Hong Kong rain. The constant drips from air conditioners are disgusting. For some reason, the public housing people do not like central air. As such, window air conditioners are everywhere.
No napkins. In any native restaurant, you are not given napkins. In one of the particularly authentic Chinese joints, they actually made us pay for "menthol" napkins. There was no TP either.
No clear right of way. Pedestrians are not yielded to by cars or other pedestrians.
People walk slowly. They rarely walk up or down the escalator. They walk slowly on moving walkways. Maybe I was just used to DC, but for a metropolitan area it was a little annoying.
Stinky fruit is overwhelming. Someone ate a durian on our floor, which is against hotel policy, and our entire floor stunk. We actually called the front desk and complained about a gas leak. They were somewhat amused when they arrived and told us it was a fruit. Click on the link above (the underlined word durian) and read some of the descriptions of the smell.
Bloomberg is the best TV show here for english speakers. We all agreed on this, so it's not just Mom and Dad's influence on me.
Can tops are pull-tabs. Is this the British influence? We only had one pull-tab mishap.
In official walking areas, you are forced to walk on the left. Almost everywhere else they walk on the right.
British influence is very noticable in the city. From buildings to restaurants to widely spoken English, you can tell the Brits were here for 100 years.
Hideous public housing everywhere. And since 50% of the people live in public housing, you are constantly looking at public-skyscrapers.
Nearly constant 95% humidity. It makes DC seem like a desert.
Public transport is fast, clean, efficient, and air-conditioned. Their metro is far superior to DC's. We never had to wait more than 2 minutes for a train, and the service area was pretty extensive.
Overwhelming odors. Hong Kong is a very smelly city. This is probably just a typical Western response to Asian odors.
There are dozens of hookers in every expatriate bar at night. Is that cute girl really dancing with you? Yep. And those flashy red pumps she's wearing aren't as good for dancing as you'd think.
No open container laws. The more I think about it, the more open container laws (while walking) don't make any sense.
Ubiquitous 7-elevens.
American sailors are seemingly everywhere when U.S. gunboats and carriers are docked. Who do you think the hookers were following around?
Beers are cheap at gas stations, but expensive at bars. And by expensive I mean generally more expensive than bars in DC, while beers are less than a dollar per beer at gas stations and grocers.
Night markets. Thriving cheap and illegal goods sales. Fake watches and pirated DVDs abound. Though, they are cracking down on designers shoes and handbags.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Monday thru Thursday
On Monday, Sean Flynn and I went to a Buddhist nunnery and garden before out second suit-fitting that afternoon. The garden and nunnery are in the middle of the city, surrounded by skyscrapers and honking cars. It is no doubt a welcomed escape from the city for many Hong Kongers.
We went to our suit-fitting that afternoon, before grabbing some lunch and heading back to the hotel. We ate (for the second time) at a "local" Chinese restaurant. We had to point at the pictures and our servers new no English. Once again, we left hungry. The chicken was definitely undercooked and the pork was nearly all fat. The noodles we ordered were of lesser quality than ramen noodles. We did manage to eat all of the fried rice.
That night we hiked Victoria Peak. It is about a 1.5 mile hike, with the first half much steeper than the second. With the humidity, we were soon bathed in sweat. At the top, we grabbed a bite to eat and watched Hong Kong's signature light show. It was very cool. We later found out that virtually nobody walks it as most take the tram or a taxi.
On Tuesday we went to Lantau island to the world's largest outdoor seated bronze Bhudda (could there be any more qualifiers?). According to custom, we ate at the vegetarian restaurant below the Bhuda which is presumably run by the monks. After lunch we got to watch several monks praying and did our best to appease Bhudda by lighting some incense. The Buddhists are big on incense. The Bhudda is on the top of a very high peak in Lantau, and it was foggy all day. As such, we only caught glimpses of him until we got up close. It was fairly impressive, but less so once we found out it was built less than 15 years ago.
On Wednesday we met with an official from the US consulate. He gave us a very interesting presentation on the commercial prospects for both Hong Kong and China. More importantly, he gave us some bar and restaurant recommendations. That evening we went to Soho and grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant (you can only eat so much Asian food before you need some real food) and grabbed some beers at a Cuban restaurant complete with pictures of Che and Fidel. That night some of us went out in Lon Qui Fong, a bar and restaurant district. It was actually inundated with American sailors from the USS Nimitz.
