November 2002 Archives

Gotta leave soon; thereís a note stapled to my boarding pass to remind me to catch the AeX before 1830 in order to clear customs. But itís really relaxing here in the Red Chamber. Iíve been here for about an hour, the Hoyo de Monterrey Iíve been working on has been aged for 4 years and still packs a wallop; the buzz will last for about an hourÖ

Itís just as smooth as I remember having my first Hoyo, in the dining car of the HKG-Shanghai overnight express train.

Red Chamber has a guest roller flown in from Habanos. Heís been rolling cigars here for the past few days. All Cuban leaves. The HKSAR has some rules about the samples he creates (it sounds similar to why Wine shops have to charge a nominal fee for wine tastings back in CA)ÖI guess they see it as manufacturing so unless the shop wants to pay some horrid tax, they canít sell them. So theyíre going to take these cigars and smoke them at their staff meetings. Those meetings sound like funÖ

Speaking of fun, the cigar roller guy heads out to Seoul on Monday to continue his tour then 2 weeks later, heís in Taipei and 2 more weeks, heís back in HKG. Then another week and then he goes back to Habana. I asked him how he likes the food in HKG. He thinks it is too spicy. Wait until he hits SeoulÖ

Well, errands are done for the moment; at least as many as I can do reasonably. Picked up cell phone stuff for one friend and mailed them back to the US. Donít have the room in the baggage. Probably going to do that to the rest of my travel guides once I return from Beijing if thereís a space problem too.

Caught the A2 back to HK AeX Station. Went to the General Post Office. Mailed out stuff. What to do? Got time to kill & need a broadband connection to get 4 days of emailÖguess itís off to the Red Chamber!

1430
22 Nov

Woke up late this morning (0900) and took my time packing, unpacking, repacking and so forth. Also got some breakfast and got some expresso before leaving the Noble Hostel and walking over to the Park Lane Hotel where the free AeX shuttle stops. Beats paying for the MTR and having to walk 4 blocks with baggage.

You can check in for your flight & check baggage at the Airport Express stations in Central and Kowloon; a real time and stress saver. Makes sense and is customer friendly. Wonít see it in San Francisco anytime soonÖ

Sooo errands today are as such:

Go to Mong Kok. Pick up more phone stuffs. Exchange my case for something bigger.

Go to the Ericsson Service Point in Yau Mau Tei and get a friendís phone fixed. HK$350.

Go back to Causeway Bay and retrieve my other bag.

Go to Airport. Wah!

Just got out of the Ericsson place on my way back to the MTR. I realize that Iím hungry. One of the many food stalls on the pedestrian routes to the MTR has siu mai on a stick, like shishkabobs. 6 on a stick for HK$3.00! Wah! Whattabargain!

You can spend a long time eating your way through this placeÖ

0200
22 Nov

Dropped April off at Central MTR around 0000. We had to call the evening early because she lives in Sheung Wan (refer to handy MTR map here) and the MTR stops running around 0030. But the weather is actually pleasant. Iím in long sleeves and long pants, dressed like a grownup and Iím not dripping with sweat like I usually am here.

Wound up taking the Tram back to Tung Lo Wan. Always sit on the top deck and try to catch one of the old cars. The new cars, there arenít a lot out there, but they are out there, the front window is sealed. No fun, those. The Tram is a good deal for HK$1.80 using my Octopus card. It was a nice leisurely ride, scooting in between all the iconic buildings that make up Central, the neon of Wan Chai and then into Tung Lo Wan and the big Sogo.

I spent an hour listening to Putonghua and the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Co.) News while packing. TiredÖ

1300
21 Nov

On Anaís recommendation, I decided to expose myself to some local culture.

Expose myself, heh heh.

I went to visit the Hong Kong Museum of History. As the name says, itís about HKG. The basement is all about geology and flora and fauna and animals and all that nature stuff that used to be where HKG is now. The meat of the museum is on the upper floors where the history of the city is chronicled.

