I came to Hong Kong after being in Beijing with Catherine and Stuart to do a visa run, although I’m about 2 weeks early. It was also cheaper to fly from Beijing than to return to Suzhou and then travel from there.
The airport bus stopped opposite the Shamrock Hotel on Nathan Road, which is a business hotel but centrally located and within 2 kms of the harbour. I love the fact that Hong Kong has double decker buses and this reminds me of many a happy time back in Scotland when I used to drive them there.
It’s plain to see the influence that the British has had on Hong Kong, from the British electrical sockets, the lack of Chinglish, the almost British number plates on cars and of course they drive on the left hand side which of course is the correct side of the road to be on. But I think the freedom and civilisation left in the wake of the British is still strong.
The driving is better and drivers mostly stick to the rules. There are openly gay people walking around, many young women smoke. There are orderly queues at the bus stops and people wait their turn. There is a sense of order in the chaos that is Hong Kong. Oh and there is and abundance of Indians here which is something I remember from my very first trip here 10 years ago. They of course are trying to sell you clothes but they are always too pushy and to be honest I wouldn’t trust them as far as I could throw them. They always seem to be scheming a new plan and look guilty, how they manage to do business is beyond me. A tad racist you may think, but I think not.
On the street behind the hotel there are the usual small restaurants and a market which at night time seems to double in size and it is also the haunt for many young ladies that you can hire for an hour or more, mind you I never asked the price as I nearly passed out at the price of a coffee never mind anything else.
On this trip I asked my friend Grace to show me some nature in Hong Kong and so she took me to one of the local reservoirs which was on the road to the airport. When we got off the bus I could not believe that I was still in Hong Kong. After a short walk up the hill we were in dense forest and there were piles of shit on the ground but not from dogs but from monkeys and cows. Go figure………less than half an hour ago I was in the metro and the chaos of Hong Kong city.
It was quite hot and still early but thankfully for the most part we were in shade. The path has been well trodden and we met many people on the way round. It’s such a scenic spot and on the doorstep of a very busy city. When I look at the pictures I took later I find it hard to believe that such a place exists in Hong Kong, but I think this is also we have to thank the British for this, because these areas have been protected from development just like they are in the UK. But rather than prattle on about the beauty and beast aspect of Hong Kong, I shall leave you with some photos to look at.
