Forgotten Conversation - Hong Kong
When you are travelling alone there are some incidents you relegate to back of your mind because it is too embarrassing to recount or you just don't pay too much attention to them in the bigger scheme of things. I had one of those in Hong Kong that I didn't write about originally in Oct'09.
One my second or third day in Hong Kong - I can't remember which, I was feeling pretty disconnected from everything because it was hard striking up conversations with people {without knowing the local language} and I was pretty much roaming everywhere on my own checking out places. At the ferry terminal I was the only Indian in the crowd and it definitely attracted some stares from curious eyes. I boarded the ferry to Lamma Island and as soon as I settled into my seat I saw another Indian walk in. Since I was so disconnected - my first thought was 'Please don't sit next to me', as I didn't want to engage in a conversation. I held my breath as he looked at me and then walked past. As soon as I relaxed, I heard a thick south indian accent from the seat behind me asking me if I was an Indian.
I grimaced and started conversing with the guy. It was hard work trying to follow what he was saying in his very thick accent and I would ask him to repeat what he said again, to figure it out. He mistook that for me not being able to hear properly and raised his voice a few decibels to the point pretty much everyone on the lower deck of the ferry could hear what he was saying. The conversation was civil to start off with and we exchanged information about where we were from and as to how we ended up in this moment in time. It was hard work talking to him as I had to crane my neck around to be able to speak to him through the gap between the seats. I told myself not to be a wuss and bear the pain since I was finally having a proper conversation with someone.
The guy said he used to teach yoga for corporates in HK. He was contracted to an american company and was earning US$5000 a month before they decided to cut down on benefits to the staff and let go of his services. Since he couldn't afford to live in HK without earning a living - he decided to shift base to Lamma Island where he could live a rural lifestyle and focus on learning new skills like massage. He was wondering out loud if it would be better to return to India since it was a cheaper place. I was curious and asked him what kind of massage and the conversation was all downhill from there.
He said he had started practicing tantra massage and body massage. I was thinking 'Oh dear, here we go.' And soon enough he was boasting about his exploits with women of different nationalities. I sunk a few head lengths in my seat as I realized that his booming voice was being heard by everyone on the lower deck and suddenly I was giving everyone the pleasure of stereotyping all Indians {including me} as sleazy, sex-crazed maniacs. The guy was oblivious to all social norms I suppose because he carried on talking in booming voice. Noticing that I was silent for a while and no conversation was happening between the gap between the seats he tried to judge if I was listening or not by saying 'You are from New Zealand yeah? I've seen kiwi chicks. They are chubby. You know too fat.' I turned around and through the gap in the seat I replied back with a hint of disgust and anger 'Oh yeah. They are like that but nothing you can do about it right?'.
I turned back to the book I had in my hand and pretended that I was reading it. That was pretty much the end of that conversation and the guy didn't speak any further. When the ferry neared Lamma Island he tried to strike up conversation by pointing to me where his village was but I didn't really encourage him. As the ferry docked I let most of the people disembark - including that guy, before getting down from the ferry. And that was the last I saw of him. Thankfully.
Labels: Hong Kong, Travel
Lamma Island and Shopping in Hong Kong
After the lunch I caught the ferry to Lamma Island and had a 10 minute snooze on the 25 minute ferry ride there. I was kind of looking forward to it because there wasn't supposed to be much devlopment on that island and the seafood is supposed to be amazing. 15 minutes into my time on the island I was pretty disappointed because there was lots of construction happening and it didn't have the village feel to it {maybe in comparision to HK - yes but not otherwise} plus I didn't feel like having seafood, so I decided to catch the next available ferry back to HK.
