Date: 18 November 2012
The trip - first time in Cathay Pacific. If given a choice, would probably not fly them again as I do find Singapore Airlines planes much better. Unless the plane I flew was an older one – seems to be less room in the economy section at least. Didn’t seem to make as much difference being in the seat next to the window.
The only thing was – trying to get to the toilet. The first time I got up, the guy in the seat next to me got up too, to let me out & in. Except just as I got up, the fasten seatbelt sign went on and from past experience, I did not want to be up and about during this time! So I went back to my seat without visiting the facilities. When I was once again seated, I tried to explain & ask the guy if it was okay if I just climbed over him next time to which he half smiled, shook his head and mumbled “no English”. Ah, right. When the no seatbelt sign finally turned off, I looked over at the guy, only to see he was asleep. Not wanting to wake him, I crouched in my seat, facing the aisle, put one hand on the guy’s seat & one on the seat in front of him, being careful not to touch anyone’s head and then, rather gracefully I thought, vaulted out of my seat and into the aisle. Bingo! When I came back however, there was the small detail of how to leverage myself to get back INTO my seat! Alas, I did need to put my foot on the corner of my neighbour’s seat, and as I vaulted back, he did wake up. I like to think that he appreciated my efforts though, as he smiled, and promptly went back to sleep again.
Once the plane landed in Hong Kong and we disembarked, there was again that feeling of disconnect. I have a feeling it might be happening a lot on this trip so I don’t get carried away with the loneliness at times and start to cry everywhere at the drop of a hat! Anyway, I also think it makes for greater observation of the things around you.
The airport was similar to most others, I guess, but it’s not until you actually need to rely on signs that you realise how useless most can be. Nevertheless, I managed to find the right baggage carousel, get some HKD from a Citi ATM no less, buy a ticket and board the Airport Express from the airport to Hong Kong. Oh yeah – one thing I really missed – no sign of lights or seeing the lit up city when the plane came in to land. As it was night, it was hard to see much through the windows of the train, but the buildings that I did see made me think I was in some futuristic sci-fi movie! Such tall buildings, all of them skyscrapers really, with their hundreds of little apartments, all so densely packed together, like the cells of a beehive.
I tried not to think of the actual number of people that would suggest for fear of that feeling of being overwhelmed. Like when one looks at the stars and tries to grasp the size of the universe. Stepping into Hong Kong was like trying to grasp being in another universe. The taxi ride from the train station was fantastic! It doesn’t seem like there are any speed limits, and people change lanes anytime they feel! The main road we drove along felt a lot like MG Road in Bangalore. In fact, a lot of the surrounds felt like that area of Bangalore, but I guess just more finished with lots of lights :-)
Finally arrived at Velina’s and it was a relief! Realised though, that all along my trip, people had been looking at me. I’m not sure if it’s because my backpack is almost as big as me, or that I’m Indian. I’ve seen one other Indian person since my flight began and that was at the immigration in Hong Kong. Dunno why I always notice stuff like that. Anyway, it was great to see Velina. Their apartment is lovely and she has wonderful taste in paintings! Looking forward to today, even though the day looks grey and outcast! Bring it on!
Date: 20 November 2012
Wow, what an amazing start to this trip. I am so grateful! Feeling much better mentally and personally, and I know it’s all due to Velina and her willingness to accompany me everywhere, and even wait around while I was doing something else. She is really a wonderful, kind person. Of course, she may think whatever, but you know what, at the end of the day, it is action that counts. She has been, both verbally & physically, exceptionally supportive this trip!
