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The Final Day In Hong Kong
Dec. 19th, 2017 10:31 pmI went to bed slightly later than I had intended on Saturday night, meaning I only got around five hours sleep as I had to be up at 4am the next morning to catch my flight out of Kota Kinabalu back to Hong Kong, where my trip started. I could have got a later flight, but this would have left timings tight to catch my intercontinental flight back to Europe, and I knew that should that flight be delayed, I would be well and truly fucked. At least, I thought, that if the early morning flight was cancelled, I had another bite of the cherry later in the day, and there was always the chance of going to Kuala Lumpur and then to Hong Kong in a worst case scenario. In the end, none of that was needed as the 6:45am flight was on time. As was customary on this trip, I breezed through customs and security and had a fair amount of time to kill at the airport. There was only one small cafe with all the tables filled, so I went to a deserted part of the airport to update this journal and do my Duolingo, something I managed to do with the wifi there.
I arrived in Hong Kong shortly after 9:40am and after passing through security, I dropped my bags off at the left luggage and made my way into the heart of the city. Doing this was a little expensive but I effectively had the whole day there and it would have been such an inconvenience carting them around. Anyway, I had arranged to meet my friend ProfBeast - a Hong Kong native who now lives in Toronto. He was back in the city to see his parents for Christmas and was surprised to discover that the local fur scene was reasonably active. I first met him at Eurofurence last year and then spoke to him at BLFC over the summer, meaning he is now the first fur I have ever met on three separate continents, and all in the space of sixteen months. He made this point to me upon meeting up. This also gave him the opportunity to meet Tef, who came out to meet us after his uni class later in the day, meaning that he got in touch with the Hong Kong furs after searching for such a long time. It was great to facilitate such a contact.
We met up at Central station, where my express train from the airport dropped me off. We arrived at exactly the same time, albeit from different directions, as he was walking to meet me as I went through the ticket barriers. We greeted each other and after a brief chat about where to go for lunch - with Prof teaching me that there is no such thing as Hong Kong food, just Hong Kong takes on global cuisines - he took me to the popular Tsui Wah chain of restaurants. There was one nearby, a very easy walk, and soon we were catching up over a creamy milk tea. We ordered some beef noodles and a popular beef broth with vermecelli noodles, both of which being quite delicious. However, the highlight was the pineapple bun with iced butter - effectively a slightly sweet crusty bread roll into which you put a huge chunk of cold salted butter and eat. Being a lover of butter, it was absolute heaven and one of the nicest things I had tasted on my trip, so much so that I really wanted to try it again.
However, there were sights to see as there were a few places that I had failed to hit during the first part of my trip a fortnight before. The main one was Man Mo Temple so we took the convenient network of escalators up to Mid-Levels, where the temple is located. I did like the escalators as the Soho region of Hong Kong is exceptionally steep and this makes navigating it so much easier. Interestingly, the escalator goes down in the morning rush hour and then up for the rest of the day, and thus is very much for the commuters who live in the residential blocks towards The Peak side of the Levels. Around one quarter of the way up, we dived onto Hollywood Road, walking down it until we could sense the thick smell of incense. On the way, we stopped off at the old Junior Police Station which has since been turned into a rather arty area. However, Man Mo was the main attraction. Built between 1847 and 1862 by wealthy Chinese merchants, the building was far more than a religious one as it also acted as a court in the time when the newly arrived British colonialists were far from trusted. Oaths taken here were accepted by the colonial government. The smell of inscense is choking, but really adds to the scene, while the architecture was fairly typical of Buddhist temples of this type. There were three rooms and in the main one there were earth-coloured spirals hanging down from the ceiling, giving it something of a futuristic feel. There were also two other rooms to the temple - Lit Shing Kung is the saints' palace and used as a place of worship for other Buddhist and Taoist deities while the Kung Sor was the public meeting place which helped settled disputes before the modern judiciary was introduced. This was also the place where the dead were honoured and thus we were not allowed to take photographs. There were a few fortune tellers on either side of the corridor here, but it was difficult to see them as the overwhelming impression was just how busy the place was. There were people everywhere, making moving difficult, but it was fascinating to see such displays of devotion. Prof admitted he didn't really know too much about Buddhist culture and I suspected he was a little uncomfortable, although I am not too sure. Either way, the juxtaposition of this against the skyscapers of the city was quite illuminating when comparing the relentless persuit of modernity and how it sometimes clashes with tradition.
