It has been a transformational two weeks, since I last posted about the reno. In that time, we have gained a functioning kitchen. It's so amazing!
On March 9th, our Hanstone quartz countertops were installed. The colour is a grey-green called "Juniper Green" (and incidentally, that shade is being discontinued - apparently I got one of only three slabs of the stuff remaining in Canada!). Once the counters were in, everything else fell into place very quickly. The following day, I got home to find that the plumbers had hooked up the sink and dishwasher, and installed the taps. The electricians had also done their thing, wiring in the dishwasher and cooktop, and installing the undercabinet lighting and all the dimmers and switches.
Later that week, the cabinetmakers returned to do some adjustments and attend to a few small details. From that point, I was free to start filling up my new cupboards. I spent a day cleaning them out, then unpacked all my dishes, cookware and food - bringing the essentials up from my 'camp kitchen' in the basement, and getting everything else out of storage. So I've mostly spent the last week trying to get things in that area organised. I've been cooking in the kitchen for about a week now, too - and it's fantastic. Yesterday, for instance, I made a pie - and compared with my old kitchen, the experience was like night and day. Great to have so much space to spread out, and not have to deal with a horrible tile countertop (with bits of food getting stuck in the grout - yecchh).
This past Friday, the flooring guys came back to give the floors in the kitchen and hallway a final buff and polish - they look beautiful. And now, I would say we are about 85% finished. The only jobs remaining for which we need to bring in professionals will be the installation of heating, and the tile backsplash. The tiling will probably not happen for another month or two, but the delay is my fault since last month I changed my mind about what kind of tile I wanted. Still, the lack of a backsplash isn't preventing me from using the kitchen now, so I can live with a short delay.
There's all kinds of cosmetic work remaining to be done, of course. We're still waiting for some of our cabinet hardware to be delivered from Toronto. And we have to sand, refinish and install door and window frames, put up a new dining room light fixture, and repaint both the kitchen and dining rooms in one colour (the pale green I initially chose for the kitchen is just not working, I've decided). But those are jobs we can do ourselves, in our own time.
So since I now have a working kitchen, this will be my last regular Reno Diary post. I'll do ad hoc updates from now on, as and when we finish other bits of work. But in the meantime, I've posted new pics taken today to the photo diary. It's been an interesting couple of months, but I'd say things have gone quite well, all things considered. The results so far are a vast improvement, and well worth all the effort!
18 March 2009
Asia Trip Photos and Videos
I've now posted an album of photos from my trip to Vietnam and China over here, on Flickr. I also made a couple of short videos that are now up on my YouTube page. They include riding the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, at night, and turtles for sale in the Goldfish Market.
08 March 2009
Kitchen Reno Update - Week Nine
Despite my absence these last two weeks, some work has continued on the kitchen - the photo diary has been updated accordingly. The window guys came back to finish their job, installing frames and sills inside and repairing the frames and siding outside. The electrician also returned, and installed all the potlights. We now have working lights in the kitchen, for the first time since mid-January. He also installed the new double oven (yay!) and started putting in the two ceiling pendant lights.
This coming week is going to be pivotal. Crucially, our quartz countertops are being installed tomorrow (it took three weeks to fabricate them). Once the counters are in, the last of the work can proceed. I hope we'll have the plumber in on Tuesday, to install and connect the sink, tap and dishwasher. Then the electricians can return to finish their work, wiring in the dishwasher and cooktop and finishing the pendants and undercabinet lighting.
With a little luck, by next weekend I may have a functioning kitchen that I can move back into, and in which I can start cooking!
This coming week is going to be pivotal. Crucially, our quartz countertops are being installed tomorrow (it took three weeks to fabricate them). Once the counters are in, the last of the work can proceed. I hope we'll have the plumber in on Tuesday, to install and connect the sink, tap and dishwasher. Then the electricians can return to finish their work, wiring in the dishwasher and cooktop and finishing the pendants and undercabinet lighting.
