We were very lucky it seems to leave Europe when we did. And so far, our flight is still on although we are confirming the time now as the flight we are on originates from Heathrow which still may be closed tomorrow.
In the meantime we are experiencing Hongkong through a veil of jet-lag as we have been awake through the middle of the night and therefore have been feeling a bit jaded as we try and keep it together all day in this full-on place. Yesterday morning we ventured downtown and Starbucks and McDonalds have never looked so good (There are 288 McDonalds Restaurants in Hongkong)!
We had a wonderful tour around Hongkong Island yesterday. What a place of contrasts. Hongkong Is. Is very mountainous and we went to the top of the highest mountain for the view over Victoria Harbour which was quite sensational. There are apparently 39 beaches on the island, and one that we saw was a manmade beach complete with sand from Bondi Beach. It was really pretty.
We visited a fishing village with a difference – it was on the water. We had a sampan ride around the village where the fishing families live on houseboats and have their fishing boats tied alongside. Some even had separate rafts that they kept their dogs on. It was fascinating to see. Unfortunately this way of life will soon be over for these people as the waterway the village is on is being reclaimed for development, as has a lot of land in Hongkong, and they will lose their houses and their means of livelihood which has apparently been this way for generations. Our guide told us that they all need to get other jobs anyway as the South China Sea has been fished out. That’s progress for you!
The Chinese are generally very polite but the wall of people everywhere you go is quite something. The population density is so great that it would be equivalent to the entire population of Tauranga, Mount and surrounds all living in Matua (51,000 people per square km). As you can imagine, this is taking it’s toll on our tired selves.
Our guide recommended a Chinese restaurant to us as we have been struggling a little with finding somewhere for a meal while avoiding the slimy noodles in our hotel. We have seen a few small noodle houses which would be a good option but they are invariably full and although we are not averse to queuing for a table (we have been doing plenty of that), because the restaurants are so tiny there is no room inside to queue, and of course with the wall of people outside, waiting outside is not an option either. So we rocked up to this restaurant with high hopes until I picked up the brochure of their speciality dishes: 100 year old egg anyone? Or maybe a whole snakefish lightly tempura’d and tied in a knot on your plate? Or maybe I could tempt you with a whole chicken sitting up like jacky, bright yellow, with it’s head still on, comb intact? We couldn’t get out of their fast enough. Where are the Western style Chinese restaurants when you need them? We headed back to this huge shopping centre that has the 11th, 12th and 13th floor jam packed with restaurants and selected a nice, safe Thai restaurant...
See Part 2...coming soon..X
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