Day 15 - Marina Bay, Marina Barrage and a Muslim called Samil

On Day 15 I woke up and decided to do some washing, so I washed my kilt, before leaving it to dry out on the line. I headed for the obligatory money change before deciding to go out to Marina Bay MRT to see what is there. The answer: not much. On exiting the MRT station, you are surrounded by construction sites, and you have to follow a series of laminated signs pointing to the 'Marina Barrage shuttle bus'. That sounded promising. The trip to Marina Barrage passed through more construction areas, and then we reached the barrage, which seemed to be a great feat of architecture, was based around a large, sweeping roof which you could walk up, since it was covered with grass and had a path. There were many people on the roof itself, flying kites. From the roof I saw a fountain area, which you could paddle in. I headed round the remaining sweep of the roof, and into the area, and soon I was paddling in the lovely, cool water of the fountain, and then I decided, what the heck! I took my shirt off, removed anything which could be water damaged from my pockets, and proceeded to get thoroughly soaked, which highly amused a small kid who had exactly the same intention. I then got talking to the boy's father, who was a native Singaporean Muslim called Samil, his son called Ahmed. We had a cvery interesting conversation, where I learned many facts about Singapore, especially about the educational system, which I strucured very similarly to that of England, and English is actually taught as afirst language to children, before Singaporean. We then got talking about Kembangan, and Sam told me that he lived in Bedok, nearby and that there was a large mall there with a hawker centre inside. He offered me a lift, and I gratefully accepted, and he took me to the mall, explaining that Singapore is smaller than you might think, and that the Merlion in Sentosa is not acutally the real Mrelion, the real one being much smaller and located in the CBD. He pointed out some of the sights on the way, and I thanked him when we arrived and he droppedm me off, having to head home. I headed into the mall and trawled the bookshop, looking for a 'bible' for Sydney and, after a lengthy search ended up with an alternative, so Sydney's adventures will be based on the bible of Frommer's, not on a Lonely Planet bible. Then I hit the food ourt, enjoying chicken rice (although the chicken was a bit dry) followed by (I couldn't help myself) Choclate Fondue, which had strawberries, banana, waffles, chcolate wafer bites and marshamallows, and rich choclate sauce. Bliss. I then headed for the aptly named 'Giant' hypermarket, where I found some books to read, Including one from the author of the book I had finished the previous evening (not included in the blog since reading is not exploration, and would seem quite boring and repetitive). I also found another book, and bought both for S$18, good value for books. I then headed back, to find that I had a new roommate, called Fahin from Sri Lanka. When I first reached the room, he apologised, but he was very tired, and so I took my book and headed to the downstairs cafe/bar to sit with a beer and read. After a beer I felt slightly peckish, and decided to brave some of the cuisine, only to find (to my delight), that they served sweet and sour pork. I ordered a small portion and it arrived, complete with fork. I sent the (bemused) waiter away to get chopsticks, and felt quite stisfied a while later when I finished the dish with a clan shirt. Well, as they say, when in Rome.. I then had another beer before retirting to the dorm, ti find Fahin was now awake and we sat and talked for a while about Sri Lanka and Scotland, and he told me that one day he wanted to move to the UK for work. After a while, pooped, I retired to my bed and slept.

Day 14 - Addicted

If you want to know where I went on day 14, the title is pretty self explanatory, but I'll give you a clue: I was there on days 12 and 13. Yep, Sentosa again, but not immediately. First, I headed to change some money (as always), and then I headed to an area of Singapore called Little India, which contained much of the Indian population of Singapore (no points for guessing that), but it also contained a shop called the Mustafa Centre. This is a HUGE department store, which sells everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! I had to go to the top floor to find menswear, and then I had to wade through Aisles of Trousers, Shirts, T'shirts, Pyjamas, Boxers, etc, until I found shorts. I then bought several pairs of very nice shorts at a very cheap price, which is good since I ripped my other pair in Hong Kong. I got two pairs of bermuda shorts, which have more pockets than I could ever have stuff to put in, and a pair of lightweight shorts, also with pockets. I then headed out to explore Little India, and also to find a shop which was called 'Indian Candys' (sic, no typo), which was in my bible (of Lonely Planet), although a traipse through LI turned up no result, but I did get a good picture of the Sri Veermakaliamman Temple (try saying that while drunk), as well as some of the colourful houses and shopfronts (will be on facebook as soon as I find a computer that works). I then found asmall food court hidden in one of the backstreets, and I had some duck noodles, of which the duck turned out to be more bone than meat, but it was really cheap, and it was food, so I didn't complain. I then decided to follow a recommendation from Joyce and Cheryl, and went back to the island of addiction, to see the 'Songs of the Sea' show. I discovered upon arrival that those with a ticket for the show got a S$3 discount on a Segway ride, so need I say more? On the ride I met a nice American couple, whose names I have since forgotten (I hope to get an email from them to remind me), and they were also going to the show, so we decided to sit together and watch. The special effects in the show were spectacular, a Pyromaniac's dream and the laser lights were enough to cause an epileptic fit (in a non-epileptic). Brilliant, but I felt the show was made very cheesy by the lipsyncing used by all of the actors, and the use of cartoon characters also made it seem a bit childish, as well as the plot (or lack thereof). The SFX were a saving grace, however, so it comes with a recommendation from me (especially if you have kids). I then said my goodbyes to the Americans, as they were headed back to Singapore island, and I headed back for (yet another) ride on the Segway, and the woman gave me another S$3 discount. My monetary funds then almost exhausted, I had one go on the luge before leaving for Singapore, vowing not to retrun tomorrow (but maybe to go again). I headed back to the hostel and found the room blissfully empty, and I got the room to myself for the night. Lovely.