With a little luck, by next weekend I may have a functioning kitchen that I can move back into, and in which I can start cooking!
04 March 2009
Going Home
I'm in Hong Kong Airport, waiting for boarding to begin for my Air Canada flight back to Toronto. This has been a really great trip - definitely my best Asia trip so far, which is fitting since for all I know, it may also be my last!
I really enjoyed other trips here, but the foreignness of the places I visited really struck me, and I found myself quite happy to return home and to a degree of familiarity. That was much less the case, on this trip. For instance, over the past couple weeks I've really taken to the food here, and as time passed I haven't developed such strong cravings for Western food. That said, I still treated myself to the huuuuuge buffet breakfast at the Y this morning, because it's so fantastic and I knew it would keep me satisfied until I get fed on the plane later this afternoon. But even then, I had an omelette and bacon and English muffins, but also Chinese pork dumplings and steamed buns. All were super-tasty.
Highlights of my visit were definitely Hoi An and Macau. I won't be forgetting those places anytime soon. But really, it was all good - and I've been incredibly lucky to have been able to spend so much time here. I'm aiming to spend at least one or two of the upcoming 16 hours on the plane sorting through my pics and videos, so I can get those posted as soon as I can.
I get back after midnight tonight (Wednesday, Halifax time), and needless to say am taking Thursday off work to rest and recover. Not quite sure why I thought going back to work on a Friday was a good idea, but there you are. ;-) I'll be on my own until the end of the weekend too, as A. is now down in Virginia with the army, on some sort of winter warrior exercise.
No rest for the wicked though - next week we'll be hard at it in the kitchen again, as the countertops are due to be installed! Back to my old life!
I really enjoyed other trips here, but the foreignness of the places I visited really struck me, and I found myself quite happy to return home and to a degree of familiarity. That was much less the case, on this trip. For instance, over the past couple weeks I've really taken to the food here, and as time passed I haven't developed such strong cravings for Western food. That said, I still treated myself to the huuuuuge buffet breakfast at the Y this morning, because it's so fantastic and I knew it would keep me satisfied until I get fed on the plane later this afternoon. But even then, I had an omelette and bacon and English muffins, but also Chinese pork dumplings and steamed buns. All were super-tasty.
Highlights of my visit were definitely Hoi An and Macau. I won't be forgetting those places anytime soon. But really, it was all good - and I've been incredibly lucky to have been able to spend so much time here. I'm aiming to spend at least one or two of the upcoming 16 hours on the plane sorting through my pics and videos, so I can get those posted as soon as I can.
I get back after midnight tonight (Wednesday, Halifax time), and needless to say am taking Thursday off work to rest and recover. Not quite sure why I thought going back to work on a Friday was a good idea, but there you are. ;-) I'll be on my own until the end of the weekend too, as A. is now down in Virginia with the army, on some sort of winter warrior exercise.
No rest for the wicked though - next week we'll be hard at it in the kitchen again, as the countertops are due to be installed! Back to my old life!
03 March 2009
To Macau
I'm so glad I decided to make the trip to Macau today - I had a great day, and enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
Macau is largely known for its casinos (it's the only place in China where gambling is legal - and business at the casinos has taken a huge hit since the world economy tanked). It's a pity, because there is so much more to the island than that. I enjoyed it mainly for its atmosphere, which is totally different to that of Hong Kong. While HK is young, brash, loud, edgy and very modern, the historic centre of Macau is more refined and very charming. The Portuguese settled there in the early 16th century and its glory days as a centre of pan-Asian trade came in the 17th century - as Portugal's imperial fortunes began to fade and Britain's began to rise.
I got the 9.30 am catamaran ferry from Kowloon to Macau, and by the time I crossed, got through immigration (you need a passport to travel between HK and Macau, strangely enough) and hopped a bus to the city centre, it was 11 am. Luckily, the historic areas are very easy to get around. When central Macau was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, a walking trail was established with a network of signposts around the town, so it's easy to find places of interest and not get lost.
