I had booked a very nice (and cheap) boutique hotel near to Suvarnabhumi airport for the evening. I had an early flight to KL then a 7.00pm flight to Singapore.
One thing that is missing in KL are airport hotels. There are none that are within a reasonable distance or a reasonable price. This one was perfect. 10 mins from the airport. Lovely rooms. Rooftop bar and restaurant. Ding dong.
The taxi driver was obviously not au fait with the location. He got lost several times. And charged over the odds. To be fair, the hotel do offer a pick up free but I was too lazy to look for it.
I had a couple of beers and dinner at the rooftop terrace. 1:1 water service by a seriously smiley (verging on uncomfortably smiley) waiter. The food was good (what can you do to spoil chicken fried rice) and the beer was good. Early night as airport transfer (free this time) at 6.00am
Lesley, Billy and the kids had been on holiday in Ko Samui for a week. We had seen rain, but it had been far worse on the gulf of Thailand side,relentless.
I had followed the story on facebook and they were not having a good time. Ever optimistic, it would turn out OK, I was sure. On arriving in KL, I had a 5 hour wait before the flight to Singapore. I logged onto facebook. Ko Samui airport was closed and looker like staying close. There was no chance of them all getting out of Thailand. What should I do. I text Les. 'it's not going to happen - the first flight out us 1st April.....'
Bollocks. I had booked flights, actually two flights back as after looking at my itinerary the return flight to KL from Singapore was a bit close to catch the KL to Myamar flight on 31st. That was nothing though!!!!!
It was Billy's 60th Birthday on 30th. As a surprise she had booked them into the Mandarin Oriental, paid over £4.5k to fly Billy's two Older kids and their partners from the UK and booked a surprise lunch. All to no avail. By the ti e they got to Singapore the kids would have left. To cap it all my dad would also miss his Emirates return flight home. Disaster......
Les did offer for me to Singapore and stay in the Mandarin Oriental on their booking. I couldn't do it.....
I also missed meeting up with Martin for beer.
I cheered myself up (a bit) with KFC......
Then caught the bus to KL Sentral station..
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Thursday, 7 April 2011
Gayville in Phuket
Still feeling very much the worse for wear, I checkout out of the lovely Siam Heritage hotel at around midday. This was a perfect boutique hotel except for one thing, the lack of staff... Every time you needed something you had to setbaside at least an hour. Checking in, checking out, getting an internet voucher was all hard work. ( a lot of the hotels in Bangkok are now catching on to the fact that free internet costs nothing but is a big pull for the tourists. Ok, it was cheap, but still it's not free! Take heed !
After checking out I went to the lobby and the bell boy gave me an option. Meter cab or 400bht. Including tolls. Foolishly (will I ever learn) I opted for the the latter. The driver didn't speak good English and was trying to converse with me. Fuck knows what about, I was ill. Anyway, arriving at the airport he asks for 1000bht. Despite the fact that this is a non confrontational race, I lost it. In the end I gave him 500bht and basically told him to shove it !
I have to confess, I was a bit apprehensive about the weeks holiday with Nic in Phuket. It was the full term at school and Nic had broached the subject about going away atba party when I was a little worse for wear. I agreed and we agreed Phuket. Nic is a bit of a party boy. Sheltered upbringing and all that shit. His idea of a 'holiday' is sleeping all day and drinking all night. Not mine... I'm 51 years old for gods sake.
The hours flight, once again with Air Asia ( I almost work for them these days) took me too Phuket airport. I used my 'travellers' savvy and got a taxi for 450bht for the 30 minute drive to Patong. We hadn't booked any accommodation but I'd arrange to meet Nic in a bar in 'gayville' a particularly seedy part of town.
I arrived at 6 ish and he was already pissed. After a couple of beers, he went on a recky and came back having found a room at 1000bht per night. I think it used to be a massage pal our. On the ground floor with a little terrace, straight out ontonthe pedestrianised road. It was good, clean and roomy.
I have to say, the week was an absolute hoot. Not before the first night of going out on the back of a motorcycle taxi for wine. Lashings of drink and Nic being still pissed at 8.00am the following morning.
It wasn't quite as bad. As drinking all night and sleeping all day, for me at least. I did have a couple of very late nights and a couple of very big hangovers but it was fun. One evening we went to Simons Cabaret, a great night. Most evenings we went to the drag shows. Apart from a couple of nights I was in bed by 1.00am. Apart from a couple of evenings Nic stayed out all night.
The weather was appalling! It rained most days, a lot. We had one day on the beach where, despite the cloud Nic managed to get sunburnt. Apart from that it was sitting, chatting, drinking.
We did have fun chatting to the vendors, all taken in good part. The classic was.
'where are you from'
'england'
'do you speak english'
' a little'
Closely followed by they hawkers looking for you to fill I'm a questionnaire, and give money!!
'where are you from'
'que?'
Do you speak English.'
'que'
' it's OK'
We laughed like drains
We were there for earth hour, a real shame as the locals had spent so much time on it and it absolutely pissed down all day. They made the best. All the lights went off for an hour but I suspect that the big lights, big sounds etc that were the precursor for the evening more than cancelled out any savings
Opposite our 'apartment' was a gay massage parlour. We had a foot massage there one day, it was very average....
