Wow. I was last in Hong Kong 20 years ago. Back then central was a skyline to beat skylines, but now Hong Kong's suburbs, Central, Causeway Bay, Happy Valley, Kowloon, Mongkok - the entire 360 degree view is commerce and skyscapers...
Sometimes when travelling the opinion of the city is often as good as the accommodation that you've scored for yourself, and staying with my cousin has given me a great start to my trip. To those who've done some travelling in dodgy places you'll appreciate the comfort that you get from safely leaving your bag in your room and knowing that it won't be empty upon your return. So Bec and Ryan, I'm extremely grateful for the bed - the fact that it's on Peak Rd is just an added bonus!
Culture and news haven't made it my agenda yet - knowing that I'm in Hong Kong for a week has given me the chance to just relax and explore the place without worrying about seeing 752 different sites per day, and ensuring that the day is filled from dawn to dusk. A culinary journey though is still a culinary journey and plenty of time has been set aside for the senses to be amazed by the guandong chefs. So far my only 'rookie' mistake has been to go to a dim sum restaurant where you ordered dishes rather than just grab them from the passing waitress - loving everything I generously ordered four dishes for myself; unfortuantely each dish could have served at least 3 people, so I ended up with quite the banquet (and bill) for myself. Regardless, no one is really going to knock a serving of Chinese food that is fit for a dozen men, so I bravely marched on best I could, washing it down with litres of tea until I could leave feeling as though I'd at least dented the bowls of food.
Another thing I've also fallen in love with since arriving in Hong Kong - the MTR. Seriously, Hong Kong, or the Brits, or a crafty engineer, someone, they knew how to move a lot of people fast, and it was underground in trains. The system just works, swipe a card, get on the train, get off at your stop, swipe your card, and head off. Rann, you could avoid Portland, Oregon and take a look at Hong Kong, China.
I'm not sure if Asia is Long Necks, or if Long Necks are Asia, but the only continent I've visited where serving 640mL bottles of beer mid afternoon is acceptable is Asia, and I love them for it. After much seeking I've learned that bars are expensive (dearer than Australia), so if one finds themselves in need of lager then one heads to the street food vendors on Temple Street in Kowloon. The choice between standard and premium is an easy one, as it's 60c for a serious improvement over the $2 offering. A big thank you to Sarah for the forwarding of the Guardian's article on cuisine in Hong Kong; the dim sum that we enjoyed yesterday in central was to die for, even if our choices were predominately desserts rather than savouries (furher, I'm not convinced this was a bad thing.) The market in Mongkok yesterday was so-so, but the Temple Street market was a lot fun where bargains on jocks, headphones, antique watches, beer and bok choy with garlic occurred. Today was spent on Kowloon but when it comes to writing about the day's adventure I'm coming up short - it was just one of those days where time flies and you have a great time and you tick none of the aforementioned 752 boxes.
We did do one touristy thing - the lightshow in the harbour. In all honesty I couldn't tell the lights from the normal lights. Let's face it; Hong Kong with a light show is a little bit like Ben Hur with horses - big deal, it's kind of what I was expecting. Don't get me wrong - the harbour at night is like a piece of art, I just don't think it needs a bad soundtrack and some lights flashing to improve it. The quest to find a different angle to joe tourist seemed to attract attention though. Simply walking down the steps to a foot or two above the South China Sea raised the ire of the 'pilot' boat and I was given my own lightshow with a spotlight flashing in my face. As the boat approached the pier with numerous government men aboard I realised that some press freedoms are worth fighting for, and other battles are best to be walked away from. I chose the latter; sorry Reporters without Borders. We might duck off to Macau tomorrow, and I'll be sure to give an update on the Vegas of the East.
