Day 6 - Burgers, Buses and 10,000 Buddhas

To round off day five, I went back to the hostel via the juice bar and had a strawberry and advocado smoothie (it's actually quite nice). I slept very well that night, and I awoke at 4am, turned over, and slept till after 10. Brilliant! When I awoke, I had a quick shower and headed out to breakfast, which was a coconut cream bun and a chicken teriyaki sandwich, with soybean milk. I then went to see if George was up, which he was, and I helped his sort out his laundry before he packed (he's moving hostel). We then headed out to grab a quick smoothie from the bar, and then we split, with me heading back to Chungking to try to find a laundrette, which I did, and it was closed on Sundays, so laundry will have to wait until tomorrow (at least I tried, mum!). My next port of call was the shopping arcade next door to chungking, to try to get my bracelet (from day 5) adjusted, as it was too tight. There I discovered a small shop called the shellfish shop, run a a little old chinese lady, who adjusted the bracelet for me and only charged me HK$20. She did such a good job that I gave her 25. I then decided to head out to visit Sai Kung, as recommended by Jenny the air hostess (see day 1). I caught the MRT to Choi Hung, and then the minibus 1A to Sai Kung. When I got there, I was surprised at the contrast from Tsim Sha Tsui. Here, there was a contrast between the quiet, village like feel of the main promenade, overlooking a small but busy harbour full of little fishing vessels, and the bustling motorway further inland. The street was full of seafood restaurants, but I was put off by the way in which live seafood was sitting in tanks next to the diners, to be picked. I therefore wandered further down the street to a little restaurant called the camden town, which was offering a Burger and soft drink for $30. That did nicely, and was followed by some fries. One of the people at the restaurant working was a little girl, about 10, who was obviously helping out with her mum, and helped by bringing out drinks and ketchup. I was suckered in, and ended up giving her a $5 tip (I know, but she was 10 and working, surely that shows initiative). I then headed off to the bus stop to get a bus to Sha Tin station. The bus I got onto said Sha Tin town centre, not Sha Tin station, so I was keeping lookout to see where to get off, when the bus flew past a sign for the MRT network. Panicking, I pushed the button and watched as the bus moved further and further down a dual carriageway away from the station. When it finally stopped, I got off the bus only to discover that it had been another MTR station, not Sha Tina, and that I would have to wait for another bus. When I got to Sha Tin, I headed for the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. To get there, I ahd to wind my way throught backstreets and around the gridlock until I finally reached teh path leading up to the monastery. The path consisted of over 400 steps, thought with the haet at that time of day, it might well have been 10'000. At one point I decided to pause for a moment, and grabbed hold of the shiny, red handrail. Not a good idea. With a sinking feeling, I removed my hand quickly from the railing, ad looked around for a sign, and found one, written completely in Chinese, which said "油漆未乾". I knew instantly what it meant, as i looked down at the palm of my hand, which was now bright red. The sign obviously said "wet paint". I headed up the remaining steps as quickly as I could, hoping that if I ever reached the top there would be a toilet, and somwhere to get water. I did reach the top, some while later, and stagered into the small restaurant and, panting heavily, asked for some water. The lady charged (a reasonable) $10 for the bottle of water, and directed me to a small toilet, and after several minutes of frantic scrubbing te red was gone. Thank Buddha for that. I then headed out to the temple, and saw the 12'800 (approx) small statues of Buddha which adorned the walls. Yet again I was surprised at how peaceful it was, after passing through the gridlock in the city below. I spent a while wandering, and taking photos befor heading back down the hillside, and I found the walk downward much easier than the walk up, especially as I had bought another bottle of water for the purpose. As I walked, one of the people walking up the hill paused for a moment, and guess what he leaned hi back onto? Yes, he had a bright red line right along the back of his top. I didn't have the heart to tell him, so I jst had to keep in the laughter until he was out of earshot. When I had returned to Sha Tin, I caught the KCR to Kowloon Ting, and then the MTR to Lok Fu. There I had intended to go to the Kowloon walled city, but discovered that there was no bus, and after to trip to the monastery, my feet wouldn't have coped with the walk, so insted I caught a bus to Star Ferry, and enjoyed the ride through the streets of Kowloon, even passing by Chungking Mansions. When I arrived at the terminal, I hopped on the ferry across to Hong Kong before walking over to my newly discovered favourite Japanese restaurant, Yoshinoya. After a Sumo Beef bowl, with miso soup, jelly and a fruit punch (I avoided eatng the Kimchi (spicy cabbage from day 5)), I headed back onto the streets of Hong Kong to look for a tram stop. I found one, an boarded the first tram, which was headed for Western Market. For the first part of that journey, I had to stand due to a lack of avilable seating, and, after banging my head several times off the roof, I found the best spot for standing, halfway up the staircase. When the tram eventually emptied, I grabbed the nearest available seat and sat down, looking out the window. The ride was quite enjoyable, but a little bit juddery (I put it down to the age of the tram and the busy roads). When we reached Western Market (I presumed it was, since everyone got off), I disembarked to find myself in the middle of generis Hong Kong shopping and so, not quite in the mood for shopping, I hopped onto a tram headed for Happy Valley. With a name like that, it had to be good, right? I was pleased to find the upstairs front seat available, and sat down and got out my camera to get some pictures of the journey. We rattled through the streets of Hong Kong, quite literally, and many of the pictures I took (on  Facebook) turned out quite blurry. When we reached happy valley, there was no major discernable difference from western market, and so I decided to call time on the visiting of new places for the day, and got a tram back towards Central, where I caught a train back to Tsim Sha Tsui, and so to the internet Cafe. Stay Tuned, folks!