We decided to head further up the escalators after this, so we retraced our steps back down Hollywood Road and rode the escalators deep into residential territory. As the bars and shops became flats and houses, we thought that there probably wasn't too much to see up here, although Prof did delight in pointing out to me where he used to live. With little else to do, I decided to take Prof to The Roundhouse Craft Beer Bar, a place I had gone a couple of Tuesdays earlier when I got back from Macao and needed some food. Prof was quite surprised by the range of craft beer on offer in Hong Kong, with around fifteen different breweries currently in operation. He settled on a strawberry beer that I had sampled in this very bar that time I was in, while I went for a refreshing pale ale from the same brewery, the Kowloon Beer Company. The guy serving behind the bar recognised me, which was a really nice touch, and we had a good chat about the local beer scene once we had finished our beers. Prof enjoyed his and afterwards we decided to take the Star Ferry over to Kowloon as I wanted him to sample the beer in some of the craft beer bars there.
As we walked to the Star Ferry, Prof pointed out some of the more interesting skyscrapers in the city. The General Post Office, or the Swiss Cheese Building, was probably my favourite. As we walked on the sky bridge over the heart of the city, we saw a large number of mainly Filipino women in cardboard boxes. Apparently this is a popular Sunday trend in the city, during the only day when the Filipino workers, who are largely maids in the Hong Kong rich's apartments. This is a big social event and although it looked as if they were all homeless, in fact there was a liveliness and vibrancy that betrayed initial impressions. Prof told me that Filipinos in Hong Kong had few rights and although their earnings are significant relative to what they would get back home, the treatment of migrants in the city is causing a huge political problem.
We were fortunate that once we got to the Star Ferry, we could walk straight on as it was just about to depart. We sat down and soon we were chugging across the harbour. I had already been on the ferry approaching the Island but I hadn't been on it approaching the art-deco pier of Kowloon, which stuck out into the water like a beckoning finger. However, despite the scene on the northern side, it was the breathtaking vista of the Hong Kong skyscrapers that beckoned you to look and this was something I simply could not refuse. Alas the journey was over pretty much as soon as it began and soon we disembarked in Kowloon. My aim was to head to the eastern side of the Promenade, which I was sure contained sights I had missed when I had visited it a fortnight earlier. I knew that the Avenue of Stars was closed due to renovation work, but I thought I had missed something on the other side due to all the tantilizing pictures in my guidebook. However, as it turned out, these pictures were all from the Avenue and thus I had nothing left to see. However, a little patch of parkland with some interactive screens in silver circles and rings was open now when it hadn't been on 4 December, and seeing this I suppose was something.
I was surprised by my knowledge of the local geography and was sure I could draw a rough map from the top of my head should I be asked, a point I made to Prof. He listened respectively before we agreed to go down Nathan Road towards the Mong Kok district, which is where the craft beer bars were. Along the way, he took me to the sulbrious Chung King Mansions, an indoor shopping area known for scammers, prostitutes and love hotels. There was little of interest here to see, but I was assured it was not the place to go alone, and I suppose it was interesting seeing some of the market stalls there and wondering how legitimate they were. It was good seeing this district of flashy designer boutiques and varying restaurants on a weekend as it had a far different vibe to it, far busier and electric than it had been when I had visited it on a Monday. Wanting to avoid the crowds, as we headed north, we used streets parallel to Nathan Road on occasion and saw a wide range of different eateries. Prof stopped off at an egg waffle place to pick up more of the delightful batter I had sampled on my opening night in Hong Kong - air filled pockets which were crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside - while I stopped off at popular mango place Hui Lau Shan for a double mango smoothie which was absolutely divine. The lumps of mango coming through the straw were a little odd textually however and I did struggle to finish it.