We did however 'befriend' one of the employees. Oman (made up name methinks)
Nic spent many hours helping to compose e-mails to his friend. We took him out for dinner one day and it was very sweet that we just had a face wash and he got dressed up.
Hen was keen for us to sample his massage skills. We didn't oblige! Most nights he came over and had a drink with us. On us of course! One particular night, after a few beers I though it amusing to set us up as a massage parlour.
'massage, massage, where you from' was my pitch.
Quelle surprise, I got a couple of customers, two Korean blokes wandered past, stopped carried on the. Came back. We quickly sent the. To Oman. He was chugged.... Maybe he'd get more custom if he did a bit of canvassing rather than sat on his ass swigging beer!!
All in all it was a great week. Far too much drinking. Hardly any eating and a lot of laughing. Thank you Mr Nic!
Attend the of the week I was flying back to Bangkok, then KL the. Singapore (fuck knows.... I don't, why I didn't just go Phuket to Singapore. It must have been, cheaper!
Nic was going to KL for a few days then back to Borneo.
Our flights were at similar times. I got in my queue, as the board indicated. Waited 30 mins only to behold that his was the earlier flight. There is absolutely no reason why this woman could not have checked me in but she chose not too, I've not been so angry in a long while. I did the auto check I. And went back to show her the boarding pass. So much for customer satisfaction Air Asia. Although, only one bad experience in 40 flights isn't that bad I suppose....
I got on my flight quite looking forward to seeing the kids, Les, Billy and Dad. Also catching up with Martin Godden in Singapore for a beer.
Alas, it was not to be..........
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After checking out I went to the lobby and the bell boy gave me an option. Meter cab or 400bht. Including tolls. Foolishly (will I ever learn) I opted for the the latter. The driver didn't speak good English and was trying to converse with me. Fuck knows what about, I was ill. Anyway, arriving at the airport he asks for 1000bht. Despite the fact that this is a non confrontational race, I lost it. In the end I gave him 500bht and basically told him to shove it !
I have to confess, I was a bit apprehensive about the weeks holiday with Nic in Phuket. It was the full term at school and Nic had broached the subject about going away atba party when I was a little worse for wear. I agreed and we agreed Phuket. Nic is a bit of a party boy. Sheltered upbringing and all that shit. His idea of a 'holiday' is sleeping all day and drinking all night. Not mine... I'm 51 years old for gods sake.
The hours flight, once again with Air Asia ( I almost work for them these days) took me too Phuket airport. I used my 'travellers' savvy and got a taxi for 450bht for the 30 minute drive to Patong. We hadn't booked any accommodation but I'd arrange to meet Nic in a bar in 'gayville' a particularly seedy part of town.
I arrived at 6 ish and he was already pissed. After a couple of beers, he went on a recky and came back having found a room at 1000bht per night. I think it used to be a massage pal our. On the ground floor with a little terrace, straight out ontonthe pedestrianised road. It was good, clean and roomy.
I have to say, the week was an absolute hoot. Not before the first night of going out on the back of a motorcycle taxi for wine. Lashings of drink and Nic being still pissed at 8.00am the following morning.
It wasn't quite as bad. As drinking all night and sleeping all day, for me at least. I did have a couple of very late nights and a couple of very big hangovers but it was fun. One evening we went to Simons Cabaret, a great night. Most evenings we went to the drag shows. Apart from a couple of nights I was in bed by 1.00am. Apart from a couple of evenings Nic stayed out all night.
The weather was appalling! It rained most days, a lot. We had one day on the beach where, despite the cloud Nic managed to get sunburnt. Apart from that it was sitting, chatting, drinking.
We did have fun chatting to the vendors, all taken in good part. The classic was.
'where are you from'
'england'
'do you speak english'
' a little'
Closely followed by they hawkers looking for you to fill I'm a questionnaire, and give money!!
'where are you from'
'que?'
Do you speak English.'
'que'
' it's OK'
We laughed like drains
We were there for earth hour, a real shame as the locals had spent so much time on it and it absolutely pissed down all day. They made the best. All the lights went off for an hour but I suspect that the big lights, big sounds etc that were the precursor for the evening more than cancelled out any savings
Opposite our 'apartment' was a gay massage parlour. We had a foot massage there one day, it was very average....
We did however 'befriend' one of the employees. Oman (made up name methinks)
Nic spent many hours helping to compose e-mails to his friend. We took him out for dinner one day and it was very sweet that we just had a face wash and he got dressed up.
Hen was keen for us to sample his massage skills. We didn't oblige! Most nights he came over and had a drink with us. On us of course! One particular night, after a few beers I though it amusing to set us up as a massage parlour.
'massage, massage, where you from' was my pitch.
Quelle surprise, I got a couple of customers, two Korean blokes wandered past, stopped carried on the. Came back. We quickly sent the. To Oman. He was chugged.... Maybe he'd get more custom if he did a bit of canvassing rather than sat on his ass swigging beer!!
All in all it was a great week. Far too much drinking. Hardly any eating and a lot of laughing. Thank you Mr Nic!