Day Five - Giant Buddhas, Buses, Ferries and Chopsticks

I awoke at 6.30am. SUCCESS (Well, it's a bit perfect, but it's good enough). I decided to give the poor receptionist some rest and stayed in bed and read my Top Gear magazine until half eight. I then headed out to see if George was up, but hoi hotel was all locked up, so I decided to get breakfast, which was
NOT from McDonald's (OMG!!!) I had a coconut cream bun and a chicken teriyaki sandwich, with a chocolate milk and a malted soyabean drink. I found that the soybean milk was actually very nice, and I tasted (honestly) like Kellogg's All Bran. Perfect for breakfast. I then headed back to my hotel and continued to read my magazine until George came and knocked on the door. We then headed out to go to Lantau, to se the Big Buddha. George suggested that beforehand we should try this really good juice bar, and he was right, it was lovely. I had three different Juices to try, and they were all pretty good (even if they don't all sound appetising). They were strawberry, star fruit and avocado. We then spent quite awhile looking for a post box for my many postcards, and we eventually managed to get directions to the post office (opposite the Sheraton hotel, no less), and I thankfully got rid of them all. We then caught the MTR into Hong Kong, and when we arrived headed for the ferry terminal. On the ferry to Mai Wo (Lantau), we played chess (tie, 1 game each). We headed out to catch the bus up to Ngong Ping, home of the Po Lin  Temple and the Big Buddha. we arrived, and headed into Ngong Ping village, slightly disconcerted at the apparent lack of Buddha. We headed to a small shop just before the village for some shopping. Goerge got some sun specs and I got a proper hat. When we then headed into the village proper (It's all been built and set out properly to look nice, a little bit like sterling mills), we asked a woman in the shop where the Buddha was. She looked at us like a pair of absolute dunces (a fair judgement), and pointed to the hill in the directly opposite direction than we were facing. Believe me, if you see the pictures, you'll see exactly how hard it is to miss. We retreated in shame to the 7 eleven for lunch (chicken teriyaki sandwiches and crisps) befor heading off, this time in the right direction.When we arrived at the Big Buddha, we realised, that it wasn't just big, it was BIG! And it made a great photo (see my facebook). We also visited the little gift shop inside, and I departed with a crystal etched buddha, a tiger's eye brecelet and a patron saint of the goat necklace, and a wallet feeling HK$200 lighter (well, it's only 20 pounds). We then headed for the Po Lin monastery. this was a lovely, peaceful place, with incense burning and just the gentle flow of life. There was one strange thing, though. The size of the incense sticks. They ranged from reasonable to HUGE (as in 3 feet high and 2 inches in diameter). It seems, alas, that the amount of zen in buddhism that can be gined in incense can be measured in the size of your wallet. How unfortunate. We then headed back to the bus, and at the stop were surveyed by a guy about the bus comapany. i don't think he was happy ehwn we complained about everytning from the lack of direction to the bus signs, to the leather seats, the exact fare system and a grumpy bus driver. Upon arrival back in Hong Kong, we saw the Open top bus again, and decided to return to the peak (I needed to take photos) and got there only to see the length of the queue for the tram. We then headed straight back on the return bus to central, and decided to get some grub. We saw Yoshinoya, a Japanese resturant, and headed there. It was surprisingly delicious and filling, all except part of my meal which seemed to be cabbage in hot sauce, which we both decided not to eat. We then decided to leave, and I decided that I like the chopsticks, which were porcelain and obviously meant to be returned. Noink! We then decided to call it a night and headed for the star ferry, which brought us back to Tsim Sha Tsui, and this internet Cafe, where this blog ends. Stay Tuned!

