For the past 6 days we’ve been entertaining Ev in HK. For the first day we figured he’d be tired so we stayed local and I drove him (in my brothers family car!) to Tai O on the other side of Lantau Island from us, to see the dolphins and the stilted village - yes it was only the 3rd time we’d been there and worryingly it probably won’t be the last…. the only thing that changes is the mood of the dolphins, this week they must have had a quiet Friday night in and all the fish they could eat, as they were in an exceedingly good mood – dancing around on the waves and doing back flips! Too quick for the digital camera and I have 21 pictures of splashes in the water..
Ev, Stef and giant Budha on the hill
Tai O boat to the dolphins
After the Dolphins we had lunch at the Thai restaurant on Cheung Sha beach - 24c brilliant sunshine - nice and relaxing…(apart from the 20 x aussie’s in the next restaurant having a sing song/swing-a-long-on-the-rafters-athon..).
Sunday we decided to liven things up a bit and got the boat into HK. We went to see the History of Travel in Canton exhibition in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), Kowloon side, then for some lunch at the newly opened Stable Grill at 1881 Heritage (see Oct blog).
No pictures in the museum please!
We also visited our tailor Phirrip (as we/he calls himself..) nice guy and over the past 3 years has tailored many a good suit and shirt for us. He told us that the building he was in (ground floor of the 8ish story New World Centre in TST next to the Intercontinental Hotel) would be demolished next year and replaced by a 64 story shopping centre/office block – sure it's prime real estate on the water front over looking the ‘Avenue of Stars’ – but not sure we need that kind of progress? Kowloon used to have a height build restriction many years ago due to the incoming planes landing at Kai Tak airport- but that’s all changed now. Phirrip advised that he would have to find new premises himself and that the developers didn’t provide for the current inhabitants, he’d been there since 1963.
Stef, Ev and Phirrip
Will you all just cheer up a bit - you do it like this!
We took the boat back to Mui Wo and waited excitedly until midnight for the Arsenal vs. Chelsea – 2 hours later we drove home…nothing more to say!
On Monday after lunch on the quayside at the China Bear in Mui Wo we got the boat into Central and Star Ferry over to TST. Ev checked into our favourite hotel The Intercontinental for 3 nights – which we used as our base for the following 3 days. He was upgraded to a suite with spectacular views.
View from the shower over TST, Kowloon, Space Museum and Peninsula Hotel
..and to the left a bit..
We spent the afternoon by the pool and in the 20c, 36c and 40c Jacuzzis overlooking the South China Sea with a G&T – no more than we deserved ;o)
In the evening we had dinner in Indochine 1929 (excellent Vietnamese restaurant) in Lan Kwai Fong and a few beers in the Balalaika bar.
Tuesday we visited the Aviary in Hong Kong Park, followed by the tram up to Victoria Peak for spectacular views over HK and some lunch outside at The Peak restaurant. Then a taxi down to Soho and a walk up the elevators on ‘the Stairway to Heaven’ in mid-levels. We met up with our mate Andrew to have dinner at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (the only institution left in HK that has kept the ‘Royal’ title since the handover to China in 1997) Followed by some beers in Wan Chai – this is the life!
A Lorikeet in Hong Kong Park
Spot the bird in HK Park Aviary (clue: she's on the bridge with her boyfriend)
The Peak Tram
Hazy Hong Kong
A cone marks a tree - a bit like Arsenal at the moment..
Soho - that car's going nowhere!
Finally on Wednesday after lunch (more food - what else?) at ‘BLT steak’ in the Ocean Centre, TST we got a Star Ferry to Wan Chai (Hong Kong side) and a tram up to North Point (maybe somewhere to live in the future?). Then the MTR (Mass Transit Railway – underground to you) to Mong Kok and some cost effective Christmas shopping in the markets there. It was then that we realised that we hadn’t eaten for at least 5 hours and needed one last restaurant to finish off Ev’s trip! So after a wash and brush up at The Intercontinental we had some good traditional English fare at ‘The Gaylord Indian Restaurant’ – great food, service and live band!
If Barbie lived in Wanchai
North Point, Tram destination
Last night in the Indian
Oh forgot to mention that it’s ‘The East Asia Games’ in Hong Kong (held every 4 years since 1993 being in Shanghai, 1997 in Busan, South Korea, 2001 in Osaka, Japan, 2005 in Macau, China) starting this week and the opening ceremony tomorrow night (Saturday 5th December).
The rehearsals for tomorrows opening ceremony in Victoria Harbour have been taking place all week and it’s going to be impressive! Here are some photos to finish up on…
Victoria Harbour lights up!
View from Intercontinental Hotel
Award winning picture taken on the hoof to Star Ferry
Award winning picture taken at the Star ferry
East Asia Games will have a spectacular ceremony tomorrow night!
I'm speechless!
I'm speechless!
etc, etc...!
Tomorrow lunch time (meals - the new unit of Gary Blog time*) we fly to Kuala Lumpur for 4 and a bit days and that will be the next blog subject. Weather forecast 30c and thunderstorms - now where have we heard that before ??
* Believe it or not I have lost weight – just don’t have a watch..
No comments:
Post a Comment