Attend the of the week I was flying back to Bangkok, then KL the. Singapore (fuck knows.... I don't, why I didn't just go Phuket to Singapore. It must have been, cheaper!
Nic was going to KL for a few days then back to Borneo.
Our flights were at similar times. I got in my queue, as the board indicated. Waited 30 mins only to behold that his was the earlier flight. There is absolutely no reason why this woman could not have checked me in but she chose not too, I've not been so angry in a long while. I did the auto check I. And went back to show her the boarding pass. So much for customer satisfaction Air Asia. Although, only one bad experience in 40 flights isn't that bad I suppose....
I got on my flight quite looking forward to seeing the kids, Les, Billy and Dad. Also catching up with Martin Godden in Singapore for a beer.
Alas, it was not to be..........
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Location:Phuket. Thailand
A visit to the embassy
I left the cold of Hong Kong for the flight via Air Asia to KL and then onwards to Bangok. I needed to go to Bangkok to arrange a visa for Myanmar but was planning to nip across to Ko Tao to see Kipp, one of my fellow travellers in the Philippines. This (thankfully as it turned out) was not to happen.
I'm not sure who but I flew via KL. I can only imagine it was cheaper, I do tend to do my travel planning when I have had a couple of glasses of wine so it could well be that after a couple of glasses of wine I could not get my head around the complications beyond A to B and back. Looking at it now it seems ludicrous that I did not go from Hong Kong to Bangkok and miss out KL altogether, or was I being subconsciously being drawn towards that KFC restaurant I knew so well!
Anyway, after Baltic temperatures of HK it was a pleasant change to get off the Air Asia flight and enjoy a few hours of tropical heat once again.
I did have a couple of hours to kill so aside enjoying the temperature I also enjoyed a KFC.
The flight to Bangkok left around 6 ish and although a couple of hours you gain an hour, so I landed at 7 o'clock. I wandered to the bus stop intending to get a bus into town. I had once again booked into a Silom hotel and the bus went straight there. There was an hour wait for the next bus so undecided ton take a cab. It wasn't that much more 150 T Baht versus 400. In no time I was at the hotel.
The room was OK though after a week in HK and my rabbit hutch of a room, I was quite looking forward to a window. There was not a window in sight. I was a bit tired, but that did not stop me from wandering down to Patpong for a drink and a bite to eat. I was entertained for an hour by a very camp guy who was working for Balcony, one of the bars. He had secreted a bag full of skewered meat, obviously his supper, on the chair next to me and every so often was grabbing a mouthful. He then had the idea that if he put them on my table, he could pretend they were mine. He did this and also proceeded to feed me from time to time by coming to sit me and doing a cleopatra impression....
The first evening and the first day in Bangkok were warm and sunny. Early the next morning, map in hand I set off for the Myanmar embassy. It was not far and I arrived there at around 8.45. I have never been to an embassy abroad before, indeed I have only ever been to one embassy which was the Australian one in Portland street, Manchester.
My plan for the following day was to go to the
Myanmar embassy and apply for my visa. The lonely planet had recommended doing it yourself, even though it was possible to pay a travel agency to do it and just fill in the paperwork. It did cost you for the service obviously, around 6000 Bht. This was compared to the 800Bht do it yourself version.
The were a few people in there, quite a lot of Thai people but not that may westerners. You took a form, completed it, attached one photo ( a prit stick was provided) and the took t to a counter. A chappie checked it the , if everything was in order gave you a ticket which had a number on it. You then just wait for your number to be called out. Within 30 minutes I was at the counter being 'processed'
One of the questions on the form is about your occupation . For the purpose of this exercise I had decided I would adopt the baking profession, this is not dishonest, I had worked for Paula for quite a few months. I thought it was much easier than stating I was retired and going throughout the 'you are not old enough' routine.
I was asked what I did (even though it was on the form, I was asked why I was wanting to go to Myanmar, (even though it was on the form) I was asked if I had been to Myanmar before, (even though it was on the form) and I was asked when I was going . That wasn't on the form.
" Are you a journalist."
" No" was my answer, a baker!
" come back Friday afternoon"
It was Monday...
" can I have it any earlier please"
" no, we have things to check"
This was one of those "no's" you know not to challenge so I bobbed off leaving my passport and forms with this charmer and taking my receipt.
This sort of fucked up my plans. I had hoped to get the passport back by Wednesday and then go over to see Kipp in Ko Tao. Never mind, I would stay in Bangkok and do a few touristy things. I would also meet my dad at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday as he transits to meet Lesley and the kids in Ko Samui.
That was decided although the trip things didn't happen. I spend the next few days in bed with a shocking bout of flu. I did meet dad and collect my Visa but other than that I was confined to my bed. I did change hotels moving from backpacker to flash packer. I was feeling so sorry for myself I needed some creature comforts and the Siam Heritage was just the place, plus it had a window, hooking right into another building, right enough but that isn't the point!
Aside from the fact that i was not at all well, the weather in Bangkok was not at all nice. Cold and Wet, really not normal for that time of year. Plus, we had a small earthquake, I thought t was one of my sneezes but it was in fact a 6 ish with an epicentre in Myanmar, my next destination !!
