** CHINESE EXPERIENCES **
** Hong Kong and homewards **
This is the 12 January 2005 Edition of
this page. It is being transcribed from my diary-like entries!
19 September 2001 - Wednesday
We got a 7.30am 'wakeup' call - followed by a 8.00am breakfast - and made our ways out to
the coach at 9am.. That departed at about 9.15am, and we went NOT DIRECTLY to the airport,
but via a call on a MUSLIM TEMPLE and BAZAAR!
Then we were OFF to the airport for the miscellaneous departures after our lunches at this
(XI-AN) airport. Our morning distance by coach was about 40 miles.
We then got direct drections from here, especially the 23 of us who are going to
HONGKONG. We flew by an AIRBUS 310-200 for 915 miles. My seat-mate was a mildly
talkative, helpful guy from THAILAND.
Now, I didn't know that the HongKong airport that we were using was NOT the old 'scary' (looks that
way on film and TV!) KAI TAK airport where the aircraft come into land 'between the houses'. We were
using the VERY NEW replacement , the massive bit of 'Extreme Engineering ', now known as CHEK LAP
KOK which broke all time and size records by demolishing mountains and turning two islands into ONE. It was featured
on Channel5's (UK) TV documentary on 'Extreme Engineering' on 6 Sept 2004.
From the airport, after the customs and other formalities,-
we then got a coach for the 40 minute ride (35 miles) to Down-town, to the REGAL KOWLOON.
The First Impression by this "Country Boy" is that this is a CONCRETE JUNGLE!! We leave at
8pm on the day after tomorrow - which will be for 'freestyle exploration'.
My first action, as always, was to get a map from 'reception' and then got our location marked by
the local CTS representative. Hong Kong (we are in KOWLOON) is very HOT indeed - and it was
gone 19.00hrs when we arrived! I got into my own room at 19.30hrs and started to:-
(a) slow down
(b) think
(c) settle in.
At 20.30hrs, the 'bell-boy' brought my case. Now that's better!!
I tried to change my remaining Chinese RMB (198RMB approx) - and they do it apart from
notes of less than 10RMB. So I changed 190RMB for 157.5 HK$. I planned to change the remaining US$
tomorrow, but didn't get round to it!!
I found the TV controls completely non-standard and useless, so I did miscellaaneous paperwork
in my room, also scanning the EMail list produced by LUCY!
Right now, Roy, you are a 'temporary resident' of the most DENSELY POPULATED part of
our planet!! (What a thought!!??)
20 September 2001 - Thursday
Now, Roy, you'll be able to experience, for a couple of days, the MOST DENSELY populated part
of our planet!! You have a good map. Go out and explore it!!
I got up at 6.30pm and went through my ablutions. Going to the Ground Floor - for the probable breakfast area -
I was told that I need to go down to one of the basements (No1?) by an escalator. I found a young lady when I
arrived at the correct place, showed my card - and was lead to a small table in a non-smoking area, according
to my request, and started with their "Help Yourself Service."
When I got back to my table, on the second time, an adjacent table had a "wingeing" American woman, -
wingeing because she couldn't move on the seat, wingeing because there were "too few rolls", - and
wingeing to a waitress because another one hadn't brought the coffee, - and wingeing about the whole system!!
Her husband (the poor sod!) didn't say a word!! I met another couple (here, from our group) who commented "There's
always one, isn't there!?"
Then I walked into the HONG KONG streets in an attempt to find "the long lost countryside of KOWLOON". Some
bits were still marked 'green' on the map - but their "Environment Dept" had signs up on a 'barred' entrance to "Singal
Hill Garden". It appears that this is "the destruction by the Environment Dept!" I walked around and over roads (by
bridges) in this "3-dimensional", multi-level city taking photographs.
It seems as if vertical living is "all the rage" here, with very few people descending to ground level. Typically, it was
common to go down from the 10th floor to just the seventh or eighth - before rising to their 'desired level'!
Being VERY HOT outdoors, I came IN at about 9am - to do writing and drink some fluids! A woman in a back-street
had seen me looking at their wares - so I opened the drinks-cabinet (there) and selected a "sunfill" orange drink, the
communication with her being done by her keying the 'digit' "7" into her calculator. I handed her a $10 piece
and I got my 'change' of $1 + $2 coins.
I had this diluted Orange drink, PLUS some Pringles, whilst I did my paperwork back in room 1039, getting all notes
and photo-records up-to-date! I followed this by a major exploration of 'green territory' and refreshments, coupled
with photography! There seemed SOME areas STILL green, with seats - and I could shop for refreshments (like at
McDonalds etc) before returning to the "Regal Kowloon" by a 'surprise twist' at 10.30am!!