Day Four - Tiredness, Red Bull and Squash

Ok, so for a recap, when I left the last blog it was about 4am and we'd arrived at an internet cafe. We stayed there until well after 7 am, and then decided to go to our respective accommodation to freshen up before re-convining for breakfast (guess where). When we had had breakfast, we got some red bull and headed back to the internet cafe, and that is where we stayed for several hours, with me finally emerging about 4pm for some food, and to get some swimming clothes and more Red Bull (Ok, I know it's boring, but we were tired from being up all night and trying to beat jet lag, live with it!). When I went for food, I was considering McDonalds, but decided to refrain, so I went into pizza hut (just to look and see what there was). Bad idea when tired. When I reached the restaurant (it was downstairs, in the basement) I was quickly whisked to a table, and befor I could protest some free water appeared. Drat! I had just fallen into there trap, now I had to order something! I that vain, I examined the menu and decided to go for the less expensive but slightly interesting option. What was simply described as chocolate pizza. That was probably not the best decision, as the chocolate pizza contained not only chocolate, but also cheese. I'm not kidding, but since it cost me HK$30, I had to eat it. I ate as quickly as possible, and then got out as quick as I could. When I was finally free from their trap, and feeling a bit less well, I headed back to the safety of the cafe. There I satyed for a couple more hours, just while George got his week's work finished, and we headed out to the swimming pool. When we arrived, we discovered thet we would have to wait an hour and a half before the next session of swimming would begin, so we searched for something to do in the meantime, and we found that squash was available. Imagine this. Two very tired guys trying to play squash in bare feet. Jollity prevailed, as did much laughter. We then headed for the pool, and were told that only the outside pool was open. I'm glad, because the outside pools were brilliant, with some waterfalls, and heated water. It actually managed to keep us awake for the next couple of hours, and then we decided to call it a night (at 8pm, how boring!), so that's it for this blog, stay tuned!

