Blogs from Kowloon, Hong Kong, Asia - page 93

28th August 2006 Today we caught the train to Beijing. It takes 24 hours, so we should arrive around 3.30pm tomorrow. We arrived at the train station and as it’s an ‘international’ destination from Hong Kong, we had to check in as though it was an airport with passport control and a departure lounge. As expected the train left promptly at 3pm and we were on our way! We shared our cabin with two nice British lads, Scott and Dave, who are in China as part of their uni course. We passed the first few hours watching the scenery from the windows and playing a Chinese Dice game. The cabins are modern, beds are comfortable, and you are provided with pillows, a duvet and slippers! It really won’t be a difficult 24 hours… At around 8pm, ... read more

It was an early start today for us. We were at breakfast on opening at 0630, ready to have a quick brekky before being required at the Sheraton Hotel for the start of the tour at 0730. We were picked up by the tour guide (Alex) who was quite funny and had a lot of info to tell us. He advised us what to do and say etc goingthrough China Immigration and what to be aware of while touring in China. He mentioned that we would most likely see many questionable copied products and beggars in the streets. It was a genuine tour of an average Chinese area etc and we were going to get a genuine view of it. Things didn't start too well for us on the tour. Nic and I were both at ... read more

I’d like to post about a few reflections I’ve been dwelling on lately and to catch my loyal blog readers up about my plans over the next month or so. So, enjoy the next bits about adapting to culture and life in Hong Kong. Then, I’ll tell you of my impending trip to Fujien, a province in China. No so strange anymore As I was walking home from my office the other evening, I smelled the aromas typical of Hong Kong and realized that they didn’t evoke feelings of foreignness in my mind. Rather, the fragrances of cooking oil, ginger, and Chinese spices smelled rather commonplace to me. I remember having similar feelings about smells and sounds in Germany. While the honeymoon period of cultural adjustment is giddy, realizing that the exotic has become typical is ... read more

Where did I leave off last? I honestly have no clue, so I will start off at the tour of the mansions, shimmy into the 10,000 buddhas temple, run through my food poisoning and end on my so far, not so exciting day. I will begin with a Haiku: On the Tour There was a torrential Downpour. Wet. So that's how my Sunday morning started, having our tour of the ancestral halls in the New Territories (re: Hong Kong closest to the China border). It must have been the heavens opening up on the entire class for a few reasons: 1. To wash away our sins from Friday night (we visited Lan Kwai Fong which is this ultimate tourist destination for clubbing/bars/drinking/ prostitutes and beautiful man-ladies) 2. The ancestors were trying to keep us away because ... read more

Yes, as the title suggests, last night Jackie Chan came around, I played pool with him, and we hung out. Well. Not really. I did place my hands in his handprints on the "avenue of the stars" along the waterfront. And I thought I saw him in the market (it wasn't just me, him or his lookalive created quite a stir). But apart from that, the first sentence of this entry is a complete fabrication. In other news, Hong Kong has been fabulous. Very random, and very frantic, but in a good way. The weather has been a bit oppressive - it has been in the mid thirties most days, and the humidity hovers around 85% - but it hasn't bothered us too much. We managed to get lost while completing the "circuit track" around the ... read more