The origin of the Crown Colony is well known, being the most successful booty resulting from state sponsored drug dealing. But there were interesting accounts of HKG under the Japanese occupation and the various crises from 1949 on. These include: fire, flooding, typhoons, drought, riots and transportation issues.

Also some small regime change back in 1997.

Well, it was pretty big. You donít generally get to read about this stuff outside of HKG.

Sounds like Los Angeles. But like LA, HKG has dealt with these issues in one way or another. Even the regime change.

Finally got hold of April. Weíre going to meet in Kowloon Tong, near her workplace and going to grab some local food. Maybe drinks after if thereís time.

Yup, it was about 2 hours. Eyes redder than a potheadís and itchy too. Yuk. And the kitties were hella cute, too! Figures. Markís allergic as well; his tolerance is a bit longer than mine tho.

Schuís shopping for luggage in Mong Kok. Iím going out there to help him shop and to hang out. Itís interesting how HKG makes everyone a night owl!

Went to the Golden Center in Sham Shi Po to get software. Nice place, full of computer parts and video game stuff.

I'm heading to the mid-levels to have a dumpling dinner with Ana and Mark. Theyíre still the epitome of a cute couple and they have some cute kittens. Iíll give myself 2 hours tops before the allergies kick in.

I went to the Wong Tai Sin temple in Kowloon. Itís a big temple for three religions. Taoism, Buddhism and Confucinism. Itís also a place where you can get your fortune told. It's one of those Hong Kong things that people do.

You go to one of the fortune tellers nearby and borrow a can with a bunch of sticks with numbers on them. Go to the temple and pay respects to Wong Tai Sin. Shake the can until one of the sticks hits the floor. Remember the number. Go back to the stall with your number, sticks and birthyear. Tell her your question and sheíll tell you what she sees as your answer.

I hear that they're strangely accurate.

So Iím here with the fellow traveler at Tsim Chai Kee in Central.

Mmmmmmmm. Got the good Won Ton Mein fix. Yummy. And for only HK$10.00 a bowl, itís a dealÖ

The killer hike is overÖtried to find the Tung Chung fort, but did see a modern (1972) monastary. Not a big whoop. But walking around in rural areas is a change of pace, compared to the urban jungle that is interconnected by a river called the MTR. At the Tung Chung station, thereís a small mall, apartments, postoffice and a Haggen Daz!

Ice cream was a welcome treat after the killer hike.

You meet people in the strangest placesÖ

A few notes. I took the MTR here to capitalize on my unlimited 3 day MTR pass. MTR from Causeway Bay to Tung Chung. One change of train and a 7 minute walk to transfer. The MTR stations are huge. Then you take the #23 basi from Tung Chung for a 40 minute long roundabout way through villages and such before you get to the temple. But thatís prologue.

I get asked to take a photoÖthatís par for the course. Turns out this person is an engineer from Daly City out here on her own on holiday too! Her first time in HKG and like me, also new to the HKG wilderness. So now Iíve got someone to hang out with. Cool.

She had both a digicam and a APS camera to take a snap of moi. Also a copy of the Ya Ya Sisterhood in her purse. They were showing this on the plane ad nauseaumÖgeez.

Sleep? Whatís that?

Didnít sleep too well last night, but not tired either this morn. So since Iím up ANYWAY, I think checking out the Big Buddha today would be good. Itíll take a while to get there so leaving early is a good idea. Besides Wor Lau Bau for breakfast sounds really good now.

Just got back from Macau.

HKG maintains a 24 hour frontier with the rest of the world compared to China which closes its border at 0000.

I was told that this is for the gamers who play in Macau but need to get back home. The Turbocat runs every 30 minutes from 2200 to 0600. Wow. And oodles of taxis waiting for the passengers that get off the boat because public transport shuts down at 0100.

How convenient!

Ana told me that Steve Wynn of various Las Vegas resorts received a gaming license, thus breaking Stanley Hoís monopoly on gaming here. Itís a good thing because the Lisboa casino is a dump. Check Your Guns at the Door and No Spitting. I would have taken pictures of these signs, except you canít take pictures in the casino. This is not bullshit!

