After not the best of days Friday, we all awoke with high hopes for the weekend ahead. Amrit only had 2 days left in HK before returning home and Selina and I intended to enjoy ourselves before the conference started on Monday.
So off we headed, octopus caards in check, to Causeway Bay, Hong Kongs major designer shopping area. I've been to Causeway Bay before, and they are the original home of my Staccato shoes so I thought I knew my way around. However being brought here by a local last year and travelling on the MTR proved to be a very different experience. We walked round and round and round for ages as I couldn't remember where to go and where we were walking had no resemblence to anywhere i'd been before. After a couple of hours, some rain and not much luck at finding the Plaza, we stopped for food which consisted of a hot dog for me, potato wedge things for Amrit and street food style veg for Selina. We then found a shopping centre and started on the clothes shopping. After a couple of hours we met up with Jack and hung out in Victoria park for a while, then continued shopping.
After a few credit card spends later, we were ready to head home - bags in tow. Amrit was hungry to say the least and headed off to eat near our hotel, however Selina and I wanted to shower and drop the shopping before eating so we had a separate dinner date in a chinese restaurant on the terrace.
Sunday was a much better day - we all had a lay in and Selina and I headed to the conference registration mid morning and then had a meeting with lecturer to discuss presentations and the conversation inevitably got around to my phd application form and it lack of appearance on my tutors desk...oops!
Selina had plans for the evening so I headed from the Marco Polo across to Central to meet Amrit and we got the bus across the island to Repulse Bay. In typical Hong Kong style it started to rain, and when it rains here my god does it rain. We stood on the beach in the 30 degree heat with shoes off and the rain pouring down. I was went through from head to toe but after a while it felt pretty good.
Sunday night involved packing up as we moved to a different hotel monday morning as we no longer needed a triple room as Amrit was leaving. Our new hotel isn't as posh as our first one but still, it isn't on the 15th floor of a back street shopping centre with an MDF lift! Its small but comfortable and will do until I leave, which is getting scarily close now.
I can't believe that this time in 4 days I'll be another several thousand miles around the world in NZ with Jason, it doesn't quite feel real. I have a plan straight in my head of how I want my time to New Zealand to be, and if I get my way it'll happen!
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Friday, 24 July 2009
Typhoon Molave and happenings in Hong Kong
I found out after arrival that the typhoon I experienced was called Molave, quite nice to give it a name I suppose. After being settled in our new hotel, we got down to exploring Hong Kong tourist style, and my gosh have we explored. We must have walked miles and miles and miles (or at least thats what it feels like in the 35 degree heat). Monday saw us heading off to the island and spending a day doing big building sightseeting. We viewed the city from the 43rd floor of the bank of China tower, walked through Exchange Square and had lunch, went to see the HSBC towers, walked through part of the zoo and botanical gardens, took the escalator to the mid levels and went up to Victoria Peak on the tram which at times looks like you're climbing at a 45 degree angle.
Tuesday involved a day on Lantau Island and a visit to the worlds largest outdoor buddha statue. The trip to the buddha was eventful - Selina and I got accosted by a chinese man who grabbed hold of my hand and wouldn't let go. He then took Selina's hand even though we kept saying 'no' and then got a friend in on the act and got the woman they were with to take pictures of us. I have nothing against being friendly with people at all but there comes a point where you don't invade someones personal space or stare obviously at them - I'm finding this happens a lot here and its getting on my nerves more and more. After losing our tag alongs, we walked round the buddha and then went on a bit of a hike through some of the country park which we found ourselves in on the island.
Wednesday was a slightly more chilled out day - Amrit & I went round the history, science and art museums. Amrit and Selina then went to repulse bay in the evening and I met up with Jack for dinner and a concert at St Johns cathedral.
After a late night/early morning Wednesday none of us were getting up early Thursday. We meant to be up and away by about 9am - this however did not happen. We were awake at 8, however went back to sleep, woke up at 9.30am to which news no-one moved, Amrit stirred at about 10 and told me what time it was - I replied with 'my alarms set for 10.30' although I'm not sure what good thats going to be in hindsight? We eventually surfaced at about midday and headed off to the New Territories where we went to Sha Tin to the ten thousand buddhas temple and then headed to Sai Kung where we had dinner over the harbour and then headed home.
Conversation tonight (Friday) has been interesting, do horses have salt or sugar licks? Selina thinks its ok when she faints and has sunstroke, Amrit hates me for making her walk 8 miles tonight through an unlit park and I almost walked in front of a reversing taxi.
Classic quote ''I don't know if my skins falling off or its just the cream?''
Think its time for bed!
