hong kong...part 3
Hello All!
Man, I suck. I can't believe I'm still writing about October! Sorry faithful readers. I'll try to be better. I'm hoping that I'll at least be able to finish Hong Kong in this one brief post. But you know me!
Sidebar: I've been really starting to feel the pangs of homesickness lately. (Send more emails...cough...emails) So this morning I woke up and decided to call Jamie. So I called and he picked up, and it turned out that he was at a Thai restaurant with all my friends from home. So I got to talk to a bunch of them - which was nice. And then Jamie went outside to hear me better and he was standing beside a store called Crystal. It's Crazy!!
Back to Hong Kong.
Last I left off, it we were waking up to the morning of the 3rd day. We decided to go exploring another island. We took the metro to Hong Kong Island, and then a ferry to Lantau island, home of the giant Buddha. When we got off the ferry we hopped on a bus. Thanks to our Lonely Planet we were able to find our way around quite easily. We arrived at the side, and when they said giant they weren't kidding. We hiked up about a million stairs, and found ourselves at the base of the Buddha. It was magnificent. I was also surrounded by a breathtaking view, and a bunch of really beautiful Buddhist statues. Inside the Buddha was a museum, including a relic of the buddha. It was pretty great.
After that we hiked back down the stairs, and went to have lunch. Included with the price of admission was this AMAZING vegetarian meal. They brought us out a ridiculous amount of food. It was so good.
After lunch we took the metro back to Kowloon, in search of the walled city. This is a beautiful park that is surrounded by a brick wall. During the Second World War, this city was actually a community of people all crammed into this little plot of land. This piece of land was considered to be mainland China in the middle of Hong Kong.
Then... dad snoozed!
Dinner time - we when to this amazing restaurant at the Pennisula Hotel, called the Spring Moon. This place was fancy shamncy. We each ordered a set meal, and ate like Kings! It was so fancy to the point where, when the waiter noticed that I was left handed he moved my chopsticks holder from the right side to the left.
After dinner, we wandered around Kowloon a bit more, by this time it was pretty late so we headed back to the hotel so catch some z's.
The next morning we woke up, and headed into Hong Kong Island to go and meet Lisa who was coming over from Macau. We had some breakfast, and then waited... waited... and waiting. No sign of her.
So dad and I headed to the biggest building in Hong Kong to get some passport photos for our Cambodian Visas. Luckily, Lisa was able to text me and we met up at this mall. The three of us decided to go wandering around Hong Kong Island. We saw a church, and we saw some of the street life, some governement buildings, etc. Eventually we ended up at a botanical garden and zoo in the middle of the city. We saw some pretty cool looking animals, including a few strange breed's of birds. Eeeeeek!
After that Lisa and I wanted to go shopping and dad wanted to sleep. So Lisa and I headed to the malls and dad headed to the hotel. We found this incredible mall in Kowloon. It was HUGE! It had some really incredible stuff! I was restraintful.
We went out for Indian food. It was in this crazy hole in the wall... you had to ring a doorbell to get in. And then this man took us too a room that looked like someones dining room - but with lots of tables. Then we ordered, and our food got brought out, when we realized that we weren't eating anything that we ordered - in fact, we were eating someone elses meal.
After that we headed back to the hotel and went to bed. The next morning we did a little more wandering around, and then packed our bags to head to Cambodia! I'm pumped to write to you about Cambodia... I love love loved it!
But first, you know how awesome I thought the Metro system was.... well they have this line called the Airport express. We took a hotel shuttle to this station... and you can actually check your bags here, get your boarding passes, and all that stuff before you even get to the airport. Then the subway takes you straight to the airport terminal. It's amazing cause you don't have to lug your bags around, and you don't have to bother with cabs, or communication.
Amazing way to end off Hong Kong - this uber hi tech exit by metro - which is the lifeline of the city.
Overall, Hong Kong was an amazing experience. Very very city life! I had a wonderful time, ate some of the best food I've ever eaten in my life and got to hang with dad! Life is grand.
Parting question: If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life what would it be?
My answer is, predictably, Indian food. Mmmmm.
Love to all! PLEASE WRITE! Christmas (and my b-day) can't come soon enough. Miss you all... I will be back soon with my Cambodian adventures.
Love Crys
ack...
Hi everyone!
Sorry I have been so delayed in writing about my holiday. I'm almost done my next section of the update. I thought I'd jot down this quick post just so that you don't get to jelous of my life of travel, and excitment, and new experiences and adorable children. Just read on...
So I'm waiting for my students outside the pool changeroom today so we can walk back to class together. All of a sudden a naked boy comes running out of the changeroom, saying that someone had gone, and I quote "poo poo" and was now in the boys changeroom wiping it on things.
So, I stand outside the changeroom, shout the boys name, and told him to come to me. I will be honest, I was a little worried about what I might see. Luckily, all he was doing was tightening his belt. I asked him what happened. He said he went poo poo in the toilet. I asked if he made it to the toilet. It turned out that he did not. So I asked him if we needed to get him a new pair of pants. He refused again.