Day Three - Wetlands, Trams and an Aussie called George

Okay, so when we left the story I had wokenup at 12 midnight. First port of call? McDonalds of course, for some good quality nutrition, with all the important food groups of Big Mac, Fries and Fizzy pop. This was then followed by several hours of movies and, at about 8.30, I set off.I walked down to East Tsim Sha Tsui station, and caught the KCr west rail train to Tin Shui Wai, followed by the Light Rail to Wetland Park. The wetland park was quite astonishing. There, just a stones throw away from a huge cluster of housing blocks (think Gorbals x 2), was a strip of pure, untouched wetland, complete with sound effects (crickets). Surprisingly, however, there were very few animals. I only managed to get a pic of a small, yet pretty bird, and a bright red dragonfly, though in one of the bird hides I did manage to see what I believe was an Egret. I walked all around the park, although by this time I was starting to feel a bit tired (again) and so I headed back to the Hostel, for a couple of hours nap, and I overslept (slightly), because the phone didn't go off and so I woke up at five instead of 3. I then headed off to find a noodle bar, and I had chicken and duck noodles, which were nice, apart from the drink I ordered. When I saw lemon iced tea on the menu, I expected lemon flavoured ice tea (think liptons). What I actually got was a very cold cup of (stewed) tea with a slice of lemon. Not the nicest (I drank as much as I could). Mind you, the whole meal was less than 2 pound, so not too bad. Later, having showered and changed, I headed out to find a bar, and when I found one I ordered a malibu and lemonade. The drink was nice, but when the bill came back as $70 (7 pound) I decided to move on and not have another. I headed out and caught a bus to the star ferry terminal, Followed by the star ferry across to hong kong island. The view from the ferry was amazing, with all of the lights of the buildings, especially the HSBC tower shining beautifully in the night, and reflecting in the waters of the harbour. Shame I didn't have my camera. When I arrived I found an open top bus headed for the peak tram, and ready to depart. I hopped aboard and was dazzled by the ground view of some of the buildings, including the HSBC tower. It was such a moment that made me realise how wonderful this city really is. The paek tram was also a brilliant ride. When I reached the top, several escalators took me up to the viewing platform, with a 360 degree view of the city. I will have to go back for a picture, I just have to. I also picked up some postcards, and I found a nice bar at the top of the peak, ordered a Mai Tai and started to fill them out. I then caught the return peak tram, followed by the bus and subway, back to Tsim Sha Tsui. I then decided to head to an internet cafe, and I checked my email and found that my NZ Visa had come through. By the time I had finished at the internet cafe (It was now 2am, so technically day 4 but I'm continuing anyway), There were three folk in the Internet Cafe, which closed at 2. I then got talking to the other two guys in the cafe, and one of them was George, an Australian who hasn't been in Australia for at least 4 years, having lived in Russia and China, as well as Turkey. We headed out, and went to McDonalds for some food. Then we decided to go and get a drink, and we headed to the nearest 7 eleven. I had a vodka and energy drink, and a lemon vodka alcopop. George also had a vodka and enrgy drink, and a beer. We wandered about Tsim Sha Tsui for a short while, and then George decided we should go to the toilet (at Mc Donalds). We wandered in, used the loo and then sat down and, without buying any food, sat for over an hour just drinking and chatting. The satff didn't care, so we just sat. We then headed for another Internet Cafe, a 24 hour one, and we sat up on the PCs, me writing the previous blog and phoning people. The rest is yet to come, so stay tuned for another episode of "Diaries f the Flying Scotsman".

