Hong Kong and Its Miller Time…
We wave goodbye to Shanghai with one hand and release the other hand covering our noses at the same time. What a superb city - however the reek of raw sewage mixed with spicy noodles was becoming overwhelming (waiting for a comment on this, eh?). Begining to get used to travelling onto somewhere new and board the train again with only minutes to spare. This time we kinda have a semi valid exuse - we had to stop for a cheeky McDonalds en route and forgot all about going through Chinese Passport control. With the train underway its not long before we get bored of playing Shithead and Rummy and head for the Bar carriage. Needless to say the beers begin flowing and we end up chatting with a group of German Police officers on tour and a German Canadian couple (Gary and Robin), who are uncannily like the German Ranch owners in Malcolm in the Middle.
In the end we managed to clear the bar out of red wine and beer - but by this point Gary and Sarah have lost the power of walking - so the rest of the train journey (12 hours) dissapeared in a haze.
Another day, another dollar and me and the missus step off the Train into the metropolis of Hong Kong. Its 26 Hours since we left Hong Kong, the turtle packs seemed to have swollen in weight and size, and, if ye’ll exuse my French, my arse is a swap in the cities unforgiving 98% humidity! Anyway our directions assure us that we are only 5 mins from the station - so an hour later we finally find it (after passing the same spot a dozen times) and it doesn’t dissapoint. 10 floors up we managed to get the smallest room we’ve had on the trip so far (and that almost includes the train) - no point complaining though and we jump right into our luxurious shower/toilet cupboard (communal)
The real point of the trip, surely, you would believe, would be to see the bright lights and feel the pulsating energy of the crowning Metropolis of South East Asia - but no, the real deal is to meet up with Andy and his young apprentice, Davy, for drinks and maybe even a karaoke strip club. So with this in mind Sarah and I rolled up to Andy’s hotel an hour later to find Ice cold drinks and Andy and Davy half canned from checkin’ out the finest Irish boozers Hong Kong island. After a few beers in the most sophisticated place we’ve been in for some time - we leave to check out some proper Cantonese cuisine…
As we pull up outside the Hard Rock cafe all notions of sweet and sour sauce evaporate. The carnivore inside breaks out - and before long we have ordered way too much food for the table.
Refueled after the small snack we head off in search of some real Chinese entertainment and stumble into a bar where the world Yahtzee playoffs is being held, apparently. And after the entire bar singing Happy Birthday to three different people we decide it wasn’t our scene and we weren’t sure the vein in Andy’s temple could take much more. At Davy’s request head off and in search of a Karaoke bar. Didnt have to look far, however even a beer could not not calm Andy’s vein and i believe his exact words were “theres no fu??ing way i’m getting up there”
Well, as we all know, karaoke gets ye in the end:
Summer luvin was the song and indeed it was a beautiful site. For those of you who want further proof, Davy videoed the whole thing! (ive also posted a snippet of in on google videos) The night ended as always at the bar back at the hotel - cognac’s and beers all round, just to ensure the ensuing hangovers would reach critical.
Sundays entertainment started early afternoon with an attempt to carry out a little Hong Kong tourism by visiting the mountain top view. Not really feeling up to exertion of any kind the four of us went off to find the cable car to the top - unfortunately the weather much like the chat was a little hazy
Fortunalty as we were leaving the weather miraculously cleared up:
The only thing left to do was hair of the dug and the old record began to play again. An Irish bar was found on Hong Kong island and pints of the black stuff ensued. With Andy and Davy off to Mainland China for buisness the next day, the night had to come to a early night however it was only prudent to ensure they were fully up to date on Chinese customs in dining so Chinese it was. To be fair Andy lasted a good six miutes before the knife and fork were brought into play!
With the lads away on the Monday, Sarah and I organised our visas to get back into China then did a little shopping in the markets around Argyle Street. There were certainly some interesting places and shops along the way
After some more food and drink the day came to an early close - the humidity of Hong Kong taking its toll. Moday arrived and we had the small chap at the hostel arrived to tell us that he needed our room and moved us to a different one - equipped with more room (well an extra couple of square foot) and an en suite - must of been my dulcit Glesga tones! Went off to meet the lads for a spot of lunch at their rooftop pool before they headed off to Oz. Davy had arrived fully equiped with head shearing tools, so a quick No1 over me heid in their toilet - and immediately it was cooler (temp wise). Unfortunatley shoving all the hair trimmings down the toilet caused the bog to back up, and my wirey hair ended up coating the entire room with black (and grey) trimmings!
Lunch was another full oriental affair of hamburgers and hotdogs (the above picture taken after lunch - obviously), where the lads recounted their tales of the Chinese banquet they had the night before - where the western utensils were required!!! We parted after lunch and they dashed off to the airport. A big thankyou to the pair of them for a superb few days and their hospitality (Andy - A pint owed at least when we return!)
Since then we have been faced with the usual housekeeping tasks that continue to accrue, washing, trip planning, photo downloading, emailing etc not to mention the usual task of feeding me. There has been such a variety of food here - however to date Sarah has not let me eat any snake or scorpions! She was also very close to purchasing a dog last night from a stall at the night market (Peter - i put my foot down, besides i wasn’t sure if it was a pet store or a food store!)
We had planned on travelling to Wuhan, however when the flight was booked we never gave our middle names (a big no-no) and our flights were cancelled when we finally showed them our new visa’s today. We are now off to Chengdu in search of Sarahs elusive Panda’s then off for a cruise down the Yangze. Bon appetite!