My first stop was the fantastic Largo do Senado (Senate Square), the main city square which looks like it's been transplanted directly from a Mediterranean country. It's beautifully cobbled, has a central fountain, and is ringed with typical 18th-century Portuguese colonial buildings, built in baroque and neoclassical styles and painted in various pastel colours with wonderful stucco detailing. I went wild taking photos...then realised that my camera's battery was just about to die. Argh! (So unfortunately I haven't any pics of the rest of my day.)
Afterwards, I visited more landmarks, including the church of Sao Domingos, the ruins of the Sao Paulo church (of which only the facade remains, at the summit of a long flight of stone steps - very dramatic and the remains are well-preserved), and various other public buildings including a theatre, a seminary and a beautiful library housed in a colonial building with a modern extension made of glass. Not wanting to neglect Macau's Chinese heritage (the population of the island is 95% Chinese, after all), I also took a spin around the A-Ma Temple, the oldest religious site on the island (14th c.) and dedicated to a local goddess believed to protect seafarers.
At lunchtime, I stopped in a great little Portuguese bakery/cafe/resto tucked in behind the Sao Domingo church called Ou Mun Cafe. Earlier in the day, I noted that there seemed to be very few Europeans around - but obviously this was because they were all at Ou Mun. The resto was pretty packed and from the hum of conversation around me, the clientele were largely chic Portuguese expats. At least that boded well for my lunch - I had the set menu of spinach soup, followed by stewed lamb with potatoes and salad, and for dessert the famous local specialty of egg-custard tarts (I scoffed several throughout the day, in fact, cos they were just so damn tasty).
After lunch, I decided to take in the Museu de Macau, which opened just a few years ago and is really excellent. I spent so much time there, in fact, that I ended up having to rush back in a taxi to the marine terminal, in order to catch the 5.30 boat back. But it was a wonderful day. It's interesting how evocative old Macau is of southern Europe. I've never been to Portugal, but I've been to Italy several times, and it reminded me of towns I've visited there, with its little winding streets, hidden squares, and wedding-cake architecture. Such a fun and refreshing contrast to Hong Kong!
Speaking of which, this is my last night in the city....
Macau is largely known for its casinos (it's the only place in China where gambling is legal - and business at the casinos has taken a huge hit since the world economy tanked). It's a pity, because there is so much more to the island than that. I enjoyed it mainly for its atmosphere, which is totally different to that of Hong Kong. While HK is young, brash, loud, edgy and very modern, the historic centre of Macau is more refined and very charming. The Portuguese settled there in the early 16th century and its glory days as a centre of pan-Asian trade came in the 17th century - as Portugal's imperial fortunes began to fade and Britain's began to rise.
I got the 9.30 am catamaran ferry from Kowloon to Macau, and by the time I crossed, got through immigration (you need a passport to travel between HK and Macau, strangely enough) and hopped a bus to the city centre, it was 11 am. Luckily, the historic areas are very easy to get around. When central Macau was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, a walking trail was established with a network of signposts around the town, so it's easy to find places of interest and not get lost.
My first stop was the fantastic Largo do Senado (Senate Square), the main city square which looks like it's been transplanted directly from a Mediterranean country. It's beautifully cobbled, has a central fountain, and is ringed with typical 18th-century Portuguese colonial buildings, built in baroque and neoclassical styles and painted in various pastel colours with wonderful stucco detailing. I went wild taking photos...then realised that my camera's battery was just about to die. Argh! (So unfortunately I haven't any pics of the rest of my day.)
Afterwards, I visited more landmarks, including the church of Sao Domingos, the ruins of the Sao Paulo church (of which only the facade remains, at the summit of a long flight of stone steps - very dramatic and the remains are well-preserved), and various other public buildings including a theatre, a seminary and a beautiful library housed in a colonial building with a modern extension made of glass. Not wanting to neglect Macau's Chinese heritage (the population of the island is 95% Chinese, after all), I also took a spin around the A-Ma Temple, the oldest religious site on the island (14th c.) and dedicated to a local goddess believed to protect seafarers.