Day 13 - A Return Visit to Sentosa

On day 13 I awoke at 12pm, again, and I decided to abandon my initial plan of a trip to the 'Army Open House', which In had heard about on the radio, instead deciding on a return visit to Sentosa island. I headed out first to the airport to change money before taking the train to Harbour Front. On reaching Harbour Font, I decided to take the Sentosa Express monorail instead of the cable car. I was pleased when I reached the station, tucked away on the top floor of a shopping mall, as the tickets only cost S$3. The ride to Sentosa was short, but informative, and took me to my first intended port of call, the eco tours hut. I asked to book the eco adventure tour, and I was told that I could, but the next available tour was at 5pm. I told her that it would be no problem, and booked the package of Eco Adventure + Fun Ride, taking the Fun Ride immediately. After my short ride, I took the beach tram from the Monorail station down to the other end of the beach. and on arrival saw a group of monkeys sitting on a ledge. I reached for my camera, but when I went to take the picture, they had disbanded. Typical. I walked up to the snack stands instead, to get some food. I purchased a chicken burger and chips, and sat down in the picnic table seating area, only to find that I was not alone in my meal, being joined by too friendly (and hungry) peacocks, who had no trouble in helping me eat my lunch. I sensed a photo opportunity, and placed a chip on the opposite side of the table, only to have the peacock leap onto the bench and grab the chip. Several chips later I had quite a few pictures, which will be uploaded as soon as I am able to find a capable computer. I then headed to the underwater world ticket desk, and upon seeing the prices, swiftly headed away from the underwater world ticket desk. Well, I'm not made of money. I then strolled back along the beach and had (just one) ride on the Luge. After this, it was almost time for my ride, so I headed to the 7 eleven and purchased a giant slurpee and sat down to enjoy, and after that it was time. The Eco Adventure was even more fun than the Fun Ride, due to both and extended length of trip and the opportunity to mess about on a beach with a Segway, resulting in one of the other riders, a kid from China, falling off several times. If my camera had been recording, I could have been 250 pounds richer, but sadly it wasn't. Following the fun ride I decided to head into town for some food and, after a wander round the VivoCity mall at Harbour Front, found a cheap restaurant to have some food. I then headed back to the hostel, intending to head out again, but instead deciding to update my blog, and eventually I fell victim to tiredness and decided not to bother going out again. Eventually my room mates returned, and they told me they were checking out the following morning. We swapped contact details, and then I went to bed.

