3 Days in Hong Kong

My uncle Frank was completely correct... Hong Kong is a sea of
humanity! Over 6.8 million people live in an area that covers 1,100
square kilometers (approx. 400 square miles) of which a large portion
is mountainous and uninhabitated. We are clearly the minority here
which allows one to gain a new perspective of our place in the world,
and contrary to what many in North America believe, we are not number
1.

Hong Kong truly is an international city that boasts top notch
transit, especially the MTR, or subway system, that easily puts
Toronto's attempts at mass transit to shame. The trains are always on
time, with large electronic signage and announcements in English and
Cantonese indicating when the next train will arrive. The "No eating
and drinking" policy on trains and paid fare areas results in spotless
stations and the turnstyles/escalators/etc that can be run in both
directions depending on the time of day keep the masses moving
smoothly. For all those people who believe that the TTC is "the best
way", you ain't seen nothing yet.

Thanks to our friend Iris for recommending the Wang Fat Hostel on
Paterson Street as a place to stay here in Hong Kong. Although her
brother was right, that the rooms are not like the photos on the
internet (they are really small), they are clean, comfortable and
relatively quiet and at $350HKD per night are a good deal in a superb
location. However, since it never gets really cold here, there is no
heat or insulation and it can get rather cool, although certainly not
unbearable.

Friday evening was spent walking around the Causeway Bay area and
taking it all in. We had to go and buy a jacket for Jessica and a
light sweater for me as we forgot our sweaters at my dad's in
Kamphaeng Phet when we were there. We enjoyed some food and went to
bed relatively early, weary from our travels.

On Saturday we walked to Victoria Park; a large arboretum situated in
the middle of the city and enjoyed a walk-about and observed crews
setting up a HUGE area for the Lunar New Year's celebrations which
take place this weekend (New Year's eve being Jan28 with the New Year
starting on Jan29). Afterwards we went back to walking the streets
and thanks to Jessica's love of noodles we went to the "Traditional
Noodle House" for some food. Once inside we were seated at a table
with another lady, named Sherry, who spoke English and we got to
chatting. Her husband Phillip, who went to school at MacMaster in
Hamilton, arrived shortly later and we hit it off. She ensured that
we didn't end up eating anything that we wouldn't like and afterwards
we went for coffee together.

Phillip had a previous engagement so she took us to the bus stop where
we left her and Jessica and I went to Stanley Market which is on the
south side of the island. Things were definitely overpriced but we
managed to get some good deals on some small gifts and Jessica found
herself a wonderful necklace.

In the evening we rode the Star Ferry to Kowlooon and went to a night
market on Temple Street before riding the MTR back to Causeway Bay.
We would definitely recommend the ferry ($2.20HKD each, one way) as it
gave us a great opportunity to see the city's skyline with all the
buildings lit up on both sides of the bay.

Yesterday (Sunday), we slept in and had a lazy morning and drank
coffee at, get ready for it, Starbucks... something I would rarely do
even at home. We then went for more noodles at the same restaurant
before taking the MTR to Wong Tai Sin Temple where many were
celebrating and preparing for the new year by making offerings of
whole chickens and ducks, fruits, cakes and other cuts of meat. This
was combined with the burning of incense like we have never seen
before that filled the air so thick with smoke that one could hardly
breathe. We managed to get some great photos (yes, they will be
posted shortly... we know that you're all eagerly waiting for them)
and made wishes by tossing coins into the Wishing Garden which was
comprised of a fountain of lotus flowers (I got my wish much to the
amusement of the locals; Jessica didn't).

Afterwards we took the MTR to Lai King and went for a quick walk
through Modern Terminal's container port. We didn't get a chance to
see Hong Kong International Terminals until we were taking the MTR
back to Central station and could see the terminal out the windows of
the train. The port is absolutely insane. It was somewhat surreal to
see all the crap that the world, and North America in particular,
consumes all boxed up in containers, stacked 10-12 containers high and
hundreds long, ready to be sent around the world. Certainly it
emphasized in our minds that we consume WAY too much in North America
and there were easily millions of 45' containers on the docks.

For dinner we met Sherry and Phil and went out for Chinese Hot Pot
which comprises a, you guessed it, hot pot! It is somewhat like a
fondue whereby the hot pot is filled with a soup broth and you order
different meats, fish, veggies and more to cook in the boiling water.
The food and conversation was great although local establishments seem
infatuated with blowing A/C at maximum despite it being winter here
with the outside temperature being in the low teens. Most patrons of
the restaurant were wearing their winter coats for the whole meal.

We went out for coffee and desserts afterwards and then parted ways,
promising to give them a shout next time either of us are in the
other's country.

This morning (Monday) we got up early and rode the MTR around for a
while to experience the morning rush hour... it was insane!

