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Happy Valley Racecourse
Built in 1845 so the British could enjoy their horse racing, the city has since shot up around it. This was the only piece of land on the island flat enough for a track but it was a swamp. No problem - they just banned all the farmers from the surrounding villages from growing rice......
"Jolly good show, old boy!!". According to our indispensable travel companion, Trip Advisor, Hong Kong’s number one attraction is its stunning skyline. I’m glad we’ve been lucky enough to see this cityscape on previous visits here as, this time, the whole island was permanently shrouded in fog for practically our entire stay. A thick, grey cloak rendered the famous Victoria Peak invisible and obscured the tops of the city’s innumerable impressive skyscrapers.
The weather on arrival was a shock to our system as it was much more like Bolton than Bangkok. We’d left the latter in with the mercury touching 37 degrees and expected lower but still warm temperatures when we landed in HK. We didn’t get them. The visibility on the flight was absolutely nil from about 20 minutes out and, being totally engrossed in my Ross Kemp on Gangs book (classic Kemp I might add), was startled when the plane suddenly bounced onto the runway. Having been able to see nothing but solid, dense grey cloud from the window I was convinced we were still at 41,000 feet, not actually about to land.
The great thing about HK though is that, whatever the weather, it’s a city that has absolutely loads to
The Hong Kong Skyline
It's the city's number one attraction according to Trip Advisor but shrouded in fog for almost our entire visit.
We still had a great time though and used the Star Ferry, MRT, buses, taxis and trams to explore this fantastic place. do. Octopus travel passes purchased, we were able to scoot all over the place using the buses, MTR (underground Mass Transit Rail system) and the famous Star Ferries. The latter allows you to move between the island (which, incidentally, is the most densely populated in the world) and Kowloon which, although still Hong Kong, is actually on the mainland of China.
In addition to this, we also made great use of the famous double decker tram system which runs right down the middle of the city’s main streets. Known locally as “ding dings”, these have been in operation for well over a hundred years now but are still clattering along in grand style. They make a cheap and cheerful alternative to the open top bus tours and are excellent value at just 20p a journey, whatever the distance
Being a fascinating place and having such an interesting and varied past, we decided to take the chance to visit The Hong Kong Museum of History. Normally we are cultural heathens and not museum goers at all but, on this particular day, a) it was raining and, most importantly, b) entry was free!! It proved a fascinating visit taking you
Rattling Along On The Tram
The tram system has been offering a cheap and fun way to get around the city since 1904. right through from prehistoric times to the present day, covering everything in between in a clear, informative way. There were many things to enjoy but my favourite moment was Angela’s comment as she observed a Neanderthal exhibit - “their cavemen look just like our cavemen” – said with a straight face too! (She also asked me to explain the difference between having no choice and having one choice – still struggling with that one………).
There is only once place to be on Wednesday nights in HK – Happy Valley Racecourse. This was built by the British way back in 1845 and the city has sprung up around it since then. It’s quite an experience to watch racehorses career around the tight turns whilst being cheered on by the massive crowd of locals and ex pats. Bright floodlights brilliantly light up the whole arena and the backdrop of the countless skyscrapers right on top of you make for an amazing and unique atmosphere. I’m not going to dwell on the outcome of the evening betting wise but, suffice to say, I’m sure I heard the tote ladies snigger after they wished me good luck when placing my wagers with them…………………..
A Few Days In Macau
This was the last remaining European colony in Asia and run by the Portuguese from 1557 until 1999.
Here's a rare photo from our visit when the torrential rain actually relented for a few minutes. And, yes, that is a man bag but it's very useful and Angela carries it sometimes too!
Our trip was drawing to a close by now but we still had time to take the ferry from Hong Kong across to the nearby province of Macau. Awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2005, this turned out to be a fascinating place and one of extreme contrasts. Most people visit for the gambling and I suppose the best way to describe it would be as a Chinese version of Vegas with its own strip hosting a Venetian, Hard Rock et al. This doesn’t really tell the full story though as it only became the worlds biggest gambling centre in 2006. Now, just a few years on, the growth has been such that its casinos turn over more in two months than the Vegas ones combined do in a whole year.
