Hong Kong and Macau...Wow!!

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(06/10/09) So, hello there. It’s me. How are you? I’m now back in the Northern Hemisphere after 4 months in Australia and New Zealand. After a nine hour boring flight from Sydney with little leg room, I am now here in Hong Kong, or the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, but I will probably just called it HK. The Brits handed this place back over ten years ago after we grabbed it after the Opium Wars of Nineteenth century. Of course this is Asia, but nothing like anywhere else I had been previously on my trip. As I got the bus from the airport I saw the Manhattan style skyline illuminated and I was pretty excited to be here. The bus took some time driving down busy Nathan Road in the Kowloon area and I finally got off at my hostel at the infamous Chung King Mansions, which is a disgusting and outdated tower block that would not look out of place in Somalia and has about 40 hostels inside and is riddled with dodgy looking immigrants. I booked a bed in a dorm but for the first night I am sharing a tiny box room (6ft x 8ft perhaps?) with 2 Germans. The first thing I notice is the heat and humidity which is pretty hard to handle after leaving Sydney in their early spring. I didn’t arrive until late so I got a bit of Indian food and walked around the busy streets. I certainly felt like I was back in Asia. Hong Kong’s seven million population and small size makes it one, if not thee, most densely populated cities in the world, and I was certainly experiencing it firsthand. I returned to my hostel to receive an electric shock from a plug and to sweat in this tiny room. Honestly, this hostel is a sh*hole!

(07/10/09) I somehow survived the night. Still not quite sure how. The bed was so tiny that my feet were in the ensuite bathroom. I say “bathroom”, but I actually mean “2ft by 2ft shower, toilet and sink piled on top of one another”. No exaggeration. So anyhow, when I stepped outside of my glamorous hostel I had little idea what to do. I took my guidebook and headed to view the pretty cool Victoria Harbour. From Kowloon (pronounced “Gaolong“) side you can look across and view the spectacular skyline of Hong Kong Island’s skyscrapers, with the mountainous Victoria Peak in the background. It wasn’t the clearest of clear days and there was a funny old light that made me squirm eyes. Quite amazing how many high buildings were in sight. The Star Ferry (which dates back about a hundred years) went across a few times in front of me, so I thought I might as well take it to the others side. It only took about ten minutes. I then walked through the undercover walkway to the Central district and was now underneath the magnificent buildings I was staring at across Victoria Harbour a short time ago. Victoria peak is more than 500 metres high and is said to have a wicked view so I got the tram up towards it. This tram almost does 45 degrees as it ascends the peak. The views up the top were amazing, despite the smog. Although still hot, the temperature was slightly more bearable up here, so I decided to take my time and spend the day here. There’s a new viewing tower with shops and cafes. I then did an hour or so walk around the peak which also put in views of south HK Island. There are in fact plenty of walks to do in HK. People think its just full of tall buildings but in fact the business district on HK Island, although big, only takes up 7% of HK’s growing land area - the reason I say growing is that they are big on land reclamation. There’s 4 main areas that make up Hong Kong - Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories, Lantau, and about 200 odd smaller islands. I decided to stay up the peak, taking in the brilliant view until the sun had set and the glow of lights started to twinkle to see the place in a totally different light, so to speak. When it was dark, I headed back down, then jumped back on the Star Ferry and then attended the Symphony of Lights. The SoL is apparently the worlds biggest light show and involves a few dozen of the big skyscrapers all lit up and changing to some lame music. It was quite the spectacle across Victoria Harbour. In the evening I grabbed some more Indian food and headed to Temple Market where I purchased a man bag of all things. It was a bit like Bangkok’s Koh San Road with all the tat but the people were a lot less pushy. Further down the market was a bizarre Chinese karaoke which involved a guy attempting to play some popular oriental numbers on a keyboard with some drunk lady singing, this was repeated quite a bit. There were also dozens of fortune tellers. A few asked me if I wanted to know about my future…surely if they were any good then they would know my answer would be “NO!!!!”. It was a long old day and my legs ached, but all good.

