Hong Kong - Japan - Taiwan - March 2014 - Page 1

Its me, typing this, my eyebrows continue to get more awesome. Studies show that the more awesome the eyebrows, the smarter you are. Thats why women that pluck them and draw on some sort of half assed line are mentally challenged.

I didnt have much time to spare in Sydney airport, but I did find time to enjoy breakfast in the first class lounge. Todays choice is a quail egg omelette with imported ukranian gruyere and aged leeks.

Presumably this is my plane. Qantas admitted for the first time yesterday they wish they never bought A380's, instead they should have bought Boeing 777's. Perhaps I can pick one up cheap.
Maybe they will give them to Air New Zealand, who seem to make a profit and add new international routes all the time.

Heres the above mentioned block of 4 seats. If I so wanted to I could raise the armrests and make a bed. I didnt.

Now to please my mother, who is the only person who reads this besides me I think, heres some hotel room photos.
I think this hotel is $100 AUD a night, it actually has a bedroom, and a lounge room, each with their own tv and desk, and a fairly workable kitchen.

The bathroom is small but the shower stripped a layer of skin off me. Its also on the 21st floor.

Final boring hotel photo.

I was hungry so had to go for a walk to find dinner, along the way I found a fountain with big buildings. It was a tiny bit rainy, it looked like fog and pollution when landing but maybe its just rain.
Its also only about 16C, cooler than forecast. None the less I get about in my shorts and t-shirt whilst everyone else has puffer jackets and gloves.

To repair the damage to my immune system and hip and knee cartilidge from being encased in a metal tube for so many hours, Pho was in order.
It was good, but not as good as what I would normally get in Adelaide, less herbs, not enough chilli, and the slices of beef were too big.
Also being a Pho snob I prefer hand cut rice noodles made in the shop, none of this packet crap. Pho Ba Ria 2 on Hanson road is still the best.

Once I got off the subway, I found myself at a very busy temple, so decided to wander in, its apparently good luck to pat the dragon. I can tell you that when I did locals rushed for their phones to take photos.

Unlike temples in other locations, photo taking seems to be perfectly acceptable here. There was also no entry fee.

I assumed thats where I was going, up the top of that hill, but its actually a bigger hill behind it that you cant see due to fog and mist.
The internet says something about mini bus to the start of the trail, I walked instead.

Still on the road at this point, and I came across this monkey. There were many signs warning not to feed the monkeys.
I also saw what I think was a wild boar on the trail. This was concerning as I think they have horns/tusks and can attack, I didnt see any other people up there.

The internet said that after walking up the road for an hour you will get to the trail start and theres a shop to buy water and snacks. They got it half right, maybe 2/3 right.
The trail starts here, the shops here, but the shop is closed. So I had no water, oh well, I could always drink the blood of a monkey or something.

I took this photo because I was worried as I got higher I would have no view at all as there would be fog.

The path was well built with steps, but poorly signposted. I thought I was heading in the right general direction but theres other paths going off all over the place.

Last chance for the view. It would be relatively easy to get up to this point at night, theres no gates or anything to stop you. On a clear night it would be a great photo.
Google images shows that it is, if you look for Lions Peak Hong Kong.

This is where I thought I must be lost, because I started to descend and was on the far side of the mountain.
Its also where I started to be convinced a pack of rabid monkeys was tracking me.

Eventually I found the very steep track to the rock formation summit.
These are some of the steepest stairs ever, it really was like climbing a ladder in places, it was this steep for a good 20 - 30 minutes.

Pffft, I can clearly see a path behind that sign.

Here I am at the top. What an awesome view of fog. Its quite weird being out on the ledge and there being nothing to see below.

The walk along the ridge probably has fantastic views on a clear day. Instead enjoy me again, and more signs saying you are about to plummet to your death.

Once back down again (which was treachorous due to damp rocks), I headed to Lok Wu or similar and found a Shanghai cuisine restaurant for thickened mixed fungus soup with shredded pork and preserved vegetables. Pretty good!

This is a building, I like it.

This is a wet market, where one might contract bird flu and or swine flu.

This is a junk market, where one might find themselves to have been pickpocketed.

These are double decker trams, which might occasionally tip over on downhill bends.

This is one of many busy shopping streets, where one might find Russians carrying massive amounts of brand name luxury goods.

I didnt take a photo of my dinner. Thats because it came from a road side stall, and was deep fried dough and delicious. I dont want to encourage consumption of such things so instead you get a photo of my fruit purchase, mmmmmm dragonfruit, its a superfood you know.

Commando knitting, a global phenommenonnemenomnemomnonm however you spell that.

These buildings always amaze me, they are built on the side of a steep hill, seemingly designed to slide down the water logged slope whenever it next rains heavily.
For that reason you will see 'slope registration' signs on every concrete fortified wall, and steps to go up and inspect them. Sounds kind of racist.

Looking back down towards the harbour from the mid levels or whatever they call it.

The walk up is very picturesque at times when its not just white out.

This used to be a road for cars, coming down in old cars would have been very treachorous.

For those of you who have been to the peak, you might recall the futuristic building at the top that has the lookout etc. This is it. Can you see it? Look hard.

Dragon tongue.

The top of the HSBC building dissappearing into the clouds.

Next level macarons. Now with various edible accoutrements on top.

Enjoy your view.

Looking for lunch I found what appeared to be an American style diner, except maybe Canadian. They made burritos, which are Mexican, but also Poutines which are some sort of terrifying French Canadian concoction of chips and cream and sauce.

I went with the pulled pork burrito, no sour cream. I appreciated its rather small size. It was delicious.
Crap photo, but you try taking a photo of something wrapped in metal foil on a metal tray on a metal counter.

Final picture for this morning, a street full of paper things to burn to honor the dead. Mini cars, money, iphones. I dont get it, spending $1 on a fake cardboard thing to honor me when I am dead is insulting. Burn your actual iphone, or throw yourself on the funeral pyre!

A couple of the shop cats mentioned in the previous update. Most of the time they sit in the shops on counters and lay in wait for grandmas to come and show them attention all day. Note how they are fat, relaxed, and not afraid of humans or dogs.

A view from Tsim Shah Tsui. I climbed up on top of a hotel and out an emergency exit to take this photo. A chef was out there smoking and drinking from a hip flask, so I knew he wasnt going to say shit about me being some place I shouldnt be.

You sure do get a lot of dinner for $5. I wanted Pepper Lunch beef and rice on a hot plate but the line was immense.

Random neon

The Mong Kok electronics street that gets closed off every night and fills up with people, buskers, and children paid about $1 to hold cardboard signs all night.

The buskers take it very seriously despite being terrible. This guy has a decent mic with pop filter, some sort of guitar that cost more than $10 and an assistant on a mixing console. He has no one watching him besides me, a security guard whos head you can see, and a little old lady in a wheelchair who is either dead or asleep thats been placed here to watch.

Next up in the busking wars, is the blind man on bongos who plays them like a cheap robot. I wonder if you are blind how you know how a robot moves? I suspect hes not really blind.

Finally, if you want to draw an actual crowd to your act, dont be a middle aged guy singing and strumming, dont be a fake blind man on bongos, be 3 x 12 year old girls miming a pop song in some kind of ridiculous outfit. This will ensure you get a huge crowd.

Final picture for the night is the vertigo inducing Langham Centre. Its a giant atrium about 20 floors to the bottom with clouds projected on the ceiling. The stair case I am standing on goes out to a landing suspended in mid air.
Whilst I was apprehensive, another guy basically got down on his hands and knees and crawled out to have a look.