Getting The Grumps On Nathan Road
In which I spend my first full day in Hong Kong and I repeatedly get offered tailor-made suits and watches.
13 April 2011 - 1021 Hong Kong
Well, here I am in Olympic Park in Hong Kong Park on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong in the People’s Republic of China. The flight yesterday was a bit of a slog and fairly bumpy but I think I’ve more of less cured my panicking over turbulence through exposure. Despite being shaken around for 12 hours straight yesterday, I barely bated an eyelid.
Hong Kong (from now on referred to as HK) is rather overwhelming. The noise, the traffic, the people. The last four weeks have been spent in countries with very low population densities, so to suddenly be in the midst of crowds of people rushing about on the MTR and queues of fast moving traffic is a bit of a shock. Also, while the English language is written almost everywhere, the number of people who speak English here is very low. It’s feels a lot more Chinese than I was expecting. In Singapore, there was a distinct mix of different cultures and identities, but here, pretty much everyone is Chinese and speaks Chinese. I’m very much an ethnic minority. It’s all very brand new to me.
Weather today is cloudy and hazy. Warm and humid though.
This morning, I’ve just been wandering aimlessly. I’m staying a little bit outside the city centre, so I’m going to get very used to the MTR. Luckily, I don’t have to be on it as long before I can change to the very cool double-decker trams. At $2 a ride, it’s a snip.
Next, I’m going to Kowloon. Prices here are generally low so I’m keen to find out how much gadgets are here, particularly the iPad. To get to Kowloon, I think I’ll take the world famous Star Ferry. It’s tough this travelling malarky.
1300
In a cafeteria having my first proper meal in HK. I went for the reliable staple of sweet and sour pork and rice with a supremely awesome lemon ice tea. About £3.00 the lot. I like being back in a country where I can eat well for nothing.
I’m still rather tired it seems. I’m in the Kowloon area, just off Nathan Road. It’s not the place to come when you’re tired and grumpy, especially if you’re a tourist. The area is packed full of Indians and Pakistanis who approach you offering wallets, watches and tailor made suits. After being asked about 8 times in the space of 2 minutes, I lost my rag and told the 9th guy to remove himself from my vicinity (only in rather stronger terms). I still called him ‘mate’ though, so that’s ok. Think I’m going to go back to my hotel and rest. I’m not in the right frame of mind for sightseeing.
Hopefully going to watch some horseracing tonight at Happy Valley.