Day 12 - Sentosa - Skyrides, Segways and a Luge

On day 12 I awoke at around 12pm, and I decided to head to Sentosa, an island connected to Singapore by a cable car and a monorail. I took the MRT to Outram Park, and then changed to the NEL to Harbour Front. Here I took a walk to the Cable car station and purchased a return cable car ticket, which cost S$20. The cable car provided some brilliant views of Hong Kong, and I enjoyed the trip, before arriving in Sentosa. The cable car deposited me at the top of Mount Imbiah, and right next to the Tiger Sky Tower. I headed for the reason I had first come to Sentosa. The Luge and Skyride. I queued up, intending to buy an 8 ride pass for S$44, but when I reached the counter I was told that it was a family pass (with at least one person under 16 using it). Instead, I purchased a 1 hour unlimited ride pass, and headed straight for the Luge. I don't know quite how to describe the luge, so I won't bother. Instead, here's a link to their website. The hour went quite quickly, especially as it took some time to return to the top by the Skyride. I managed to take about 5 rides, although I didn't get the Skyride back up in time. No big loss, because I wanted to explore the beach anyway. I took a short walk, and found a bicycle rental shop, which was quite reasonably priced, so I took a nice bike ride along the beach, and then, after a few circuits up and down the island, I returned the bike, as I had a new objective. On my last circuit, I had met group riding past on Segways, and I had asked where the tours were. I took the beach tram up to the beach station (the beach tram was actually a road train). There I walked around the corner and found the GoGreen Eco tours hut, and (I booked a fun ride (it was my last S$10)), and it was really fun. I was a bit shaky at first, but I soon got the hang of it. The fun ride lasted a short while, and I would have liked another go, but I needed my money to get back to Singapore and to get some food. I caught the Skyride back to the top of the hill, and then the cable car back, before heading to Harbour Front Station. It was then that I noticed the sign, next to those that said the obvious, 'No Smoking', 'No Eating or Drinking', and 'No Flammable Liquids or Gases', which said 'No Durians'. How odd, I would have to ask someone at some point. I too the train back to Outram Park, and then another train to Tanjong Pagar, and the hawker centre where I had the same as day 11, with the addition of some fried Wonton. It was quite nice. I then headed back to the Hostel to update my blog again, and to await the arrival of my room mates. My room mates turned out to be Joyce and Sheryl from Malaysia, and a Japanese guy (whose name I'm afraid escapes me). I showed them my card trick (if you've seen it you'll now how effective it is. (I'll try to put it on YouTube or something), and then we had a chat about Singapore, Scotland, Malaysia and how we came to be here. It turned out that Joyce and Sheryl were at an expo to do with improving workskills, and the Japanese guy was working at the expo. I then went to bed (it was quite late) and slept.