However, the Lisboa Hotel lobby and rooms have been renovated. It even has some art here which is nice. But when you go downstairs to the shops and canteen, there are a LOT of hookers working the floor.

A lot of hookers. Good looking hookers. Zhuhaiís favorite exports.
And for you hom-suppy people out there, over here, itís a buyerís market!

I guess having a lot of hookers in the basement of the Lisboa is one way to insure that people go thereÖ

Weíve been puttering around the various districts around Macau and Iíll have to admit, Iím rethinking my original opinion of the second SAR of the PRC. I kinda like it.

Although Macau is still kind of sleepy (many of the shops in the non tourist areas close around 2000) and dangerous looking (lots of dark alleys and the triads are big here), much of the city is still narrow alleys and colonial architecture.

Shopping is scenic, but still no gore-tex to be found.

Guess Iím going to Stanley to purchase gore-tex.

Besides the casinos, the MSAR has been making efforts to preserve many of the old buildings and has aspirations to join the UNís list of world heritage sites.

More power to them.

Two bottles of wine and one big nice lunch. Weíre going to do some shopping and walking around. Got to find some gore-tex jackets and what not for China cuz it's cold there.

So weíve arrived at Fernandoís, this legendary haunt on one of the outer islands of Macau. Beachfront bar/restaurant serving Macanese food. Thatís a mix of Chinese and Portuguese food. Sounds yummy, right? Well, it is. Mmmmmmm.

When we left the ferry pier, the roads surrounding it had still had the race course barriers up from the Macao Grand Prix from the previous weekend. Itís F3 along with a motorcycle race. That would have been cool to see.

Crap!

You need your passport to go ANYWHERE around here. And thatís kinda cool.

Just have to remember to bring it with me. Ana sent me an SMS when I was on the MTR pulling into Wan Chai.

PASSPORT?

Yes, I forgot my passport. Geez. At least itís only one stop along the way. Back to Causeway BayÖ

So I finally wake up, SMS Ana and get my butt out to the Causeway Bay MTR. Weíre going to Macau today, meeting at the HKG-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, which also happens to be the terminus of the Island Line. Verrry convenient.

I finally got my go bag set up. Itís got the tourbook, cameras (digital & film), notebook (the paper kind), Clie and whatever I pick up on my travels. I think I have everything now.

I'm outta here!

Airport Express to Hong Kong Station, MTR to Causeway Bay.

Thai food for dinner and off to bed. Good night.

So we finally land. Whoo hooo!

But now it takes time to get off the plane.

Passport Control (a very long wait).
Get the luggage (sort of a wait).
Customs (pretty quick).

Wonder why it takes so long for the bags to show up? I mean, you wait for a realllly long time for Passport Control. You would figure that the ground crew would use that time to get the checked bags onto the carousel so they would be ready for people to pick upÖ

Well, the food is palatable. The cup ramen they serve for a snack is not. So I brought 5 Shin Cups for myself and the others.

Yummy. Spicy. Yummy.

Oh did I mention? UA no longer serves Coke. Seems that they got some big contract with Pepsi to fly their bigshots around. In exchange, they stopped serving Coke and started serving Pepsi. Eeeeyuck.

Now about the entertainment on UA. Politically correct drivel. Awful.

I do not want to watch kid and chick flicks over the course of this flight. I guess that since they cannot serve peanuts and they do not serve Coke, they will not show anything fun or interesting.

But I do have an ace up my sleeve. I have my PowerBook and I have the Scorpion King on DVD. Talk about the polar opposite of Like Mike, eh? And Kelly Hu is a LOT easier on the eyes than Lil Bow Wow.

So we take off and Iím in row 52.

Yes, five-two. That is deep deep steerage on a 747.

This is relevant because I am on UA and these rows are NOT Economy Plus. And on top of it all, I have someone annoying next to me. Oh the joys of steerage.

This is going to be a long flight.