Hong Kong - Day 1

This was the beginning of my month-long and wonderful trip through South and Southeast Asia. This was also the very first time I traveled overseas as an American citizen - a strange feeling, to be sure. After more than four decades of calling myself an Indian, I now identify myself on all official documents as a citizen of the Red, White and Blue. No matter, in my heart I am still an Indian. Now on to the story.

A long 13 hour flight from San Francisco ended at the Hong Kong airport at 6.25 am on September 19th. I quickly passed through customs, obtained some local currency (1 USD = 7.8 HKD) and took bus number A11 (cost HKD 40 ~ 5 USD) for a 45 minute journey to Causeway Bay - Stop no 13 on the Hong Kong main island. The first thing that hit me after alighting from the bus was the crowd at the traffic lights-- man, millions appeared from nowhere.

Wang Fat Hostel:
The directions given by Wang Fat Hostel (No A2, 3/F, Patterson Bldg, 47 Patterson Street) on Hostels.com were quite accurate, but it took quite an effort locating it. In addition to the street address, you have to know on which story/floor of the building the hostel is located. In the example above, 3/F is the third floor, A2 is the house number on the 3rd floor and finally 47 is the street address for Patterson Street. Hong Kong is a vertical city much like New York City, only more densely populated. At any rate, I arrived at Wang Fat Hostel at 8.30 am very much jet lagged and exhausted. I checked into the Hostel and found my "room" -- a tiny one approximately 8 feet by 12 with bunk beds! Damn, the last time I had seen bunk beds was about 22 years ago in Germany. Now this room was one of 3 bedrooms in A2 the entire apartment was no more than 800 square feet. The bathroom was a mess, but at least there was some TP.

The cost per night was approximately 17 USD -- not a bad deal at all. It is a win-win situation for the budget-conscious travelers and the hostel owners. In terms of access to public transportation though, you just can't beat it. It's right near the Causeway Bay MTR (Mass Transit Railway) station on the Hong Kong island.

I lazed around for a while and got a coffee and a scone at the neighboring Starbucks, perhaps the only place to get a decent coffee in Hong Kong. It appears that coffee drinking is not such a popular activity. Over coffee, I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet guide and took the subway to the Peak Tram station, from then up an interesting funicular (cable railway) that cost 55 HKD. On the way, I met Darren, an English doctor from Bristol on his way to New Zealand. The destination was Victoria Peak, which at approximately 552 meters from the sea level is the highest point in Hong Kong and supposedly provides fantastic views of the skyline. Unfortunately, the sky was smoggy and consequently, no "picture postcard" views. Pollution was a familiar sight throughout my Asian trip. Incidentally, the Peak is a tourist trap with the usual shopping malls and overpriced restaurants. Anyway after a quick look-see, we hiked around the Peak for a couple of hours in the intense heat and passed through Po Lam reservoir. The brochures said it was great, but in reality it was a letdown. It was nice to see some greenery though.

After the strenuous hike, we went to one of the restaurants on the Peak and had some Tiger beer and an excellent dim sum (130 HKD per person). After lunch we rode the funicular down to the base and took the subway to the Sheung Wan MTR station on the main island. We strolled through Hollywood Road, a road filled with antique stores, jewelery shops and carpet shops. Earlier this area used to be famous for its "ladder streets" (steep inclined streets with steps) giving it a Shanghai like atmosphere, but much of it has been torn down today to make way for new buildings.

We took a peek at the 18th-century Man Mo temple, perhaps the oldest and the most famous in Hong Kong. Enormous incense cone coils hang from the ceiling, each representing a fervent wish made by a worshiper. The whole interior has a mysterious feel to it -- intriguing, smoky and hot. We were very thirsty and it was quite an ordeal locating a pub near Sheung Wan MTR. Finally, we located a dive and got a local San Miguel beer. After a good hour-and-a-half, Darren left because he had to catch his onward flight to Auckland. Goodbye Darren!

I took the subway at Sheung Wan MTR, switched trains at Central to Tsim Sha Tsui MTR and reached Kowloon island. I strolled along Nathan Road and the Kowloon Pier, more popularly known as Avenue of the Stars. This Avenue is the Hong Kong equivalent of Hollywood Walk of Fame. There are huge statues of Jackie Chan, Andy Lau and other cinema giants, none that I recognized though. Although touristy, it was a pleasant enough to while away the time. I hung out there and gazed in awe at the imposing skyline. It looked much better at night. I was tired and around 8 o'clock rode the subway back to Causeway Bay MTR and ate at a neighboring traditional Hong Kong restaurant. As I recall, I ate some fried flat noodles with chicken (65 HKD). I headed back to the hotel for presumably a good night's sleep, but there was a nasty surprise waiting for me....

So, I walk into my "room" and there was this Korean guy, Winston. We introduced ourselves and he mentioned that he was a writer. His computer was on and he was typing frantically on it. He was approximately 45 years old, scrawny and he smelled awful -- think of the homeless guys you see in San Francisco. For all I know, he must have worn the same clothes for at least a month. At any rate, I wanted to sleep desperately because of the jet lag and I bade him good night. I climbed up the bunk bed with great difficulty, given that it was not built for adults and I had no prior experience climbing bunk beds. So much so for saving money! I listened to my iPod and tried in vain to get some sleep. I twisted and turned and woke up abruptly around 11.00 pm, and there he was, Winston still typing something.

He was ready to eat -- at 11.00 pm. He filled his rice cooker with noodles and from a drawer near his bed took a couple of eggs from a whole stack and tossed them into the noodles. The vapors from the rice cooker added to my discomfiture. He ate noisily, slurped and smacked his lips loudly. Damn! I slept fitfully yet again for the next couple of hours and woke up at 2.30 am and there he was, Winston, cooking yet again, this time, some plain rice with some unfamiliar powder. His computer was still on and a bedside lamp was on as well. After another bout of fitful sleep, I woke up all tired at 6.00 am to face a brand new day. God knows when he sleeps or where he works. His co-workers must certainly hate him, at least I do. Oh well, so it goes...