Hong Kong

Thursday, June 8, 2006

Hong Kong

We really needed to get out of Manila for a couple of days. Marieke more than I, but I also could do with a change of pace. So we decided to do a weekend trip to Hong Kong. Marieke took care of it all and got us in a great hotel called the Harbour Plaza Metropolis hotel, in Kowloon. I can recommend it to anyone going to Hong Kong - it's not dead in the center but centrally located and they have a free shuttle bus every 20 mins going to and from the main shopping area (about a 5 min drive).

We were unlucky with the weather. The newspaper headlines read 'Hong Kong in shock over bad weather spell' or something like that. We survived the first 2 days by shopping. Then on Saturday it cleared up, which was excellent as we wanted to do a bit of sightseeing as well. We didn't go to the peak as it was still a bit foggy, but we did see the world's largest bronze Buddha. A great site, with a nice little temple complex next to it where we had delightful vegetarian food. Especially the sweets were delicious! They were certainly a lot better than the promise of Deep Fried Frog with Peppermint or Raw Beef Soup featured on the menu of the first restaurant we visited!

In the evening we walked back over the markets again and this time we were presented with a fish market. Not one where you buy fish to eat, this one sold fish for in the aquarium. But unlike in Europe, where the fish all live in tanks, here they are displayed in little plastic bags hanging all together outside! Or they are in tiny little containers, also on display outside. Sure, it makes a great visual, but it's very cruel to the animals as well (sometimes the fish are bigger than the bags! They just lie curled up unable to move). But it's clear that the culture in Hong Kong (and China in general) is a lot less sensitive about animal rights than ours - it's how they live their lives and how we live ours... I still think it's wrong but I wouldn't blame anyone. They consider it absolutely normal and acceptable.

On Saturday night we checked the night life out in Hong Kong. We started in Lan Kwai Fong, packed with bars and expats. We went to several places before meeting Rowena from Australia and Terry in a cool club called Drop (I think). With them we ended up in another club, where we met some other people, including a Chinese guy called Brian. Brian and Rowena pretty much took care of us the rest of the night (thanks guys, you're the best!!! ) as we danced and partied in style. It wasn't till 10 AM before we went home to the hotel, leaving us just enough time to rest for about an hour, pack our stuff and go to the airport. Yes we were absolutely knackered, but it was well worth it. No idea Hong Kong could be this cool!

Read the full story at the entry for June 2006 (either in recent or in the archives...)