Day 11 - Hong Kong to Singapore

My alarm clock woke me up, as planned, at 4am on the morning of day 11. I got dressed quickly and got my bags together, placing them out in the hall whilst I donned my kilt for the trip. I then checked the whole room (it didn't take long) to ensure that nothing would be left behind. Then I left the keys on the bed and locked the door behind me. Time to go. I dragged my bags (as quietly as I could) past one of the guys that worked at the hostel, Ajibike. I then headed for the lift, and waited as it took its sweet time, as ever, to go up and then decide to come down. The lift would be one thing of Hong Kong which I wouldn't miss. When I was finally at the bus stop, I was witing for the night bus to the airport, and a taxi pulled up. He wouldn't accept that I wanted to get the bus, and kept trying to offer me a ride to the airport. After an exchange of words which are unrepeatable ina public blog, he finally left. I waited for about 15 minutes for the bus, and I was glad when it came, as it was air conditioned (it was quite humid even  at that time in the morning). I placed my large bags in the luggage rack provided, and found seat. Just a bit further down the road, someone else got on, airport bound, and she wanted to pay cash, but couldn't find the right change. Flying Scotsman to the rescue! I moved down to the front of the bus anb found some loose change. Well, I wouldn't be needing it. Once she was paid, she sat down and we got talking. Rachael was from Edinburgh, and she was going to the airport to fly back on the 0830 flight. We chatted about our travels as we travelled to the airport and, when we arrived, we were trying to decide which was the point to get off. I was anxious at trying my tactic of waiting to see where everyone else got off, but was saved by someone who could obviously see our struggle, and told us when we were at the terminal. We found trolleys for our bags, and headed to the departures area. We split, promising to meet up again after check in, and the Scotsman headed off to try his charms on another unsuspecting check-in girl. It worked again, and I got another exit row seat. Brilliant! I also got away with having one bag just over 23kg, but she said it would be okay because the average was under the limit. Then I headed off to find Rachael, and found her at the BA check-in desk. We headed though to the security check, and I prepared to be frisked, as the kilt's buckles always set off the alarm. The search actually turned out quite funny, since the woman wielding the metal detector wand turned out to be five-foot nothing. She had to stand on tip-toes. Once we had been proven not to be terrorists, we heaed to find some food. Rachael said she was not hungry, and went to starbucks, and I headed upstairs to find some sustenance, which came in the form of a scrmbled-egg sausage tray with tomato soup (curious combination) and tea. I took this downstairs only to find that Rachael had dissapeared. I remembered her flight was gate 40-something, so I headed to the other end of the terminal, which had a bad effect on the condition of my as yet uneated breakfast, as the lid in the tea turned out to be ever-so-slightly loose, allowing tea to spill out onto the tray. Thankfully, the tray survived the trip, and I reached gate 41 to find Rachael not there. So I headed back to the other end of the concourse for one last check. upon reching there, I found that Rachael had been sitting on the side of the concourse opposite Stabucks and, of course, I hadn't been looking that way. I settled down to eat my (not slightly tea-flavoured) breakfast, which was actually not bad. The soup, although an unusual addition, brought something new to the table. I didn't actually drink the tea, though, as i realised that i hadn't asked for milk. I also had a slight mishap involving scrambled egg and kilt, which resulted in a quick rush to the toilet to prevent staining, which seemed to be successful. After breakfast had been consumed, Rachael's flight was getting close to boarding, so we grabbed our bags, and I decided to show her the easier way to get from one side of the termianl to the other. A purpose-built underground railway. Nifty, eh? We reached Rachael's gate, and by the time we had exchanged email addresses, she had to board. Then I headed off to gate 29 for my turn, which came quite soon after, as we were told to start queuing just as I arrived, and so I ended up second in line to board. This changed when th guy infron was taking forever to find his boarding card, resulting in me being first on the plane. Upon boarding, I was accosted by a few of the stuardesses and one, named Cherry (I kid you not), asked for a photo, as she had never met someone so tall, and she had never met someone in a kilt. I also got aked if I knew how to play the bagapipes, which seems to be the second question, after, 'is that a kilt?'I was then seated, and I took off my kilt (the buckles add too much width for me to reach the tv controls when I'm in the seat). I awaited my seating partners, and was joined by a fashionista, who looked as if she had trodden on something quite nasty, and her escort, who lookead as if he had fallen out of the gay tree and hit every branch on the way down (a purple jacket, ripped jeans and crocodile-skin pointy-toed boots will do that for a guy). Thankfully, they didn't seem to speak english, so I got peace to watch Star Trek (for the third time). The flight was uneventful, the food ok, though unmemorable, since I can't recall what I had (I think it was chicken noodles, though I;m not sure). Upon arrival inChangi airport I had to queue for quite a while for immigration, but once at the desk it was fine (there was only one form, and no health check). Baggage ollection was next, followed by custons, where the guy asked me if there was anything I wasn't sure about declaring. I remembered the gravy granules (thanks, Auntie Julie and Auntie Lisa), but I was told they would be fine, and my bags were x-rayed before I was free to go (I suppose he thought I looked a bit suspicious in a kilt). I then carried my bags outside, past taxi, all offering business, and up the escalator to the skytrain, which I s quite a piece of engineering (look it up in wikipedia). I was taken by the skytrain to terminal 3, where I could catch the MRT. I took the lift down to the MRT platform, and then the train to Tanah Merah Interchange, where I crossed the platform to take another train to Kembangan as dictated by the instructions sent from the hostel. I then exited the station, only to find no reference to which way to go, and I decided to give in and take a taxi. The taxi journey took 3minutes, and cost S$5. Then I headed for the hostel, which turned out to be up 3 flights of stairs, with not a lift in sight. I was just about dead when I reached the top, and then I had to a self check in, which was a simple process involving a safe code and some money. I then entered the room and dumped my stuff before having a shower and a change. I then put my dirty clothing (left over from Hong Kong) into the washing machine, and went to get some grub. I had intended to eat down in the cafe downstairs, but the menu turned out to consist entirely of fish (fishballs, fish skin or fish head curry). I consulted the Singapore version of the bible of Lonely planet, and headed off into the MRT system to Tanjong Pagar, and to a Hawker Center which I was told was within walking distance of the MRT. It was, but I had gine in the wrong direction. After a panicky moment, I consulted the pull-out map and righted myself, and then I set off for some food. I had a look around the stalls, eventually finding one I liked the look of, and had Wonton Noodle Soup accompanied by pineaplle drink. It was lovely. I then headed back into the MRT and too a train to Raffles Place, to explore, and found a beautiful, twinklingly lit river which will be returned to with a camera. Then, yawning, I decided to head back to the hostel and do a bit of blogging before turning infor the night. My dorm buddies arrived around midnight, and after a quick 'hi' I was sound asleep.