The trip back was definitely the highlight of the visit to Lamma Island as I got talking to the guy sitting next to me and he turned out to an owner of a vegetarian restaurant on Lamma Island, called Bookworm. The 30 minute ferry ride went by in a flash as Ken and me were talking about various aspects of HK and NZ society and comparing notes. And it was also the first time on the trip that I found someone I could have a conversation with {besides the guest house owner}. I am figuring that it was because Ken was more laid back than your average Hong kong'er that he was actually interested in knowing more about the people and world around him. Plus he could speak english - which was a big bonus I suppose, since I couldn't speak Cantonese :-). After the ferry ride back - the next stop was a visit to Mong Kok to buy myself a cellphone and instead of walking or bus'ing I decided to take the MTR since that was the only mode of public transport in NZ that I hadn't yet tried. I have to say MTR is my least favorite mode of transportation in HK. It is quick and relatively cheap like rest of the public transportation in HK but it is also crowded and just a big mass of humanity which just crushes you senseless.
Mong Kok was amazing - it is probably what you envision when you say the words Hong Kong - neon lights, crumbling skyscrappers, heaps of shops, crowds. I got some amused looks from fellow shoppers whenever I would go into a shop and ask the sales people what the cheapest cellphone they had was. Here was everyone buying the latest, flashiest, feature packed cellphones and I was going the exact opposite route. After running through most of the shops on the street I settled on buying a very basic Nokia model from Mongkok Computer Centre and I got a good deal. Listed price was HK$499 but I got it for HK$368 and the sales guy threw in a battery charger, an extra battery, screen protector, a running arm band in for free - to seal the deal. And that completed my shopping experience in Hong Kong. I returned the octopus card off at the subway and got the remaining amount refunded.
Since I found one of the eating joints I was looking for - I went back to Central and had Korean Fried Chicken at Chillout Bar on Staunton Street. It was really nice and nothing like i've tasted before. SOHO, Hollywood Road, Wellington Road and the area around there towards the mid-level escalators is filled with pubs and restuarants of different kinds and from what I observed it was mainly tourists and expatriates who were eating/drinking there. I didn't really stop to check out any other places as it was late and I wanted a decent sleep before my flight to Mumbai this afternoon.
One of the only things remaining to do on my 'to do' list was getting a foot massage. On the recommendation of Raymond I went to one of the many foot massage places around and it was great. I took a 25 minute foot massage after much arguing with the lady over the counter who was trying to push a 55 minute massage session onto me. The massage itself was painful in parts because my legs were feeling tired from walking around so much over the past 3 days but the results were amazing - after 25 minutes I felt like I was walking on air. Feeling battered but refreshed after the massage I promptly went to bed with the aim of waking up around 8 AM in order to get ready and catch the cityflyer back to the airport.
NEXT UP - FAREWELL HONG KONG, HELLO MUMBAILabels: Hong Kong, Travel
Hong Kong - Part Deux
Lady walking to work
Trapped
Early morning on Canton Road
Purple and White
Nature v/s Man - Man 1 Nature 0
Upmarket shoppingAfter disembarking and going through the immigration process again - I walked back towards the Star Ferry terminal to catch a ride back to Kowloon side, so I could leave my day pack behind and travel light. Hong Kong Island has this amazing network of walkways in Central district which runs through most of the buildings, shopping complexes and offices, so you don't really have to get down onto the ground level if you don't intend to. It makes getting from one place to another while walking a breeze. On my walk to the Star Ferry terminal I was confused as half the walkway was filled by groups of women sitting around- chatting, playing cards, gossiping etc. and it was a bizarre sight. My first thought was that maybe they are using it as a way for social activities and didn't think much more of it and kept walking to the Ferry terminal.
At the guesthouse I got talking to Raymond and was telling him about my experience in Macau and casually asked him why there were so many people in HK who were shopping and he mentioned that it was a 1 week holiday in mainland China asthey were celebrating 6th anniversary of communist China, which is why there were heaps of tourists from mainland visiting HK - primarily for shopping as goods were cheaper for them by 30-35% in HK {especially the luxury items}. That kind of explained why I saw so many chinese with tourist maps as well.