Our two hours in Kowloon were more aimless wander than anything. We took in Temple Street Market once again and I showed Prof where he could buy an ass and pussy sex toy from a reputatble market stall. We then headed over to McDonald's as the time was approaching 5pm and that was the time we were slated to meet Tef. He wanted to meet back at Central, which was contrary to our plans as we thought his course was taking place in Kowloon and thus meeting him where we were would have been more convenient. Unfortunately, I missed the final part of his message when he said he would meet us at 6:30pm and I only received it once we had gotten back to Central. This meant we had an hour to kill that we could have used at a craft beer bar, but in the end we were forced to go to a coffee shop instead. We had tried to go to the standard bars of Lan Kwai Fong but none were particularly appealing and many were quite quiet. The tea I had was pleasant enough although this was the first time I had stopped all day and my lack of sleep was really catching up with me. I had been awake for fourteen hours by this point and although I was confident that this would mean I would easily sleep on my long flight home, I was starting to feel it right then.
Confusion reigned further between Tef and I as we went to Exit F of Central station, anticipating he would be there with his friends, who he said he was bringing along. However, it turned out Tef had planned to meet us at Exit F of Hong Kong Station, which was in a different place even if the two stations are connected and are effectively part of the same complex (think Bank and Monument on the London Underground). After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, Tef agreed to come and find us and fifteen minutes later, at 6:45pm we finally met up. With introductions made - the four of us (as Tef had only brought one friend with him) headed out of the station to find some food. We spent quite a time walking around the labrynthine skyscapers looking for a suitable place, but everywhere was absolutely rammed. The Filipinos were back, some in boxes again and others having street parties with dancing and loud music. It was quite a sight. We headed to the main theatre to see if there was any food there but everywhere was busy. With time running out, the trio were romping ahead, leaving me in tow taking pictures like an irritating tourist. However, the lights being projected from and onto the buildings were beautiful, with the HSBC building's Christmas Tree scene being particularly magical (and indeed in the atrium of the bank underneath the skyscraper there were many more Filipinos with boxes).
With time running out, we headed to another popular chain restaurant, which had a superhero type theme. The name escapes me but I had roast goose and rice with soggy green vegetables cooked in soy sauce. The food was delicious and it was an excellent way to end my trip. We chatted over food for an hour, went to the toilet next to a giant septic tank and then my friends took me back to Central station, where we said goodbye. The trio then headed off and apparently found a British-themed festival where they got to try some pink gin. They also saw a sign with highly inflated prices for goods (like a burger for £60) and I quipped it was their post-Brexit prices. Meanwhile, I was sat on a train feeling sorry for myself as we sped towards the airport. There was a man scoffing sushi who started to annoy me, particularly as he was breaking the no eating rule so flagrantly. I snapped, saying 'c'mon piggy eat' in a sarcastic voice under my breath but it was perhaps a little too loud as he turned around and glared at me as soon as he did. I slunk to the other end of the train and felt terrible for the next two hours or so, questioning the person I have become and worrying about my anger management issues. It was only after I had picked up my luggage, checked in and gotten through security that I started to feel a little better, with a nice cold Asahi at an Irish themed bar called O'Leary's really helping. The West Brom versus Manchester United game was on the TV and I saw both goals, but I was more interested in writing my journal in silence. The bar was at the opposite end of the huge terminal as to where I started so it was quite a jaunt back to catch my flight, but this is what I managed to do.
The flight itself was largely uneventful and I slept for the majority of it, as I suspected I might. I did change places though as the lady of the Italian couple next to me said she needed to be up and down every hour or so with her foot. Why she chose a window seat is beyond me, but I said I would swap so I wouldn't be disturbed. We arrived into an icy Zurich on time, but catching my connection with a forty minute layover proved to be fraught, particularly when the X-ray machine broke in security. I had to push in to another line otherwise I would have missed my flight. I was encouraged to do this by a nice couple who were returning to live in Birmingham after spending a number of years in Hong Kong. They cited family reasons, which is probably the only reason I would move back to the UK. Anyway, due to the conditions, my luggage didn't make it and was delivered to me twenty-four hours later by courier, meaning I had to work from home both on Monday and Tuesday. Opting to work the day I got back from SE Asia wasn't as bad as I thought in terms of jetlag and did enable me to clear the decks in terms of email, while I put my missing luggage down to karma for being mean to sushi boy. Still, it did get here in the end after its day trip to Zurich although the sugar cane wine I had bought in Cambodia had leaked. Fortunately, the cardboard box surrounding the bottle seemed to have picked up most of it, which was something.