We decided to keep away from the strip and stay in the Old Town area which, although a little surreal, proved to be a great decision. Macau developed out of the Chinese leasing it as a trading post to the Portuguese who landed in the 1550’s and who held sovereignty over it until 1999. The result of this is that the whole city feels like a piece
Slippery When Wet
The torrential downpours made the mosaic pavements treacherous and played havoc with our sandals........
Thank goodness we'd bought enough beer at Happy Valley to qualify us for two free rain ponchos!! of Europe has been picked up and dropped into China. There are beautiful Catholic churches, mosaic pavements and azulejo walls (traditional blue and white tiles used extensively in Portuguese architecture). You could almost be on the streets of Lisbon except that over 95% of the population is Chinese, hence the surreal feel.
It rained for our entire three day stay in Macau. Boy did it rain!! Not that crappy, wimpish rain we get in the UK either. This was the full on, tropical monsoon type that wasn’t in the mood for taking prisoners – unrelenting, incessant and very, very heavy. This weather did not fit in well with our very limited wardrobe of t shirts and shorts but there was no way we were going to be deterred. Having made a special trip to get there, we donned our Heineken sponsored rain ponchos (free with two pints at Happy Valley – the only thing I gained from going there ;-) and headed out into the downpour.
Now I’ve mentioned before about the people of the Far East and their directional sense (or complete lack of it). We’re used to getting bumped into every ten seconds by now but,
The Macau Jockey Club
An amazing night of more rain sheeting down, casinos on the horizon and a 75% win ratio for "Lucky Dave".
The other punter in attendance is behind me. in addition to lack of spatial awareness, smart phones stuck to noses and headsets glued in ears, the rains brought a new challenge – enormous umbrellas!! Narrow, slippy pavements (remember they’re marble-like) and golf umbrellas just added to the chaos with thousands of locals scurrying around the narrow streets, heads down and brollies in full on attack mode.
Somehow, we made it through without serious injury and headed off to the Macau Turf Course for our last races visit of the trip. This was another strange experience as the place was one of the biggest courses we’ve been to yet there was barely a handful of punters in attendance. Torrential rain sheeted down through the floodlit night and made for a stunning scene against the backdrop of the palatial, glittering casinos (although the horses looked decidedly hacked off at having to run in such conditions). I’m delighted to say yours truly came good at the very end and had three winners and a second from four bets (honestly!!).
The last few days of our trip started with a ferry back to Hong Kong and a one night stay before flying back to the UK. Our last evening out
The Old and the New
Macau is a place of great contrasts.
Here an old Portuguese house sits happily side by side with a Chinese one. was spent sitting on plastic stools eating on a back street Chinese hawker market and sharing our table with a young local couple. Although the language barrier meant we could barely understand each other, they proved to be great company and we laughed a lot. Tiger (his real name he assured us – wish I was called Tiger…. ;-) was a real character who talked constantly and kept topping up our glasses with his beer – good man!! He also wanted us to share all the food we’d ordered but, having been shocked at some of the dishes they eat out here, we politely declined his offer.
In a way, this final evening summed up our trip and we’ve had some incredible experiences during our three months away. Wonderful places, great food and amazing people are just a few of the ingredients that will ensure we have special memories of February to May 2014. I’m typing this from Hong Kong International Airport which is currently in complete and utter meltdown.The weather has finally broken and lightning cracks the jet black sky every few seconds, the thunder is deafening and the rain is heavier than ever. We've no idea when
The Sun Sets.............
The last night of our trip and the sun finally made a brief show through our Hong Kong hotel window.
We've had a fantastic three months in the Far East and can't wait until the next time.............. we will start our very long, tiring journey home or if we'll even get close to making our connection in Doha, Qatar. This though is a tiny price to pay for all the fun we’ve had and we’re heading home in great spirits.
Here’s to the next adventure……………..!!
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