At lunchtime, I stopped in a great little Portuguese bakery/cafe/resto tucked in behind the Sao Domingo church called Ou Mun Cafe. Earlier in the day, I noted that there seemed to be very few Europeans around - but obviously this was because they were all at Ou Mun. The resto was pretty packed and from the hum of conversation around me, the clientele were largely chic Portuguese expats. At least that boded well for my lunch - I had the set menu of spinach soup, followed by stewed lamb with potatoes and salad, and for dessert the famous local specialty of egg-custard tarts (I scoffed several throughout the day, in fact, cos they were just so damn tasty).
After lunch, I decided to take in the Museu de Macau, which opened just a few years ago and is really excellent. I spent so much time there, in fact, that I ended up having to rush back in a taxi to the marine terminal, in order to catch the 5.30 boat back. But it was a wonderful day. It's interesting how evocative old Macau is of southern Europe. I've never been to Portugal, but I've been to Italy several times, and it reminded me of towns I've visited there, with its little winding streets, hidden squares, and wedding-cake architecture. Such a fun and refreshing contrast to Hong Kong!
Speaking of which, this is my last night in the city....
02 March 2009
Goldfish and Turtles and Tea at the Pen
This morning, I waited until 9am to venture outside, once rush hour was over. After a quick Western breakfast (hooray for Delifrance!), I jumped on the MTR (subway) to Prince Edward station, in the north of Kowloon. I spent much of the morning wandering the streets there (Fa Yuen and Tung Choi mostly), checking out the stalls of the Ladies' Market. But other than a few doodads and a handbag, I didn't buy much. Compared to what I saw in Hoi An, the clothes seemed a bit ordinary, not to mention expensive (and the lack of fitting rooms was a problem too!).
Much more rewarding was my stroll through the Goldfish Market, where I took loads of snaps and made a few videos too. It's not strictly a market, but rather a street lined with shops selling all manner of critters. True to its name, most were aquaria selling many varieties of fish, and quite a few turtles of every shape and size. There were also other amphibians, including frogs and salamanders, and even a few shops selling puppies and small furries (rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and hamsters). There were two specialist rabbit shops on the street, only one of which was open - but it had the sweetest and friendliest little lop-eared bun who came hopping over when I approached its cage and sat up to be petted (a bit like my Timmy at home, in that respect!). Only after I'd been stroking it for a few minutes did I see the sign on its cage saying "please do not touch" in Cantonese and English. Oops.
Despite all this, I found the market a little bit troubling given the conditions I witnessed. Most shops had what looked to be pretty clean tanks for the fish and turtles, but some did not (and the fish didn't look too good). Plus, in all cases, the tanks were hugely overstocked (as the photos I took will show - I'll be posting those in due course). Surely packing fish into tanks and displaying them in little plastic bags for hours, days (or maybe even weeks?) on end can't be very healthy?
I got back to the Y around lunchtime, and then around 1.30 I headed next door to try to have tea at the Peninsula Hotel - an archetypal and very traditional Honkers experience, according to my mother-in-law. As I mentioned previously, I've read that afternoon tea at the Pen can be a bit sketchy these days, with hordes of tourists in ball caps and shorts pouring in off the cruise ships (and indeed, my friend PD told me that during her stay there a number of years ago, people began queuing at noontime for tables). I was prepared to wait up to a half-hour or so, given that they begin serving tea at 2pm. But to my surprise, when I arrived the lobby was largely empty and I was shown to a table and seated immediately.
The tea on offer was only partially traditional. The full monty consisted of: "Finger sandwiches, savory flaky pastry [i.e. a very posh sausage roll], quiche, mini French pastry, fruit tart, traditional [lemon] tea cake, Vahlrona ganache chocolate tartlet, premium Peninsula truffles, light tiramisu with green tea and crunchy hazelnut macaroon, fresh-baked raisin scones, Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry preserve, and choice of tea [I plumped for the Peninsula Afternoon blend]." And the price? Afternoon tea at a good hotel is never cheap, of course. At the Pen it's HK$268 for one person, or HK$398 for two, plus 10% service charge. So for me, the damage was almost $50 - certainly hair-raising, but not as expensive as tea at the Ritz in London, for instance.
