamboo for scaffolding. Not to question the strength and durability of bamboo, this is 2024.
Tour Days 146 & 147 – SU & MO 02 & 03 MAR 2024 Hong Kong, China – The forecast was not promising and the weather held true to the prognosticators, so I played Mr. Domestic – editing pictures, getting the ducks lined up for my upcoming flight/stay/tour in South Korea and more relaxation. Of course, I had to make a dash to the eatery next to the hotel for a Hong Kong tradition, the Pineapple Bun. A pineapple bun is a kind of sweet bun originating in Hong Kong but also common in Chinatowns worldwide. Despite the name, it does
not traditionally contain pineapple; but rather, the name refers to the look of the characteristic top of the bun, which resembles the texture of a pineapple.
Tour Day 148 – TU 05 MAR 2024 – Hong Kong, China – Today was doctor’s day. I had a follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon I had seen during the ms Westerdam port of call on 03 FEB 2024. At that time, he expressed hopes that I could get rid of the cumbersome, inconvenient, yada, yada, yada splint I had been wearing for almost the entire cruise. Older people move slower, and older bones heal slower; but I was EXTREMELY hopeful that I would soon be able to stand under a showerhead and wash my hair with both hands. At 0845, the desk clerk called for a taxi that was just arriving as I walked out the door of the hotel. I sat down in the waiting area of the radiology offices at 0915, fifteen minutes before my appointment. I walked to the orthopedic surgeon’s office, about a half mile, and sat down in that waiting area a full twenty minutes before my 1030 appointment. Dr. Chan Yat Fai showed
On My Walk to the Trolley
I Wonder How Long the Cabbie at the End of the Queue Has to Wait for a Fare me the x-rays and stated he was pleased. I was able to rid myself of the splint (without separation anxiety) but cannot perform any heavy lifting for six more weeks. Upon departure, I went to the same spot the limo driver had used for arrival and departure during my first doctor’s visit. The drivers ignored me. Back inside, the lady at the information desk gave me directions to the taxi stand. The aforementioned spot is “all can discharge” passengers but “only private vehicles” can embark passengers. I walked a block and a half to the taxi stand and hailed a cab whose driver spoke excellent English. As we neared the hotel, the surroundings began to look familiar. She drove right past the point where the Uber driver had dropped me on Saturday (a one-way street) and went around the block to drop me on the correct street (obviously, going in the opposite direction) straightaway in front of the hotel doorsteps!
Tour Day 149 – WE 06 MAR 2024 – Hong Kong, China – The weather forecast for the last day of my time in Hong Kong was the best of the lot as far as tourism goes.
On My Walk to the Trolley
Times Square from in Front of My Hotel I made the short walk to the main Hong Kong Tramways route. The port talk aboard ship, for those having the day as a port of call vs. a disembarkation day or a Hong Kong terminus with a few days to explore Hong Kong, touted the tram as another Hong Kong tradition and gave me enough information to feel confident enough to venture out where this traveler has never been before! Hong Kong's tram system, the ding dongs as the local refer to the noise made by the bells, is one of the earliest forms of public transport in the metropolis, having opened in 1904 under British rule. It has used electric trams since its inception and has never used horse or steam power. The system owns the world's largest operational double-decker tram fleet and is a very rare example of a tram system that uses them exclusively. In addition to being used by commuters, the system is popular with tourists and is one of the most environmentally friendly ways of travelling in the city. The trolley line runs on Hong Kong Island between Kennedy Town and Shau Kei Wan, with a branch circulating through Happy Valley. I learned at
On My Walk to the Trolley
I Have No Idea of How High the Scaffolding Can Go ... the Port Talk event that custom has it that one must enter by the rear door and exit by the front door, that one pays the fare (a quite reasonable $0.16 USD for seniors for a ride of any duration) upon exit, one exits the upper deck via the front stairs and the motorman does not make change. My original plan was to take the trolley in each direction to the terminus and return to my starting point or to ride until I was trolleyed out and catch a taxi back to the hotel. I walked several blocks, about 0.5 kilometers, to the major trolley route and people (trolley) watched for a spell. The trolley line is in the middle of the street. Some stops have a crosswalk with traffic signals while others have an overhead pedestrian walkway with escalators/stairs/elevators used to access the trolley platform. I made the plunge, hopped aboard the “new” car (the older ones have wicker seats, I was told) and enjoyed the vintage experience. It turned out that I had had enough “trolleying” by the time we were approaching my original boarding stop. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the views of Hong Kong. I
On My Walk to the Trolley
... But the Locals Seem Quite Lackadaisical hope you enjoy them as well.
Right across the street from the hotel was Times Square, a luxury shopping center and office tower complex. Since real estate per square XXX is so expensive in Hong Kong, Times Square departs from the common western model of the flat shopping mall. The space allocated to retail is configured over 9 stories. The mall is accessible by long escalators linking the ground floor atrium and the first level of the mall. I had no intention of shopping (refrigerator magnets are probably rare in a high-end mall) but did want to take a look and a few photos.
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