Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Because I had a long stop-over in Hong-Kong, arriving in the morning with a connecting flight late at night, I was entitled to a free day-use at a hotel there. It was right outside the airport, no need to take a taxi or bus or whatever, as soon as I was out of customs, I walked down a long corridor that connected the airport to the hotel lobby. I had refrained from sleeping on the plane, it hadn't been that hard because I'd been traveling during my daytime and landed around 2AM of my original time but I went straight to the hotel and crashed. I timed the TV to wake me up around 2PM, woke up several times on my own, afraid I wouldn't hear it or didn't set it properly. While we're at that, I took an inordinate amount of time to figure out how to get the lights on and was grateful for a Cambodian trip earlier that year where hotel lights worked that same way though I'm still not sure that I was following the right process to turn them off this time around.
After the rest and a bit more time for my bowels to get less cranky, I headed off into Hong-Kong, left my cabin bag to the Concierge and kept only my handbag. Although I did have a number of hours to kill, I only set out on a short program, being on my own and not knowing the city at all. I'm not crazy about shopping so I went to the Peak Tower, where it was said that great views of the Harbour could be seen.
To get there, I had to take the airport shuttle train. Very clean and smooth, a distant cousin of Paris' Orlyval but more recent I'd say. I then had to find the right bus to get me to the tram for the Peak Tower. It took a bit of walking around but I eventually found the right place and started on my string of giving directions to total strangers as they seemed to think I'd know better than them and oftentimes I did, which is odd because I've been asked directions for streets or places around my residence and couldn't answer only to realize that it was for the street right next to mine, a street I go through everyday but just don't pay attention to! Anyway...
I had a to buy a soda to get change for the bus because the driver didn't give out any change and you had to have the right amount or at worst a little bit more. When I got back and climbed to the upper deck, I stumbled upon a woman and her daughter who had been seated across the aisle from me on the plane! Like me, they had a long stop-over even though their destination was Sydney and not Brisbane. However, they had not been privy to the hotel day-use ticket, I guess their travel agent wasn't aware of that or maybe mine did a really good job.
The old tram was a very nice ride though 'adventurous' is not an adjective I would use for it, contrary to the tourists' leaflet. Once you've tested teleferiques in the Alps, squeezed in tight with 100 other people and with a 3000 feet drop off beneath you, the Hong-Kong Tram does NOT feel like an adventure. *g*But it was nice.
I took some pictures of the harbour from the Peak Tower. The apartment buildings are tall but it looked to me as if the apartments inside are tiny, which they probably are considering the population numbers of the city, though it could also be that they have more windows than I presumed they would. On the whole, Hong-Kong wasn't quite what I expected, it had a lot more greenery for instance. Turn your back on the harbour and its City and you find yourself facing an entirely different scenery.
After the picture taking, the leisurely strolling around and the window shopping, I went back to the hotel. The bus took its time to come by and I was considering taking a taxi instead to get to the airport shuttle but it eventually showed up. I don't know whether it was the humidity or the pollution or both, but I didn't feel like I was breathing normally.
After the rest and a bit more time for my bowels to get less cranky, I headed off into Hong-Kong, left my cabin bag to the Concierge and kept only my handbag. Although I did have a number of hours to kill, I only set out on a short program, being on my own and not knowing the city at all. I'm not crazy about shopping so I went to the Peak Tower, where it was said that great views of the Harbour could be seen.
To get there, I had to take the airport shuttle train. Very clean and smooth, a distant cousin of Paris' Orlyval but more recent I'd say. I then had to find the right bus to get me to the tram for the Peak Tower. It took a bit of walking around but I eventually found the right place and started on my string of giving directions to total strangers as they seemed to think I'd know better than them and oftentimes I did, which is odd because I've been asked directions for streets or places around my residence and couldn't answer only to realize that it was for the street right next to mine, a street I go through everyday but just don't pay attention to! Anyway...
I had a to buy a soda to get change for the bus because the driver didn't give out any change and you had to have the right amount or at worst a little bit more. When I got back and climbed to the upper deck, I stumbled upon a woman and her daughter who had been seated across the aisle from me on the plane! Like me, they had a long stop-over even though their destination was Sydney and not Brisbane. However, they had not been privy to the hotel day-use ticket, I guess their travel agent wasn't aware of that or maybe mine did a really good job.
The old tram was a very nice ride though 'adventurous' is not an adjective I would use for it, contrary to the tourists' leaflet. Once you've tested teleferiques in the Alps, squeezed in tight with 100 other people and with a 3000 feet drop off beneath you, the Hong-Kong Tram does NOT feel like an adventure. *g*But it was nice.
I took some pictures of the harbour from the Peak Tower. The apartment buildings are tall but it looked to me as if the apartments inside are tiny, which they probably are considering the population numbers of the city, though it could also be that they have more windows than I presumed they would. On the whole, Hong-Kong wasn't quite what I expected, it had a lot more greenery for instance. Turn your back on the harbour and its City and you find yourself facing an entirely different scenery.
After the picture taking, the leisurely strolling around and the window shopping, I went back to the hotel. The bus took its time to come by and I was considering taking a taxi instead to get to the airport shuttle but it eventually showed up. I don't know whether it was the humidity or the pollution or both, but I didn't feel like I was breathing normally.
Well, better late than never...
I left for Australia on Tuesday July 29th, 2003. Because of a long stopover in Hong-Kong, I was scheduled to arrive in Oz on Thursday around noon only but even without a long stopover, the trip was roughly a 24 hour journey.
The first flight from Paris to Hong Kong was uneventful. We lifted off from Paris around 2PM with only a half-hour delay and the flight's duration was the planned 11h50. I had heard good things about Cathay Pacific and wasn't disappointed. It was very close to the service found on Thai Airways a few months before. Remembering very cramped space from previous flights (and other companies), I had been really pleasantly surprised by the space allowed to economy seats in both companies. Food was decent and the embedded LCD screens in the back of the seat allowed for uninterrupted viewing of films and TV shows for the stubborn passengers who refused to sleep. After having silently advised myself to be careful with the tomato sauce in my food, I managed to splurge some of it on my shirt, twice, and my pants, once. Yeah, figures.
The landing wasn't as impressive as it could have been if I had had a window seat but I still managed to see that we were above water until the very last moment when the plane touched ground. It would be the first of a series of bay landings as most of Australia's main cities are in bay areas.
I left for Australia on Tuesday July 29th, 2003. Because of a long stopover in Hong-Kong, I was scheduled to arrive in Oz on Thursday around noon only but even without a long stopover, the trip was roughly a 24 hour journey.
The first flight from Paris to Hong Kong was uneventful. We lifted off from Paris around 2PM with only a half-hour delay and the flight's duration was the planned 11h50. I had heard good things about Cathay Pacific and wasn't disappointed. It was very close to the service found on Thai Airways a few months before. Remembering very cramped space from previous flights (and other companies), I had been really pleasantly surprised by the space allowed to economy seats in both companies. Food was decent and the embedded LCD screens in the back of the seat allowed for uninterrupted viewing of films and TV shows for the stubborn passengers who refused to sleep. After having silently advised myself to be careful with the tomato sauce in my food, I managed to splurge some of it on my shirt, twice, and my pants, once. Yeah, figures.
The landing wasn't as impressive as it could have been if I had had a window seat but I still managed to see that we were above water until the very last moment when the plane touched ground. It would be the first of a series of bay landings as most of Australia's main cities are in bay areas.