I arrived in Hong Kong shortly after 9:40am and after passing through security, I dropped my bags off at the left luggage and made my way into the heart of the city. Doing this was a little expensive but I effectively had the whole day there and it would have been such an inconvenience carting them around. Anyway, I had arranged to meet my friend ProfBeast - a Hong Kong native who now lives in Toronto. He was back in the city to see his parents for Christmas and was surprised to discover that the local fur scene was reasonably active. I first met him at Eurofurence last year and then spoke to him at BLFC over the summer, meaning he is now the first fur I have ever met on three separate continents, and all in the space of sixteen months. He made this point to me upon meeting up. This also gave him the opportunity to meet Tef, who came out to meet us after his uni class later in the day, meaning that he got in touch with the Hong Kong furs after searching for such a long time. It was great to facilitate such a contact.
We met up at Central station, where my express train from the airport dropped me off. We arrived at exactly the same time, albeit from different directions, as he was walking to meet me as I went through the ticket barriers. We greeted each other and after a brief chat about where to go for lunch - with Prof teaching me that there is no such thing as Hong Kong food, just Hong Kong takes on global cuisines - he took me to the popular Tsui Wah chain of restaurants. There was one nearby, a very easy walk, and soon we were catching up over a creamy milk tea. We ordered some beef noodles and a popular beef broth with vermecelli noodles, both of which being quite delicious. However, the highlight was the pineapple bun with iced butter - effectively a slightly sweet crusty bread roll into which you put a huge chunk of cold salted butter and eat. Being a lover of butter, it was absolute heaven and one of the nicest things I had tasted on my trip, so much so that I really wanted to try it again.
However, there were sights to see as there were a few places that I had failed to hit during the first part of my trip a fortnight before. The main one was Man Mo Temple so we took the convenient network of escalators up to Mid-Levels, where the temple is located. I did like the escalators as the Soho region of Hong Kong is exceptionally steep and this makes navigating it so much easier. Interestingly, the escalator goes down in the morning rush hour and then up for the rest of the day, and thus is very much for the commuters who live in the residential blocks towards The Peak side of the Levels. Around one quarter of the way up, we dived onto Hollywood Road, walking down it until we could sense the thick smell of incense. On the way, we stopped off at the old Junior Police Station which has since been turned into a rather arty area. However, Man Mo was the main attraction. Built between 1847 and 1862 by wealthy Chinese merchants, the building was far more than a religious one as it also acted as a court in the time when the newly arrived British colonialists were far from trusted. Oaths taken here were accepted by the colonial government. The smell of inscense is choking, but really adds to the scene, while the architecture was fairly typical of Buddhist temples of this type. There were three rooms and in the main one there were earth-coloured spirals hanging down from the ceiling, giving it something of a futuristic feel. There were also two other rooms to the temple - Lit Shing Kung is the saints' palace and used as a place of worship for other Buddhist and Taoist deities while the Kung Sor was the public meeting place which helped settled disputes before the modern judiciary was introduced. This was also the place where the dead were honoured and thus we were not allowed to take photographs. There were a few fortune tellers on either side of the corridor here, but it was difficult to see them as the overwhelming impression was just how busy the place was. There were people everywhere, making moving difficult, but it was fascinating to see such displays of devotion. Prof admitted he didn't really know too much about Buddhist culture and I suspected he was a little uncomfortable, although I am not too sure. Either way, the juxtaposition of this against the skyscapers of the city was quite illuminating when comparing the relentless persuit of modernity and how it sometimes clashes with tradition.
