Posts Tagged ‘hong kong’

Hong Kong reminded me strongly of Tokyo in regards to the fast pace crowded streets I had experienced before. The landscape and a few other aspects contrasted however, but generally Hong Kong is a modern developed city. Parts of Kowloon were rather run down, however nothing that I hadn’t also seen in Japan. Mainland China by comparison is much different. We crossed the border into Shenzhen, one of China’s designated “Special Economic Zones” which transformed Shenzhen was the richest city in China. Although we didn’t have much time there, we walked through two electronics markets. I was amazed, floor after floor filled with computer and electronic components. If you were looking for ANYTHING electronic, you could find it in Shenzhen. Booth after booth vendors were selling everything from beta cassette to SSD wafers to full computer systems. I really wish I had more time to look further, we were not able to see much with the two hours we had.

From Shenzhen we took the overnight train to Gulin, in the ‘soft sleeper’ car. This meant we shared a four bed cabin with two other travelers, in our case a man about our age and a mother with two small children. I admit, when I first saw them glance at their ticket and move towards our cabin a sense of horror came over me as flash backs of flying with vomiting screaming children passed before me. However as the trip went on the opposite became true and would develop into one of my most enjoyable experiences in China so far. As Matt pointed out beforehand, it is customary to bring food onto the train, and to have enough to share with the other travelers who are in your cabin. We both had bought a bunch of snacks and food from the convenience store before we left so in that regards we were prepared. After getting settled in, the mother offered us some food and we gladly accepted. Although we spoke no Chinese and she spoke no english we got the point across that we were thankfull for the gesture. The next step was to find some hot water to make our noodles, however we had neglected to bring chop sticks (in Japan at least they put everything you need in your bag when you checkout). We wandered down to the dining car as Matt attempted to ask for some chop sticks and order some drinks which proved difficult. Our other cabin mate was also in the dining car, and motioned to come and sit with him at one of the tables. I was rather hesitant at first, however after waving his hand it was obvious he was motioning for me to join him. I sat down and Matt soon followed, however we had no idea what to do. The menu was in Chinese and our new friend didn’t speak any english either. He ordered some food and the waiter disappeared to place the order, she came back and he paid for it, although we attempted a number of times to re-pay him but he respectfully refused. Dinner was fantastic, and we were quite the spectacle as he talked to the train crew who were probably making fun of the crazy Americans who didn’t bring chopsticks. Some other diners joined into the conversation that we couldent understand, although it became obvious he was looking for a translator. A young lady was near by and came over to translate, asking us if we were still hungry and wanted any more food. We both said we were full and very grateful for the meal, after which he offered us a beer. In the spirit of international relations, I gladly accepted, however Matt who doesn’t drink beer attempted to refuse. They still brought three glasses, and I ended up drinking Matt’s glass as well.

Back in the cabin we settled down, I shared some snacks with the children. The little girl happily stuck her hand into box of cookies I offered, however after her mother scolded her she retreated. The remainder of the ride was un-eventful, and to be honest I think I slept much better than on the overnight train I took from Munich to Paris back in 2007. But most of all I was amazed at what the Chinese culture and people had to offer. I have never heard or seen anyone buy foreigners dinner on the Amtrack back in the states. Everyone we’ve met so far has been wonderful, although as expected we’ve been acaosted by random locals trying to scam us. Whereas the level of service was above and beyond in Japan, everyone seemed reserved, here locals are happy to interact with you even if you don’t speak their language, many times forcefully which takes some getting accustomed to.

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An NW A330 next to my gate, not headed to Narita but Amsterdam, poor SkyTeam logo

Sorry this is rather late in coming, to be honest I’ve just had no time to update my blog or upload any pictures, most of this will probably have to wait until I return home. In any case, my flight was uneventful, despite the moderate turbulence which required our flight to divert slightly to the south for the NW7 leg. Once again my NW7 flight was great in Y, two decent meals and an ice cream bar, with free drinks was a nice touch. The IFE was not bad either, although the movie ‘Star Trek’ was not as great as I’d hoped, a few episodes of ‘Fraiser’ and ‘The Office’ made up for it. It was nice to be in Japan if for only two hours, I really wish I had enough time to leave the airport or even spend a night in Tokyo, but my time was limited. By comparison, the NW29 was abysmal hellish experience. As expected, the 744 was terrible compared to the A330, and I was seated next to a strange man, screaming children (naturally), and a fat guy who could not fit in the seat behind me and was only able to read his book by pressing it against my head rest.

Hong Kong customs was just as easy as getting into Japan, and once through I found my travel companion, Matt, waiting at the Burger King like we had planned. I wasn’t able to see much of Hong Kong that night, since my flight got in at 10:30pm, however the one thing I remember and will remember throughout my stay in Hong Kong was the heat and the humidity. Staying a constant 80-90 F with at least 80% humidity meant I was perpetually drenched in sweat. We stayed at the Yesin Hostel, which although small was relatively clean, centrally located, and cheap. I would recommend it for anyone staying in HK on a budget, although all you get is a closet sized room with a bed, and an all in one bathroom.

The next day we headed out and saw the Tian Tan Buddha. Although the Ngong Ping Cable Car was down for maintenance, we were able to take a bus to the Buddha and the monestary. The views were fantastic from the Buddha, and the bus ride also provided great views. Later that day, we headed back into Kowloon to walk around the city and visit a few markets. Oddly enough, most of the markets listed were literally what the titled suggested. For example, the ‘Goldfish Market’ was selling Goldfish. We were rather concerned after we decided to visit the ‘Ladies Market’, however this broke the trend and was just selling clothes and jewelry . . . not ladies. I didn’t see anything I wanted to buy and neither did Matt. For dinner we at at some random Halal place in Kowloon which proved to be a fantastic find. There was a group of foodies apparently doing a review of the restaurant. The food was fantastic, although I have a feeling we were not only given the english menu, but also the english priced menu. Even so our entire bill was just over $12.