On Thursday the group split. My half of the group - Luke, Sean, and I - went into the hinterlands. We started out the day at a walled city museum before heading out to some actual walled cities. Before heading further into the New Territories, we tried another native Chinese restaurant. Suffice to say we do not need to try that again. The spicy beef was mainly fat and the spring rolls were much too greasy. The noodles were OK until Sean added too much spicy stuff. The staff laughed at us and tried to give us forks, which Sean and I refused, but Luke accepted.
The actual walled city we visited was more or less a ghetto. The trail we walked along, described by Frommers as "wonderful", was better described as seedy. There was raw sewage running in grates along the streets and some of the residents were living in what were more or less tin shacks. It stunk everywhere. The temples and halls we saw were interesting and old (many more than 600 years old) if only because they were in the middle of such destitute poverty. We all agreed it was good to see this side of China.
When we returned, we quickly ran to the night market when we returned before coming back and getting some Pizza Hut and drinking some beers. We called it an early night as Friday will be a big day.
We went to our suit-fitting that afternoon, before grabbing some lunch and heading back to the hotel. We ate (for the second time) at a "local" Chinese restaurant. We had to point at the pictures and our servers new no English. Once again, we left hungry. The chicken was definitely undercooked and the pork was nearly all fat. The noodles we ordered were of lesser quality than ramen noodles. We did manage to eat all of the fried rice.
That night we hiked Victoria Peak. It is about a 1.5 mile hike, with the first half much steeper than the second. With the humidity, we were soon bathed in sweat. At the top, we grabbed a bite to eat and watched Hong Kong's signature light show. It was very cool. We later found out that virtually nobody walks it as most take the tram or a taxi.
On Tuesday we went to Lantau island to the world's largest outdoor seated bronze Bhudda (could there be any more qualifiers?). According to custom, we ate at the vegetarian restaurant below the Bhuda which is presumably run by the monks. After lunch we got to watch several monks praying and did our best to appease Bhudda by lighting some incense. The Buddhists are big on incense. The Bhudda is on the top of a very high peak in Lantau, and it was foggy all day. As such, we only caught glimpses of him until we got up close. It was fairly impressive, but less so once we found out it was built less than 15 years ago.
On Wednesday we met with an official from the US consulate. He gave us a very interesting presentation on the commercial prospects for both Hong Kong and China. More importantly, he gave us some bar and restaurant recommendations. That evening we went to Soho and grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant (you can only eat so much Asian food before you need some real food) and grabbed some beers at a Cuban restaurant complete with pictures of Che and Fidel. That night some of us went out in Lon Qui Fong, a bar and restaurant district. It was actually inundated with American sailors from the USS Nimitz.
On Thursday the group split. My half of the group - Luke, Sean, and I - went into the hinterlands. We started out the day at a walled city museum before heading out to some actual walled cities. Before heading further into the New Territories, we tried another native Chinese restaurant. Suffice to say we do not need to try that again. The spicy beef was mainly fat and the spring rolls were much too greasy. The noodles were OK until Sean added too much spicy stuff. The staff laughed at us and tried to give us forks, which Sean and I refused, but Luke accepted.
The actual walled city we visited was more or less a ghetto. The trail we walked along, described by Frommers as "wonderful", was better described as seedy. There was raw sewage running in grates along the streets and some of the residents were living in what were more or less tin shacks. It stunk everywhere. The temples and halls we saw were interesting and old (many more than 600 years old) if only because they were in the middle of such destitute poverty. We all agreed it was good to see this side of China.
When we returned, we quickly ran to the night market when we returned before coming back and getting some Pizza Hut and drinking some beers. We called it an early night as Friday will be a big day.
Macau
On Sunday we went to Macau, the second of China's two Special Administrative Regions. A Portuguese colony for around 400 years, it is now the gambling hub of Asia. Last year, its gambling revenue surpassed the Las Vegas strip and it continues to grow at a fast pace. The gambling revenue statistic is misleading, however, as Macau's has around 13,000 hotel rooms compared to Las Vegas's 130,000. Furthermore, gambling revenue only accounts for 40% of Vegas's revenue while it makes up virtually all of Macau's.
We took a 45 minute "Star Ferry" from Hong Kong at around eleven on Sunday. After getting through customs, we were in the Sands Macao by about 1:30. We ate at their buffet, which was amazing. I had been craving the tasty deserts in the windows of bakeries in Hong Kong. I finally got a chance to sample them en masse. The pork, sushi, oysters, shrimp, and other seafood was good. I have avoided poultry while here, not because of a risk of catching one of the many avian flus, but because it tastes and looks disgusting. It usually has a yellowish skin attached with a bone and some blood vessels underneath. I usually can't even tell what part of the chicken it's from (maybe the goiter).
