Hong Kong - hot and sweaty

Monday June 16

After a long flight, from Zurich to Hong Kong and arriving dazed and confused, here's what happened.

First I found an ATM machine. The minimum withdrawal was HK$500, which I baulked at. but figured I could change any excess back to NZ dollars when I got home. At that stage I thought the dollar values were about equal.

Next, I walked round and round, looking for the baggage storage. Turned out it was in the railway station, which is so close it's almost a part of the airport. When I saw it was HK$140 a day to store a suitcase, I abandoned that plan.

While I had airport wifi, I downloaded a Google map with instructions on getting to my hotel. It involved trains on three separate lines. Fortunately, during my wandering I found an information desk with a metro map - just like the one in London - so I took the precaution of marking my changes and destination on it, in case I lost my Google map, which I did. 

I saw ticket machines with vast queues of puzzled people with suitcases, but I'd also read that you could just get on the train and pay at the other end, so that's what I did.

After the first stage of about 15min with no stops, I got off and found it was HK$70 from the airport. I was starting to see why the minimum amount at the ATM was so high, but I still didn't know the exchange rate. 

For the next two stops, I went to the ticket machine. It couldn't have been easier. There was a metro map - the same one I had a copy of. You just touched your destination on screen, slipped in a note, and the machine delivered your ticket and change.

I got through to my destination with no problem, but the map on my phone from the airport was a bit fuzzy at this point, although in theory I only had a four minute walk. Remembering that data here is only 10c a mb, I turned it on, but it took a long time to load a map, as the phone signal wasn't that strong. I finished up walking up the street and down the street, on both sides. It was as busy as hell, very humid and in the mid-30s and the street was four lanes wide with infrequent crossings.

I kept zeroing in on my hotel location but couldn't see it, until I accidentally spotted it at the end of a long corridor.

Phew! The reception was on the fifth floor of a 21 storey building. They wanted a $500 cash deposit, which by then I didn't have. Besides, if they'd given me back $500 as I left, what would I do with it?

I played the tired and grumpy old man card - that wasn't difficult  - and told them to instead take my credit card details, which they eventually did.

I'm on the 17th floor, but hemmed in by other tall buildings.

It turned out that it was just as well I had my suitcase, as I had no means of charging my phone and other devices, since the electricity plug is quite different here - like the US. In my suitcase I had a cunning kit of interlocking plugs. I also had my computer, so I've got everything charging and I'm typing on my laptop - much easier.

After a very welcome shave and shower (the last one I had was in Zurich when I woke up yesterday and I've since done a bike ride, dragged my stuff to the airport, had a 12 hour flight and battled my way to this hotel in Kowloon), I wandered off along Nathan Rd, which seems a pretty major thoroughfare. I found a small supermarket (it was nice and cool, but when I stepped back into the humid heat my glasses fogged completely up).

I equipped myself with tea bags. I haven't had a cup of tea for six weeks and my hotel has a kettle and cups (but no tea or coffee), also some milk, a cold beer and an ice cream.

On the way back I bought a wonderful packet of sushi for $28. By now I'd Googled the exchange rate and found that HK$1 was worth about 18 cents NZ, so I could divide everything by five. That put everything into perspective and suddenly I feel a lot more positive about things here.

By now I've eaten my ice cream and sushi, had a beer, a whisky and a cup of tea and I think I'm ready for bed.

I'm completely confused about time. Here it's nearly 10pm. In Spain and Switzerland it's only 4pm (In NZ it's 2am tomorrow. I hardly slept a wink last night on the 11+ hour flight, so I suspect I'm ready for sleep. I hope the body doesn't think it's just a late siesta and wakes me up in  couple of hours.

June 16

Catching up - now it's the next day (Tuesday), I can hardly begin to describe the confusion.

First a description: "Gritty, hectic and mischievous, Kowloon is the Mr. Hyde to Hong Kong Island's genteel Dr. Jekyll. But unlike Mr. Hyde, who was a murderous psychopath, Kowloon is actually quite friendly once you get to know it.

My hotel is on the main drag. Nathan Rd leads to the sea, so I set off on foot to take the ferry ride to Hong Kong Island, followed by the tram to the summit of the peak. 

It sounded pretty simple, but after nearly half an hour I had my doubts, so turned on Google maps and found I was going the wrong way - right street, wrong direction. 

 After nearly two hours I suspected I was getting close. 

Found some parks and some lovely old banyan trees.

I blundered on and found a woman in a compromising position with a swan. If it's art it must be moral.

Eventually I found the famous Star Ferry and paid my token fee (less than a dollar).

Having crossed to the other side I embarked on a quest to find the cable car to The Peak. Easy for Leonardo (thank you Dylan Thomas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv4-sgFw3Go - only go there if you have time for a delightful tale from my youth - prizes for those who catch the reference).

I had no paper map, but I had Google maps. Was that good or bad?

The footpaths don't often follow the roads - they are elevated and cross over streets, run through shopping centres and offices, often losing the gps signal.

At one stage I was directed to take a subway. I went round the block three times. The subway was another path, under the elevated path, but above the road.

But did it matter? Not at all. I was seeing a type of Hong Kong - away from the tourist spots and in the busy commercial heart.

I was entertained by sculptures and fishes.

It was a lovely walk. I eventually gave up all hope of a destination, but resolved to enjoy the journey, which I did despite the 31 degrees and 80 percent humidity and copious sweat.

And then, bother me, if I didn't arrive.

It wasn't what I'd expected.

Nevertheless, I decided that I'd enjoyed the journey so far, so why give up now.

I set off to find the appropriate bus terminal. An hour or two later, bother me again, I found it.

I sat in the top of a double decker bus, shuddering as we rounded tight little bends looking out into eternity.

We made it to the top, along with thousands of others.

The views were vast but hazy. I walked along the pathway until I left the clamour behind and then I decided I may as well walk down. By now I'd been walking for six hours, but I figured not many others would be doing that and I was sick of people.

It was over 3km to the nearest underground station, but all downhill, so off I went.

It was very steep.

It's a strange thing that I walked for a couple of hours, had a ferry trip, then walked for another three hours or so, but once I got to the station I could get on a train, dive under the harbour and be back at my hotel in not much more then ten minutes.

I took the opportunity to find the only one of the four exits from my local station that had a lift, so that I wouldn't have to lug my suitcase down flights of stairs when I leave tomorrow. Then I visited my local grocery store for cold beer (on special) and bought a 187ml bottle of Chilean red wine (for less then NZ$3). On to the sushi shop for some lovely treats and into the shower.

Among the observations of Hong Kong:

 

It's amazing that even on huge construction sites the scaffolding is all bamboo.

The entire taxi fleet on Hong Kong consists of ageing red Toyota Corollas - labelled as Toyota Comforts . I confess I saw two electric four-seater vans among the hundreds of old taxis, - it's a wonderful endorsement of the old Toyotas.

I forgot to mention the strange 105-step tower I found in a park. Since I suspected that was as high as I would get at that stage I ignored the health warning for old people and pounded up. It was ok - more views.

Also the zoo I noticed as I walked down from the peak. The trapeze-artist monkeys were a lovely diversion.

Tomorrow night my accommodation is care of Air New Zealand en route to Auckland, arriving early Thursday, followed by my own little bed in Nelson NZ.

How strange is that?

Here's rather a lot of unedited photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/FcdD6pgCFW6r8c5H6