Next job - find out what the poo got wiped on. This student would not admit to anything, so I had to ask the first boy. The first boy informed me that this student used another students towel to wipe himself off. I guess the toilet paper that was a meter away, was just to inconvienent. However, the student who had the accident said that the other student was lying. I didn't know what actually happened.
Then I realized that not all the students had all the bags they came with, uh oh! So I sent the student with the missing bag, back to the changeroom to get it. He comes out with a disgusted look on his face, holding the edge of his towel by the teeniest fibre he could grab hold of.
And indeed, there was "poo poo" on the towel.
I love first grade.
Anyway - off to Samet for a much needed weekend of baking in the sun. Ahhhh, I thought this week would never end. Christmas where are you?
Love love
hong kong... (part 2)
Hello everyone!
I'm back, and ready to report the next part of my vacation. Last week was the most exhausting week yet... and I wasn't really up to much. I guess just the excitement of my travels took it's toll. Here I go... Hong Kong: Day Two.
Now what is a trip without, you guessed it... A BUS TOUR!! At 8 am dad and I boarded a bus with about a dozen other tourists and were on our way to explore Hong Kong Island. Our hotel was in Kowloon, which I think is the exciting part of Hong Kong... great food, great shopping, great sites... so we spent most of our non-tour time there. So it was good to get a taste of the island.
The first stop on this tour was Man Mo Temple. This was a tiny little temple, that is noted for being the oldest in Hong Kong. It was very cute. One thing that was interesting was that there are these insense coils and people could pay to write letters to the dead, and then attach it to this coil thing, and as the insense burned it was sending the message up to heaven. Another thing that we learned about Chinese Buddhists is that they believe that the dead still need nice things, like cars, and houses, etc... so people come to the temples with this really fancy origami shaped like these things, and burn them... which again, sends it up to the heavens.
The next stop on the tour was Victoria Peak. Hong Kong is very hilly. So to get to Victoria Peak, you climb on a tram, that goes up a quasi vertical railway, and it drops you off in the middle of a shopping center (400m up). From there you climb about a million elevators (522m up) and get the most breathtaking view of the city. I will show you in pictures but it was kinda cool, cause one side you see thousands upon thousands of buildings, super urban... and then you look on the other side and you find green stuff, and water, and mountain top mansions. Just take a look...
After checking out the view, the bus took us to Aberdeen, which was a little fishing village on the shore of this big urban center. We got onto a boat called a somtam. This weaved us in and out of all these houseboats, and people making a living from the water. It was a very interesting contrast to business in Hong Kong.
After that they took us to a jewelry factory. Lame. They trapped us there and encouraged us to buy stuff. We declined. The only interesting thing I got out of this was that I am a dog on the chinese calendar and it is my year. Woo Ahh!
The next stop was Repulse Bay and Stanley Market. Repulse Bay is Hong Kong's beach. It was really nice, but pales in comparison to Thai beaches. Also Stanley Market which was, as it sounds, a market where you can purchase all sorts of nic nacks. But once again, it paled in comparison to Bangkok's Markets... the stuff wasn't as good, and it was way more expensive that here.
And that brought us to the end of our tour. The bus took us back to the center of Kowloon. Dad and I wandered around looking for a place to eat... once again we ended up on Ashley Street, and had a fabulous meal at Singapore Restaurant. And - it only took me 2 tries to get what I ordered to be vegetarian. I hate when they put meat in things and don't write it down on the menu, grrrrrr.
Dad and I went back to the hotel, because he needed a nap. After his nap, we hopped on the metro in search of a vegetarian retaurant that was reccomended in my Lonely Planet. We wandered, and wandered... and I promise we weren't lost, we were exactly where we should be, but nothing was numbered... and this retaurant was nowhere to be seen. So I get the brilliant idea that maybe the restaurant is inside this plaza/mall thing that we keep walking past. So we go inside, ask a bunch of people where it is... they keep saying it's upstairs. And as it turns out, it's just another case of people saying they know where things are, but not actually knowing. So we decide to leave and try another vege restaurant that was in the book. However, we couldn't seem to escape the mall, we wandered around this tiny building, couldn't find elevators, couldn't find exits... we kept passing the same things. But then eventually we managed to escape this black hole!
Luckily, the other vegetarian restaurant was right where it said it would be. So we found that one no problem. And I guess it's true that things happen for a reason, because this place was so cool. First of all, we were the only white people in the joint. We sat down at this big family sized table, with a bunch of other Hong Kongers. Then we get the coolest and most expansive menu I've every seen... with fairly affordable prices. The menu had things like Vegetarian Squid, Veggie Chicken, a million kinds of tofu... all cantonese food, but all artificial meat. It's so nice being able to order anything on the menu. Also, I think I provided some entertainment for the others at my table as I struggled with my chopsticks, while trying to eat my dinner.
After dinner we wandered over to the temple street market, and the Ladies Market. The Hong Kong equvilents of the Bangkok markets, which again did not compare. But it was fun to wander around the streets and see the Hong Kong night life. Kowloon is a hopping city. After we grew weary of the market scene, we stopped at a bar along the promenade. We had a few drinks and then headed off to bed. Overall a successful first full day of our adventure.