People hanging out under the bridge
Queue in front of a luxury store
After the brief chat I headed off back to Central district to see if I could catch a tram to see more of Hong Kong. Trams run on Hong Kong Island along with normal buses, MTR and cars and it is probably the cheapest mode of transportation there. A one way ride costs HK$2 flat for anywhere on the route and it is an awesome way to see the city because they run at a relaxed pace which means you can see more of the city - especially if you are sitting on the top deck. I caught a tram from Central to North Point and back and it was a great ride, seeing the city alive, going about it's business.
By the time I came back to Kowloon side it was pretty late and I decided to try and search out some Sichuan restaurant {since there are various kinds of cuisine available within Hong Kong}. After a good walk around and exploring the area I found a restaurant {can't remember the name} that specialized in Sichuan cuisine and I tentatively walked upto the 2nd floor and it opened out into being a proper restaurant. All the people in the restaurant were in groups and eating is definitely a social thing in Hong Kong/China I suppose, so it was a weird feeling having people stare at me because I was sitting alone and having food on my own. The food was amazing and I was so engrossed in it, so I didn't mind the stares. I settled the bill and went back to the guest house to call it a night. I had a huge day planned ahead of me the next day and I decided to be extra precautious and wanted to set an alarm,so I switched on my cellphone and I was pretty taken aback when it wouldn't switch on properly. I don't know if it was the long haul flight or if it was something else but it wasn't working and I was kind of annoyed but at the same time kind of thankful because I was in HK and I could buy a cheap cellphone - atleast that was the plan. Since there was no other option I decided to trust my body clock and went to bed, making a mental note about the change in my planned itinerary.
I woke up pretty at 6.00 AM on my own, got ready and hoped for a better day. Being Monday - I knew there wouldn't be as much crowd and I was feeling quietly optimistic. First thing I did was try out congee at a local fast food chain called Cafe de Coral. It was filling and made me feel ready for the big day. I caught the ferry to Central and then used the walkways to get to Peak Tram station without getting down onto the roads {and my directional senses and navigational skills seemed to be back to normal}.On the way to Peak Tram station, a couple of roads were blocked off by women sitting around and doing the same things I observed the day before. They were doing some kind of strike/protest against something because I came across a couple of rally speeches. That kind of satisified my curiosity as to why all these women were just hanging out on the streets. I didn't enquire what the protests were about or anything since it wasn't my time or place and kept walking to the tram station.
The peak tram took all of 15 minutes this time around and since it was still pretty early in the day and the visitor information centre at the peak wasn't open I decided to just take a moment to enjoy the stillness over a cup of hot chocolate at Pacific Coffee Company. The hot chocolate was amazing and it gave me time to flesh out what I wanted to do. Once the information centre opened I queried them about trekking from the peak to Aberdeen and also about a visit to Lamma island and about best place to buy a cheap cellphone. The hike to Aberdeen would've taken about 2.5 hours and I quickly decided against going to Aberdeen. Instead I took a walk around the trail around the peak. You just get onto Luggard Road and pretty much keep walking and you'll end up where you started in about 45 minutes time. I would highly recommend doing this walk because you get some mazing views of Hong Kong, some of which just take your breath away.
After the walk, I caught the tram back down and figured I would miss the next ferry to Lamma Island as I wouldn't be able to get to the ferry terminal on time. The decision was then to check out mid-level escalators which take you up to the mid levels of the district. That again proved to be a good decision as I soon found a couple of roads that I was looking for. The use of escalators is free and is a good way to see the usual way of life in HK. I then walked down and checked out a couple of eating joints that I was looking for on different roads around there. And since I was in the area I also decided to check out Man Mo Temple to kind of provide a balance to all the churches I had visited the day before.
The Man Mo temple was being renovated/repaired but it still had amazing atmosphere. There is lots and lots of incense smoke and burning candles and incense and nothing more - which was refreshing to see.
After the temple I was walking back to the Ferry terminal when I found Mak's Noodles {77, Wellington Street, Central} - a highly recommended place if you are looking for traditional Hong Kong style wonton soup noodles and I have to say it didn't disappoint. It was an awesome lunch and the taste kept lingering in my mouth for atleast another hour after I had finished lunch and the best part was that it was reasonably priced too.
Labels: Hong Kong, Travel