Day Two - Sleepless Nights, Theme Parks and Giant Pandas

I didn't sleep a wink that first night. I suppose it was a combination of nerves, excitement and Jet Lag. I finally gave up trying to sleep at 4am, and I headed out for something to eat. On my way otu, I found the rceptionist sleeping, on the floor, by the door (and you thought my room was bad), and I had to quickly and quietly step past. Not surprisingly, the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui were dead at 4am, but this actually made it quite peaceful, as my previous exploration of Tsim Sha Tsui had been accompanied by offers of cheap suits and Fake Watches. I wandered for a short time, before discovering one of the few restaurants that were open. A 24 hour branch of everyone's favourite mutinational conglomerate fast food outlet - Mc Donald's. Annoyingly, I had arrived a few minutes too late to have a Big Mac, and just in time to hear a drunk canadian bloke complaining about the lack of Big Macs. This was beacuse, at 4am, McDonald's starts serving breakfast. This comprises of many of the usual suspects, such as McMuffins, but also includes bowlsof pasta with veg and sausage patties floating in them, and ethe Fillet o' Fish (for breakfast!?!). I decided to settle for hotcakes (pancakes), and thse came accompanied not only by syrup and butter, but also by a sausage patty. I decided to eat the sausage patty first, and then the hotcakes. Bliss. I headed back to the hotel room and, still unable to sleep, I sat and watched some movies on my ipod. The following morning, at about 8.30, I headed downstairs and changed some traveller's cheques before heading out to catch the MTR to central. I had initially intended on getting a ferry across to lantau, or catching the star ferry, but I found that I would have to wait. After consulting with the all-holy guide book, I then decided to catch the no.6 minibus to Ocean Park. I shouldexplain at this part that there are two different types of buses in Hong Kong. There are the convenbtional buses, which carry many passengers, and then there are minibuses, which are limited to 16. I took the latter and found that it was quite a comfortable trip to Ocean Park, travelling around the mountains and getting some great views along the way. When I arrived at Ocean Pary, I found that I was very fortunate. Tickets into the theme park were usually priced at HK$208, but, as I was born in the month of August, I was entitled to half price. Brill. When I got into the park, I found that the sheer size of the park was incredible. Where I had entered, there were some animal houses, and a ride called the ocean express. I expected some sort of underwater submarine simulator. What I had found was a funicular which provided an alternative route to the other part of the park (The normal route is the cable car, but more on that later).When I arrived at the top of the hill, I looked and found a sign pointing to the Bay View restaurant and Terrce Cafe. Great, some food! Alas, it was not to be, as both were closed until 11am, and it was only 10am. Thankfully, when I rounded the other side, there were some food shacks, one of which promised fried chicken, sausage and french fries, and juice. Sadly, the guy informed me that the grilled chicken  was not available, so I had to settle for spare ribs with a sausage and fries, and some dodgy tasting coke. I then headed for the rides, which included a loop the llop roller coaster, a log flume, a space wheel (a strange, hard to describe spinning thing, the same as the enterprise at alton towers). These were brilliant, but I was a wee bit disappointed to find the runaway mine train was closed for maintenance. When I went on the Dragon (loop the loop coaster), I had to sit right at the front, as it was the only place for my legs to fit in properly, but this wasn't a problem, as the ride officials were very helpful. I also went on the log flume, but I was alarmed to find no facilities for leaving things which you don't want to get wet (such as a digital camera) but there were signs advising that plastic bags were available. Just before getting into the ride, I asked for a bag, and was given a bag which was far too small, but before I could object, I was ushered into the boat and set off. With a bit of quick thinking, I recalled that I had packed my trusty packaway mac, and so I quickly took it out of its pouch and wrapped it around my camera bag, and my guide book (which I had managed to fit in the plastic bag). This meant that, whilst my trousers and legs were completely soaked, my camera remained dry (thankfully). I then went on the space wheel, which I was a bit apprehensive about, but which actually turned out to be brilliant. The cable car back to the main entrance was also brilliant, with amazing views (photos will be added to facebook when I can (this computer's too slow)). I then headed to the Panda House, and I managed to take some brilliant photos of a Giant Panda. I then headed for the Amazing Asian Animal House, and got some pictures of Red Pandas, and another giant panda. I then decided to head back to the hostel for a quick shower and then some food. On the bus back (a proper bus to Admiralty), I dozed off for a minute, and got a slight shock when I awoke to find that we had arrived. When I got back to my room, I sat down on the bed for a moment......  When I woke up, it was 12 midnight!!!!

Day One (part two) - The night market

I know this is late, but I didn't get to an Internet Cafe until today.

After my last update, I took the MTR up to Yau Ma Tei and visited the night market. It was a strange, with loads an endless row of stalls selling a huge amount of things, ranging from bronze buddhas and fans to knock-off formula one t-shirts and fake leather belts and watches. When I had walked through the main bulk of these stalls, I rached a small squre, surrounded by booths of fortune tellers, using all kinds of unorthodox methods of fortune telling, including shaking stones inside a tortoise shell, looking at palms and tarot. After walking through all of this, I finally arrived at Jordan MTR, and decided to retire to my hotel room and get some sleep.

Day One - Welcome to Hong Kong!

