(my room in hotel)
So anyway yeah yesterday, got a minibus shuttle thingy straight from the airport to the hotel, was nice and easy although it did take over an hour – I had no idea HK was so big, or that I was so far away! Either way when I got here I crashed out, originally I was gonna go and see the Light Show but I felt realy shitty and jet lagged so I just stayed here and slept! That ended up in me waking up at about 23:30, really hungry, when all the food places were shut... argh. So I went online for a bit and then went back to slep about 2am.
(Me @ Victoria Peak)
Soooo this morning I got up at 6:30 like I said to go to my tour thing, went and had breakfast and that to prepare myself for what I thought would be a nightmare task of navigating the HK subway system. I was pleasantly surprised - $5 for a single ticket, which works out at about 50 pence?! Get onto the subway, everything is marked in english as well as cantonese, and the announcements are in both languages too. Three stops down the line and I'm there at my pick up point. Fantastic, except now I'm half an hour early. Fortunately I managed to sneak into the 'for hotel guests only' waiting lobby at the hotel I blatantly wasn't staying at (very expensive + posh!) and then along comes mr tour man, nice and early!
(View from Victoria Peak)
So on this tour we were going over the Hong Kong island. As what I didn't know is that theres actually like four parts to HK - Lantau Island (airport + cable car), Hong Kong Island (lots of shopping but mainly more 'localised'), Kowloon (where I'm staying, very 'touristy') and the Northern Territories (mainly country and housing). So the tour I booked was actually just for the HK island, but it worked out well as we saw some pretty cool stuff. First we went up to Victoria Peak, the highest point on the island - amazing views, which I don't think have come out as well on the camera as I'd have liked, but none the less - was awesome. Then we headed off to Stanley Market, which as the name suggested was basically just this little market on the beach type area, didn't buy a lot to be fair - two pairs of sunglasses, worked out at about £2 each or something. Bargainous! Then we headed off to Aberdeen, highly amused was I at the name. Basically, our tour man reckoned this was the 'countryside' of HK island. Didn't freakin look like it to me, bloody built up as the rest of it! High rise upon high rise upon high rise. Wouldn't fancy living in one of those, apparently some of them don't even have elevators and they're like thirty floors high - he reckoned some of the people who live in those only bother coming out of their house once a week or something, can't say I blame them! Anyway so when we there we went on a random little boat trip, just around for fifteen minutes or so, and saw a giant floating restaurant. Fantastic. And then we headed off to what was supposedly a jewellery factory, but was actually a shop, full of irritating sales people that realy just pushed and pushed and pushed.. I was so tempted to buy something but fortunately had left my purse in the tour bus so couldn't! They had this gorgeous little dragon pendant but it worked out at like £270 and although I *could* afford it if I really wanted, I did know deep inside it was not a wise decision! And the sales guy was really irritating me anyway - I had a look and then told him I wanted to wander round and have a think about it, and he was literally just following me everywhere I went, which if I'd even had my purse would have really put me off either way!
(Stanley Market shoreline)
So anyway, although the tour didn’t really help out in the way I’d intended, i.e to meet some people, it was really good. There were only five of us – a gay couple from L.A, a couple from Denmark and then me. They were all really nice and friendly, but not my age group or anything really so was a bit of a shame. But it meant that for parts of the tour I was wandering around by myself, which has put me in the frame of mind to carry on doing so – its not too bad, at the end of the day. I just get to take lots of photographs :D It only cost £22 from Sta which included that little boat trip too, so I think it was really good value as I saw some things that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise, and I did enjoy Victoria Peak and Stanley market! And the boat trip. Ok, so the only bit I didn’t really enjoy so much was the jewellery ‘factory’, although I did like looking at the prettiness!
(More Stanley Market shoreline)
The prices of things here are bloody weird, and its driving me mad having to try and figure the conversion out in my head when I'm wandering around. Its mental though.. on the Victoria Peak place (touristy) I paid $18 for a can of sprite, which works out about £1.50. And then in the market place, I paid $6 for a bottle of ribena, more like 50p! If I'd have known, I'd have bloody well waited. Also.. Mcdonalds and Starbucks are everywhere here! I don't know why I'm so surprised. The Mcdonalds here delivers as well, I was well amused. Yes, I caved and had one - I was wandering around Kowloon and couldn't see any other food places that weren't chinese, and being as I DON'T LIKE chinese food, I am a little short on choice here. Again, that was like $26 which works out about £2.50. Insaneious. One thing thats bugged me is that the cost of the lense for my slr which I wanted is so much cheaper here (£150 as compared to £250 at home!) but I really don't think I can justify the cost, as much as I'd like!
(Aberdeen - the 'countryside')
I've decided to go to Ocean Park tomorrow, which is a theme park type place but with lots of animals and more importantly, the pandas! The two things I wanted to do while I was here were Ocean Park and the Ngong Ping cable car, but I'd rather do the park so I'm going tomorrow as I have the whole day spare. On Sunday my flight isn't until 23:55 but I'm not quite sure on what timings are gonna be like so if I don't get to go on the cable car, its not the end of the world as I'd much rather see the pandas!
(Stanley Market)
So, I'm rather enjoying HK now I'm less freaking out about not knowing how to get anywhere. When I left my hotel this morning I didn't see any other 'non-local' people at ALL until I got to this other hotel, so was a bit eep - wandering if Sta had booked me into a total NON-tourist area. Which I think they have. But it was cheap so hell am I complaining! Especially as its so easy to get into the more touristy bit :D Last night I was thinking that I just couldn't wait to get out of here and get to Aus, and although I'm still not looking forward to the agro of getting to the airport and another long flight, I am quite enjoying it here.
My room has now cooled down quite considerably, some total IDIOT turned off the air conditioning when I went out this morning (yes that idiot was me) so the room was sweltering when I got back. The temp here is prob only about 18 degrees but its bloody hot compared to what I've been used to at home, and its quite humid out there too so was a bit hot when I got back. Itd quite a nice temperature to be fair, I'm still wandering around in my leggings and ugg boots but instead of wearing five layers, a coat and a scarf, I've got a top and a cardigan - niiice! All nice and cooled down now though, ready to nap before my (semi) busy evening!
(floating restaurant @ Aberdeen)
(later on) So, I did set my alarm on my phone for 18:00 to go out, however it seems I apparently slept through that as I woke up at 20:00 and was rather pissed off, seeing as it starts then! So... I rolled over and went back to sleep. What a bad idea. I’m wide awake now and its bloody midnight, this is doing nothing for the jet lag! Luckily that light thing is on every night, so its now been put back to tomorrow night instead, and I *better* not miss it because if I do I won’t get to see it on Sunday. Pfffft. Once again, I’m now hungry and online – except this time I’m prepared and bought myself some munch + drink from the 7/11 earlier :D :D
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