Day 24 : transported in Hong Kong
Rebecca started the day with a run along the Avenue of the Stars. She actually saw other runners! She finsihed her run right where a group of people was doing Tai Chi and they asked if she wanted to join. There were a couple westerners and mostly middle aged Chinese women. The instructor, dressed in a shiny white tai chi outfit with a hands free microphone and a nice comb-over, led the group in exercises. His wife demonstrated some fan dancing. When it was over, Rebecca went to wake Jerome and they had "American" breakfast at the hotel, stocking up on the food included with their room since eating out was so expensive.
We took the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island and wandered around Central looking for the Tourist Office...which didn't exist. We found a big sign saying it had moved so we took a double-decker tram a few stops to Causeway Bay. And we still couldn't find the place. We stopped in a Department Store but couldn't find anything so went back outside ready to give up. And then we saw the Tourist Information Office...inside the metro stop in the basement.
The nice women at the Tourist Office (tourist info in HK is excellent by the way) gave us tons of information on bookstores, internet cafes and places to buy knives. We felt ready to attack and went to the Juo Bear Internet cafe where a computer geek gave us drinks and a computer. There were comic books and mangas all over the place. It was more like a comic library than a cyber cafe.
We did a little more shopping and then decided to head back towards Central. We took another double-decker tram and went looking for the legendary Mid-level escalators, a series of 20 escalators that go 800 meters (about half a mile) up the hill. Our book said that they transported 40.000 travellers per day. We got a look at the neighborhood as we were transported up the hill and also thought about what a pain it would be to walk back down since the book also said that in the morning the escalators only go down and at night they only go up.
When we got to the end, we found a man walking his two jack russels and looked like he knew where he was going. We followed him to a steep road down the hill where we heard running water. We were actually along side the drainage from the Peak. The heat and humidity mixed with the fact that we were just next to the Botanical Garden gave us the impression we were in a tropical green house.
We accidentally ended up in the drinking area where we decided to take advantage of Happy Hour in a bar decorated with pantone seats. It made us forget that we were in China and not in a European City. Although we weren't supposed to eat in restaurants, we were too hungry. We took the Star Ferry back to Kowloon and stopped at the Chung King Mansion, famous for it's seediness but also for it's cheap and good Indian food. The place is a total fire hazard with cockroaches running around (which we saw after getting our food).
We took the food back to the hotel and ate in front of the TV. We also opned a "Black beauty" Melon we'd bought at the supermarket. Hong Kong left a very good impression even if things are not where they're said to be.
Click here to see the Causway bay tram
Click here to see the Skyscrapers view from the tram
We took the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island and wandered around Central looking for the Tourist Office...which didn't exist. We found a big sign saying it had moved so we took a double-decker tram a few stops to Causeway Bay. And we still couldn't find the place. We stopped in a Department Store but couldn't find anything so went back outside ready to give up. And then we saw the Tourist Information Office...inside the metro stop in the basement.
The nice women at the Tourist Office (tourist info in HK is excellent by the way) gave us tons of information on bookstores, internet cafes and places to buy knives. We felt ready to attack and went to the Juo Bear Internet cafe where a computer geek gave us drinks and a computer. There were comic books and mangas all over the place. It was more like a comic library than a cyber cafe.
We did a little more shopping and then decided to head back towards Central. We took another double-decker tram and went looking for the legendary Mid-level escalators, a series of 20 escalators that go 800 meters (about half a mile) up the hill. Our book said that they transported 40.000 travellers per day. We got a look at the neighborhood as we were transported up the hill and also thought about what a pain it would be to walk back down since the book also said that in the morning the escalators only go down and at night they only go up.
When we got to the end, we found a man walking his two jack russels and looked like he knew where he was going. We followed him to a steep road down the hill where we heard running water. We were actually along side the drainage from the Peak. The heat and humidity mixed with the fact that we were just next to the Botanical Garden gave us the impression we were in a tropical green house.
We accidentally ended up in the drinking area where we decided to take advantage of Happy Hour in a bar decorated with pantone seats. It made us forget that we were in China and not in a European City. Although we weren't supposed to eat in restaurants, we were too hungry. We took the Star Ferry back to Kowloon and stopped at the Chung King Mansion, famous for it's seediness but also for it's cheap and good Indian food. The place is a total fire hazard with cockroaches running around (which we saw after getting our food).
We took the food back to the hotel and ate in front of the TV. We also opned a "Black beauty" Melon we'd bought at the supermarket. Hong Kong left a very good impression even if things are not where they're said to be.
Click here to see the Causway bay tram
Click here to see the Skyscrapers view from the tram
posted by Gros Joe at
9:02 AM
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