Hong Kong

I had a lovely day in Hong Kong although I ended up changing my plans a bit.  Such is the joy of being on holiday.  My hotel is near the Peak Train.  I found that easily enough and then I got a bit lost.  I was standing there looking slightly bewildered when a man came up to me asked me if he could help.  I said where I wanted to go and he kindly pointed out around where it would be.  I grimaced inwardly as it was up some very steep paths.  A further along another man came and asked the same question and said I was on the right path.  I was sort of as I missed a turn but I did end up on the road and followed it to the hotel.  I was a tired and exhausted traveller when I got to the hotel.  They informed that my room was not available (not surprising) but it would be at 10am.  I headed off in search of a coffee which I duly found (on a weaning process at the moment as I have only had one coffee in the last 36 hours.  On return they said my room was not available but that they had upgraded me.  The room was very nice and had a view over the botanical gardens.  Not that I was in the room much.  

My destination was Po Lin Monastery where I had intended to have lunch after taking the ferry and bus.  Unfortunately but positively for me on the way to the terminal I found an HMV store that was selling CDs.  It had a wonderful selection and that delayed my departure, so I decided to take the train and cable car and perhaps take the bus and boat on the way back.  

Meal at Po Lin

The food was beautiful as ever.  I had a large meal as you can see in the picture.

Time did not permit me to take the bus and boat so I came back the same way.  I got off at the Kowloon Station and walked through this huge mall that is part of the development.  It seems in Hong Kong they build a station and then this huge building is built on top of it.  I then walked through town and down to the waterfront to take my favourite journey on the Star Ferry.  It was nice to wander alongside the waterfront and to marvel at the continued development, the magnificent modern architecture and the grand background of the Peak which really shows how nature was conquered.  

I really enjoyed my stay in Hong Kong, contemplating as I sat in the train leaving the city that it really has a nice feel about it despite its crowded environment. I found that people were polite and helpful.  English is still spoken freely within the city.  I did notice that when I first came to Hong Kong that English was the first language on signage and then chinese characters second.  Since the return to China the reverse has happened over time, slowly but nevertheless the city now feels Chinese instead of the sense of it being Chinese but still very British when it was a colony. The integration with China is still very evident but it still has some freedom of expression that allows for protests.  Since  I was last here construction has continued at a frenetic pace. In Kowloon they are building it seems a railway station that will have a high speed railway linking it with Guangchou.  A whole city block just levelled.  What is still apparent are the expats, especially in Central on Hong Kong Island , so life goes on similarly to before.  It really does feel like an international city in Asia, much like London except for the large number of high rise buildings. 

Environmentally it still has problems although with cleaner diesel the smell it is not so apparent as fifteen years ago.  The haze was something to behold.  Almost like a mist – not nice clean air that we are used to.  The power usage makes us look frugal, in fact I read that they were even incentivising people to use more power. 

The density of living is amazing with high rise apartment buildings everywhere.  It is no wonder they can have a superb public transport system, such as a underground rail system that keeps expanding all the time. 

Building continues apace in Central

Sparkly Mercedes

Star Ferry

The day ended early after I had bought some snacks and CDs.  The bed was very welcome despite the fact that it must have been the hardest one I have ever slept on, and the fact they had duvets which meant I needed to have a very cool room to sleep in if I was not to keep waking due to overheating.