22/09/09
So here it is, our last day in Hong Kong. So let’s make the most of it. I’ve noticed that these posts are pretty lengthy so from now on I’ll try and keep them compact.
We hitched an MTR uptown and took a stroll around the sights and sounds there are to bear around Price Edward station.
A beautiful bird market, flower markets, Goldfish and the pet markets (that were home to the coolest looking terrapins and the cuddliest puppies you’ve ever seen).
One thing that stood out immensely today was in the Ladies’ market, where for the first instance in Hong Kong I heard someone raise their voice in anger. Two stall owners were naffed off at each other, I presume for poaching each others business and weren’t shy about letting the other know how they felt.
It was odd to see, because 99.999999999% of everyone here just gets along. As I said, never a cross word or a raised voice.
We did a bit more wandering and took refuge in some small mall for a breather from the heat. Indulged in some really awful cheesecake, which turns out was 0% sugar 0% eggs 0% anything. It really made the mooncakes we were refused seem a lot more appealing. NB. If you haven’t ever heard of mooncakes, I suggest you get it googled right now.
Then, bizarrely, we hit the Hong Kong science museum, which was lots of fun as it turns out. Most of the basic science is nothing breath-taking, but it’s a very hands on sort of place and you cant walk 10 feet without finding something to play with or press or something.
There was also some sort of kinetic energy machine, powered as far as I can tell, by volleyballs which throw themselves around this huge contraption and make different musical notes and so on.
Moving swiftly on to the evening time, we packed, got ourselves organised for the early, early start and with it being our last night in Hong Kong, we naturally opted for an Italian restaurant……………go figure.
Turns out there’s a reason good Italian food stays mostly in Europe as the place wasn’t too great, but it was decked out in the typical Italian restaurant garb that seems to have eluded most modern Italian restaurants these days.
A bottle of wine to toast to Hong Kong, bed, bath and sleep. Tomorrow is a long one….
23/09/09
So today is travel day. Leaving the big smoke of Hong Kong for the more southerly Singapore. Just off the equator this place is bound to be hot.
It’s an early start but we catch a bus to the station, jump on a train and all seems to be going reasonably well until Daddy dearest realises he’s left his Passport in the hotel room. Brilliant.
He legs it off the train to go back for it, leaving yours truly with both cases, no money and no idea what to do should he not make it back in time for the flight.
Mild cardiac arrest sets in. After a very tense 45-mins to an hour of me looking a bit shifty on the platform at the airport he arrives, passport in hand. I can finally exhale.
The flight it is fine, and it’s a nice enough day for it so the descent into Singapore looks rather spectacular. Blue, green and not too built up it’s a refreshing change from Hong Kong.
We arrive at our apartment, which is a veritable palace a stones throw from the main drag in Singapore. Good work Daddy-O. Naturally the first thing that hits you is the air-conditioning, but it’s a really nice place. I think we’ll do quite nicely here.
My dad knows this place reasonably well and wants to show me the hotel up the road so we go in and sit in the lobby for a drink. It’s a rather swanky hotel, and despite the suspect rendition of ‘You are the sunshine of my life’ from the dark piano-clad corner, I can tell it’s a much more laid back sort of place already.
Searching out the nearest eatery that takes our fancy we stuff our faces with Prime Rib and proceed to waddle down Orchard Rd. To get a picture of Orchard Rd, simply envisage all the shops you cant afford to buy things in, lined up one by one on both sides of a street and you’re about 80% there.
Again very chilled out but so, so HOT that you wonder how people aren’t stir crazy in the heat. Then you realise that they’re probably too hot to be bothered with fighting or anything of the sort.
A casual retreat back to the apartment and the refuge of air-con and im pretty sure I dreamed of meat, mainly due to the fact that my entire body was jam packed with it.
Tell Singapore we have arrived!
NJH
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