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Published: October 5th 2007
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Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Reliving old memories at the restaurant devoted to Forrest Gump... classic. After my stint in Bangkok, it was a flight over to Hong Kong: and how I love in-flight movies. I managed to fit in Beauty and the Beast, which is one of the coolest movies ever, and the beginning of Alice in Wonderland. But really, the coolest feature of the back-of-the-seat TV screens that were on the plane was the ability to watch take off and landing from a pilot eye view. Turns out they actually do know what they're doing.
Anyway, I arrived at Hong Kong airport, but unfortunately my sister Bindy's plane had been delayed for an hour, so the grand plans of meeting each other in Hong Kong customs were soon dashed. Not that it would have worked anyway, for some reason customs didn't have any people staffing it, and when I walked up to an official to say that I had stuff I wanted to declare, they asked me if I had alcohol or cigarettes, I said no, and they told me to be along by way. If only Australian customs were that easy, I would have bought a bit more untreated wood products and the like.... oh well, all for the good of the nation.
Shampoo ad much?
Behind Bindy, the view of Hong Kong. You have to money to see it. Typical Hong Kong. So anyway, time passed, and I waited with Louie and Jessie (my aunt and my 3-year-old cousin) for Bindy to arrive. Eventually she came, and we ran to get a bus back to Discovery Bay, where Bindy and I were to be staying with our aunt, uncle and cousin. The next week with Bindy involved seeing a lot of the main sites of Hong Kong: the first full day there we went to Central to check out the longest covered escalator in the world (what a claim!), then did some shopping, browsed a street full of fancy dress clothes (which we graced again later in the week and bought a Snow White and pirate outfit), got lost for a bit, then met up with Lou at Pacific Coffee, which seems to be the Starbucks of Hong Kong. Later that day we met up with John and Jess to catch the Star Ferry over to Kowloon to participate in a great Hong Kong tradition: having afternoon tea at The Peninsular: Hong Kong's oldest and swankiest hotel. So, accordingly, we got kicked out because Bindy and I were wearing thongs. Instead we headed off to another swanky, but somewhat more accepting
Bindy in front of the crocs store
That's right, an entire store, devoted to crocs. hotel called The Intercontinental, and had a lovely afternoon tea of cucumber sandwiches and tea cakes.
The next day we went swimming in the morning, then in the afternoon went up to the Peak. While John, Lou and Jess were visiting friends who lived up there, Bindy and I went to explore the observation deck, then had a spot of lunch at Bubba Gump, which we simply couldn't pass by, given that the only other time we'd seen one of these restaurants was on a family holiday to Hawaii. And we'd had fun.
Basically Bubba Gump is a restaurant devoted entirely to the movie Forrest Gump. The drink menu is on a ping pong racket, there are number plates which say 'run, Forrest, run' and 'stop, Forrest, stop' which are used to gain waiters' attention, the tablecloth is covered in Forrest Gump quotes, and the menu is full to the brim of cheesy Forrest Gump related names for food. Basically it's the coolest restaurant ever. Being a vegetarian who doesn't eat seafood, and Bindy not liking seafood, a place where 80% of the menu is shrimp based wouldn't seem ideal. But we sat and ate our chips and
Caution Wet Floor
Proof of Bindy's innate inability to hold beverages. garlic bread, drank our drinks, and just enjoyed the ultra cool atmosphere.
The next day happened to be a public holiday, so Jess, Lou, Bindy and I headed off to Stanley markets to flex our haggling skills. Tuesday, being the first day that wasn't either weekend or public holiday, meant that Jess had to go to school, so Bindy and I headed off in search of some shop I'd read about in Lonely Planet. It was, for some reason, in fact a restaurant. I guess that's what happens when using a Lonely Planet that is almost 4 years old. I have no idea how I've been surviving off a 12 year old guidebook. Anyway, instead Bindy and I had a bit of a browse of the IFC, which had gotten pretty familiar, given the way it is situated between the wharf and the rest of Central. Bindy struck it lucky at the grocery store there, because there was a Diet Coke.
I've failed to mention this before because I, unlike Bindy, am not addicted to Diet Coke. But everywhere I have been in Asia doesn't actually have Diet Coke. It has Coca Cola Light. And, for some reason
Outside a gelato shop
I'm putting this photo in simply because I have no idea why I took it. something called Coke Light as well. Don't ask what the difference is, I have no idea. But anyway, Coca Cola Light tastes apparently like Coke Zero rather than Diet Coke, and basically for someone addicted to all the chemicals they put into Diet Coke this meant bad times for Bindy not being able to get her fix. So when we did happen to come across a place that sells Diet Coke, she didn't even care that it had lime added to it and kind of tasted like lemonade, it was still Diet Coke...
Actually speaking of lime, I'll quickly mention this: I think I was out to dinner in Discovery Bay, when I had a moment where I was surprised to see a lemon. It was a rather odd experience, but it comes from Southeast Asia not actually having real lemons, just something that looks kind of like a lime that they call a lemon. So seeing a slice of a bright yellow thing sticking out of my drink came as quite a surprise. Funny how things like that happen. I'm looking forward to more of those moments when I get home.
For lunch, to feed another of Bindy's addictions, we managed to bump into a MacDonald's in the IFC. I bought a cup of corn, just because I found it amusing that a MacDonalds was selling corn, and Bindy bought a happy meal with a coke. Just as we got to our table, Bindy, for some bizarre reason that she's not even aware of, simply let go of her drink. So that it fell on the floor. Coke was everywhere, but there was nowhere else to sit, so we sat above the coke spill, Bindy trying in vain to hide her face. But then someone from Maccas came and gave her another Coke for free, a bigger coke than her original one. And a table became free so we sat and watched the cleanup efforts, laughing about how amusing it was. We also took photos. We figured there was about as much embarassment surrounding us as was ever going to be, so there was no point shying away from taking photos in a MacDonalds, of coke spillages and cleanup signs. Tourists to the max!
The next day was the day that Bindy and I had been waiting for since very very early childhood... the trip to Disneyland!
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BINDY
non-member comment
I DEMAND YOU TAKE OFF THAT REVOLTING "SHAMPOO" PHOTO!!! and yes...good days bro. good days