Tuesday involved a day on Lantau Island and a visit to the worlds largest outdoor buddha statue. The trip to the buddha was eventful - Selina and I got accosted by a chinese man who grabbed hold of my hand and wouldn't let go. He then took Selina's hand even though we kept saying 'no' and then got a friend in on the act and got the woman they were with to take pictures of us. I have nothing against being friendly with people at all but there comes a point where you don't invade someones personal space or stare obviously at them - I'm finding this happens a lot here and its getting on my nerves more and more. After losing our tag alongs, we walked round the buddha and then went on a bit of a hike through some of the country park which we found ourselves in on the island.
Wednesday was a slightly more chilled out day - Amrit & I went round the history, science and art museums. Amrit and Selina then went to repulse bay in the evening and I met up with Jack for dinner and a concert at St Johns cathedral.
After a late night/early morning Wednesday none of us were getting up early Thursday. We meant to be up and away by about 9am - this however did not happen. We were awake at 8, however went back to sleep, woke up at 9.30am to which news no-one moved, Amrit stirred at about 10 and told me what time it was - I replied with 'my alarms set for 10.30' although I'm not sure what good thats going to be in hindsight? We eventually surfaced at about midday and headed off to the New Territories where we went to Sha Tin to the ten thousand buddhas temple and then headed to Sai Kung where we had dinner over the harbour and then headed home.
Conversation tonight (Friday) has been interesting, do horses have salt or sugar licks? Selina thinks its ok when she faints and has sunstroke, Amrit hates me for making her walk 8 miles tonight through an unlit park and I almost walked in front of a reversing taxi.
Classic quote ''I don't know if my skins falling off or its just the cream?''
Think its time for bed!
Monday, 20 July 2009
Turbulent Times...airport to airport, train to train and hotel to hotel
I'm not quite sure how to start this one......but Heathrow may be a good place so I'll go with that! After a 4am journey down to Heathrow with the mother, it was time to say goodbye which was rather emotional, I was ok until she started crying which also made me cry, not because I was sad to be leaving because I have so been waiting for this trip for months, but because I know I wont see mum until Christmas which seems like a century away right now. So off I went to check in with streaming eyes for my flight to Hong Kong.
The flight was turbulent to say the least - my seat was next to a couple who's only topic of conversation seemed to be tonsil tennis. Originally I asked to be put in the middle of the plane as I know I don't travel too well at the back, however my tv screen handset wasn't working so I was moved to the only spare seat on the plane (which was only spare due to one passenger being refused boarding for immigration reasons which made our plane delayed because they had to get his suitcase off the plane before we could take off), which just so happened to be 2 rows from the back of the plane.
So with slight concern, I moved seats as I decided it was best to make a get away from the tonsil tennis loving couple I had been sitting next too. I then ended up next to a guy who was from Amsterdam and couldn't speak much English - to be honest this suited me fine as I wasn't really in the mood for talking, still slightly tear stained and just wanted to sleep. And my gosh did I try to sleep, however Mr Amsterdam had other ideas. Everytime I was almost asleep, he wanted to get out and have a walk around - after this happened 3 times within the space of a couple of hours and no sleep, I suggested maybe he would like to swap seats. His response was a resounding no, much to my disappointment as he explained in basic English he wanted a window seat to see out.
With broken sleep here and there we eventually got served lunch/dinner (whichever timezone you decide you want to be in - I chose Hong Kong and dinner). However after 3 mouthfuls, my stomach realised where it was sitting and decided it didn't like it one bit, not even one nice mouthful.
Having tried and failed to eat anything on the plane as my stomach decided Qantas airways food was not good, we landed to Hong Kong's first typhoon of the season which was turbulent to say the least.
Having exited the airport, I braved the rain like a proper English tourist, minus umbrella and rain mac, but sporting a t-shirt and jeans to find where we were staying. To say I stood out would be an understatement, picture me with a bright pink suitcase and red backpack walking down the street in the middle of a typhoon while all the locals stand in doorways for protection - hilarious!
I found our building and thought finally this can't get much worse - how wrong was I. Panic started to set in when I asked for directions and was put into an mdf lift which was taped together in places and sent to the 15th floor which was apparently where my written down address took me too. On exiting the lift, I found the entrance and made attempts to check in, however the maid didn't speak English and I was put on the phone to someone to talk to. I was already getting bad vibes and when I got into our room the first thing I did was get on the internet and google other hotels - there was no way I could stay here. There was no safe, the bathroom door was see through frosted glass, the shower was a shower head over the sink and all the tiles in the bathroom were cracked.