Later, I found a short way to the 'green' areas, McDonalds, the fountains, the shops, the supermarket (Park'n'shop)
where I made my purchases for a couple of days. The supermarket was clearly for the 'locals', being a lot cheaper than
the prices in the tourist places.
After LUNCH, I studied the local maps and saw:-
(i) KOWLOON and NEW TERRITORIES on the MAINLAND
(ii) HK International Airport (where we landed!) on LANTAU ISLAND
(iii) HONG KONG Island (across the ferry from Kowloon)
So I decided to catch the ferry to HK Island properly and found my NEAREST terminal is at TSIM SHATSUI
(East) - so I went to the ferry (about $4.50 each way for 2.4 Km!) to HONGKONG ISLAND and explored
part of the Central District with its VERY high skyscrapers and the bus-station.
This was all done in VERY HIGH TEMPERATURES!! The ferry was a high-speed one but NOT a Catamaran
or Hydrofoil!! We had seen HYDROFOILS on the YANGTZE earlier in the trip (although not using one!)
Since 1 July 1997, Hong Kong has been designated as a "SAR" of China where SAR = Special Administrative Region.
I enquired of our Reception Office about use of the 'case room' (in number 1233), and was told that it could be from
'check-out time' tomorrow (i.e 12noon) until collection of the coach at 8pm..
On the Ferry Boat, there was a 'Level 1 notice' for a TYPHOON. It is already raining now, - and quite DARKISH by 15.15hrs.
Our local guide, who brought us from the Airport yesterday, had said that 'August and September' is the TYPHOON
season. Soon, I started sorting and packing for tomorrow's journeys.
Then I made a re-try at hacking the TV Controls - and found it STILL ALMOST useless. For a TV - it was REALLY
USELESS!! There was confirmatory news about the Typhoon to hit Hong Kong overnight - at, maybe 'Number 8 !! They
have defined the Typhoon as a TROPICAL STORM!
At 16.37 hrs, I found that a TYPHOON SAFETY ADVICE sheet had been pushed under my door - and so read it
eagerly.
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From that note, I found that the HongKong Warning signals are:-
1 'Standby': It is 800Km away!
3 'Strong Winds': At 41-62 Km/hr, gusting to 80Km.hr; ferries suspended; heavy Rain and thunder!
8 'Gale/Storm': 63-117Km/hr, gusting to 180Km/hr. Stay indoors and avoid flying debris; Public
transport is suspended!
9 'Increasing Gale/Storms': May increase to 88-117km/hr in the next few hours.
10 'Hurricane: Winds more than 118km/hr, gusting to 220km/hr. Keep away from windows, Centre of
storm is approaching. Beware reversal as the EYE passes!!
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No 3 has been raised on the radio already - as the approach of NAR1 occurs, with squally conditions.
No8 has NOT been raised yet. Exciting stuff, eh!?
21 September 2001 - Friday
Thunder & Lightning appeared from 6.05am and the nearest estimate was 6seconds (i.e - just over a mile away!).
Other 'timings' were around the 10second mark!
I had a slow breakfast - taking things easily - and there was no "Wingeing American Woman" today to spoil
the atmosphere! Opposite me today, there were two very thin Americans (a couple?), (she the thinner, with a
massively high-piled first-course and probably trying to be less-thin?) The guy was very scrawny with a beard, -
and their drawn-out drawl was typical of the TEXAS accent, but they sure did not look like Texans!
Behind this woman was a couple of GERMANS, she quite thin and tall, he an only-slightly-smaller-version of
Chancellor Kohl!! He dwarfed and cast his massive shadow over the two scrawny Americans. This was an
interseting set of breakfast participants - but I did NOT see any of our remaining CTS Group (like I saw ONE
couple yesterday!).
At 8.30am, it had stopped raining, and there were NO umbrellas about either! "Has the TYPHOON spared
us?", I thought. In my room, I mozied around, packing some items for the journeys back to Malvern. I also
acquired, and wrote on, another "luggage-tag" from the CONCIERGE here at the "REGAL KOWLOON".
I made this tag out for "Malvern, via LONDON Heathrow and BIRMINGHAM".
I made a visual exploration of HONGKONG from KOWLOON, on foot and with my 'digital camera',
towards TSIMSHATSUI (East). It was windy when I left the REGAL Hotel, but very calm by 9.25am on the way back.
I took photos 31-38 towards HONGKONG Island, but on the way back, the "mistyness" had become a
"DEEP BLACK MISTY" type of base for a TORNADO - to the south over the Island!
If that perception were true, we ought to be "inside the eye" with this calm!! I returned to 'room 1039' for writing my
notes and making further preparations for today's voyage.