When I arrived at London Heathrow Airport at 6.50 pm yesterday I was rushed through to the terminal transfer, to get to terminal 3. Upon arrival at the terminal I was pleasantly surprised when the woman at the Cathay Pacific desk had no problem upgrading me to an exit row seat, before offering me the chance to switch to an earlier flight, but without an exit row seat. I decided not to bother and headed off to a nearby bar and had a breakfast.I then headed for the quieter part of the airport - next to the special assistance area.Whilst there, I struck up a rappor with the nice ladies that were working there, and they kindly allowed me to take a shortcut to my gate down the back way. When I reached the plane, the exit row seat's legroom was enourmous, and the two people sitting next to me were also brilliant. There was Chris, from Swindon, who is going to live in Taipei for 2 years, and Steve, from London, who is touring China. We enjoyed quite a few hours chatting, and laughing at Steve's attempts to chat up the hostess, Jenny, which involved buying her choccies from the in flight duty free. When I finally arrived in Hong Kong I had to go through the health control point, and I honestly answered the questionnaire by admitting that I had a blocked nose. BAD MISTAKE! I was escorted to one side, given a face mask and then taken downstairs to the medical check area, where I was seated and given a card with the number 78 on it. I was sitting there, sweating and expecting to be deported at any moment. When I was finally called into a booth I had a chinese woman with a full face mask stick a probe into each of my ears in turn. It turned out that she was merely measuring my temperature, and when it came back as normal, she stamped my sheet and sent me back out to passport control, where I was finally allowed into the country. I was one of the last to collect my bags, and I watched as they came round, solitary, on the conveyor belt before I grabbed them. I then haded for the nearest payphone, and after $10 and several failed attempts, concluded that it wasn't working. When I did find a phone that worked, I got intouch with the hostel and was told to get the bus from the airport. Being naive, I decided to get the Airport Express train instead, and ended up getting off at Kowloon, having to get on a free hotel shuttle bus and attempt to fit all of my luggageonto the bus. This was difficult, as there was little luggage space, and so I had to place my bags on the seat, and they treatened to crush me to death every time the bus veered left, at crasy speeds for such busy roads. When I finally got off, I still had to drag my bags 2 blocks to the Chun King Mansions, before battling my way through a maze of hawkers and people trying to sell me a hotel room. When I arrived at the right block, I was met by the owner and escorted up to my room, a 3m by 3m cell which boasts air con, a fan, a tv, a bed and a toilet/shower room. Quite well equipped for such a small room, and cheap and clean, so not too bad. And so I have arrived in Hong Kong thus far!

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Another Pre-Flight Update

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Another Pre-Flight Update

Another Pre-Flight Update

Oh!, what a week it's been! Wednesday was a bit of a shambles, as I sadly Failed my test (too eager at a junction), and the Thursday was hectic with preparations for Friday (When I got mightily drunk), and Saturday (All-day hangover). Today was also mad, with last-minute visa applications, packing, more packing and running around trying to find stuff (for packing). I would also like to use this blog to thank My good friend Maggie for the wonderful cake which she baked for my 18th (It was shaped like a highland glen, to remind me of home), and also to than all that came to my party and for all of the lovely presents, especially the watch with the saltire from Linda, Alan, Stevie and Alannah (A.K.A Loony). This blog is also to say farewell to all befor I head off on my big adventure, I will miss all of you, and will be thinking of you, always. I would also like to apologise for any typos, as I've been out with my parents for a lovely curry, and I had a few (I'm sitting drinking one as I type). This will bge the last post before Hong Kong.

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Only 8 Days To Go...

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Only 8 Days To Go...

Only 8 Days To Go...

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts on this site. Here's the story so far...
for almost a year now I have been planning my gap year, a trip around the world. The plan really got off the ground this February, when I got accepted with deferred entry into Edinburgh Uni. That's when things started to happen, and the trip of a lifetime began to take shape. The route of my trip is as follows...
Edinburgh-London-Hong Kong-Singapore-Sydney-New Zealand-Honolulu-Dallas-Tornto-London-Edinburgh. I will be setting off just over a week, on the 24th of August, and I have decided to keep this blog so that I have a record of my trip for years to come.
So far, most of my plans have been made, and I have organised Tickets, Hostels, and an Australian Visa, but I am still missing a New Zealand Visa (which I can't get until I'm 18, and I don't turn 18 until the 21st of August), and a Driving License (my test is on Wednesday). There is one good point so far, though. I finished up at work yesterday! Woo Hoo!