Despite the unorthodox elements (quiche? tiramisu?!) the food was mostly quite good - particularly the sandwiches and both the sweet and savoury pastries (people here are very big on their sweeties - there seems to be a patisserie on every street corner). But the scones were lacking - they seemed a bit heavy and somehow not very fresh - which I reckon is a problem, as they are one of the centrepieces of the whole meal. However, they did at least serve as a vehicle for the clotted cream, which I haven't had for a number of years and which was good.
Of greater concern, however, was the standard of service. It was nowhere near as attentive as it ought to have been. Partway through my meal, I began to wonder if - as a single diner - I was somehow invisible to the wait staff. It wasn't until the end of my meal, nearly two hours after I first sat down, that anyone asked me if everything was satisfactory. Earlier, I had to ask for more hot water as none had been forthcoming, and it took a good ten minutes to get the attention of a waiter. And when I got the bill and handed over my credit card, I sat reading my newspaper and waiting for over twenty minutes, with no card slip in sight - I had to flag down another waiter and ask for my card back!
So while I generally enjoyed the experience, it was a bit peculiar, and not quite what I was expecting. When one is in the swankiest hotel in town, and paying quite a lot of money to have afternoon tea, the food should be uniformly excellent and the service faultless, in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't rush to go back there, if I'm ever lucky enough to be in Hong Kong again.
The rest of my day has been spent just wandering the streets. I love walking around in this city, especially in the early evening - the lights and the crowds are a real buzz. And it seems like every few paces there's some wacky little shop, selling things you've never seen before. I spent about an hour in a large branch of the wonderful SaSa (a chain of cosmetics and skincare emporia) just staring at all the products on offer and picking up some more odds and ends for myself. I spent loads of time in drugstores on my last trip here, so you'd think there would be nothing left to see - but you'd be wrong!
Time now to head over the road to Starbucks and go online for a bit. Macau tomorrow - I hope that the forecasted risk of showers doesn't materialise!
Much more rewarding was my stroll through the Goldfish Market, where I took loads of snaps and made a few videos too. It's not strictly a market, but rather a street lined with shops selling all manner of critters. True to its name, most were aquaria selling many varieties of fish, and quite a few turtles of every shape and size. There were also other amphibians, including frogs and salamanders, and even a few shops selling puppies and small furries (rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas and hamsters). There were two specialist rabbit shops on the street, only one of which was open - but it had the sweetest and friendliest little lop-eared bun who came hopping over when I approached its cage and sat up to be petted (a bit like my Timmy at home, in that respect!). Only after I'd been stroking it for a few minutes did I see the sign on its cage saying "please do not touch" in Cantonese and English. Oops.
Despite all this, I found the market a little bit troubling given the conditions I witnessed. Most shops had what looked to be pretty clean tanks for the fish and turtles, but some did not (and the fish didn't look too good). Plus, in all cases, the tanks were hugely overstocked (as the photos I took will show - I'll be posting those in due course). Surely packing fish into tanks and displaying them in little plastic bags for hours, days (or maybe even weeks?) on end can't be very healthy?
I got back to the Y around lunchtime, and then around 1.30 I headed next door to try to have tea at the Peninsula Hotel - an archetypal and very traditional Honkers experience, according to my mother-in-law. As I mentioned previously, I've read that afternoon tea at the Pen can be a bit sketchy these days, with hordes of tourists in ball caps and shorts pouring in off the cruise ships (and indeed, my friend PD told me that during her stay there a number of years ago, people began queuing at noontime for tables). I was prepared to wait up to a half-hour or so, given that they begin serving tea at 2pm. But to my surprise, when I arrived the lobby was largely empty and I was shown to a table and seated immediately.