After losing $10 at the Sands and buying/drinking some cocktails (they do not serve free drinks to gamblers), we started hitting up some of the tourist sites including the ruins of a cathedral, an old Portuguese fort, and the Macau tower. It was ungodly hot. In addition to the constant 95% humidity (that is not an exaggeration), it was sunny and still. The most interesting part of the day (and the vacation thus far) came at the Macau Tower. Here is an excerpt on the tower from Wikipedia:
With Sean Flynn pushing us to do it, five of us decided to do the highest bungee jump in the world. At $888 Macanese Potacas (Asians, or at least Hong Kongers, believe 8 to be good luck), around $100 American, it was something we had to do. It was pretty amazing. The first 50 meters is a pure free fall, which means for just over 5 seconds you feel like you have just jumped headfirst off of a 233 meter tower in China. The worst part was after it was over and you were hanging by your feet. It took them a while to lower you to the inflated pad below.
We took a 45 minute "Star Ferry" from Hong Kong at around eleven on Sunday. After getting through customs, we were in the Sands Macao by about 1:30. We ate at their buffet, which was amazing. I had been craving the tasty deserts in the windows of bakeries in Hong Kong. I finally got a chance to sample them en masse. The pork, sushi, oysters, shrimp, and other seafood was good. I have avoided poultry while here, not because of a risk of catching one of the many avian flus, but because it tastes and looks disgusting. It usually has a yellowish skin attached with a bone and some blood vessels underneath. I usually can't even tell what part of the chicken it's from (maybe the goiter).
After losing $10 at the Sands and buying/drinking some cocktails (they do not serve free drinks to gamblers), we started hitting up some of the tourist sites including the ruins of a cathedral, an old Portuguese fort, and the Macau tower. It was ungodly hot. In addition to the constant 95% humidity (that is not an exaggeration), it was sunny and still. The most interesting part of the day (and the vacation thus far) came at the Macau Tower. Here is an excerpt on the tower from Wikipedia:
The tower measures 338 m (1,109 ft) in height from ground level to the highest point. An observation deck with panoramic views, restaurants, theaters, shopping malls and the Skywalk X, a thrilling walking tour around the outer rim. It offers the best view of Macau and in recent years has been used for a variety of adventurous activities. At 233 meters, the Macau Tower's tethered "skyjump" and Bungy Jump by world renowned AJ Hackett. [1] from the tower's outer rim is the highest in the world.
With Sean Flynn pushing us to do it, five of us decided to do the highest bungee jump in the world. At $888 Macanese Potacas (Asians, or at least Hong Kongers, believe 8 to be good luck), around $100 American, it was something we had to do. It was pretty amazing. The first 50 meters is a pure free fall, which means for just over 5 seconds you feel like you have just jumped headfirst off of a 233 meter tower in China. The worst part was after it was over and you were hanging by your feet. It took them a while to lower you to the inflated pad below.
From left to right: Me, Drew Peterson, Trip Leader Andrew Christianson, Luke Sharpe, and Sean Flynn. Most of us were wearing sandals, so they gave us some very stylish shoes to wear for the jump.
After the tower we had what has been one of the best meals of the trip at Fernandos, a Portuguese restaurant. We had clams, suckling pig, and roasted chicken with tomato salad, french fries, and bread. We also enjoyed some sangria and vino verde. After dinner, we returned to Hong Kong.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Farber Fund Trip to Hong Kong
Trip leader Andrew Christianson, Drew Peterson, Sean Flynn, Jessica Yearous, Luke Sharpe and I are on a Farber Fund trip to Hong Kong. Jeannette Nygaard, an MPA student from USD, joined us in Hong Kong as well. The next few days I will make a few posts on the trip.
For some quick facts on Hong Kong, see the Wiki link here. The Hong Kong Tourism website is here. It was handed-over from Britain to China as part of the 99-year lease of the New Territories. While Hong Kong and Kowloon were not actually part of the lease, Britain handed them over anyways.
We are staying on the north side of Hong Kong Island.