Meeting dad was nice, a surprise, he actually surprised me. My attention must have been wandering and I heard a 'what are you doing here' it was fairly obvious dad, I'm here to meet you.....
We had breakfast and a chat for a couple of hours. He was leaving for Ko Samui early evening, to coincide with Lesley arriving there. I needed to go to the embassy to get my visa so I left him around midday after he had checked his baggage in. I admire him. At 74 he has some energy. He had travelled by overnight bus to Gatwick to fly to BKK via Dubai. He would not have slept for at least two days.... I would have been knackered and he said he wasn't tired.
Collection of the visa was straightforward, apart from getting soaked. I spend the weekend in bed......
I was flying to Phuket on Monday to meet Mr Nic and it promised to be pretty heavy........
As an aside, if I had got my visa earlier and had managed to get to Ko Tao I would probably have missed my Phuket holiday and Myanmar as torrential rain cut the island off for nearly two weeks. It caused a change of plans for Lesley too!!!
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I'm not sure who but I flew via KL. I can only imagine it was cheaper, I do tend to do my travel planning when I have had a couple of glasses of wine so it could well be that after a couple of glasses of wine I could not get my head around the complications beyond A to B and back. Looking at it now it seems ludicrous that I did not go from Hong Kong to Bangkok and miss out KL altogether, or was I being subconsciously being drawn towards that KFC restaurant I knew so well!
Anyway, after Baltic temperatures of HK it was a pleasant change to get off the Air Asia flight and enjoy a few hours of tropical heat once again.
I did have a couple of hours to kill so aside enjoying the temperature I also enjoyed a KFC.
The flight to Bangkok left around 6 ish and although a couple of hours you gain an hour, so I landed at 7 o'clock. I wandered to the bus stop intending to get a bus into town. I had once again booked into a Silom hotel and the bus went straight there. There was an hour wait for the next bus so undecided ton take a cab. It wasn't that much more 150 T Baht versus 400. In no time I was at the hotel.
The room was OK though after a week in HK and my rabbit hutch of a room, I was quite looking forward to a window. There was not a window in sight. I was a bit tired, but that did not stop me from wandering down to Patpong for a drink and a bite to eat. I was entertained for an hour by a very camp guy who was working for Balcony, one of the bars. He had secreted a bag full of skewered meat, obviously his supper, on the chair next to me and every so often was grabbing a mouthful. He then had the idea that if he put them on my table, he could pretend they were mine. He did this and also proceeded to feed me from time to time by coming to sit me and doing a cleopatra impression....
The first evening and the first day in Bangkok were warm and sunny. Early the next morning, map in hand I set off for the Myanmar embassy. It was not far and I arrived there at around 8.45. I have never been to an embassy abroad before, indeed I have only ever been to one embassy which was the Australian one in Portland street, Manchester.
My plan for the following day was to go to the
Myanmar embassy and apply for my visa. The lonely planet had recommended doing it yourself, even though it was possible to pay a travel agency to do it and just fill in the paperwork. It did cost you for the service obviously, around 6000 Bht. This was compared to the 800Bht do it yourself version.
The were a few people in there, quite a lot of Thai people but not that may westerners. You took a form, completed it, attached one photo ( a prit stick was provided) and the took t to a counter. A chappie checked it the , if everything was in order gave you a ticket which had a number on it. You then just wait for your number to be called out. Within 30 minutes I was at the counter being 'processed'
One of the questions on the form is about your occupation . For the purpose of this exercise I had decided I would adopt the baking profession, this is not dishonest, I had worked for Paula for quite a few months. I thought it was much easier than stating I was retired and going throughout the 'you are not old enough' routine.
I was asked what I did (even though it was on the form, I was asked why I was wanting to go to Myanmar, (even though it was on the form) I was asked if I had been to Myanmar before, (even though it was on the form) and I was asked when I was going . That wasn't on the form.
" Are you a journalist."
" No" was my answer, a baker!
" come back Friday afternoon"
It was Monday...
" can I have it any earlier please"
" no, we have things to check"
This was one of those "no's" you know not to challenge so I bobbed off leaving my passport and forms with this charmer and taking my receipt.
This sort of fucked up my plans. I had hoped to get the passport back by Wednesday and then go over to see Kipp in Ko Tao. Never mind, I would stay in Bangkok and do a few touristy things. I would also meet my dad at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Friday as he transits to meet Lesley and the kids in Ko Samui.
That was decided although the trip things didn't happen. I spend the next few days in bed with a shocking bout of flu. I did meet dad and collect my Visa but other than that I was confined to my bed. I did change hotels moving from backpacker to flash packer. I was feeling so sorry for myself I needed some creature comforts and the Siam Heritage was just the place, plus it had a window, hooking right into another building, right enough but that isn't the point!
Aside from the fact that i was not at all well, the weather in Bangkok was not at all nice. Cold and Wet, really not normal for that time of year. Plus, we had a small earthquake, I thought t was one of my sneezes but it was in fact a 6 ish with an epicentre in Myanmar, my next destination !!
Meeting dad was nice, a surprise, he actually surprised me. My attention must have been wandering and I heard a 'what are you doing here' it was fairly obvious dad, I'm here to meet you.....