The tea on offer was only partially traditional. The full monty consisted of: "Finger sandwiches, savory flaky pastry [i.e. a very posh sausage roll], quiche, mini French pastry, fruit tart, traditional [lemon] tea cake, Vahlrona ganache chocolate tartlet, premium Peninsula truffles, light tiramisu with green tea and crunchy hazelnut macaroon, fresh-baked raisin scones, Devonshire clotted cream and strawberry preserve, and choice of tea [I plumped for the Peninsula Afternoon blend]." And the price? Afternoon tea at a good hotel is never cheap, of course. At the Pen it's HK$268 for one person, or HK$398 for two, plus 10% service charge. So for me, the damage was almost $50 - certainly hair-raising, but not as expensive as tea at the Ritz in London, for instance.
Despite the unorthodox elements (quiche? tiramisu?!) the food was mostly quite good - particularly the sandwiches and both the sweet and savoury pastries (people here are very big on their sweeties - there seems to be a patisserie on every street corner). But the scones were lacking - they seemed a bit heavy and somehow not very fresh - which I reckon is a problem, as they are one of the centrepieces of the whole meal. However, they did at least serve as a vehicle for the clotted cream, which I haven't had for a number of years and which was good.
Of greater concern, however, was the standard of service. It was nowhere near as attentive as it ought to have been. Partway through my meal, I began to wonder if - as a single diner - I was somehow invisible to the wait staff. It wasn't until the end of my meal, nearly two hours after I first sat down, that anyone asked me if everything was satisfactory. Earlier, I had to ask for more hot water as none had been forthcoming, and it took a good ten minutes to get the attention of a waiter. And when I got the bill and handed over my credit card, I sat reading my newspaper and waiting for over twenty minutes, with no card slip in sight - I had to flag down another waiter and ask for my card back!
So while I generally enjoyed the experience, it was a bit peculiar, and not quite what I was expecting. When one is in the swankiest hotel in town, and paying quite a lot of money to have afternoon tea, the food should be uniformly excellent and the service faultless, in my opinion. I certainly wouldn't rush to go back there, if I'm ever lucky enough to be in Hong Kong again.
The rest of my day has been spent just wandering the streets. I love walking around in this city, especially in the early evening - the lights and the crowds are a real buzz. And it seems like every few paces there's some wacky little shop, selling things you've never seen before. I spent about an hour in a large branch of the wonderful SaSa (a chain of cosmetics and skincare emporia) just staring at all the products on offer and picking up some more odds and ends for myself. I spent loads of time in drugstores on my last trip here, so you'd think there would be nothing left to see - but you'd be wrong!
Time now to head over the road to Starbucks and go online for a bit. Macau tomorrow - I hope that the forecasted risk of showers doesn't materialise!
01 March 2009
In Hong Kong
It's now Sunday evening, and I'm in Hong Kong - woot!
Had an uneventful trip here earlier today. A taxi picked me up at 6 am and spirited me away from the wonderful Ha An Hotel (but not before they gave me a packed breakfast, to take with me). At Da Nang Airport, I was surrounded in the departure lounge by a large gaggle of middle-aged French tourists, who glanced enviously at me as I sat there eating a delicious and very fragrant whole mango before boarding my flight.
After a tedious connection in Hanoi, during which I had to collect my luggage, pay excess baggage charges, and check in again for the flight to Hong Kong (I don't know why they wouldn't check me through), I was on my way. My arrival in Hong Kong was super-smooth, as usual, and before I knew it I was on the Airport Hotelink coach and heading into the city.
I'm booked in again at my old haunt, the Salisbury YMCA Hotel in Kowloon, and it's as comfortable as ever. The only unpleasant surprise came when I discovered that they've increased their internet access charges - 24 hours of in-room wireless access now costs about $16. Ridiculous! Granted, it probably earns the Y extra money, but still - these days, free wireless should be a given in hotels everywhere. Luckily, there are public alternatives around town, and at the moment, I'm in a Starbucks just over the road from the hotel, taking advantage of their free wifi.