---------------------------
We left for Hong Kong the morning of Wednesday, August 15th at 11:00 AM CDT. After stopping in Minneapolis for a couple hours, we left non-stop for Tokyo around 3 PM. We arrived in Tokyo on the 16th at 4 PM (4 AM CDT) and left for Hong Kong at 5 PM. After entering a different time zone, landing in Hong Kong, going through customs, collecting our baggage, and catching a shuttle we got to the hotel around 12:30 AM (11:30 AM CDT). The grand total on travel time came to just over 24 hours (26 if you count the time spent at the Sioux Falls airport).
That night we went out and grabbed a few beers and a kebab before going to bed around 4. The next morning we went to pick out the fabric and design for our personally tailored suits at Maxwells. I ordered one suit and three dress shirts. It was much more fun than I expected, once I overcame the paradox of choice (and my lacking fashion sense).
The rest of the day was spent walking the streets and trying not to spend any more money after our suit excursion. That night we rode a ferry across the harbor between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon during the "Symphony of Lights." We ate dinner at Gaylord's Indian restaurant, which had a live Indian band playing. The rest of the night was spent sampling Hong Kong's night life.
This morning we swam and laid out at the rooftop pool. We ate lunch at a great Japanese restaurant in Kowloon. The wasabi made my eyes water. After lunch we took a tour at the Hong Kong History Museum. It was probably one of the better museums I've been to. It covered both geological and human history of the Hong Kong area, which has been inhabited for over 6,000 years. The history of the Opium Wars was probably the most interesting part of the tour. During a presentation on recent Hong Kong and Chinese history, the Tienanmen Square Protests were referred to as "the June 4th, 1989 incident." I guess that's one way of putting it (I'm actually kind of surprised I was able to get at the American version of the Wikipedia article on the "incident").
After the museum we went to a street market containing pirated DVDs, fake watches and bags, and other junk. I'm going to buy a Folex watch before I leave. Tonight we're going to take it kind of easy as we leave for China's second Special Administrative Region, Macau, in the morning (which just this year passed Vegas in gambling revenue) pending the fallout from Typhoon Sepat that just hit Taiwan.
For some quick facts on Hong Kong, see the Wiki link here. The Hong Kong Tourism website is here. It was handed-over from Britain to China as part of the 99-year lease of the New Territories. While Hong Kong and Kowloon were not actually part of the lease, Britain handed them over anyways.
We are staying on the north side of Hong Kong Island.
---------------------------
We left for Hong Kong the morning of Wednesday, August 15th at 11:00 AM CDT. After stopping in Minneapolis for a couple hours, we left non-stop for Tokyo around 3 PM. We arrived in Tokyo on the 16th at 4 PM (4 AM CDT) and left for Hong Kong at 5 PM. After entering a different time zone, landing in Hong Kong, going through customs, collecting our baggage, and catching a shuttle we got to the hotel around 12:30 AM (11:30 AM CDT). The grand total on travel time came to just over 24 hours (26 if you count the time spent at the Sioux Falls airport).
That night we went out and grabbed a few beers and a kebab before going to bed around 4. The next morning we went to pick out the fabric and design for our personally tailored suits at Maxwells. I ordered one suit and three dress shirts. It was much more fun than I expected, once I overcame the paradox of choice (and my lacking fashion sense).
The rest of the day was spent walking the streets and trying not to spend any more money after our suit excursion. That night we rode a ferry across the harbor between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon during the "Symphony of Lights." We ate dinner at Gaylord's Indian restaurant, which had a live Indian band playing. The rest of the night was spent sampling Hong Kong's night life.
This morning we swam and laid out at the rooftop pool. We ate lunch at a great Japanese restaurant in Kowloon. The wasabi made my eyes water. After lunch we took a tour at the Hong Kong History Museum. It was probably one of the better museums I've been to. It covered both geological and human history of the Hong Kong area, which has been inhabited for over 6,000 years. The history of the Opium Wars was probably the most interesting part of the tour. During a presentation on recent Hong Kong and Chinese history, the Tienanmen Square Protests were referred to as "the June 4th, 1989 incident." I guess that's one way of putting it (I'm actually kind of surprised I was able to get at the American version of the Wikipedia article on the "incident").
After the museum we went to a street market containing pirated DVDs, fake watches and bags, and other junk. I'm going to buy a Folex watch before I leave. Tonight we're going to take it kind of easy as we leave for China's second Special Administrative Region, Macau, in the morning (which just this year passed Vegas in gambling revenue) pending the fallout from Typhoon Sepat that just hit Taiwan.
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