We had breakfast and a chat for a couple of hours. He was leaving for Ko Samui early evening, to coincide with Lesley arriving there. I needed to go to the embassy to get my visa so I left him around midday after he had checked his baggage in. I admire him. At 74 he has some energy. He had travelled by overnight bus to Gatwick to fly to BKK via Dubai. He would not have slept for at least two days.... I would have been knackered and he said he wasn't tired.
Collection of the visa was straightforward, apart from getting soaked. I spend the weekend in bed......
I was flying to Phuket on Monday to meet Mr Nic and it promised to be pretty heavy........
As an aside, if I had got my visa earlier and had managed to get to Ko Tao I would probably have missed my Phuket holiday and Myanmar as torrential rain cut the island off for nearly two weeks. It caused a change of plans for Lesley too!!!
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Location:Silom Road, Bangkok,Thailand
Big Buddha via a crystal cabin.....
Today I will be having another touristy day, actually, unless you have a lot of money and enjoy shopping there is not a great deal more to do in Hong Kong unless of course Disney Land takes your fancy.
As you fly into the 'newish' airport, if the weather is kind you get a nice view of 'Big Buddha' or 'Big Bugger' as Finlay calls it, he has a problem, with his 'G's'
This was a. Train journey fro. Kowloon, in fact it is pretty much the same train as goes to the airport so the day sorry of doubles up as a dry run as I need to be up quite early to or row to get to Bangkok via KL
Once at the destination train station you have a number of options to get to the 'Big Bugger' one is walking, another is by bus and a third is o. The rather spectacular cable car ride. From then square outside the railway station you can't actually see the end of it. I immediately dismissed the walking, it's a four hour hike with quite a few hills. I would go for the cable car. But first, I spotted a Subway, I wasn't greedy. Just a 6 inch Italian today .... Hmmm
Once I'd devoured my 6 inch Italian I joined the queue for the cable car. I was a long one. About an hours wait. That said, it was worth the wait. I was feeling a bit flush and went for the 'crystal cabin ' option. Only one in fournof the cabins were crystal. And they had a glass floor so you could see how far you would fall if it crashed. All for only 10HKD extra. But there were additional benefits..
Once at the 'Big Bugger' it was a little disappointing, I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was rather like a theme park. The ride on the cable car was actually quite spectacular, if only to reinforce what a foolish decision it would have been to walk. The height gave spectacular views of the Hong Kong airport and really put into some perspective what an engineering feat it was to claim the land from the sea.
I did the 'walk up and walk round the Buddha' the sun was I. The wrong direction so the pictures were crap. I also went to the nearby monastery and saw more massive joysticks and women gardeners manhandling HUGE pots on there own. After a couple of hours I had seen enough and wandered back. I had booked a return trip on the 'crystal cabin' and thank the lord I had. The queue to get here was over an hour but this queue was at least twice as long. But, the second benefit of the crystal cabin!!! Separate queue, and much shorter queue. Love it, felt like first class.
Thank god for the crystal cabin!
It's my last night in Hong Kong. I enjoyed it better than Singapore. There is more to see and it's not as 'clinical'
I celebrated the fact that I quite liked Hong Kong with another Indian at the New Deli Mess.
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As you fly into the 'newish' airport, if the weather is kind you get a nice view of 'Big Buddha' or 'Big Bugger' as Finlay calls it, he has a problem, with his 'G's'
This was a. Train journey fro. Kowloon, in fact it is pretty much the same train as goes to the airport so the day sorry of doubles up as a dry run as I need to be up quite early to or row to get to Bangkok via KL
Once at the destination train station you have a number of options to get to the 'Big Bugger' one is walking, another is by bus and a third is o. The rather spectacular cable car ride. From then square outside the railway station you can't actually see the end of it. I immediately dismissed the walking, it's a four hour hike with quite a few hills. I would go for the cable car. But first, I spotted a Subway, I wasn't greedy. Just a 6 inch Italian today .... Hmmm
Once I'd devoured my 6 inch Italian I joined the queue for the cable car. I was a long one. About an hours wait. That said, it was worth the wait. I was feeling a bit flush and went for the 'crystal cabin ' option. Only one in fournof the cabins were crystal. And they had a glass floor so you could see how far you would fall if it crashed. All for only 10HKD extra. But there were additional benefits..
Once at the 'Big Bugger' it was a little disappointing, I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was rather like a theme park. The ride on the cable car was actually quite spectacular, if only to reinforce what a foolish decision it would have been to walk. The height gave spectacular views of the Hong Kong airport and really put into some perspective what an engineering feat it was to claim the land from the sea.
I did the 'walk up and walk round the Buddha' the sun was I. The wrong direction so the pictures were crap. I also went to the nearby monastery and saw more massive joysticks and women gardeners manhandling HUGE pots on there own. After a couple of hours I had seen enough and wandered back. I had booked a return trip on the 'crystal cabin' and thank the lord I had. The queue to get here was over an hour but this queue was at least twice as long. But, the second benefit of the crystal cabin!!! Separate queue, and much shorter queue. Love it, felt like first class.
Thank god for the crystal cabin!
It's my last night in Hong Kong. I enjoyed it better than Singapore. There is more to see and it's not as 'clinical'
I celebrated the fact that I quite liked Hong Kong with another Indian at the New Deli Mess.