The climate here has been a bit of a shock. I've gone from hot and humid +30 degree temperatures in Vietnam, to about 20 degrees here. Still very pleasant, mind you, but I had to put on warmer clothes when I arrived!
I had a fun afternoon here, heading out just as soon as I unpacked my bag. Today I travelled the subway system here for the first time. Unsurprisingly, it's fantastic - very clean, efficient and ultra-modern. I headed across (under?) the harbour to the neighbourhood of Central on Hong Kong Island, and spent a few hours strolling the streets there and eyeballing the fab(ulously expensive) shops. Had myself a good dinner before returning to the waterfront and hopping onto the Star Ferry, which I love. We had a great night-time view of the harbour lights as we headed back across to Kowloon.
So now I'm thinking about what I will do these next two days here. I reckon tomorrow morning, I'll go north to Prince Edward and Fa Yuen Street for what is apparently some excellent bargain shopping up there. In the afternoon, I will try to have afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel (right next to where I'm staying at the Y). I say "try" because apparently teatime there can be a bit overrun by tourists now - and I'm not going to waste precious time by standing for ages in a queue. We'll see.
On Tuesday, I think I'm going to take a day trip to the former Portuguese colony of Macau. It's apparently only an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, and seems to have quite a different atmosphere. Plus, it'll make for another cool stamp in my passport. ;-)
More again tomorrow....
Had an uneventful trip here earlier today. A taxi picked me up at 6 am and spirited me away from the wonderful Ha An Hotel (but not before they gave me a packed breakfast, to take with me). At Da Nang Airport, I was surrounded in the departure lounge by a large gaggle of middle-aged French tourists, who glanced enviously at me as I sat there eating a delicious and very fragrant whole mango before boarding my flight.
After a tedious connection in Hanoi, during which I had to collect my luggage, pay excess baggage charges, and check in again for the flight to Hong Kong (I don't know why they wouldn't check me through), I was on my way. My arrival in Hong Kong was super-smooth, as usual, and before I knew it I was on the Airport Hotelink coach and heading into the city.
I'm booked in again at my old haunt, the Salisbury YMCA Hotel in Kowloon, and it's as comfortable as ever. The only unpleasant surprise came when I discovered that they've increased their internet access charges - 24 hours of in-room wireless access now costs about $16. Ridiculous! Granted, it probably earns the Y extra money, but still - these days, free wireless should be a given in hotels everywhere. Luckily, there are public alternatives around town, and at the moment, I'm in a Starbucks just over the road from the hotel, taking advantage of their free wifi.
The climate here has been a bit of a shock. I've gone from hot and humid +30 degree temperatures in Vietnam, to about 20 degrees here. Still very pleasant, mind you, but I had to put on warmer clothes when I arrived!
I had a fun afternoon here, heading out just as soon as I unpacked my bag. Today I travelled the subway system here for the first time. Unsurprisingly, it's fantastic - very clean, efficient and ultra-modern. I headed across (under?) the harbour to the neighbourhood of Central on Hong Kong Island, and spent a few hours strolling the streets there and eyeballing the fab(ulously expensive) shops. Had myself a good dinner before returning to the waterfront and hopping onto the Star Ferry, which I love. We had a great night-time view of the harbour lights as we headed back across to Kowloon.
So now I'm thinking about what I will do these next two days here. I reckon tomorrow morning, I'll go north to Prince Edward and Fa Yuen Street for what is apparently some excellent bargain shopping up there. In the afternoon, I will try to have afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel (right next to where I'm staying at the Y). I say "try" because apparently teatime there can be a bit overrun by tourists now - and I'm not going to waste precious time by standing for ages in a queue. We'll see.
On Tuesday, I think I'm going to take a day trip to the former Portuguese colony of Macau. It's apparently only an hour by ferry from Hong Kong, and seems to have quite a different atmosphere. Plus, it'll make for another cool stamp in my passport. ;-)
More again tomorrow....
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