Day 10 - Ferries, Roulette and Really Crappy Music

Day 10 was the day which I spent in Macau. I got up early for once (about 8.30) and headed across to Hong Kong Island via the Star Ferry, before walking to the HK-Macau ferry port (discovered day 8). When I got to the ticket counter, the man there was very confusing (and didn't quite have a complete grasp of English) and so after a few minutes of confused discussion I purchased a return ticket, and headed briskly through to the security area, where a few forms were filled in before passing through security, at which point I examined my return ticket, which said 'return 10.30pm'. Not good. Not good at all, as I would be getting up at 4am the following morning to go to Singapore. I decided that there was little I could do at that point, and so I resolved to instead relax and sort it out in Macau. I boarded the boat to find that I had fortunately been given a seat in the front row, which had some legroom, and I relaxed as much as I could in the not overly comfortable or roomy, and non-reclining economy class seat. I watched the television screen which was on the wall facing me, and I was surprised at what I saw. It was a U.S. (obviously) television show called 'Man vs Beast', and it proved to be compelling viewing. First, there was an obstacle course race between a Navy SEAL and a Chimpanzee, in which the SEAL won and the chimpanzee, upon crossing the finish line, stood up straight with its hands on its hips and pulled a funny face in a way only chimps can. Next came a race between an Asian Elephant and 44 little people (i.e. dwarfs), whilst pulling a DC-10 Jet plane. It was hard to tell who was humiliated the most, the elephant who won, or the dwarfs, who lost. The cabin crew then came around with forms to fill in pre arrival, for entry into Macau, and these seemed identical to those from Hong Kong, apart from the change in the name of the country at the top of the form. After just over one hour of travelling, we arrive in Macau and disembarked to pass through customs. This time, thankfully, I didn't have a blocked nose, and even if I did I wouldn't have said anything. They took everyone's temperature, anyway, by using an ifra-red detector beam. I then headed out into the main concourse area, and was handed a map by a man standing in the concourse and, mistakenly contriving that he was someone from tourist information, I asked for directions to the ticket office, which he led me to. There, I was told by a helpful official that I would be able to catch any boat before 10.30pm, by passing through to the gate and announcing myself as a 'standby' passenger. I then turned to head out from the terminal, and was approached by Mr Tourist Information, who turned out to be a tout, trying to sell a tour by private car of Macau, for only HK$600. Sod that. I managed o fob him off by telling him that I din't have very much money, which was almost true, and I headed out to explore Macau. I passed into a network of overpasses and raised walkways, and within about 15 minutes I was pretty well lost. It was then that I remembered the map that I had been given, and I managed to direct myself to an unassuming building which announced itself as 'centro des activites touristes', and so i headed inside to be confronted with, instead of a tourist information bureau, the Macau Grand Prix museum, and Wine Museum. I was about to reach for my wallet and asses the damage, when I discovered that the GP museum was free. Result! A tour discovered that the Macau GP was a Formula 3 race, and so that explained why I hadn't heard of it. Such a shame, because the museum was very nice, with testimonies to some of the prominent individuals in the race's past, which included Ayrton Senna, as well as a collection of race cars, including Michael Schumacher's F3 car which, predictably, he has won in on several occasions. There was also a free simulator, which was fun, it not a bit cramped, before I departed, and discovered a very reasonably priced gift shop. It's at this point I'll explain that the currency of Macau is the Macanese Pocarat, but, since that exchange rate is almost 1:1 with Hong Kong, HK$ are accepted everywhere. I bought a very nice jacket for $150, and a keyring featuring the circuit, and a pen. All for about 15 quid. Bargain. Then I finally headed out and went in search of food. After wandering past several manky looking restaurants, I found some salvation and, for once, it wasn't a McDonald's. It was a small grocery shop, and I had some crisps and some little sweet crackers, a grape fanta (which is really nice) and a bottle of water. I headed out to a small park I had passed earlier, and ate and watched with amazement as the locals got fit on some outdoor exercise machines which had looked like play equipment when I had passed previously. I then decided to hit a casino, and found one not too far away called the sands casino. Upon entry, there was an escalator upstairs, to the gaming floor, and some truly dreadful music, including someone singing a really terrible interpretation of Ray Quinn's swing version of the ABBA classic, Waterloo. I was then passed though a security point, with a metal detector arch, and I headed for the cashier's desk.  I adopted wise tactics of damage limitation, and changed only HK$200 into chips (about 20 pound). After some time spent searching, I discovered that there were not Texas Hold'em Poker tables, so instead I found a seat at a HK$25 roulette table, and changed my cash chips into purple-ish coloured game chips, which were each worth HK$25 (can you see why it's called HK$25 roulette?). I then began to place bets on the theory that, it I placed them on corners I would get more spread, and if I placed on the same spaces each time I would eventually win something. So I did just that, covering my luck numbers such as 21, 8, 18, 2 and 22. The first $200 didn't last long, and at this point I had discovered why I had gotten a look of astonishment when I had bought chips at the counter. You can buy them at the tables. Before I could help myself, I was $500 down, with only $100 left in chips. I placed the same bets one last time, but somehow seemed compelled to move the chip on the corner, covering  17, 18, 20 and 21, to the middle, between 18 and 21. This paid off, as the ball landed on 18, giving me 17 chips back, instead of the 8 I would have gotten if I hadn't moved. I came to my senses quickly and cashed out before I foolishly lost any more money. I was waylaid on the way to the desk by the slot machines, which turned out to be armless bandits, as it was all electronic ans push-button. I fed a $10 note into one, and I lost it all, so, feeling a bit luckier, I headed to another with another $10 note, and got $11.90 back. Then I finally headed to the cashier's desk to change my chips for $411.90, Down over $200 dollars from when I came in. I headed out back t the Museum, where I had noted previously a bus to Taipa, on the other island of Macau.This was in the form of a small minibus, similar to those in Hong Kong, but it had 2 doors, one at each end, and it was more like a Turkish Dolmus, as people were packed in like sardines. I was lucky to have a seat by the window, and I watched (and took pictures) as we passed over one of the three bridges to the islands, which was strange in the way that it rose up quite high at one point to allow the passage of ferries, before returning to a level, which made it seem almost like a roller coaster (it was quite steep). The bus then arrived in Taipa, and I stayed on to determine when to get off, by the technique of waiting to see where everyone else got off. Not helpful, because the bus turned out to  be a circular, and When I did get off I had already passed the town centre. I wandered through the streets in what I thought was the right direction, until I eventually found a compromise in my favourite non-Asian restaurant. Yep, that's right. McDonald's (I do apologise for repetitiveness, but I have little self-control in terms of McDonald's). I really should charge them for advertising in this blog. A little while later, feeling much fuller and much refreshed, I took a short stroll through the adjacent park, and realised that instead of being given HK$ in change, I had been given Pocarats. I decided to take a taxi back to the ferry port, in the hope of catching the 6 o'clock ferry. I spent a while finding one, before finally succeeding. The taxi stopped, and the door swung open automatically (posh, eh?). I clambered in and spent a short while debating with the driver over the meaning of ferry terminal, before finally showing him the ticket. I turns out that there are two terminals, one on Taipa, and one on Macau. The ride took me over the second of the two bridges, and This one had two humps. It really was like a roller coaster, and it had good views. i reached the terminal and the driver told me it was HK$45. I gave him 50 Pocarats and told him to keep the change. Can't say fairer then that. I caught the 6.30 ferry and in the lounge I discovered a $5 massage chair, which was quite pleasant at times and quite painful at others. It didn't last long, and just after it finished it's cycle we were told that we could board. Upon boarding, I noticed a sign, advertising an upgrade to super class for only $99. It was worth every penny, with comfy, reclining seats, a window seat, legroom, and sound on the telly, allowing me to hear what the commentator said on the race between the dwarfs and the elephant. Lush. On arrival in Hong Kong, I headed back towards the IFC mall, and was drawn in by the attraction of the cinema, again. I purchased a ticket to see Pelham 123, and I discovered the miracle of at-seat service, in which you order, say, chicken strips and chips with apple juice (I wonder who ordered that?) and it gets delivered to you when you are sitting in your seat watching the movie, which was a very good film, which I recommend. (Like day 9, I refuse to give any spoilers). I then returned, by MRT to Chungking Mansions, and I decided to get an early(ish) night because I had to get up at 4am to catch a plane. Upon opening the phone, however, to set the alarm, I discovered that it's temperamental signal had allowed 12 missed calls and several messages to arrive, from mum and dad, telling me to call them because they were worried about me. Drat. I put on some clothes and headed to an internet cafe, where I called them and told them that I was still alive. They told me that their concern was because they hadn't been called in 3 days, and I hadn't updated my blog. I then finally headed to bed, and slept.

