monkeycrap's Diaryland Diary

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trip log: hong kong 23/05/05 - 26/05/05

Day 1
Armed with nothing more than a 1/4 full travel sling bag, a camera and a notepad, I arrived in Changi Airport at 6.30 in the morning, only to find it crowded and less peaceful than I'd expected it to be. Saw some students sending their friend off for overseas studies and felt a sense of deja vu. The cries, hugs, laughs.. pretty touching actually. I took another look at my shopping list:
Biotherm products
MOET champagne
CK Summer
Absolut Vodka
Bubblegum
Clothes
Shoes
Bags, hopefully

Saw the members of what looked like the Singapore youth swim team going for overseas competition. Here they are going to some far away land to win medals for our country, and here I am scribbling stuff in notepads and altering shopping lists. Damn it la. Breakfast? Turkey ham croissant with a generous dollop of swim team envy.

Flight was pretty pleasant. Can't say the same for the in-flight video though. You know, the short clip telling you how to blow your life jacket and make your ride more enjoyable? Yeah according to the video, to make your flight more enjoyable, you have to look gay, find a nice shady spot under a tree in the park and do lunges and simple leg lifts. That will prevent aches and pains caused by long hours of sitting down in the plane. The last time I tried doing that in the plane toilet, I almost fell into the toilet bowl. Plane lunch was an interesting plate of crunchy hor fun and apple juice (love it when the stewardess goes 'you want coffee-tea-or juices?').

Arrived at HK airport. Impressive. Changi's gotta step up their game. Although I still prefer Changi la, more peaceful, can study there. Hmm I remembered the last time I went Changi to study, I studied ionic equilibria, reaction kinetics and tkgs girls. And that's when I realised tkgs girls made much more sense than avogadro. Anyway back to the airport. You've to take a train to get from where the planes are to baggage claim. Apparently many hongkongers demand for instant train service 24/7, which is of course not possible, thus prompting the airport staff to put this huge sign up:

Relack one korner la blahder!

Got my first taste of HK in the bus from the airport to the hotel. On the outskirts, it looks very Malaysia, only with more mind boggling road networks. On the inside though, it becomes this huge myriad of claustrophobic shophouses, neon signages and algae-walled apartments intertwined with contemporary neoteric skyscrapers. Very messy, in a charming way. Just like my room. I guess that's what defines HK, and what Singapore needs in order to get that X-factor which the government's talking so much about. The X-factor certainly's not gonna come automatically with 2 new integrated resorts. I'm not saying we should be like HK, I'm just saying we need more than casinos and resorts to define our country's character. People remember London for its gloomy weather, street traffic and general greyness of the entire city. What do we have in Singapore that equals that? I can give an answer, but can the tourists?

Took the MTR to Mongkok. Had tea at a longkangside alleyway backlane excuse for a stall. Beef balls, wantons and fishcakes(sounds like the name of some new HK boyband). Tasty.

Went shopping at ladies street. Very much like a huge cramped night market. Was pretty intrigued by the underwear stalls, which sold all sorts of weird patterns and designs enough to baffle and boggle your mind. Thought of buying some for my chief admin supervisor in camp but don't think her children would be too happy to see a french flamingo protruding from le crotch area. Had a cup of bubble tea as well. Now this is the real deal, not some $1 sweet water from some lame void deck shop.

Took a train back to Tsim Sha Tsui for more shopping. Met this weird shoe salesgirl by the name of Satan. Yep, Satan. Maybe it's pronounced Sha Tern or something like that, I don't know. But it's rather interesting to have a shoe salesgirl named Satan right? "Hey Satan! Got any soles lately?" "Oh I bought my sole from Satan." Oh well. Anyway dinner was roast fest, with goose and pork and duck at this, well, roast shop la. I think their specialty was roast chicken in bird flu virus sauce.

Back to the hotel room. Interesting how their website says that they're a four star hotel. Would a four star hotel have a construction site view? Would a four star hotel be enclosed in a giant green construction netting, making it look like a large stocking? Would a four star hotel have no hot water supply? Would a four star hotel have corridors so small that any tomy, dickov or henrietta would have problems squeezing through? Anyway watched tennis to sleep. Elena Dementieva is so hot.

Day 2
If there's one thing about Hongkongers, it's that they really believe in luck and feng shui. Regardless of race, language or religion. After yumming cha in the morning,

went to Victoria Peak,

home of the toilet with the emergency call buttons, in case anyone falls into the toilet bowl while doing airplane stretching exercises.