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Location:Lantu, Hong Kong, China
Another long day of walking, and walking, and walking.........
12 March 2011
Today, once again, I was mostly sightseeing...
From my little 'lonely planet' book I had mapped out a few places I wanted to see in Kowloon.
First though, I really did need to get something a bit warmer to wear. The weather was still chilly, especially at night and whe the sun was in during the day. A couple of long sleeved jumpers/sweatshirts would be just fine. Hong Kong is nothing if it's not good for shopping. I actually killed two birds with one stone my finding a MUJI store. This is Japanese stuff, quite reasonably priced so. It also sells stationary so I picked up a couple of notebooks to record my trip before putting it the blog.
Now for my tour. I started off by getting the MRT to Chi Lin Nunnery, this was quite close to the high rises yet an amazing serene feel about it. A beautiful pagoda and coy carp ponds. Despite t being nippy it was a really nice place to just sit and reflect. The next stop on the tour was the Sik Sik Yuen Tai Sin Temple - what a mouthful!. This was quite to opposite, An explosion of colours with quite the biggest joysticks I have ever seen I. My life. It is a very popular place with the locals for praying and also divining the future with ' chim', bamboo prediction sticks that are shaken to the ground then read.
Behind the temple are the Good Wish Gardens, so close to the noise yet really peaceful. Again, somewhere to sit down and reflect. I seem to be doing a lot of referring today!!
My last stop for the day was some walk, I followed my map and finally made it, hot and sticky despite the chill in the air, to the Kowloon Walled City. This is now a really pretty park but the walls that enclose the park were once the perimeter of a notorious village that was technically part of China through the British rule.
It seemed that anything went on there, prostitution, drug dealing, illegal dentists and. Gambling. It is well worth a visit and the story is provided in a brochure and via photographs on a covered walkway. It is only as recently as 1984 when The Hong Kong government acquired the seas and bulldozed the tenements.
It was a long day, very adequately finished off with a nice Indian meal. It is quite some time since I have enjoyed such good food in such an unusual location (and so cheap)
Chungking Mansions is a real mix, but aside the shops and the 'hotels' there are a number of very good Indian 'Mess' restaurants. I had spotted a couple of signs and saw trip advisor recommending one called the 'New Deli Mess'
Brilliant food, for the first time in Hong Kong I went to bed replete. Now their's a nice word!!!!!
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Today, once again, I was mostly sightseeing...
From my little 'lonely planet' book I had mapped out a few places I wanted to see in Kowloon.
First though, I really did need to get something a bit warmer to wear. The weather was still chilly, especially at night and whe the sun was in during the day. A couple of long sleeved jumpers/sweatshirts would be just fine. Hong Kong is nothing if it's not good for shopping. I actually killed two birds with one stone my finding a MUJI store. This is Japanese stuff, quite reasonably priced so. It also sells stationary so I picked up a couple of notebooks to record my trip before putting it the blog.
Now for my tour. I started off by getting the MRT to Chi Lin Nunnery, this was quite close to the high rises yet an amazing serene feel about it. A beautiful pagoda and coy carp ponds. Despite t being nippy it was a really nice place to just sit and reflect. The next stop on the tour was the Sik Sik Yuen Tai Sin Temple - what a mouthful!. This was quite to opposite, An explosion of colours with quite the biggest joysticks I have ever seen I. My life. It is a very popular place with the locals for praying and also divining the future with ' chim', bamboo prediction sticks that are shaken to the ground then read.
Behind the temple are the Good Wish Gardens, so close to the noise yet really peaceful. Again, somewhere to sit down and reflect. I seem to be doing a lot of referring today!!
My last stop for the day was some walk, I followed my map and finally made it, hot and sticky despite the chill in the air, to the Kowloon Walled City. This is now a really pretty park but the walls that enclose the park were once the perimeter of a notorious village that was technically part of China through the British rule.
It seemed that anything went on there, prostitution, drug dealing, illegal dentists and. Gambling. It is well worth a visit and the story is provided in a brochure and via photographs on a covered walkway. It is only as recently as 1984 when The Hong Kong government acquired the seas and bulldozed the tenements.
It was a long day, very adequately finished off with a nice Indian meal. It is quite some time since I have enjoyed such good food in such an unusual location (and so cheap)
Chungking Mansions is a real mix, but aside the shops and the 'hotels' there are a number of very good Indian 'Mess' restaurants. I had spotted a couple of signs and saw trip advisor recommending one called the 'New Deli Mess'
Brilliant food, for the first time in Hong Kong I went to bed replete. Now their's a nice word!!!!!
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Location:Austin Rd West, Hong Kong
Friday, 18 March 2011
A day trip to Macau
Is it a prerequisite that immigration officers have a face like a slapped arse?
The China Ferry Terminal is just like an airport. Ferries from various companies go to various places around the HK Island, including Mainland China. Until this trip I hadn't realised that you would need a passport and a stamp to get into and out of Macau. The peninsular (it's actually connected to mainland China) was under Portuguese rule for four and a half centuries prior to the handback in 1999.
