This is Kowloon City, near the site of the old Kai Tak Airport.
It’s not accessible directly from the MTR so you either need a good map or some local friends to take you around. Big difference from Central, eh?
Where’s Batman?
They look like they need the Caped Crusader really bad! I mean, that’s a big lightshow with a LOT of spotlights…
heh.
More touristy things
Here’s some snaps I took this morning from the 42nd floor of that feng-shui challenged masterpiece, I.M. Pei’s Bank of China building.
This is the Bank of China building in case you don’t know how it looks like. Rather iconic, eh?
This is the base of it with one of the historic buildings in HK Park for scale. The BOC is actually across the street. It’s pretty big, eh?
Now, here’s the snaps. This is the International Financial Center 2, the third tallest building in Asia. It’s really tall and it looks like it will shift the skyline further west then it is now. Here’s how it looks from the ground.
And from the Harbour via the Star Ferry:
That’s one big building folks.
You also get to see the other side of the former Governor’s Compound. This time you can see the front.
Until all the big buildings and landfill happened, the Governor’s Compound loomed over all of HK side.
This is the former War Memorial. During British administrations, the Union Jack flew from the harbour side and the standards of the three services, the Royal Navy, British Army and RAF flew from the island facing side. Knowing the power of symbols, the ChiComs immediately fenced it off when they took over in 1997, being unable to simply bulldozer it because people would remember that there was once something there and it’s harder to rewrite history in a (for the moment) free society.
Puttering in the Park
And…since I was up ANYWAY, I decided to putter about.
The Hong Kong Park is on a hill between the Mid-Levels and the ground. It’s pretty nice and it’s compact and right next to the British Embassy. An oasis from the urbanism that is Hong Kong.
There’s a walk-in fountain that looks like you’re under a big umbrella in a very large rainstorm.
There are statues and memorials to various people and causes, as expected.
There’s even this testimony to the fact that there are apparently a lot of Americans here too.
You have to be going UP the stairs to see this. Duh!
Too Early
When you go on vacation, it’s an opportunity to do different things that you wouldn’t do at home.
One of those things for me is to wake up early. I woke up at 0630 after a deep sleep. Couldn’t sleep any more.
Since today is the 11th, there’s a morning flag raising ceremony in Wan Chai.
This is one of the things that I’ve never seen (the other is the firing of the Noonday Gun) here in HK. From what I’ve been told about the ceremony, it’s still in the British style. Lots of foot stamping and shouted commands in english.
This compares to the daily ceremony in Tienanmen Square where you’ve got 32 goose-stepping PLA soldiers goose-stepping across Chang’an Lu.
And if there was any doubt of the traditional aspects of the HK ceremony, these guys played at the end. You could hear them three blocks away!
I shot some video with my Ixus but you’ll have to wait until I get back to see it. iPhoto only downloads photos. Now I need to get some breakfast.
Zoom
Landed at HKG this evening; long long flight with awful food and indifferent service.
Had bulkhead seat on border with Business Class. Everyone there had their laptops out and plugged in so they could escape the Hollyweird rejects that passes for inflight movies.
Except for Master and Commander which looked pretty good. Now that it’s up for an Oscar, it’s in the theatres again so I can see it on the big screen.
Customs was a breeze but this was the first thing that you see coming outta there. It’s a bit disturbing.
Took the Airport Express, 23 minutes to Central and then a free shuttle bus to my guesthouse. Nice. BART has nothing on this way to the airport. Neither does Tokyo, BTW.
Even got to grab some dinner (wonton place across the street from Times Square, my PM arrival place). Don’t ask me the name, I don’t know it. Just know where it is.
See, there’s a ritual I’ve got. If I arrive in time for lunch, I have wonton at Tsim Chai Kee in Central. I arrive after dark, I go to this “across the street from Times Square” joint. It revolves around food, yay!
Even dragged my friend out to Lan Kwai Fong for a pint. But that’s it. Too tired to go on. Back at guesthouse to sleep…
Something you’ll never see in the US
HKG is a big big airport.
They have to use people movers to get people from the gate to the terminal.
When you come down the escalator, you may see or hear the train leave. Being from San Francisco, my first instinct is to run like hell down the escalator and try to jam the doors. This is behaviour that has been ingrained due to years of a MUNI victim, never knowing if or when the next bus/train will come.
Then you look up and see this:
And sure enough, it does! Never see that in the US.
Mystery food
Well, the cuts in airline food budgets have even hit the international flights, at least in steerage.
This carb-laden plate passed as “dinner”. Another passed as “breakfast”. It looked exactly the same as this except for different meat. The snack box inbetween meals consisted of a small instant noodle cup, an apple and a cookie.
I shoulda brought some Shin Ramyun like I did the last time I flew UA to HKG…along with some Diet Coke.
TSA Fun
Any doubt that the TSA is just another government bureaucracy?
I’m at the front of the line with about 150 people behind me. There are two open checkpoints.
Stop, make that one open checkpoint. Despite the frumpy hordes behind me in line, they close the checkpoint anyway.
It’s just like the customer service “commitment” that the post office or the DMV has.
Meaning none.
Next up: a 14 hour flight on a packed 747-400 to HKG…
When the Going Gets Tough…
the tough go to Asia!
I’m back in HK and Tokyo for the next 12 days.
Hopefully will scout around the expat job market, eat some good food, take in some scenery and relax. Because it gets busy after I get back.
The flight over will be difficult…I’m on UA and have a bulkhead seat. In steerage! Bleagh!