(08/10/09) Not that I was over the big city vibe just yet, but today I thought I would explore another one of HK’s areas. I headed to Lantau, which is twice the size and is west of busy Hong Kong Island. I got there by the very efficient, clean and safe MTR (the underground). Its air-conned with so much space I was thinking of sleeping on this for the night. Before too long, and after a quick change, I was on a bus that was taking me around the beautiful Island of Lantau that had plenty of lushes green peaks. I went along the coast for a bit and I could just see some smaller islands through the mist. The bus terminated at Ngong Ping which is home to the Po Lin Monastery, and the world’s tallest seated Buddha. There were plenty of other tourist around, most of them copying my idea. I walked up the 200 odd steps to the top and had a nose around. Really good views from the top as you can imagine, and also of the 30 something metre bronze fella. I actually think the view from the bottom was better as it looks like the big Buddha (every time I hear those words I want to sing “Wahoo Big Buddha..”) is appearing a top a peak and is about to high-five someone… I then had a butchers around the monastery. Towards the end of my SE Asia adventure I was very much templed-out, but after 4 months back in the western world, I was pleased to see another one. There was a vegetarian restaurant within the complex so I had a spot of lunch (gimme a bacon sandwich any day..). Next up I took a stroll along Wisdom Path for some more scenery. Up on the Ngong Pin plateau there’s a new but old styled touristy shopping village selling the usual. I declined the chance to take the scenic cable car home as they wanted to charge extra as it’s a Chinese holiday - we are not in China, and I am not Chinese.. In the evening I met up with Saki, who was the very first person I met when I started travelling alone back in Bangkok in February. We went to a Chinese restaurant and ate some absolute shite. Luckily Saki (who is Japanese but lives in HK) also realised we were eating crap so instead of ordering more food we headed to another Chinese restaurant, joined by her friend Ivy (Japanese name was something crazy). It was nice to have a chat with people from pretty different backgrounds as myself. They both spoke English, which was handy as my Japanese is not what it was… They gave me a few tips on what to eat when I go Japan - Ivy used to have whale almost everyday at school (can you imagine trying to batter one of those and having it with your chips?). The food we ate this evening was ok, but perhaps a bit slimey and soupy for my liking (not sure I’m going to eat better than the takeaways in UK to be honest). I had a pleasant evening but too much tea made me spend half of it in the bathroom.