More to report soon.
hong kong... (part one)
Hello all,
I am back. It was an amazing trip with me papa. We stayed at some pretty fancy shmancy hotels, and had a grand ol' time. Bear with me as I update you all on my travels. The days were action packed and I'm not known for being consise... so here I go.
Addendum: After writing only the first night of my trip, I've decided to post the trip in installments. Otherwise, you may not hear from me until I'm home for Christmas. So enjoy installment one.
It was Friday afternoon, and I was dancing on the pavement because OCTOBER BREAK was finally here! We began our break on route to Khao San road because Jeff had to pick up his Vietnamese Visa. Lisa and I wandered around and found an awesome and cheap Indian restaurant to have dinner at. A bunch of us had some good food and said our goodbyes before we all left on our respective adventures. The end of the night took us to this bar called the club... where there was a life Thai band rocking out. They were pretty good, if only I know what they were saying. We sat beside this big group of Thai boys, who were really into the band, dancing, singing, having a grand old time. I tried to ask one of the boys the name of the band, or if they were singing cover songs... but with a combination of the volume in the club and his lack of English and my lack of Thai, the answers to these questions were unfufilled.
The next morning, I awoke... bright (well dark) and early to catch a cab to the airport. I was pumped at first, because my place is rediculously close to the airport so I thought it would be a short and cheap voyage over. But no such luck, because although it only took me about 10 minutes to reach the airport, you have to drive in circles, for about another 20 minutes and 300 baht before the cab can actually let you out. However, I made it, checked in... and wasted time wandering around a very fancy airport. Oh by the way, small world... when I was in line waiting to go through customs, I met a couple who taught at a school in Bangna... who are from Peterborough and went to Trent. Crazy huh?
So I made it on to the plane, for a short 45 minute ride to my first stop, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I chatted with my neighbor, who was Cambodian and visiting family, but had lived the last 12 years in Australia. Nice girl. Once the plane landed, I had to figure out where to go to transfer to Hong Kong. So I followed the signs, and foundd myself in an empty section of the airport, with no one manning the desk. So I spoke with a lady in a uniform and showed her my ticket and my passport. She said I can't check in here. So she has to take my passport and ticket from me, and check in for me in another section of the airport. So I very aprehensively hand her everything I have that proves my identity and gets me to any other place that is not the Phnom Penh airport. She tells me not to worry, and runs off. Over the next 45 minutes I grew increasingly paniced and daydream about this Cambodian lady selling my Passport on the black market, and me having to spend the rest of my life dusting off airport waiting area seats for small change. Luckily, she returned, and I was able to get onto the next plane to Hong Kong.
YAY! My plane landed! I anxiously pushed my way through the plane aisle and the hoards of people (normally I'm really patient and not a jerk... I swear!) and rush through customs, and power walk to the baggage claim area, where my dad is waiting for me! YAY! Family! It was so wonderful to see him. And to be in Hong Kong, and to have a week off school, ahhh the adrenilene was uncontrollable. We decided to take a cab to our hotel. The hotel was awesome, really convienent location, beautifully decorated. And the room was a decent size, and the bathroom was immaculate. Amazing. However, dad needed to sleep, granted it was 2am for him. So I wandered around on my own... tried to figure out the metro system...
Sidebar - Hong Kong's metro system I'm pretty sure, is the best in the world. You buy this card, called the Octopus card, which is a refillable money card that works EVERYWHERE - the trains, the subway, busses, ferries... I even saw a pharmacy that accepted this card. Amazing. And then everything is so well labeled, that even I had trouble getting lost... however, that was a challenge that I was willing to take - I did make many wrong turns and misread maps... I mean I know I'm in a new country, but I still gotta be me!
Once dad woke completely on his own accord, and by his own accord I mean me jumping on his bed whining about being bored, he got up... and we hopped on the subway to look for a place to eat. These streets were CRAZY. Filled with shop people asking you to come into thier shops to buy knock off products. We tried to follow our lonely planet's instructions on how to find a restauant. After walking in circles, we ended up finding the really great street, which seemed to be restaurant district. We went into a place called the Red Ant Restaurant. We ordered some delicious Cantonese dishes.
After dinner, we decided to call it a night. We walked back to the hotel along the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. This was a walkway along the harbour in Kowloon, that looks onto the Hong Kong Island Skyline. It was amazingly lit up. There were fishermen all lined up along the edge, and young teenage couples making out, and tourists walking along the sidewalk. It was quite a breathtaking view. However, we were not entirely convinced that we were walking to the hotel, or how far the hotel would be. So dad asked this one random lady sweeping the path where our hotel was. She looked at him in confusion, and pointed at a random building that clearly was NOT our hotel. So we kept walking, and he found another lady that he asked. She thought long and hard, and pointed to another builing, that was not our hotel. So at this point we came to the conclusion... that when you ask someone for directions, they always give you a response... it may not be right... but saying I don't know is not an option. Eventually, we stumbled upon the right spot. And went home to bed.