Then I joined the short-hop lift-travellers for my journey from Level10 to level12, and back to level10 for finding the
locations of 1233 and 1235 for the noon-time transfer. I put in the replacement batteries for the failing DIGITAL CAMERA,
and then took Nos 39 & 40 from my own room's Level 10 views of the PLAZA below!
I then practiced with the ZOOM and MODE facilities - after my long lay-off with the camera. It was then 10.10am..
It was then time to start moseying-around the 'green' areas of KOWLOON - with an Umbrella, just in case! I identified locations
for this afternoon's 'dig-cam' sessions - and was back in my room at 10.42am.. It was then 100% overcast with cloud - and
quite dark!!
It was COOLER today (26degrees instead of 32degrees!) - but the humidity was 89% (instead of 51%).
I 'checked-out' in the left-hand line at 10.30am - and got the key for room 1233 (apparently there are several, so no
problems!!). I only hope that the female informer was correct, but guess I'll have to check this when the NEXT person
arrives at this COMMON ROOM!
But, first, I started composing my mileage summaries (as far as was possible) for the "CHINESE EXPERIENCES"
travelogue for the 'totmiles' entries. I have only seen one person from our group (a woman) today on this 12th floor.
It was a few hours ago when I was checking the rooms on this 'floor'.
I met a guy (not one of ours!) in the lift who had heard a message that the TYPHOON THREAT had passed away!
After the next person confirms (or denies) our 'key' arrangements, I hope to get out and digitally photograph our
surrounds. TIME, hopefully, will not pass too slowly until 8pm!!
A guy with a camera (the one who made the presentation for LUCY!) and his wife, together with another couple,
arrived in room 1233 at about 12.25hrs. One of the cases is labelled HIGGS! I soon popped around to the "Park'n'shop"
Supermarket, for food and drink (like it's better to do that where the locals 'shop') - and also to take photos (41-44) on
my digital camera. Another couple, whose keys wouldn't work, were let in by me - and they went to tell 'reception'
about their malfunction.
Soon, a girl came to fill the 'mini-bar', not understanding my claim that it is a GROUP room (for cases) and NOT
MINE!
Today, I took some longer walks because the temperature was LESS HIGH. I made a walk along and around Kowloon's
PROMENADE, SPACE THEATRE, SPACEMUSEUM and back via the Promenade and 'cross-overs in the sky' for
pedestrians. I took many more digital photos on the QV11 - going from 45 to 60!
When others came in, they mentionned about the "cases outside at 12noon" (that was at 16.00hrs!) - so I went to the
CONCIERGE desk and got mine put with the other cases - in a net!!
After chatting with other couples in Room 1233, I then had a walk eastwards to the Post Centre and Railway Station
area, eventually getting the coach from the hotel to the Airport (35 miles) and getting my flight (on a B747-400).
22 September 2001 - Saturday
It was 5989 miles to Heathrow according to our flight's DATA DISPLAY. I spent a "not very conversational"
journey of 13hours, but having some good COUNTRY MUSIC on various Radio channels (Nos 4 and 11 specifically).
Channel 4 had miscellaneous performers, whereas the latter was mostly Patty Lovelace.
There was also a 'Map and data' channel that fed us info on the navigation and our performance.
Terminal4, at Heathrow, gave me the HEATHROW EXPRESS which took me to Terminals1,2,3 for the
HEATHROW CENTRAL coach station. There, I caught my early connection to BIRMINGHAM (at 7.30am instead
of 12.05pm) for its 106 mile journey. Unfortunately, there was no earlier departure from Birmingham to MALVERN
than the scheduled 15.00hrs coach (which I had previously planned on catching!)
To relieve potential boredom with this long wait, I involved myself if 'miscellaneous paperwork' until my MALVERN
coach arrived (labelled PONTYPRIDD). Departing late from Birmingham it arrived late (at 4.30pm) at Malvern
Link - from where I got the No42 (local bus) at 5pm to take me the final 3miles to home.
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At home, I collected my data to make the following summary for the trip to China and Hong Kong:-
Buses & Coaches = 907miles
Chair lifts and Rail = 6.4 miles
Aircraft = 13,264miles
Cycle (rickshaw!) = 6 miles
Boats = 876miles (of which 841miles was on the Yangtze cruise!)
Making a grand TOTAL of 15,059.4 miles
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Also on my return there were:-
86 EMails and 44 snail mails
(Photos to be inserted in the next edition!!)
EMail to:
Roy's Location.
Return to the Beijing Chapter
or return to Roy's home page for full list
of books etc either finished or under preparation.
or return to The CHINA index page
roy@olympus.u-net.com