We decided to head further up the escalators after this, so we retraced our steps back down Hollywood Road and rode the escalators deep into residential territory. As the bars and shops became flats and houses, we thought that there probably wasn't too much to see up here, although Prof did delight in pointing out to me where he used to live. With little else to do, I decided to take Prof to The Roundhouse Craft Beer Bar, a place I had gone a couple of Tuesdays earlier when I got back from Macao and needed some food. Prof was quite surprised by the range of craft beer on offer in Hong Kong, with around fifteen different breweries currently in operation. He settled on a strawberry beer that I had sampled in this very bar that time I was in, while I went for a refreshing pale ale from the same brewery, the Kowloon Beer Company. The guy serving behind the bar recognised me, which was a really nice touch, and we had a good chat about the local beer scene once we had finished our beers. Prof enjoyed his and afterwards we decided to take the Star Ferry over to Kowloon as I wanted him to sample the beer in some of the craft beer bars there.
As we walked to the Star Ferry, Prof pointed out some of the more interesting skyscrapers in the city. The General Post Office, or the Swiss Cheese Building, was probably my favourite. As we walked on the sky bridge over the heart of the city, we saw a large number of mainly Filipino women in cardboard boxes. Apparently this is a popular Sunday trend in the city, during the only day when the Filipino workers, who are largely maids in the Hong Kong rich's apartments. This is a big social event and although it looked as if they were all homeless, in fact there was a liveliness and vibrancy that betrayed initial impressions. Prof told me that Filipinos in Hong Kong had few rights and although their earnings are significant relative to what they would get back home, the treatment of migrants in the city is causing a huge political problem.
We were fortunate that once we got to the Star Ferry, we could walk straight on as it was just about to depart. We sat down and soon we were chugging across the harbour. I had already been on the ferry approaching the Island but I hadn't been on it approaching the art-deco pier of Kowloon, which stuck out into the water like a beckoning finger. However, despite the scene on the northern side, it was the breathtaking vista of the Hong Kong skyscrapers that beckoned you to look and this was something I simply could not refuse. Alas the journey was over pretty much as soon as it began and soon we disembarked in Kowloon. My aim was to head to the eastern side of the Promenade, which I was sure contained sights I had missed when I had visited it a fortnight earlier. I knew that the Avenue of Stars was closed due to renovation work, but I thought I had missed something on the other side due to all the tantilizing pictures in my guidebook. However, as it turned out, these pictures were all from the Avenue and thus I had nothing left to see. However, a little patch of parkland with some interactive screens in silver circles and rings was open now when it hadn't been on 4 December, and seeing this I suppose was something.
I was surprised by my knowledge of the local geography and was sure I could draw a rough map from the top of my head should I be asked, a point I made to Prof. He listened respectively before we agreed to go down Nathan Road towards the Mong Kok district, which is where the craft beer bars were. Along the way, he took me to the sulbrious Chung King Mansions, an indoor shopping area known for scammers, prostitutes and love hotels. There was little of interest here to see, but I was assured it was not the place to go alone, and I suppose it was interesting seeing some of the market stalls there and wondering how legitimate they were. It was good seeing this district of flashy designer boutiques and varying restaurants on a weekend as it had a far different vibe to it, far busier and electric than it had been when I had visited it on a Monday. Wanting to avoid the crowds, as we headed north, we used streets parallel to Nathan Road on occasion and saw a wide range of different eateries. Prof stopped off at an egg waffle place to pick up more of the delightful batter I had sampled on my opening night in Hong Kong - air filled pockets which were crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside - while I stopped off at popular mango place Hui Lau Shan for a double mango smoothie which was absolutely divine. The lumps of mango coming through the straw were a little odd textually however and I did struggle to finish it.