Unfortunatley during our visit we didn't get a chance to see the Peak
but there will certainly be a next time for that.

Our flight home is at 16:25 today and we are looking forward to coming
home and sharing photos and stories, although both of us are not to
excited about returning to work.

We sure hope that Scott is at the airport when we arrive.

in Hong Kong!! For real this time :)

We are actually here now...not just at an airport terminal! Just arrived, waiting to check in to our hostel room. So far it is absolutely nuts. It's cool and rainy. Will definitely have to go get a jacket. We will update when we see more!

 

Take care,

Jessica & Ewen

In Phnom Penh for the Day

The last few days in Sihanoukville almost proved to be a bit
overwhelming as the town is entirely based on tourism and when we got
away from the beach it was a bit depressing. I am not sure of the
entire history of the town, but it seems like about 30 years ago
(maybe just before the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot) but maybe subsequent
to the regime that a lot of building was done for tourism purposes but
nothing ever really came of it. There are a lot of 74% complete
buildings and abondoned hotels, empty lots surrounded by walls and
ornate fences and such and it is somewhat creepy.

On Sunday we took a tour of some local islands and did some
snorkelling. Andrew and Cam are both competent snorkellers although I
definitely suck at breathing through a straw and Jessica is a
fraidy-cat of all things under the waves. We stopped at one island
for a lunch of BBQ-ed barracuda and saw some heavy artillery that the
Soviets put on the island in 1989 for some reason or another.
Regardless, the guns were really big and we were not allowed to go
near them or to take photos; although to my keen eyes they appeared to
be in working order.

On Tuesday during our walkabout we went to the Snakehouse, which
although interesting I would definitely NOT recommend to anyone who
visits this town. It truly was a pathetic showing of inhospitable
treatment of animals. I feel horrible for supporting this place with
the $1US I paid for admission.

We enjoyed some great Indian food after our walk at a place called the
Indian Curry Pot by Victory Beach and it is definitely a worthwhile
place to eat. The four of us ate for $21US, and as seems to be the
norm here, the service was stellar. It certainly would put the vast
majority of servers in Canada to shame.

Other days were spent doing a whole lot of nothing on the beach, which
was excellent. I managed to finish the book "Shake Hands with the
Devil" which is an account of the Rwandan genocide as well as "The
Alchemist" and "First They Killed my Father", the latter being a
first-person account by Luoung Buong who was 5 years old when the
Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and which I would highly recommend.
Jessica also read "The Alchemist" and is almost finished Buong's
account.

We arrived in Phnom Penh by bus this morning, this time taking GST
Transportation which proved to be a bit faster and cooler (the aircon
was working instead of the heaters). We arrived shortly after lunch
and went to the Foreign Correspondent's Club (FCC; which was
recommended by Andrew) for a quick bite and some relaxation.
Afterwards we found a room for $15US, including aircon, hotwater and
breakfast, just north across the street, at the River Street Bar
Restaurant. The rest of the day was spent visiting the market and
walking the streets taking in the sights. This is definitely a city
that is worth a second, or third, visit and we look forward to
returning some day.

We leave for Bangkok tomorrow and are looking forward to being back in
Canada, and the -30C weather, soon.

EM

Still Alive!

We have enjoyed our holiday at the beach very much and appreciated the
whole "doing nothing" aspect of it and not trying to run around and
quickly see all the sights. We figure that there will be more than
enough time to see the likes of Angkor Wat, S21 and the Killing Fields
and other "attractions".

We fly back to Bangkok on Jan19 where we will be meeting Kittikarn and
I have bought a number of suits and so we were going for a fitting at
11AM on Jan19. We
leave early morning on 20Jan (not sure of the exact time) for Hong Kong.

Photos to follow... the internet here is WAY too slow.

EM

Six Years!! Holy Shit!

The other day, January 13, was the 6th anniversary since Jessica and I
started dating. What a long time ago that was... back in first
year... visiting Jessica on West Campus. So we celebrated with some
great food and a decent amount of beer yesterday, helped along by Cam
and Andrew.

Today we decided to spend the day alone so after sharing breakfast
with the two we went WAY down the beach and sat in the sun all day.

It was wonderful.

This Place is Just Wonderful

Since our last update we have done a lot of nothing.

We went to bed early Monday evening after our last update and were
lucky enough to catch part of the sunrise on Tuesday morning, which
was to say the least phenomenal. The day was spent drinking, eating
and walking the beach, twice, and reading. Our friends, Cam and
Andrew, met us with some friendly cheers of "ocho" (our war-cry from
Cuba) and from there on in the night quickly decended into absolute
relaxation as we ate food, sipped buckets (ingredients: whisky, coke
and red-bull from a sandbucket -- in this case we were lucky enough to
get a glass pitcher and asked for no redbull) and watched the waves
lap at the shore.