Day 9 - And relax...

On day 9 I didn't wake up until about 1pm. I think it was the 8.5% proof cider that did it. Especially since I had two bottles of the stuff. Still, it was quite nice. I decided to do what I didn't get the chance to do yesterday, so after a long shower and some food, I decided first to catch up with George and say bye before he headed off to Shenzhen. I managed to catch him, and I bid him farewell. Then I headed up to the swimming pool (I had rinsed out my swimming stuff from day 8 to remove the sand), and spent several hours in the pool relaxing and working off the stresses of the week. I also headed down to an arcade that George had told me about, which turned out to contain a very loud (and addictive) car racing game, and a very addictive (and very loud) drumming game. What with that and grabbing some grub, that was the afternoon gone, and in the evening I decided to re-do the peak (day 3) to get some pictures. However, little did I know that instead, on the ferry I would meet Illie and Nick, from Rochester. we got chatting, and instead of the peak we headed up to a bar at the top off the IFC, which did provide quite a good view of the light display, but the lights proved too hard to photograph (the attempts are on facebook), so instead we decided to just watch the wonderful display of dancing light. I can tell you, it really was something. I then split with Illie and Nick (who had to go back to Happy Valley, where they were staying with Illie's parents), and the IFC palace cinema caught my eye, as did a certain film, whose title begins with the word Inglorious (I can't give you the full name because this blog may end up on Mr Hood's whiteboard). I tell you. the seats in the theatre were amazing, really comfy, like armchairs, and with proper armrests and none of that stupid fold-up nonsense. And, for this? Only HK$85, which is very reasonable. The film was also very good (no details so I don't ruin it for those who haven't seen it). After the film I realised how late it was, and decided to run down to the MTR, which I managed to catch (well, it was past midnight, and that trains don't run all night). Then it was off to bed, back at Chungking.