(09/10/09) I had such a crap sleep last night due to the air-con now being freezing (and unable to be changed) and one of the Koreans in my room who was snoring so loud - I know I’ve been accused of snoring in my time, but I actually thought a wild pig was in the room, honestly.. I think I got bitten by bed bugs again last night, and you know how much them and I don’t get on these days. The hostel was so sh*t I decided to leave the country…and I did! I decided to head to nearby Macau, which like Hong Kong, is also a Special Administrative Region of China. I carried my ever heavier rucksack and day bag - about 20kg and 8kg respectively (how comes people only write “respectively” rather than actually say it out loud?) through the busy streets of HK hunting down the ferry terminal, which although easy to locate, the entrance was a different matter. I went through passport control to the fast ferry which took a little over an hour. I had headed to Macau with little idea what I was doing or where I was going. I managed to book a hotel whilst at the ferry terminal and required a local bus to get there, and it was here I soon realised that English speakers were not going to be easy to come by.. So Macau was colonised by the Portuguese in the early 16th century and handed back to China in 1999 but is still a separate county. As a result of the Portuguese coming here, the whole area is so different to China, and hard to believe they are next door to each other. The architecture is very familiar to what you would find in the Mediterranean. Lot’s of people, streets, churches and similar. The majority of the 500,000 population here are of Chinese origin, but there are also Portuguese and a mixture of both. What I knew before I got here was that it is know as Las Vegas of the East, due to the fact that the Asians love gambling, but can only do it in Macau, since it is not legal in China or Hong Kong. Up until a few years ago there were just a handful of casinos but that has all changed and there are now around 40 including an MGM Grand and Venetian (replica of Vegas one, with canals etc..). And as a mark of how big business here, Macau turns over more money and the tables are 10 times more profitable than their Vegas counterparts… Anyhow, I walked round the streets for a while looking for my hotel. It was now about 4pm and I hadn’t eaten, which is very rare for me. I could had walked in one of six directions, and it appears I chose the only route that had no cafes at all. I walked and walked, but to no avail. I got to see the Macau Tower, which at 338metres is not only is the 10th highest building in the world and based on the SkyTower in Auckland, but is also home to the worlds highest bungy jump at 233metres. Now, I may have mentioned that I did the 134metre Nevis bungy in New Zealand (did I mention it?), and it was a consideration to do this one. I saw a guy jump and it sure was high. I considered my funds, and decided against the idea. Perhaps if I was with the same people I did my last one with then maybe, but up there on my own would had been all to easy to chicken out. Anyhow, I continued my walk and took in the skyline. Although not in the same league as Hong Kong, there are a few high-rise buildings that make up the skyline. Sticking out behind these is the magnificent Lisboa Grand, which looks as if it’s the lair to Batman’s archenemy. Strange looking building, that is a huge casino and hotel. I managed to pick up some food and found the more lively part of town just round the corner from my hotel. I then strolled through the town square that easily could be in Lisbon. I strolled through the cobbled streets and checked out the Ruins of St Paul’s which is what is left after St Paul’s (an old college) was ruined - does exactly what it says on the tin huh? In the evening I strolled some more (plenty of strolling happening) but couldn’t find the Porto-Chino style restaurants that were meant to be everywhere. I decided to check out all the fuss with the casinos and went to Hotel Lisboa, regarded as the most famous casino in Asia. Although it had been recently renovated, it was still stuck in the 1960’s and the smoke inside engulfed me (people even smoke in the lifts in Macau). The majority of the games were Baccarat and I have no idea how to play this so had no interest watching. I popped across the road to the impressive Grand Lisboa (Batman’s enemies place). I lost count how many floors of gaming tables this place had, perhaps six? Again, Baccarat is the big game here. I strolled about and thought about a flutter, but decided to save my patacas and avos (Macau’s currency). I’ve been to a few casinos on my travels and the Grand is a long way from the one in Cambodia that had the signs “No Photos No Drugs, No grenades”!!…

(10/10/09) Wow, yesterdays entry was a long one huh? Not bad bearing in mind I didn’t even arrive in Macau til the late afternoon. Anyhow, I enjoyed the first double bed I’ve slept in for a long long time. My hotel was far from luxury but it was paradise compared to the crap at the Chung Kung Mansions. So I armed myself with a map and a guidebook and I walked like I’ve not walked before. I did my best to get in as many of Macau’s twenty something World Heritage sites as was possible in a few hours. I took in St Antony’s Church, Mount Fortress, Macau Museum, the Cathedral, St Augustine’s Square, St Dominic’s Church, amongst other places. I even saw a Japanese film/TV show being filmed in Senado Square. I walked to the base of the Macau Tower to watch a few bungy jumps up close. Still tempted, but no, not doing that today. I’ll never say never if I was to return though. In the afternoon I picked up my evermore heavier bags and bussed it to the ferry terminal and was back to the busy bright lights of Kowloon in Hong Kong. So that’s Macau. After my 7 minutes in Burma, this is the shortest I have spent in any one country, but let that not disguise the fact that this is an interesting place to visit, if only for 24hrs. It has history, food, architecture and now mega casinos to play in. I think in the next few years you will be hearing more and more from Macau.. Back in HK I checked into a new hostel. My room is tiny (get a single bed, then add the space of 2/3 of that bed and that’s it), but at least it was own my room. In the evening I jumped on the MTR to Central station and got the worlds longest travelator (I’m thinking “Gladiators, READY?”!) to Soho (South of Hollywood Road) which is full of posh restaurants and is mostly inhabited by expats and the like. I got some decent food and a beer but expats are a bit out of my league with their spending so I ventured to another bar which was showing England U21 footy match. The beer was silly money and I really wasn’t in the spirit for drinking on my own, or making conversation with anyone. I walked through the very happening Lang Kwai Fang area, but even that did not make me stay. This was the first time I’ve ventured out on my own to bars, and I was just too lazy to start a conversation, but I didn’t really mind.