Crossed over to Repulse Bay, where there were lots of statues awaiting hugging from superstitous travellers. There were lucky stones, fertility statues which promised pregnancy(I wonder what would happen if i'd actually touched it. Anyway I was already pregnant from all that dim sum in the morning, so yeah.) And lo and behold, there was a stone for love, promising that you'll find your significant other after touching it. Wah lau shiok man! Problem solver sia! I went to hug the damn thing like nobody's business, and basically did to it what Liverpool did to the Champions League trophy.

Of course, I don't exactly believe in matchmaking stones, but when in HK, do as the tour guide tells you to. That concluded the half day tour. Anyway, saw this sign.
KABOOM!

Took the MTR to causeway bay, to a shopping arcade called Times Square, which is like the most common name for a shopping place in the world. New York, Malaysia, Hong Kong..Soon there'll be Times Square Burkina Faso. Got new shoes, shirt and watch. Prices same as Singapore. Went to do some alleyway shopping and was surprised to see livestrong bands on sale at really low prices. Realised that they were imitations, with rubbishy stuff like 'love your liver' and 'dnky' inscribed on them. Also saw OK and IK watches. For those unfamiliar with imitations, OK stands for Ororo Klein and IK stands for Ignatius Klein. I think.

The world trade center and sogo area was really nice though.


walking down the boulevard of broken dreams, central station.

Meaty noodle soup for dinner. Nuff said.

Day 3
Off to Macau! Which means one more additional stamp on my passport, and.. and.. nothing else i guess. Before boarding the ferry, I did this survey by some HK tourism board, and it was the worst survey i've ever done in my life. They shoot questions at you at burst fire mode, and they tick your answers 1 second before you answer. If your answer doesn't tally, they erase. And they asked me for my age, and automatically assume that i'm married. Absolutely fantastic. Should've told them i'm married to faye wong.

You know you've arrived in Macau when you see your aunt almost getting 360 degreed over the escalator handrail by some cellulite infested crude mannerless excuse for a blob. Anyway, ate lunch at this portugese restaurant, where my mum embellished her plate of food with sliced chilli she brought from Singapore. Typical Singaporean huh.

BEFORE

AFTER

Went to pay a visit to St.Paul's, the burial ground of saints who played an important role in building Macau.

The crypt where the bones of these saints are resting was magnificent. It was cold, air-conditioned, and there was piped in music, the gregorian chant kind. Very peaceful, very surreal, very sanctified. Fortunately the huge group of tourists with their loud noises and clicking cameras didn't visit the crypt, or else they'd raise the dead. No kidding. The way they pose for group photos ah, I tell you, instant resurrection man.

Into a casino for the first time in my life. Simple maths says it's a lose-lose affair, but well, it looked rather fun. And nobody believes i'm of legal age. The aunties that followed the tour group was like, "Eh! You managed to sneak in ah! Wah not bad ah!" Fine. Laugh at my SHORTcomings. I tried my best to look taller already, by spiking my hair up, but that only added to the boyish charm I so distinctly exude. What to do right.

Dinner was at this typical HK movie/mtv small cosy restaurant that seats like 6 tables. Breakups always happen in these restaurants in the chinese movies. Then the Sammi Cheng slow songs will play in the background. Very sad one.

More weird signs in Macau:


Now Mr.Slope, i'm warning you...

Went back to HK at night, where we walked the sleazy part of town, with all their neon signs advertising 'Clubs', 'Lounges', 'Studios', 'Saunas'(hello it's 11pm at night and the weather's like pretty humid), 'Karaoke'. Pretty soon you get suspicious of every neon sign, even the 'bakery'(just what exactly do they bake?), the 'Chicken porridge' stall(hmm..) and even 'Maya's hair and beauty salon', which you can get to by taking a long long narrow unlit flight of steps to level 1F.

Watched soccer at night. Amazing match. You support a team for 11 years, watch them rise and fall, and this year, shock everyone by making it to the finals, only to meet the Goliaths of AC Milan and to go down 3-0 at halftime, only to score 3 goals in 6 minutes, hold on to dear life, taking everything Milan throws at them and end up winning the penalty shootout and the trophy. Sheer determination. Sheer last minute brilliance. My kind of style. Don't know how much tears I shed during the match and post match man. Add to that Coach Carter on the in-flight movie on the way back to Singapore and that's enough inspiration to last a few months. I hope.

All in all, I didn't get any epiphanies or answers to the meaning of life during this trip, but I got shoes, clothes and lots of food, so I guess that makes up for it all. HK's a nice place with character, but yeah I know I wouldn't be able to live there without dying of claustrophobia or dimsum overdose. Looking forward to next trip, wherever it may be.

9:55 a.m. - 2005-05-28

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