Our two hours in Kowloon were more aimless wander than anything. We took in Temple Street Market once again and I showed Prof where he could buy an ass and pussy sex toy from a reputatble market stall. We then headed over to McDonald's as the time was approaching 5pm and that was the time we were slated to meet Tef. He wanted to meet back at Central, which was contrary to our plans as we thought his course was taking place in Kowloon and thus meeting him where we were would have been more convenient. Unfortunately, I missed the final part of his message when he said he would meet us at 6:30pm and I only received it once we had gotten back to Central. This meant we had an hour to kill that we could have used at a craft beer bar, but in the end we were forced to go to a coffee shop instead. We had tried to go to the standard bars of Lan Kwai Fong but none were particularly appealing and many were quite quiet. The tea I had was pleasant enough although this was the first time I had stopped all day and my lack of sleep was really catching up with me. I had been awake for fourteen hours by this point and although I was confident that this would mean I would easily sleep on my long flight home, I was starting to feel it right then.
Confusion reigned further between Tef and I as we went to Exit F of Central station, anticipating he would be there with his friends, who he said he was bringing along. However, it turned out Tef had planned to meet us at Exit F of Hong Kong Station, which was in a different place even if the two stations are connected and are effectively part of the same complex (think Bank and Monument on the London Underground). After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, Tef agreed to come and find us and fifteen minutes later, at 6:45pm we finally met up. With introductions made - the four of us (as Tef had only brought one friend with him) headed out of the station to find some food. We spent quite a time walking around the labrynthine skyscapers looking for a suitable place, but everywhere was absolutely rammed. The Filipinos were back, some in boxes again and others having street parties with dancing and loud music. It was quite a sight. We headed to the main theatre to see if there was any food there but everywhere was busy. With time running out, the trio were romping ahead, leaving me in tow taking pictures like an irritating tourist. However, the lights being projected from and onto the buildings were beautiful, with the HSBC building's Christmas Tree scene being particularly magical (and indeed in the atrium of the bank underneath the skyscraper there were many more Filipinos with boxes).
With time running out, we headed to another popular chain restaurant, which had a superhero type theme. The name escapes me but I had roast goose and rice with soggy green vegetables cooked in soy sauce. The food was delicious and it was an excellent way to end my trip. We chatted over food for an hour, went to the toilet next to a giant septic tank and then my friends took me back to Central station, where we said goodbye. The trio then headed off and apparently found a British-themed festival where they got to try some pink gin. They also saw a sign with highly inflated prices for goods (like a burger for £60) and I quipped it was their post-Brexit prices. Meanwhile, I was sat on a train feeling sorry for myself as we sped towards the airport. There was a man scoffing sushi who started to annoy me, particularly as he was breaking the no eating rule so flagrantly. I snapped, saying 'c'mon piggy eat' in a sarcastic voice under my breath but it was perhaps a little too loud as he turned around and glared at me as soon as he did. I slunk to the other end of the train and felt terrible for the next two hours or so, questioning the person I have become and worrying about my anger management issues. It was only after I had picked up my luggage, checked in and gotten through security that I started to feel a little better, with a nice cold Asahi at an Irish themed bar called O'Leary's really helping. The West Brom versus Manchester United game was on the TV and I saw both goals, but I was more interested in writing my journal in silence. The bar was at the opposite end of the huge terminal as to where I started so it was quite a jaunt back to catch my flight, but this is what I managed to do.
The flight itself was largely uneventful and I slept for the majority of it, as I suspected I might. I did change places though as the lady of the Italian couple next to me said she needed to be up and down every hour or so with her foot. Why she chose a window seat is beyond me, but I said I would swap so I wouldn't be disturbed. We arrived into an icy Zurich on time, but catching my connection with a forty minute layover proved to be fraught, particularly when the X-ray machine broke in security. I had to push in to another line otherwise I would have missed my flight. I was encouraged to do this by a nice couple who were returning to live in Birmingham after spending a number of years in Hong Kong. They cited family reasons, which is probably the only reason I would move back to the UK. Anyway, due to the conditions, my luggage didn't make it and was delivered to me twenty-four hours later by courier, meaning I had to work from home both on Monday and Tuesday. Opting to work the day I got back from SE Asia wasn't as bad as I thought in terms of jetlag and did enable me to clear the decks in terms of email, while I put my missing luggage down to karma for being mean to sushi boy. Still, it did get here in the end after its day trip to Zurich although the sugar cane wine I had bought in Cambodia had leaked. Fortunately, the cardboard box surrounding the bottle seemed to have picked up most of it, which was something.