The food at Cloud 9, where we are staying, is superb although a bit
overpriced compared to other spots on the beach and the "Same Same But
Different" guesthouse is reported to serve up some quality Happy
Pizza, perfect for sharing, for those so inclined at a reasonable
price.

Cam and Andrew managed to find an absolutely free place to stay at the
Full Moon Bar. Interestingly, on this most perfect of beaches, they
are giving away rooms to stay at in return for some patronage of their
bar/restaurant. The rooms are decent and lockable and come with, at
least in this case, double beds and toilet facilities. Certainly a
super deal but we are a little more aligned with the $10 per night
deal we have now... but only because our trip is shorter and our
budget a bit more flexible.

Yesterday, on Wednesday, we went to market on foot and it was
certainly an experience. It would seem that somewhere on us, written
in ink invisible to our eyes, are written the words, "Please rip me
off!". At one stand, the lady tried to convince us that the price
written on a swimming goggles/snorkel set was not 2,175 Riel ($1USD =
4,080 Riel) but rather that was the price she paid for it and that we
were expected to pay 12,000 Riel. I laughed at her, asked her if she
thought I was stupid, offered $1US for 2 and then left when she
refused.

The market here certainly is different to any other that we have
visited as absolutely no one was at all interested in negotiating or
haggling over the price. It would seem as if there were a guide
published ïndicating the price to charge foreigners and that everyone
sticks to it like white on rice. As a result, the market experience
was a bit of a disappointment and we left with only the lunches we ate
and some packs of bottled water along with some fruit.

The evening was spent enjoying a few beer while watching one of the
most spectactular sunsets I have ever witnessed and some great fare at
the "Green Leaf Restaurant" where $1.50US will buy you some fantastic
Fried Noodles with Vegetables and $2US will buy you a huge serving of
Fried Curry Rice with Vegetables. The beers were cheap at $0.75US for
a can of Beerlao.

There are numerous bars on the beach offering a wide assortment of
Khmer and Western food and a good number boast Happy Pizza and Shakes,
which Phnom Penh is famous for, with others upping the ante and
offering Free Smoking as well. Other tourists have told us that the
Dolphin Shack and Mama's are great stops.

Certainly the darker elements are not in plain view, but yesterday
gentlemen walking along the road behind the beach bars were making no
efforts to conceal the AK-47's that they were carrying and there seem
to be a few foreigners who are keen on nothing more than meeting the
local girls. Although, this doesn't seem to deter those who are on
vacation here with their spouses and families.

Today, being Thursday, we slept in, ate a good breakfast of Veggie
Omelettes with Baguettes at our Guest House and did some reading...
although Jessica did less reading and more napping than I.

We're going to enjoy the beach now and try to capture some photos to
post tomorrow.

In Cambodia

Good evening ladies and gentlemen!

Jessica and I are loving our trip!

We've been in Thailand since January 1 and spent the majority of the
time visiting my dad in Kamphaeng Phet, which is in the central part
of the country and some friends, including our good friend Kittikarn
who took us to Uttradit where we stayed in her wonderful Thai house
and ate some awesome food!! We had a lot of fun with my dad although
it was more of a western type experience than what we experienced with
Kittikarn. Arman was with us the whole time and we
had a blast, including a visit to Myanmar (formerly Burma) for a day,
the hot springs, the Unesco site in my dad's town and more.

Yesterday we returned to Bangkok and today we flew to Phnom Penh and
then took a bus with the Rith Mony Transport Company to Sihanoukville which is down in the south, thanks to
Arman's recommend. Suffice to say this place is beautiful and is
quite fortunately yet undiscovered by the masses. We are staying in a
thatched roof bungalow on the hillside overlooking the ocean for a
whopping $10US per day at a place called Cloud 9. We'll send photos tomorrow of the sites and
if all goes according to plan will meet up with Cam and Andrew, who
have been in Asia for almost 2 months now, tomorrow or Wednesday.

We plan on spending the remainder of our time here and will return to
Bangkok on January 19 for our trip home. I know, that may sound lazy
to some of you but we decided that it just wasn't worth our while to
be rushing around from place to place on this trip.

More updates will follow shortly.

Ewen and Jessica

ps. it's in the low 30's here today... and there's no snow in the forecast.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We have arrived... safe and sound in Hong Kong waiting for our
connecting flight to Bangkok.

That means for us, it is now 2006 and we wanted to wish you all a
happy new year! We celebrated with Hong Kong's new year somewhere
over the ocean with a glass of champagne and little fanfare.

All the best in the new year!

Ewen

Edit: I meant to post this much earlier, but as you can see, some technical difficulties kept me from doing it until today.