On Sunday, 18 November, Velina & I took a walk around Soho near where she lives and we had tapas for lunch! Then we walked to the bus station and caught a bus to the other side of Hong Kong. Near the water, where there aren’t nearly as many high rise apartments and in fact, houses to be found. Of course, given the premium on land here, you can imagine how rich people would have to be to be able to afford to live here – in the suburbs of Deep Water & Repulse (pronounced ree-pulse) Bay. It surprised me just how much natural landscape there is in Hong Kong. My impression of it was a dense, concrete jungle and that was all of Hong Kong. But no – there are actually REAL jungles ie. Populated with trees! In fact, hiking is a big thing here! Not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Hong Kong. We also passed a theme park called “Ocean Park” which has, I swear, the longest cable car ride ever! It seemed to go for kilometres across the mountains that the park is located around along some wicked looking red & yellow roller coasters. As we neared our destination – Stanley Park (Bay?) there was a massive traffic jam.
We got off on the road and headed in, to discover that it was “Race with Pink Heels” day! An even to support breast cancer research – just like in Australia! It was awesome! The basic premise was that a “track” of pink carpet was set up about 50m long and people wore pink heels & raced. You think that it would be women only, but it was also guys and dogs! Okay, the dogs didn’t wear heels, their owners did, but the dogs wore everything else – from tshirts to, to shorts to balloons! There were also tents with showbags & candy floss! It was a great spectacle & while it was smaller than a similar event in Australia, it was well supported and enjoyed.
On a side note – there are A LOT of dogs in Hong Kong! And such a diverse range for pets! From tiny Chihuahuas & silky terriers to the slightly bigger Pomeranians & poodles, to the huge huskies, malamutes & an almost bear sized mastiff looking dog! Incredible! And yes, I was THAT person “excuse me, can I please take a picture of your dog?” :-) Everyone was happy to oblige. We then ended up at the Stanley market which is kind of like Vic Market in sales products and like Sunei Wang in KL in terms of layout, but on a much smaller scale.
The thing that impressed me most was the sheer number of original paintings & how exquisite they all were? I swear it’s a good thing this is the start of my trip else I dunno how many I would have ended up buying! They are really something! While at a painting stall a French lady asked me if there was an ATM nearby to which I replied that I wasn’t sure about the market, but there were several in the shopping mall nearby. She then told me she would be back in a little while after she had withdrawn some money. I smiled and said, that’s great, but I don’t actually work here! She apologised profusely while her friend laughed and also apologised.
After that we headed back to the city to check out the Hong Kong “Times Square”. Maybe it was the time or the location, but there were scores more people here and now! Velina thought there might have been a sale on and it took us several turns until we found where we wanted to go. Apparently there are lots of “exhibitions” that circle through the Square. Right now it’s Legoland! There were about six or eight lego houses, some in Christmas theme and lots more lego “people” dotted around the place. It was near impossible to get a photo alone with anything due to the crowds but we managed a couple of things.
Then we thought of getting a bite to eat so we went to...McDonald’s! I thought I’d at least try something different, but not being that hungry, settled for “Shake Fries” and a coke. They’re normal fries with a kind of chicken salt (BBQ) seasoning that you put in a bag & “shake”. They were quite nice. The place was completely packed so we were quite lucky to get a couple of seats together.
Then we wandered across to the ferry which was a ten minute ride to another island, Kowloon, from which we could see the “Light Show” of Hong Kong. It was pretty cool – all set to music & it seemed the whole shoreline of buildings were involved. After that, we wandered around the area for a while – apparently this is where the locals & “not so rich” live but you wouldn’t have thought it looking at all the designer brand jewellery stores & prices!
Oh, we passed a gold store where there was an ornate Chinese bridal set on display – an intricate necklace (the kind that covers most of your throat & chest) and two matching cuffs for your wrists. I had a look at the price – only HK$4,000 for the necklace. I pointed it out to Velina asking, is this right? Is it gold? Maybe it’s gold plated? We asked the guard who was posted there – was it gold? Yes, he replied. To which Velina, in her totally direct approach asked, why is it so cheap? The guard laughed and informed us that it was not the price, but the WEIGHT of the gold! It was 4,000 grams of gold - so you can figure out for yourself how much that would be.
Anyway, it was late and we were tired, so we did a little bit of grocery shopping and went back home. Dinner? Ham & cheese sandwich, and it tasted absolutely delicious! :-)