Day 8 - Beaches, Boats and much too-short shorts

On day 8 I woke up late, around 11.30, and so I decided to see if I could find out where George had gone to, and I again found him in the internet bar after half an hour of fruitless searching. I didn't stop, just said hi quickly and found out that his great escape had taken him to the room next door to the one he was in previously, with no upgrade in size. He told me that he would be leaving for Shenzhen the following day, but that he couldn't have a get together until later, so I decided to head off for some lunch, followed by swimming. I had lunch, and discovered that I still had about half an hour before the 1pm session started, so I sat in the air conditioned centre and waited. And waited. And waited, until about 1.15pm I decided to find out why the session hadn't begun yet. That was when I saw the sign which I had missed before, informing the public that, on a Tuesday, 'Kowloon Park Swimming Pool will be closed between 10am and 5pm for cleaning and sterilisation, and will re-open as normal at 6pm'. Oh, well. Time for plan B then. I gathered my collected gubbins and headed off for star ferry. When I arrived at Hong Kong ferry terminal, I walked along until I found the boat I wanted. The ferry to Lamma Island, more specifically to Yung Shue Wan. The boat took about 45mins to get to Lamma, and then i realised that George was pretty much right in a previous conversation, where he had told me that Lamma had no cars. It didn't. It just had bicycles and small, motorised carts for carrying goods. I followed the marked out route through the small village (it was quite well signposted) and on the way, I saw such sights as the Man Kee restaurant, and a small ice-cream shop which displayed caricatures of celebrities, such as Barack Obama and Michael Jackson (when he was black). The woman inside seemed amazed as I photographed these works (on facebook), and I was astounded when she told me that she had done them herself. I was impressed, and that was what convinced me to buy an ice cream (quite nice, actually). Well, she did put a lot of effort into them! After leaving Yung Shue Wan, the path headed through dense woodland (rainforest or jungle, I'm not sure), and up and down a few hills, giving brilliant views. Eventually the path trailed into Hung Shing Yeh, and I had arrived at the reason I had decided to come to Lamma. Hung Shing Yeh beach. I changed out of my basketball top and shorts and into my swimming shorts, which, as you can guess from the title, were very short. After the quick change routine behind a palm tree, I found a spot for my towel and headed out into the surf. The water was lovely and warm, and free from rubbish, although it wasn't the clearest. That was slightly disconcerting, as on a peninsular just to the left of (and well within view of) the beach was Lamma power station. I swam about, relaxing and quite enjoying myself for the best part of three hours before finally deciding to think about heading back. I collected my stuff and headed for the changing rooms (which I hadn't seen to begin with). Upon arrival in the changing room, I found an empty cubicle and started to change, noticing when I did that in my haste to leave Tsim Sha Tsui I had forgotten to pack boxers. That left me to decide to put on the shorts I had come down in, but go commando (it may seem disgusting, but it happens to us all at some stage). That was when I noticed the huge ripped hole in the back of my shorts which i had travelled in. Plan B then, obviously (and lucky I noticed, too). I decided to put my basketball top on, but leave on my swimming stuff, and hope that they would dry on the walk up to Sok Kwu Wan.Now let me just give you the image here, so that you fully appreciate it. The shorts are so short that they could possibly classify a 1/4 lengths, and the (Yao Ming) basketball top is actually long for me. So long in fact that viewed from the right perspective, I'm pretty sure that it looked like I was just wearing the top and nothing else. So, my head hung in embarrassment, I headed off to Sok Kwu Wan, to catch a ferry back to the mainland (as recommended by the bible of Lonely Planet). The walk was longer than the one to the beach, and more hill, which was quite strenuous, but did give some lovely views of the island of Lamma. I arrived, eventually, in Sok Kwu Wan at about 7pm, very tired and hungry, and drenched in sweat. That was when, on closer inspection, I realised that every single one of the restaurants in the village sold nothing but seafood, and that the next ferry to central wasn't for another hour at least. I did note, however, that there was a ferry headed for Aberdeen advertised. Well, when I say a ferry it was more a simple boat, with open sides and no air conditioning. I hopped aboard, in the hope that I would reach Aberdeen to find some way to return to central. The ride on the boat took about an hour, and so during the course of the journey, night fell. And it started to rain. That worried me, because i was scantily clad in very summery, very short (not of my choosing) clothing. Thankfully, the rain was only momentary, and was gone by the time we arrived in Aberdeen. Upon arrival, I headed for the nearest bus stop, and upon studying the timetables, I found absolutely no hint of a bus to the central terminus. Thankfully, just as I was beginning to lose hope altogether, the beautiful glow of an approaching buses display said 'Admiralty MTR'. Salvation. I clambered aboard and, after much rummaging, extricated my wallet from the trashed shorts. After reaching the haven that was Admiralty, I headed for the overhead walkway to Star Ferry, and therefore to TST, home. On the way I was becoming increasingly self-conscious of the looks I was getting, and this merely quickened my pace to the point where I took a wrong turn, and instead of heading for Star Ferry, I headed for HK-Macau Ferry. I realised my mistake after only a short while, an upon retracing my steps, I realised which way I had to go to get back on track. Right through the heart of IFC mall, full of hugely expensive designer outlets and those with more money (and taste) than sense who choose to shop there. If Usain Bolt had been there I'm not sure he would have been able to match my pace through the IFC. I reached the star ferry in record time, and headed back for the relative salvation of Tsim Sha Tsui, to a McDonald's, a cider, and, last, but not least, bed.