I got a window seat on the ferry which was catamaran. As it departed Kowloon you could not see a hand in front of your face such as the sea mist, it was like a November day. So much for a window seat!
We pulled into Macau harbour roughly an hour later, once again had to go though immigration control. There were huge queues and it took about an hour to get through.
Out through the arrivals lounge there was a huge mob of touts trying to sell tours of the island. Just outside the terminal building were loads of dolly birds with placards advertising the numerous and various casino's that the island peninsula in famous for. Getting my bearings I hopped onto a bus that would take me into the centre of the city.
The city centre in very pretty. Full of mediterranean type architecture. I walked through Sendo Square, stopping off to buy myself a watch. since my TAG had stopped working, before Christmas, I had been without one and felt almost naked. Settling for a black swath i grabbed a coffee at Starbucks then continued by sight seeing tour. Both Hong Kong and Macau are very tourist friendly with signs at almost every corner pointing visitors towards the places of interest.
The small streets through the square are heaving with small shops selling tourist shit, Beef Jerky and Custard pies.
I made my way towards the ruins of the church of St Paul. The weathered facade and majestic stairway are all that remain of this church. It was designed by an italian jesuit and built by exiled Japanese Christians in the early 17th century. It is regarded as one of the greatest monuments to Christianity in Asia.
I couldn't visit Macau without seeing inside a casino. I did a couple, including the MGM. The decoration was spectacular, as were the buildings. I did go into the gambling hall of the MGM and it was just packed full. The only thing all these gamblers had in common was they just looked very glum. Maybe they were losing all their money. The Macdonalds across the road seemed to be the hangout of many of the losers, one would assume that they would be frequenting some place a little more salubrious if they had won on the tables.
It was about time to head back, walking past Fisherman's Wharf' I was reminded of Mablethorpe on a miserable day. Not nice !
Arriving back at the China Ferry terminal at 6.00pm I had a wander around the malls. I had a very strange feeling just before 9.00pm. It was almost as-though I was still on the boat. I found out hat it was when I got back to the hostel and turned on the TV. Japan had been hit by a huge earthquake, followed by a Tsunami causing massive devastation. I was glued to the TV for the rest of the evening. I got a number of messages from friends enquiring if I was OK. Hong Kong, on the west is sheltered my both Japan and Taiwan so the only affect as a small tremor an a slight increase in tide.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The China Ferry Terminal is just like an airport. Ferries from various companies go to various places around the HK Island, including Mainland China. Until this trip I hadn't realised that you would need a passport and a stamp to get into and out of Macau. The peninsular (it's actually connected to mainland China) was under Portuguese rule for four and a half centuries prior to the handback in 1999.
I got a window seat on the ferry which was catamaran. As it departed Kowloon you could not see a hand in front of your face such as the sea mist, it was like a November day. So much for a window seat!
We pulled into Macau harbour roughly an hour later, once again had to go though immigration control. There were huge queues and it took about an hour to get through.
Out through the arrivals lounge there was a huge mob of touts trying to sell tours of the island. Just outside the terminal building were loads of dolly birds with placards advertising the numerous and various casino's that the island peninsula in famous for. Getting my bearings I hopped onto a bus that would take me into the centre of the city.
The city centre in very pretty. Full of mediterranean type architecture. I walked through Sendo Square, stopping off to buy myself a watch. since my TAG had stopped working, before Christmas, I had been without one and felt almost naked. Settling for a black swath i grabbed a coffee at Starbucks then continued by sight seeing tour. Both Hong Kong and Macau are very tourist friendly with signs at almost every corner pointing visitors towards the places of interest.
The small streets through the square are heaving with small shops selling tourist shit, Beef Jerky and Custard pies.
I made my way towards the ruins of the church of St Paul. The weathered facade and majestic stairway are all that remain of this church. It was designed by an italian jesuit and built by exiled Japanese Christians in the early 17th century. It is regarded as one of the greatest monuments to Christianity in Asia.
I couldn't visit Macau without seeing inside a casino. I did a couple, including the MGM. The decoration was spectacular, as were the buildings. I did go into the gambling hall of the MGM and it was just packed full. The only thing all these gamblers had in common was they just looked very glum. Maybe they were losing all their money. The Macdonalds across the road seemed to be the hangout of many of the losers, one would assume that they would be frequenting some place a little more salubrious if they had won on the tables.
It was about time to head back, walking past Fisherman's Wharf' I was reminded of Mablethorpe on a miserable day. Not nice !
Arriving back at the China Ferry terminal at 6.00pm I had a wander around the malls. I had a very strange feeling just before 9.00pm. It was almost as-though I was still on the boat. I found out hat it was when I got back to the hostel and turned on the TV. Japan had been hit by a huge earthquake, followed by a Tsunami causing massive devastation. I was glued to the TV for the rest of the evening. I got a number of messages from friends enquiring if I was OK. Hong Kong, on the west is sheltered my both Japan and Taiwan so the only affect as a small tremor an a slight increase in tide.
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Location:Macau, China
A long day of walking
The rabbit hutch was surprisingly comfortable and I did have quite good nights sleep. Nothing to do with the Stella of course.
