November 14th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Expensive City
Day 3 – Hong Kong
We started our day early to go to Ocean Park after having typical Hong Kong breakfast of chu cheong fan, yow char kuai, congee with century egg and yin yong. We took the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) on the Tsuen Wan Line at 8.15 am. Not a very smart move considering it was morning rush hour. But the crowd was manageable and everyone seemed to queue up like programmed robots. Most of them had their faces buried in the free newspapers. It’s good to see Hongkis having this habit of reading in the train like the Japanese.
Once we reached our station, the free newspapers were being returned in order for someone else to read it. I find this is a good way to recycle and keep people informed all at the same time.
We got out at the Admiralty station and headed to the bus stop, taking number 629 double decker bus to Ocean Park. It costs HKD10.60 (approx. RM5.30) one way to go to Ocean Park and HKD208 (approx. RM104) to get into Ocean Park. Fucking expensive!
We joked about not going in and only take pictures outside Ocean Park to show that we had been there minus the cost (to follow foot steps of our thrifty-suspected-nun friend who took pictures only at the entrance of Disney Land Hong Kong). We should have done so as the girls did not want to even go for the adventure rides. We only go for the hot air balloon, took the cable up to check out the jelly fishes aquarium, the shark aquarium and the other big aquarium and caught the sea animal show.
Restlessness was written all over Mdm Katak’s face, unlike the face I saw last night at the Ladies’ Market. She would walk on and on like a walkathon runner – into each and every stall. If I didn’t complain about my aching feet and Ms Sure Win showed a disinterest face, I think she wouldn’t have stopped.
After 3 hours or so, we left Ocean Park and caught the same bus back to Admiralty Station. Since we were early and had nothing else to do, we went to scout for food. Hong Kong is filled with rather intimidating-looking tall buildings. As we walked aimlessly in Queensbay Plaza, we observed the crowd of office workers. Most of them donned pretty looking clothes, very chic. The men wore mainly suits with ties. Everyone wore make up. Unlike me in my office. No make up. No perfume. Sometimes, I don’t even comb my hair.
We walked wherever the swarm of people were heading for lunch and ended up at the 2nd floor of an open area where people ate from lunch boxes like what we usually watch in Hong Kong series. There is a bakery and a kitchen on the second floor of Queensbay Plaza. We lined up where the beeline of people was, and the waiter took our order swiftly. I could say this was the highlight of the entire Hong Kong trip, fitting into the crowd of working class, having a quick lunch at the park.
After lunch, Mdm Katak started to feel rejuvenated, not because of what she ate. It was because we were right in the middle of a shopping mall! If it weren’t for the expensive prices, I think we would probably spend the rest of the day in a shopping mall in Hong Kong.
We then, walked about and followed signboard towards the Peak located near Central. It was almost a 20 minutes walk from Admiralty Station where we somehow wound up in Queensbay Plaza. Central is merely a station away from Admiralty Station.
We bought tickets for the tram (HKD33) and Madame Tussard’s (HKD120). If you buy both, you get a discount of HKD23. So we ended up paying HKD 130 for both. I was quite excited to take photos with the celebrities and stars. The waxed Kelly greeted us in her showbiz suit ala Moulin Rogue style. Waxed figure of Jackie Chan stood at the entrance to wait for patrons to be photographed with him.
One can’t help feeling super old when most of the waxed figures you could identify in the gallery were dead. Example? Princess Diana, Saddam Hussein, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, etc. Mdm Katak didn’t even know who Albert Einstein was. You should get the drift by now on why she is called “Katak”.
We spent less than an hour on the Peak and Madame Tussard’s. Even though it was Tuesday, we couldn’t find seats in any coffee shops at the Peak. I imagined if we visited this place on weekend, it would be hell. The crowd hustled their way to get a seat at the tram on the way up. Nothing much to be awed about really. If you had been to Penang Hill via tram, you know what I mean.
After taking the tram downhill, we took a bus no. 15C going towards Tsim Sha Tsui, with no particular plan at hand. When we got down at the jetty, we found that we could actually go to Lantau Island at the jetty. It was already close to 4 pm and it doesn’t make sense to take a ferry there now as the place would close by 5 pm and the journey would take an hour.
We scrapped the idea of going to Lantau Island on the spot that day and took the Star Ferry to Wan Chai. I think the ticket cost only HKD2.20 – the cheapest so far in our travel in Hong Kong.
There was a tv crew filming an advertisement when we arrived. A lot of curious onlookers crowded the area to check out what is happening. I didn’t bother. I was in need of a caffeine fix and glad to find that the McDOnald’s in Hong Kong – Mc Café serves variety of coffee and I had a latte.
After the coffee break, I wanted to drop by Watson’s to get myself some plasters. My shoes were killing my feet with blisters. Rule No. 3 – Never ever try to be adventurous to wear new shoes when you are traveling. Always stick to your trusty old Reebok.”
I made a huge mistake. I shouldn’t have told Mdm Katak I am going to Watson’s. I got my plaster and a bottle of honey green tea in less than 2 minutes. Mdm Katak walked about the small store and didn’t want to get out. Ms Sure Win went to next door to check out rates at the internet café. We waited for more than half an hour for Mdm Katak to purchase a full size Clinelle facial wash, face mask and blemish spot cream. I told her, there is also Watson’s in Malaysia selling Clinelle. While waiting for her to ease her addiction to mindless shopping, I took a picture of the sunset in Wan Chai.
After Mdm Katak reluctantly bid farewell to Watson’s, we went on our way to the Arena of Stars. It was a 10-minute-walk from Wan Chai’s ferry dock. By the time we reached Arena of Stars, I couldn’t feel my feet. There were blisters all over as if I had just undergone a gruesome triathlon. I have never exercised so much before in my entire life.
We walked about admiring the famous skyline and waited for the laser show at 8 pm. We had two hours to kill. Both the girls continued to walk about while I sat on the bench to watch people. After an hour of walking about and myself, staring into space and spotting the same woman jogging to and fro a few times in front of me, we decided to have dinner at nearby Sogo before returning to watch the laser show.
The laser show was jeopardized by presence of haze. We saw weak laser beams penetrating the thick haze.
The Hong Kong skyline at Arena of Stars is a picturesque sight to behold though. It’s windy and sometimes you get to see old junks synonymous with Hong Kong passing by or over commercialized big boats, providing over priced dinner to tourists while cruising along the spectacular skyline. What I totally love about Arena of Stars is – it comes free.
Third day ended with Mdm Katak window shopped – combing every shoe shop in Mongkok, leaving none un-entered and myself, cursing silently in my heart.