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The train from Kunming to Guangzhou was pleasant enough for an overnight train and it helped that we were in a soft sleeper meaning that we had a bit more space to sit up before bed time.
When we arrived in Guangzhou we were met with a dilemma. We wanted, and had planned, to go to Hong Kong. However, we would not be able to apply for our Russian visas until the Monday and according to the guidebook it would be cheaper in Macau. We therefore quickly hopped on to a train down to Shenzhen from where we would take a ferry to Macau and wait out the pricey Hong Kong hostels until we could go and apply for our visas.
This plan left us with a few hours to explore Shenzhen. To say that there is little to do in Shenzhen makes it sound more exciting then it actually is and we spent most of our time looking around for a place to eat, mainly due to our inability to find the place mentioned in the guide book. We then grabbed a local bus to the ferry terminal, where we caught the last possible ferry to Macau.
Now Macau is a bit of an odd place. A larger gambling resort than Las Vegas it has none of the oddities that makes Las Vegas tolerable. It does have a rather attractive and characterful old town, from the time it was a Portuguese colony which is slowly being swamped by larger and larger casinos with little character.
However, the main problem with Macau is the price of accommodation. Despite the vast quantity to choose from it is all stupidly expensive for what you get, this only gets worse when you arrive on Friday, a la us, as the prices get bumped up even more. And, to top it all off, even at 10:30pm none of them seemed willing to haggle with the room price. This ultimately saw us pay a fortune for a rather cramped room in the old quarter of Macau.
Determined to make the most of it, and then leave for Hong Kong, we headed out to explore the old town of Macau. It was a surprising lovely experience, especially when we were dining on cakes whilst having my first cup of nice coffee since Vietnam. There was the facade of a now missing old
The many sides of Macau
Church, temple and casino.cathedral to check out and no trip to the old town would be complete without a trip up the hill to the old fort. It was just a shame that the old cannons, pointing rather aptly at some of the new casinos, couldn't be fired.
After a trip to the Jardin Lou Lim Leoc, a lovely little park in the centre of Macau, it was time to try out a few more of the lovely cakes, before heading off for a ferry to Hong Kong. Arriving on the Kowloon part of Hong Kong, we headed over to a guest house recommended in the guide book. It was a bit pricey for what it was but still cheaper than Macau.
We decided to head out for a quick bite to eat, going to a vegetarian restaurant that we had passed on the way to the hostel. This was a bit a shame as, whilst the food was good, we got charged for the tea – which we thought was complimentary – and the peanuts – which we definitely thought would not be included. A mandatory service charge to top it all off and I decided that we would not
be returning in the future.
The next day, a brief look on the internet confirmed our suspicions. We could find accommodation cheaper if we went to the infamous Chunking Mansions. We therefore headed out ... for brunch...to consider this momentous decision. After one of the best breakfasts we've had all trip, we decided that we really should try and save a few more pennies and headed off to Chunking Mansions.
The fact that Steph described the downstairs as somewhere she would never normally enter gives a good impression of the street access to the mansions. That said the room in the guest house was perfectly clean, probably only as cramped as the last place we stayed and about half the price. Granted it was on the 16th floor, which upset Steph greatly but we decided that we would avoid the place as much as humanly possible so it wouldn't be too bad.
We therefore left as soon as possible and headed down to the promenade to admire the old clock tower, a relic of the old train station that used to run straight to Europe, and the movie stars walk. This was pretty much like the Hollywood
walk of fame, except that there was an art exhibit and, more usefully, some information about the history of Hong Kong cinema, making it better than the equivalent in Hollywood.
Having explored the centre we headed over to the IFC2, for some roof top drinks with Steph's mind bogglingly distant relative. It was a good evening which started with some drinks and snacks and ended with a ferry trip back to Kowloon during which we could look at the Hong Kong skyline.
The next day, after a slightly later morning than anticipated, we headed over to the Russian Consulate and lodged our application for a Russian Visa. Following this I could point out the touristy things that we did around Hong Kong, going up the escalators that take you half way up the peak of the island, or looking around the Botanical and Zoological Park and even the impressive looking HSBC building built off the ground due to Feng Shui principles. However, that would give a far too gleaming impression of our day. Instead, we ambled around the city exploring the things that really matter after being on the road for 4 months, namely the M&S food hall.
Having already had a slight home treat – baked potatoes – we ended up getting some nice proper cheese amongst other goods as a snack.
In an attempt to save the day somewhat we headed over to Wellington street to enjoy some really good dumplings in one of the many local eateries before meeting up with Dan again to sample some more beers in one of the many pubs in Hong Kong.
In what became a depressing state of affairs, the next day we got up late. After possibly the worst breakfast of our trip to date, with dumplings and rice rolls so slimy they tried to slide down your throat we went off to the Russian Embassy and collected our Russian Visas – YAY! After trekking half way round Asia to find somewhere we could apply for one it was good to finally have it in hand. We then promptly headed out and explored the Hong Kong Park, accompanied with a walk through aviary this is well worth a look especially if the weather is nice. We then headed off on the tram up the peak. It was a little odd to get off the tram near
the top of Hong Kong and meet a shopping mall but I guess this was to be expected.
We quickly started the walk around the top of the peak, before heading back when we found that we were heading off in the wrong direction. Not to be put off we started off again on the right path and promptly started heading down the hill as opposed to around it. Taking the hint that we just weren't meant to walk around it we gave up and headed down and went and watched Pirates of the Carribean 4. This was my first experience of 3D cinema going and I wasn't that impressed with it. That said the film was a lot better than the last 2 films in the series in my opinion.
Our lackluster behavior continued and, yet again, we got up late. After a rather shameful breakfast – MC Donalds eeeekk! We headed off for Ocean Park, one of the theme parks in Hong Kong. Alton Towers it most certainly is not, though there was some signs of them building new rides, but it did combine the rides with a panda enclosure, aquarium and wildlife exhibits. It was
a great day out and, as we went during the week, there were practically no queues.
During the evening we stayed in Chunking Mansions, going to one of the Indian restaurants on the third floor - the dubiously named Taj Mahal. Walking in to the restaurant it felt very much like you were walking in to someone's living room to have dinner. That said it was very busy and the food was very good. In the evening we had some farewell drinks with Dan and Becca, who were great hosts during our time there.
The next day we managed to get up roughly on time and, after packing up wandered off to visit the 10,000 Buddha Temple for our final day. The trip started well, when we got off at the right station, and then went downhill fast when we climbed to the top of the pretty crematorium beside the temple to start off. Realising our mistake we descended and were soon on the climb up to the temple. The climb is a sight in itself as you go the entire way flanked by numerous Buddhist statues. The main temple was a bit of a disappointment but the
other buildings and statues in the complex more than made up for it. We even spotted what is defnitely the statue with the most hands on the trip to date.
After walking back down we headed back to Kowloon and, after picking up some food in M&S as one final treat from home, we headed off to the train station for our overnight train to Shanghai.
As one final treat for all the family members who complain there are not enough pictures of Steph, here she is exploring the old cathedral in Macau, find her if you can.
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Kate
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Where photo?
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