Day 7 - Aimless wanderings...

On day 7, the fist thing I intended to do was head to Lok Fu, but even the best laid plans go to waste, and instead, after finding George, I spent most of the morning 'helping' him to pack (i.e. standing chatting), as he planned to leave his hostel, or, as he put it 'escape'. He was either going to find a new hostel, or head to China to meet his (Russian) girlfriend, Tanya. I caught the bus (discovered day 6) from outside Chungking, and relaxed and enjoyed the trip through the urban sprawl, arriving at Lok Fu after about an hour. I then consulted the Bible (i.e. guidebook), and spent a good 10 or 15 minutes looking to find some bearings, before giving up and deciding to ask one of the security guards at the mall. He gave the nod and head shake which said, quite clearly, "I don't speak English". He then headed off, in pursuit of an anglophone, and eventually found a teller in the bank who spoke English enough to tell me that she didn't have a scooby. Useful, very useful. So I decided to admit defeat and head somewhere else, although that didn't cause me to lose faith in the Bible, after all, it's not the Bible's fault that Hong Kong has a lack of street signs pointing to the walled city. I headed into the MTR at Lok Fu, and decided to indulge my curiosity and head out to see what was at a station called, ambiguously, "LOHAS park". On the way out of the MTR station, I went into the 7 eleven and bought a lunch, intending to eat it in the park. That would have been lovely, apart from the fact that LOHAS stands for 'Lifestyle Of Health And Sustainbility', which is Hong Kong beauracracy's way of saying 'High Rise'. And they had't even finished building it, so there wasn't even much to see, or seat at which to have lunch. I decided to yet again admit defeat, and head instead for Hong Kong island, where I managed to end up on the (aptly named) 'Island Line' of the MTR, which travels along the north coast of Hong Kong island. I decided to get off at Shau Kei Wan, as I remembered (also from day 6) that it was one of the tram termini (I know, posh words today, eh?). When I got out of the MTR, i found a bus depot, but the thought of any transport was sidelined, as I saw a small park to one side with, wait for it, PICNIC TABLES!!! I sat down at one, and, started to tuck into my lunch amid coughing from the fumes from the buses going past every nanosecond. This, however, was bearable, as I was joined for lunch my several small and fearless birds (finches, I believe) who decided to gather round to pick up anything I should drop (or decide to feed them). I chose the latter, and  both the birds and I dined on turkey and shrimp paste sandwiches (actually quite nice) and crisps. I then headed off to find the trams, and upon another consultation with the great (yet lonely) god of planet I discovered that I could take the longest possible journey on the tram system by catching a tram to Western Market, and then onward to Kennedy town. It was a while down the line to Western Market that the tiredness hit me, and I decided to yet again relent and head back to the hostel, where I sat for a while before heading out for some traditional fayre (which was elusive, so I  gave up and went to Mickey's). I then decided on a nice, quiet night in (after a quick visit ti the internet cafe, where I discovered that George had left me a message telling me that he was still in Hong Kong). Then it was off to bed, with a vodka limonata (left over from day 3) and I slept.