Today, I will mostly be sightseeing on Hong Kong island. I set out reasonably early. The Lonely Planet book suggested that the best way to get there was on the Star Ferry and went on to suggest that rather than go from the Star Ferry terminal at the end of the road there was another one a bit further around the coast. We i'm buggered if I could find it, I walked and walked and walked. To be fair I did get to see the 'Avenue of Stars' which was the Hong Kong equivalent of the one in LA. I only recognised two names, Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan!
Eventually I gave up up the ghost on this 'ghost' ferry terminal and headed back to the one at Tsim Sha Tsui. The ferry as a bargain at just 2.5 Hong Kong Dollars. The journey takes about 10 minutes and it an absolute must for anyone visiting Hong Kong. The sights of Hong Kong Island as you approach Central Pier are outstanding even though the visibility was not too good because of the smog.
I had planned where I wanted to go. I took the MTR railway to Sheung Wan. this district still carries the echo of 'Old Shanghai' with its traditional sops and old 'ladder streets', the steep inclined streets with steps. I have to confess, I did not realise that HongKong island was so hilly. I wandered along Hollywood Street which was a hive of activity with literally hundreds of antique shops, calling in at Man Mo Temple, one of the oldest in Hong Kong. Not only is this a tourist attraction, it also serves as centre of worship for the Hong Kong residents
I made my way to the central area and Soho. Here is the world's longest covered covered escalator which goes through Soho and up towards the mid-levels. It is packed with restaurants and bars add is really buzzing in the evening. I rode the full length of the moving stairway and then made my way towards the Peak Tram terminus. This is probably the most spectacular way to ascend to 'The Peak'. I bought my ticket and boarded the old tram for the 10 minute ride to 'The Peak. It was an incredibly steep ride and on the way up passed some of the most expensive properties on the Island. I wasn't a particularly warm day but up on the peak it must have been a good 8 egress lower. There is a sopping mall, designed to withstand winds of force 10 typhoon. There is a viewing gallery up there where you can get some good views of the city below and across to Kowloon. This was not a brilliant view today given the smog over the bay.
I returned on the tram and then had a leisurely walk to central Pier and back to Kowloon, once again on the Star Ferry late afternoon.
Having not eaten all day I decided to try one of the many street cafes in Temple street. Rather than go for the rice I tried the clay pot chicken, washed down with a large beer. It as disgusting, I'm sure it contained all the bits of the chicken that are least attractive, including the feet. I left it and made my way to MacDonald's and a healthy Big Mac with fries. On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the China Ferry terminal to book my tickets to Macau. I would catch the 9.00am ferry and return at 5.00pm.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Today, I will mostly be sightseeing on Hong Kong island. I set out reasonably early. The Lonely Planet book suggested that the best way to get there was on the Star Ferry and went on to suggest that rather than go from the Star Ferry terminal at the end of the road there was another one a bit further around the coast. We i'm buggered if I could find it, I walked and walked and walked. To be fair I did get to see the 'Avenue of Stars' which was the Hong Kong equivalent of the one in LA. I only recognised two names, Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan!
Eventually I gave up up the ghost on this 'ghost' ferry terminal and headed back to the one at Tsim Sha Tsui. The ferry as a bargain at just 2.5 Hong Kong Dollars. The journey takes about 10 minutes and it an absolute must for anyone visiting Hong Kong. The sights of Hong Kong Island as you approach Central Pier are outstanding even though the visibility was not too good because of the smog.
I had planned where I wanted to go. I took the MTR railway to Sheung Wan. this district still carries the echo of 'Old Shanghai' with its traditional sops and old 'ladder streets', the steep inclined streets with steps. I have to confess, I did not realise that HongKong island was so hilly. I wandered along Hollywood Street which was a hive of activity with literally hundreds of antique shops, calling in at Man Mo Temple, one of the oldest in Hong Kong. Not only is this a tourist attraction, it also serves as centre of worship for the Hong Kong residents
I made my way to the central area and Soho. Here is the world's longest covered covered escalator which goes through Soho and up towards the mid-levels. It is packed with restaurants and bars add is really buzzing in the evening. I rode the full length of the moving stairway and then made my way towards the Peak Tram terminus. This is probably the most spectacular way to ascend to 'The Peak'. I bought my ticket and boarded the old tram for the 10 minute ride to 'The Peak. It was an incredibly steep ride and on the way up passed some of the most expensive properties on the Island. I wasn't a particularly warm day but up on the peak it must have been a good 8 egress lower. There is a sopping mall, designed to withstand winds of force 10 typhoon. There is a viewing gallery up there where you can get some good views of the city below and across to Kowloon. This was not a brilliant view today given the smog over the bay.
I returned on the tram and then had a leisurely walk to central Pier and back to Kowloon, once again on the Star Ferry late afternoon.
Having not eaten all day I decided to try one of the many street cafes in Temple street. Rather than go for the rice I tried the clay pot chicken, washed down with a large beer. It as disgusting, I'm sure it contained all the bits of the chicken that are least attractive, including the feet. I left it and made my way to MacDonald's and a healthy Big Mac with fries. On the way back to the hostel I stopped at the China Ferry terminal to book my tickets to Macau. I would catch the 9.00am ferry and return at 5.00pm.
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong
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