forenote.. days 1,2,3 were copied right out of my journal, word for word, punctuation for punctuation. day 4 was just written. i excluded the dates because i wrote after 12 mn, which totally mixed up the dates. i was gone on the 13,14,15,16. returned on the 16th. Day 1 Hong Kong 12 37 am. I'm pooped. Honestly, I should be asleep. But while others are snoozing, I'm scribbling away. Sure, there was an internet cafe. But having returned at 12 am, I decided: What the heck, since I brought this book, I'll just write in it. Anyway, the internet cafe would closed. Besides, I'm not a tech-savvy person. Letter over email any day.
Boarded CX 710 on the 14th June at 7 30 am. The flight was relatively smooth, no air pockets.There was some turbulance though. I did not really enjoy the flight. There were several times when my heart lurched terribly due to sudden descending. That sucked majorly.
Reached the airport at around 11 + am. Short flight,but it seemed like an eternity because the movies were very boring indeed. Took a bus to our hotel, Majestic Hotel. Nice, warm and cosy-ish sort of place. On impulse, we signed up for the night tour. (Btw, Shaun couldn't come. Sucha waste) After checking in, my mum, dad sis and I went for lunch at some restaurant, strolled around for a bit.
H.K is like a slightly cleaner version of Bangkok. But even so, pollution is still evident. There isn't much of an equilibrium when it comes to housing. There are the posh, high-rise apartments for the wealthy, and filthy shophouses for the poor. I haven't seen a single terrace house or bungalow. The whole housing system is made to accomodate a high density population. Shops are scattered everywhere, and so are neon lights. H.K is so polluted that you can't even see the stars at night.
At 4 30 pm the 4 of us went back to shower and get ready for the night tour. At 5 30 pm, we were picked up by the tour bus. Many people signed up for this night tour. I really adore our tour guide. He's the rare sort who does not just show you around. He imparts skills for bargaining, tips on locations and jokes a lot.
The tour started off with an eight/nine course dinner. Thereafter, we boarded the bus again and it took us to Victoria Peak, which boasts magnificent apartments which houses some of the biggest names in the H.K media industry.Victoria's Peak is a mountain, and a high one at that. It took 30 minutes of winding roads and ascending slopes before we reached the top of the mountain, on which is built a shopping centre.During the ride up, we saw the highest existing apartment. It is a tall and thin building which is precariously perched on one side of the mountain. You won't believe it, but the last few stories of the apartment are completely hidden from view as they are enveloped by the clouds. Unbelievable, huh?I wonder what it feels like to live on the top floor.Would you be able to see lightning really clearly?Would it even rain up there, since you are above the clouds? Its kinda awesome, isn't it? The city below looked like a Lego town.
Anyway, we went into the shopping centre and visited a park at the top floor. When you look at any source of light, you will see wisps of clouds just drifting by. Before leaving the mall, my sis and I managed to grab some stuff.
We descended and the whole group was whisked away to a harbour.After a scenic and choppy ferry ride ferry ride of 10 minutes, we arrived at H.K's renowned Avenue of Stars.Its the place where big-shot H.K celebrities get their own star with their name on it. I didn't really know who all those people were, but I enjoyed the walk by the river with astoundingly panoramic views of the neon buildings in the city.
After that beautiful trail, we took an open-top double deckered bus to Women's Street, nu(3) ren(2) jie(1). The exhilaration of watching H.K fly by, and getting your hair ruffled by the wind is simply undescribable. Our tour ended after we reached Women's Street, and that meant only one thing--Shopping.
My sis and I bought soo many things. H.K fashion is up-to-date, but most of their clothes can be an eyesore, so I suggest that you stick to local brands and boutiques, like Espirit, Levis, U2, Giordano, G2000 e.t.c. Prices are DEFINITELY lower than in Singapore, and their products haven't even been exported to Singapore yet.
We had dessert at 11+ pm and shopped till 12+ am. A cab brought us back to the hotel in a matter of minutes, and here I am, clad in my PJs, at 1 30am. A long enough post, I'm ridiculously tired and everyone else is asleep.Time for me to retire for the night.
Much love, Clara. 1 30 am
Day 2 Hong Kong 12 55 am Today, or should i say yesterday, was basically a shopping day. We woke up late, 10 30am. After brunch at this comfortable little restaurant, we set out for Times Square, but not before hunting down an espirit outlet tucked somewhere behind a classy hotel.