After a short stay in the room it was time to get back to the airport to meet my first arrival - Amrit. To say I was really happy to see her doesn't cover the huge relief when I saw her coming through arrivals. She dislikes hugs but I gave her the biggest hug ever - panic over I was no longer alone! We got to work on finding a new place to stay and got a really good deal on a triple room in a 3 star hotel which we are now in and is lovely.
We then waited for our second arrival - Selina, who was delayed coming from Doha. As we made our way and checked into our new hotel, I've never felt such relief ever in my life - it was clean, tidy, spoke English without being on a telephone to somewhere you didn't know, had an actual bath and a safe - happy times all round!
Having showered, we headed out for food and then for a walk across Hong Kong harbour at night which was beautiful - the rain had stopped and it was warm. On return to the hotel we were all shattered and were out like lights, definately the best nights sleep I've had since leaving home at 4am on Saturday morning!
Moral of the story - travel together and don't pick a guesthouse on the 15th floor of an mdf made lift.
The flight was turbulent to say the least - my seat was next to a couple who's only topic of conversation seemed to be tonsil tennis. Originally I asked to be put in the middle of the plane as I know I don't travel too well at the back, however my tv screen handset wasn't working so I was moved to the only spare seat on the plane (which was only spare due to one passenger being refused boarding for immigration reasons which made our plane delayed because they had to get his suitcase off the plane before we could take off), which just so happened to be 2 rows from the back of the plane.
So with slight concern, I moved seats as I decided it was best to make a get away from the tonsil tennis loving couple I had been sitting next too. I then ended up next to a guy who was from Amsterdam and couldn't speak much English - to be honest this suited me fine as I wasn't really in the mood for talking, still slightly tear stained and just wanted to sleep. And my gosh did I try to sleep, however Mr Amsterdam had other ideas. Everytime I was almost asleep, he wanted to get out and have a walk around - after this happened 3 times within the space of a couple of hours and no sleep, I suggested maybe he would like to swap seats. His response was a resounding no, much to my disappointment as he explained in basic English he wanted a window seat to see out.
With broken sleep here and there we eventually got served lunch/dinner (whichever timezone you decide you want to be in - I chose Hong Kong and dinner). However after 3 mouthfuls, my stomach realised where it was sitting and decided it didn't like it one bit, not even one nice mouthful.
Having tried and failed to eat anything on the plane as my stomach decided Qantas airways food was not good, we landed to Hong Kong's first typhoon of the season which was turbulent to say the least.
Having exited the airport, I braved the rain like a proper English tourist, minus umbrella and rain mac, but sporting a t-shirt and jeans to find where we were staying. To say I stood out would be an understatement, picture me with a bright pink suitcase and red backpack walking down the street in the middle of a typhoon while all the locals stand in doorways for protection - hilarious!
I found our building and thought finally this can't get much worse - how wrong was I. Panic started to set in when I asked for directions and was put into an mdf lift which was taped together in places and sent to the 15th floor which was apparently where my written down address took me too. On exiting the lift, I found the entrance and made attempts to check in, however the maid didn't speak English and I was put on the phone to someone to talk to. I was already getting bad vibes and when I got into our room the first thing I did was get on the internet and google other hotels - there was no way I could stay here. There was no safe, the bathroom door was see through frosted glass, the shower was a shower head over the sink and all the tiles in the bathroom were cracked.
After a short stay in the room it was time to get back to the airport to meet my first arrival - Amrit. To say I was really happy to see her doesn't cover the huge relief when I saw her coming through arrivals. She dislikes hugs but I gave her the biggest hug ever - panic over I was no longer alone! We got to work on finding a new place to stay and got a really good deal on a triple room in a 3 star hotel which we are now in and is lovely.
We then waited for our second arrival - Selina, who was delayed coming from Doha. As we made our way and checked into our new hotel, I've never felt such relief ever in my life - it was clean, tidy, spoke English without being on a telephone to somewhere you didn't know, had an actual bath and a safe - happy times all round!
Having showered, we headed out for food and then for a walk across Hong Kong harbour at night which was beautiful - the rain had stopped and it was warm. On return to the hotel we were all shattered and were out like lights, definately the best nights sleep I've had since leaving home at 4am on Saturday morning!
Moral of the story - travel together and don't pick a guesthouse on the 15th floor of an mdf made lift.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Pre-Travels
Well having been counting down the weeks/months pre-trip, I'm finding myself on a single figure countdown, with 5 days to go. In some ways it feels like I'm leaving forever, as one friend sent me a text to the tune of ''can you take your phone lead to hong kong so i can get the pictures as after that you're gone forever like'' - very reassuring! In reality I'm only away for 6 months, which in the grand scale of things isn't that long. My last 6 months at uni went beyond belief quickly so if the next 6 are anything like that then I'll be back before I realise I've been away. I intend to enjoy myself this time, no more repeats of summer 07 (the girls will know what I mean by this!). So far, I will be going to Hong Kong, Brisbane, Auckland, Sydney and Singapore. Once settled in Auckland I'm hoping to also be able to afford trips to Melbourne, the South Island and a nice long weekend in Fiji...as its only a 3 hour flight away I feel it would be criminal to miss out on a visit.
