Don't look up
I'm back in Hong Kong now after an enjoyable few days in Macau. A blend of colonial buildings, Chinese streets and gargantuan neon clad casino complexes made for plentiful if rather eclectic photo opps, especially when I get a couple of those crammed into the same shot. I've uploaded a few photos today but my camera battery ran out so I'll have to continue tomorrow when I'll get to the Macau batch. Also I finally did 'the Peak' yesterday evening which is the most famous of Hong Kong's view points which is commonly used for the city's classic panorama. Although packed with people I managed to get my tripod in front of the crowds and a few photos in the bag which I'll try to get online soon.
I took a special tram upto the Peak but due to massive crowds I took the bus back down. Now it should be said that the bus is not for the weak of stomach! Twisting narrow roads down the hill can shake up many people but there was one poor boy who was feeling particularly rough, although fortunately his father had a plastic bag on hand for when the inevitable happened. The ladies sat opposite me on the bus covered their ears and grimmaced every time the boy had another attempt, although I just laughed at the whole experience. Despite facing backwards I wasn't feeling too bad at all by the time when we finally reached the bottom of the hill and I jumped off the bus at the sight of a pizza restuarant. Yes, before you chatise me I realise it's not exactly local cuisine, but Hong Kong is an international city, so why no make the most of this variety? As it was we weren't where we thought we were and I found myself two metro stops away from where I wanted to be, but at least I got my pizza so I could proceed onward with some satisfaction.
It's odd but one of the things I've found most dinstinctive about Hong Kong compared to the other plethora of Asian cities I've been to so far are the dripping aircon units there are here. On many of the streets, typically outside residential buildings, you'll see wet patches or in bad cases a line of water on the pavement create from a permanent drip-dripping from above. I don't know why this is, I suspect it's the sheer density of people and living to life on the streets. Residential buildings can easily been fifteen floors high and who knows how many flats wide, each with one or more aircons buzzing away high above. Even if just one drips now an again, if all are doing the same you quickly get a fair amount of precipitation, and let's face it there's certainly no lack of moisture in the air for the aircons to remove. It does mean however that you're quickly warey about looking enough for fear of getting a drip in the eye. I don't know what aircon water may or may not contain but I'm not feeling terribly enthusiastic in finding out either way! Of all the sights and Hong Kong it may well be the experience of being dripped upon that will stick with me, that is, unless its the same throughout the rest of China. We shall I see I suppose.
Speaking of the mainland, my escape route is now booked. I'll be heading to Guangzhou early next week which is a city in South China and a main hopping point for those leaving Hong Kong. Booking it wasn't hard at all - I just visited one of offices of the Chinese Travel Service (CITS) - can't remember what the 'I' stands for - and they were very knowledgeable and helpful about review the options for travelling on from Hong Kong. I suppose they get the same questions a lot but the lady who served me was able to reel off flight or train prices to Shanghai. It would have been about 120 quid to fly directly to Shanghai, but I thought I'd take the train to Guangzhou to check out the city first and because it's also cheaper to fly onwards within China from there should I choose to. Taking the train to Shanghai is also an option, and would cost 35 quid for hard sleeper or 55 quid or thereabouts for soft sleeper, however before I get too excited by the prices I should consider that the train takes in the region of 25 hours to make the journey. Once again I'm back in Russia-like train distances and schedules.
Internal flights within China are fairly safe I believe, although it's always a matter of a chance with anything; the airliner that crashed in Ukraine recently was of the same airline and of the same type as I flew in to and from Russia last year. It's that or worry about your bags as you sleep on the night train, such is the nature of travelling. Generally speaking I never have time to worry or concern about with such things as planning where I'm heading to next and where I'll be staying typically rates a good deal higher in my mind. That and what my chances are of negotiating an edible dinner without speaking the local lingo!
I took a special tram upto the Peak but due to massive crowds I took the bus back down. Now it should be said that the bus is not for the weak of stomach! Twisting narrow roads down the hill can shake up many people but there was one poor boy who was feeling particularly rough, although fortunately his father had a plastic bag on hand for when the inevitable happened. The ladies sat opposite me on the bus covered their ears and grimmaced every time the boy had another attempt, although I just laughed at the whole experience. Despite facing backwards I wasn't feeling too bad at all by the time when we finally reached the bottom of the hill and I jumped off the bus at the sight of a pizza restuarant. Yes, before you chatise me I realise it's not exactly local cuisine, but Hong Kong is an international city, so why no make the most of this variety? As it was we weren't where we thought we were and I found myself two metro stops away from where I wanted to be, but at least I got my pizza so I could proceed onward with some satisfaction.
It's odd but one of the things I've found most dinstinctive about Hong Kong compared to the other plethora of Asian cities I've been to so far are the dripping aircon units there are here. On many of the streets, typically outside residential buildings, you'll see wet patches or in bad cases a line of water on the pavement create from a permanent drip-dripping from above. I don't know why this is, I suspect it's the sheer density of people and living to life on the streets. Residential buildings can easily been fifteen floors high and who knows how many flats wide, each with one or more aircons buzzing away high above. Even if just one drips now an again, if all are doing the same you quickly get a fair amount of precipitation, and let's face it there's certainly no lack of moisture in the air for the aircons to remove. It does mean however that you're quickly warey about looking enough for fear of getting a drip in the eye. I don't know what aircon water may or may not contain but I'm not feeling terribly enthusiastic in finding out either way! Of all the sights and Hong Kong it may well be the experience of being dripped upon that will stick with me, that is, unless its the same throughout the rest of China. We shall I see I suppose.
Speaking of the mainland, my escape route is now booked. I'll be heading to Guangzhou early next week which is a city in South China and a main hopping point for those leaving Hong Kong. Booking it wasn't hard at all - I just visited one of offices of the Chinese Travel Service (CITS) - can't remember what the 'I' stands for - and they were very knowledgeable and helpful about review the options for travelling on from Hong Kong. I suppose they get the same questions a lot but the lady who served me was able to reel off flight or train prices to Shanghai. It would have been about 120 quid to fly directly to Shanghai, but I thought I'd take the train to Guangzhou to check out the city first and because it's also cheaper to fly onwards within China from there should I choose to. Taking the train to Shanghai is also an option, and would cost 35 quid for hard sleeper or 55 quid or thereabouts for soft sleeper, however before I get too excited by the prices I should consider that the train takes in the region of 25 hours to make the journey. Once again I'm back in Russia-like train distances and schedules.
Internal flights within China are fairly safe I believe, although it's always a matter of a chance with anything; the airliner that crashed in Ukraine recently was of the same airline and of the same type as I flew in to and from Russia last year. It's that or worry about your bags as you sleep on the night train, such is the nature of travelling. Generally speaking I never have time to worry or concern about with such things as planning where I'm heading to next and where I'll be staying typically rates a good deal higher in my mind. That and what my chances are of negotiating an edible dinner without speaking the local lingo!
posted by Daniel at 6:43 am
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