(11/10/09) Today was Sunday and the weather was pretty lame. I had a decent sleep in and then got the MTR to Hong Kong Island. I had decided to do the recommended walking tour as described in the Lonely Planet that would take me through more the old small Chinese shops and hangouts before HK boomed into the mega metropolis that it is today. I walked for a bit and saw the old and new together. Plenty of trams and markets. There seemed to be too many shops that sold dried anything (fruit, herbs, fish octopus..). The rain soon picked up I so decided to get a haircut. I was relatively pleased whilst in the salon (for once) as I was given a funky Asian style, but as soon as I stepped outside the wind and rain blew away my new hairdoo. Oh well. In the evening, armed with my rain jacket, I took a walk and found some decent food. I then stumbled across the very busy Ladies Market (it mostly sold ladies stuff, but not only) and managed to pick up a cheap t-shirt. I then strolled back for an early-ish night.

(12/10/09) I checked out of my old box room hotel and into my new hotel as today was officially the first day of my organised tour of China with Gap Adventure Tours (rather than Intrepid who I used before). First night is in HK. Doing an organised trip was never always the plan. If I was with someone then I would had done China independently, but seeing as I am not and there’s a big language barrier (e.g. I can barely speak English..), I decided to do an organised tour. I estimate it will cost me double compared to going on my own but at least I have everything organised and a tour guide to assist with any difficulties. Hopefully I would have a decent group like in Cambodia and Vietnam all those many months ago. We were to have an introduction meeting this evening so between then I sorted out some stuff in my room (a wicked double bed all to myself - best room in all of travels) and I headed back to Hong Kong Island to finish off the walking tour that the rain delayed yesterday. My walk took in Man Mo Temple which houses lots of massive incense coils from the ceiling, NoHo (North of Hollywood Road) and plenty of herbal medicine places. I kept walking west to take in my last views of the skyline that was towering above me. I jumped on the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour once more and investigated the Avenue of Stars more as I realised I only saw a small section on my first day of Hong Kong. I saw the handprints of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and a big stature of Bruce Lee. I then headed back to my new hotel via being ripped off by a money changer. Bastards. I then met up with the nine other people in my tour and our temporary tour guide called Cindy (our proper one had a visa issue so would be meeting us in China tomorrow). We went out for some food and to get to know each other and I must say that everyone seems very nice indeed. A few from UK, two form NZ, a South African, Spaniard, Italian and German. I thought there might be lots of couples but just 2 lots. Half and half male to female and the age group was about 21-30, which suited me fine. After the meal we attempted to walk to the harbour to catch the light show (I had already seen it but some people had just arrived in HK). We had just missed it so half of us decided to go back to English Hayley’s room with some beers and listen to music. So far so good with the people. I’m looking forward to travelling China with them, starting tomorrow.

So, that’s Hong Kong and Macau. A shortish blog for you to read over your morning coffee. I was going to include both in the China blog but there are a lot of stuff going on with both and I imagine are going to be quite different to mainland China. This is the longest I have spent on my own in my whole travels so far this year. For some reason I’ve not really minded as it’s given me time to reflect on my travels a bit, and also I can go round and look at what I want without dragging someone else with me. Not that I would always like to travel like this, but for now its fine.

HK was crazy place. The skyline and buildings are very impressive and it’s a busy place, yet its well run with the MTR able to cope. Very clean place as well. Plenty of natural beauty around also. If you’re in to hiking then you could be very busy indeed, and of course big buildings. The place is east meets west. Definitely on my recommendation list and I would not refuse a return some day.

Macau is a very different place, but an interesting one. Its like picking up a Portuguese town and chucking it in Asia. Bizarre.

Both places are so very near China, yet they are not. I head there tomorrow and I have a feeling my adventure has just begun again…..see you in the middle kingdom……

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Photos

View of Macau
Check out the massive Grand Lisboa sticking out

Grand Lisboa
HUGE!