I'm sort of packed - although my suitcase is a little overflowing which inevitably means that I will have to pack and re-pack. Rianne and the girls will be able to fully appreciate what this means in reality! I'm torn between packing for different seasons and this is where I suppose the fashion graduate should come out, however it seems a little illusive right now. As I look around the sea of stuff which my bedroom has become, I am struggling to work out what I actually need over what I think I need - my baggage allowance of 20kilos is also not helping with this task.
So I give the packing another break (one of many in the past week), and decide to 'tidy'. This generally involves looking around my room, moving a few things around and discovering something in the bottom of a bag I'd temporaily forgotten about. For example, the other day it was a book on learning Spanish I used at A Level - this has re-kindled my love for Spanish and I am now on the hunt for my Spanish Harry Potter books. Thus at the thrill of a new discovery, the 'tidying' tends to stop and I find a new home for whatever it is I've re-discovered. Right now the Spanish book is sitting alongside my perfume and moisturiser in my bedroom, yes you aren't the only one who thinks that a little strange, however it was the only place I had at the time - if you could see my bedroom you would understand.
If I was ever worried about not having enough to do pre-trip then I was so wrong, although this time I'm hoping to stay away from crashing my car into a few trees, falling down the stairs and ending up spending a large majority of the last few hours before I leave in an A&E department. I have the joys of graduation tomorrow to look forward to, although I think this ordeal is more for my mothers benefit than mine - after all we don't even get a real scroll! I have a house reunion with the girls, a nostalgic reunion with Miss Whitby in the ghetto, my broken car to get fixed and my now long overdue conference paper to finish - the plane journey will seem like a break compared to this!
One slight concern I do have about Hong Kong is the fact its going to be monsoon season. I have beautiful memories of this city soaked in sun light, christmas decorations and lights everywhere you can imagine and spending the evenings walking along the waterfront in nothing but a top and skirt. I don't want this to be shattered on arrival if I end up knee deep in water, which with my height is a strong possiblity. The reason I worry about this is that Amrit and I wont get our much anticipated trip to Disneyland Hong Kong style. I have experience of Disneyland in the pouring rain and it is most definately one not to be repeated.
I'm sort of packed - although my suitcase is a little overflowing which inevitably means that I will have to pack and re-pack. Rianne and the girls will be able to fully appreciate what this means in reality! I'm torn between packing for different seasons and this is where I suppose the fashion graduate should come out, however it seems a little illusive right now. As I look around the sea of stuff which my bedroom has become, I am struggling to work out what I actually need over what I think I need - my baggage allowance of 20kilos is also not helping with this task.
So I give the packing another break (one of many in the past week), and decide to 'tidy'. This generally involves looking around my room, moving a few things around and discovering something in the bottom of a bag I'd temporaily forgotten about. For example, the other day it was a book on learning Spanish I used at A Level - this has re-kindled my love for Spanish and I am now on the hunt for my Spanish Harry Potter books. Thus at the thrill of a new discovery, the 'tidying' tends to stop and I find a new home for whatever it is I've re-discovered. Right now the Spanish book is sitting alongside my perfume and moisturiser in my bedroom, yes you aren't the only one who thinks that a little strange, however it was the only place I had at the time - if you could see my bedroom you would understand.
If I was ever worried about not having enough to do pre-trip then I was so wrong, although this time I'm hoping to stay away from crashing my car into a few trees, falling down the stairs and ending up spending a large majority of the last few hours before I leave in an A&E department. I have the joys of graduation tomorrow to look forward to, although I think this ordeal is more for my mothers benefit than mine - after all we don't even get a real scroll! I have a house reunion with the girls, a nostalgic reunion with Miss Whitby in the ghetto, my broken car to get fixed and my now long overdue conference paper to finish - the plane journey will seem like a break compared to this!
One slight concern I do have about Hong Kong is the fact its going to be monsoon season. I have beautiful memories of this city soaked in sun light, christmas decorations and lights everywhere you can imagine and spending the evenings walking along the waterfront in nothing but a top and skirt. I don't want this to be shattered on arrival if I end up knee deep in water, which with my height is a strong possiblity. The reason I worry about this is that Amrit and I wont get our much anticipated trip to Disneyland Hong Kong style. I have experience of Disneyland in the pouring rain and it is most definately one not to be repeated.
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