In H.K, the train system is called the MTR. What I expected to be chaotic turned out to be a highly efficient transport network Schedules are made to fit the overwhelming number of commuters, and one only has to wait for a maximum of 2 minutes for the next train to arrive. The trains trvel underground, at a much faster speed than singapore's MRTs. Times Square was one stop away from our station,Jordan, followed by two more stops to Causeway Bay, if I'm not mistaken.
Times Square was rather boring, as it mostly consisted of posh fashion boutiques. Tea was settled at a small little teahouse-like eatery.Thereafter, we wandered to the endless streets before heading back to our hotel rooms at around 6++pm. We switched rooms to connecting ones for convenience purposes.After showering, we left the hotel at 7 30pm. We then boarded the MTR again to get to Women's Street. The reason why we returned was due to the fact that after the night tour ended, we only had 1/2 hr to visit that place.
Women's Street is a crowded and endless market, much like a pasar malam. Except that this one is endless. Both locals and tourists flock there for the best deals in town. Dinner was a problem, as all restaurants were full of inconsiderate customers who refused to leave after eating due to the large plasma TV broadcasting the World Cup '06. As a result, dinner was eaten at 10++pm.
H.K is truly a city that never sleeps. At 12 midnight on Women's Street, the amount of people there (50 % locals) is comparable to the density of people on Orchard Road at its peak hour.Youths with spunky hairdoes and guys with unruly masses of curls wander the streets. I guess apart from pickpockets, H.K is a pretty safe place to hang around in after dark. At every corner is a policeman.
Smoking is probably one of the most common habits among the people in H.K, even the youths.Smoking is even allowed in some restaurants.
So, after taking in all the sights and sounds, we returned to our hotel, via MTR. The last train departs at 1 am. I getting awfully sleepy, so I'll end here.Long day ahead.Spoke to Shaun on the phone..I really miss home.
Sincerely, Clara xoxoxo
Day 3 Hong Kong 1 am.
Seriously, I've got to stop writing at such unearthly hours!
Yesterday (its 1 am already!) was a shopping day.Shopping malls, densely populated streets and whatnots. All of us nearly died from all the walking. Our legs were killing us. Many streets do not allow the trying of clothes. We bought 3 'wildcards' and only 1 was able to fit. So early this morning today we've got to go change the goods. Annoying, isn't it?
Dinner was a joke--Macdonalds. We were just about to collapse from exhaustion when we spotted one.Food at H.K is unbelievably cheap. A McChicken=$1 ++ sing.For lunch, three western meals at an eatery cost $20+.
H.K is full of couples.They are simply everywhere. Oh, and H.K guys are relatively good-looking, trust me.
After dinner, we cabbed back to our hotel.It was at about 11++pm. That was the 2nd time we took a cab. 2 weird things, the taxi meter never moves, and the cab fare is always S$3.Secondly, the cab drivers refuse to drop customers outside the hotel. They love to drop you some distance away.Then while you are entering the hotel, you'll see them drive past the main entrance.
Countless times while wandering the streets, I chanced upon several smelly tofu stores. ( Chou toufu ) Oh.My.Goodness. You can practically smell it from a mile away. The stench of a sewer. When we didn't know the source of the smell at first, we thought that the drainage system was screwed, hence the smell!
1/2 hour ago, my dearest sister closed the connecting room door and it locked.Try as we might, it wouldn't budge and we had to call in one of the hotel's staff to help.
Alright, I've got to catch a plane at 5pm today, so I'm going to sleep now!
Clara.
Day 4.( written in singapore)
The last day was spent zooming around the best place to shop, Garden Walk. we bought so much that my dad had to keep making his rounds to the money changer. we rushed back to the hotel, packed up and while waiting for the tour bus we crossed the street for some excellent dessert and tim sum. we took a ride in the bus to pick up the other travellers and even drove into the disney themepark. we reached the airport at 6pm. Our plane, CX 715, departed at 8pm and we touched down at 11 20 pm. The flight was smooth and i watched Ultraviolet. Milla Jovovich is just insanely beautiful. oh, and i almost cried.almost.
And that rounds up this trip to H.K. Overall, it was a great experience, and I am looking forward to another trip there sometime next year!
