16 – Hong Kong

Arriving at Hong Kong airport was like landing on a different planet, so much more modern and organised than the airports in Vietnam.  We made our way by bus into Kowloon. We found our accommodation really easily, whether it was a fluke or good research – who knows. We got off the bus and went through the shopping mall at Prudential Hotel and out the back door. 

 The entrance to our accommodation was just across the road. We had booked into the cheapest hotel we could find online. Comfort Lodge is best described as an apartment block where someone has taken over a few of the apartments on different floors and converted them into letting rooms. The second floor flat is the reception. Our room was on the fourth floor. Due to the distance from reception our internet access was extremely patchy. It also didn’t help that I dropped the netbook and damaged it. Ended up having to buy a new one. At least we got a really good deal. It cost about a third of the price we paid for the original one.  We couldn’t have asked for a better location. It was on a small street parallel to Nathan Road, not too far from the harbour front and had easy access to transport systems.

The transport system in Hong Kong is great. They have an underground rail system “The MTR” which is very easy to use and gets you wherever you want to go in no time at all. We used it all the time to get about.

The ferry between the mainland and Hong Kong island is good but it can be a bit rocky.

It was quite cold and misty in Hong Kong. We bought a two day hop on hop off big bus ticket which enabled us to see all the sights in Kowloon, Hong Kong City and the other side of Hong Kong Island where Stanley and Aberdeen are located.

We went on a Sampan boat tour through the harbour in Aberdeen.  It is a fishing port, mainly catching prawns.

There is a large floating restaurant in the harbour called “The Jumbo Seafood Restaurant”. It looks like a floating temple.  Stanley was a prettier place.  It has a beautiful beach and a large market.

Hong Kong City itself is just packed with massive skyscrapers. Every evening they have a light show along the waterfront.  Many of the tall buildings have various coloured lights and lasers which are used to create a spectacular light show called “Symphony of Lights”.  We viewed it from the Kowloon side at the Avenue of Stars, where they have a commentary and music which the lights are timed to.

The Hong Kong exhibition centre is located on the waterfront and is where Hong Kong was officially handed over from British rule to Chinese rule in 2007.

A golden bauhnia (flower emblem of Hong Kong) statue has been erected in the exact spot where the handover took place.

If you look hard you can find some greenery in Hong Kong.  We spent quite a few hours in Kowloon Park. It was a Sunday when we went there so there were many people about. A school was holding a fete in one part of the park. 

They had a group of students dressed as two Chinese dragons. They were quite acrobatic, jumping about, climbing up onto higher and higher platforms while dancing. It was fantastic.
 

All through the park there were individuals and groups of people practising Tai Chi, Kung Foo and various other martial arts. There are many ponds, fountains and floral areas.  In the centre of the park they have a Heritage Centre which shows how Hong Kong has changed architecturally over the years.  It was very interesting.  The park is really beautiful and well used.  Overall it is quite small but it’s layout gives the illusion of being large.

Each area is separated by shrubs and walls with paths that meander through.

We took a trip by tram up to The Peak. The highest point on Hong Kong where you can get a spectacular view over the whole island and across into Kowloon.

Unfortunately due to the hazy weather the view wasn’t too clear. We met a Canadian couple while we were there. The man had been in Hong Kong ten years ago and he said it was amazing how much it had grown in that time. Seemingly the waterway between Kowloon and Hong Kong island has reduced by about a third due to land reclamation. There is a lot of construction still going on.

Madame Tussaud’s is located at the Peak.  Most of the wax works are Asian Stars but there are some more well known stars. We had some fun taking photos with the stars.

We decided to do something completely new to us while we were in Hong Kong.  We went to the Opera.  We went to see Lucia Di Lammermoor.  The opera is based in Scotland and taken from the book written by Walter Scott. We both enjoyed it.

Hong Kong was quite a change after Vietnam. I don’t think we saw any motorbikes at all while we were here.

15. Hanoi

We arrived in the chaos of Hanoi after a one hour flight and a one hour taxi ride.  Our hotel was located along a very narrow lane in the old quarter.  The lane wasn’t wide enough for a car so we were dropped at the end of the lane and walked up to the hotel.  We had to dodge the motorbikes as we walked along. A taste of what we’d have to get used to. 

The Old Quarter of Hanoi is very crowded.  Narrow streets with shops along each side.  The goods spill out onto the pavement along with the shopkeepers who sit on the pavement boiling their kettles and soup pans.  The rest of the pavement is taken up with parked motorbikes, so the pedestrians have to walk on the road along with the cars and motorbikes who whizz past tooting their horns. 

We soon learned that the only way to cross the road was to just step out into the traffic and walk slowly. The cars and motorbikes will swerve around you.  The newer part of Hanoi is hardly any different.  If the roads are congested with traffic the motorbikes just get on the pavement and use that too.

We had arrived just before Christmas, but unlike other parts of Vietnam there wasn’t much sign of Christmas.  The odd Christmas tree was about it. On Christmas Eve evening we headed to the Roman Catholic cathedral in Hanoi – St Joseph’s.  It is said to be the largest Catholic cathedral in Vietnam and was decorated with lights and a nativity scene. 

It certainly brought the Christmas spirit alive. Around the back of the Cathedral was a large piece of open ground where they were putting on a live music and dance show based round the Nativity.

  Although we couldn’t understand much of the singing and narration it was very good. There were thousands of people there.

Just after midnight they held a mass which was lead by the Cardinal of Vietnam.

Christmas Day was very quiet for us this year.  We went our for a nice meal then spoke with our families before going for a stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake to see the Christmas lights.

Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam so many of the country’s museums are situated there.  We visited a few.

Evolution of man????

The museum of Vietnamese History where we saw the ancient artifacts from all over Vietnam.

Temple of Literature which is where the first University was set up in Vietnam using the teachings of Confucious and commemorates the scholars who succeeded in their studies and the Museum of Fine Arts where more modern day Vietnamese sculptures and paintings are displayed.

We also went to see the Ho Chi Minh Mausoliem and Ngoc Son Temple in Hoan Kiem Lake. 

Hanoi is home to the Vietnamese Water Puppet Theatre.  It tells the story of Vietnamese Country life using puppets. The stage is a lake of water.  It was very well done.  The music is performed using typical local instruments.

Between Christmas and New Year we went on a mini cruise. Three days and two nights through HaLong Bay.  The boats they use for these trips are Vietnamese Junks.  The maximun guest they have at any one time is 24. We arrived with 15 others.

After checking into our cabins and having lunch while cruising through the bay, we stopped off to visit a some caves “Bong Thiem Cung”. 

They are quite spectacular.  Large cavern with stalagtites and stalagmites. The caves have been lit up to give a better view of the recesses of the cavern.  It has been done very well. Could have spent more time there, but as we were part of a group we had to move on. We then went to a floating village where we had the option of kayaking or going on a bamboo raft tour through the village. 

We opted for the second one. The village was much smaller than the one we saw in Cambodia, but it is a permanent village with a school and a bank.  It was then back to the boat where we sailed through the bay while having dinner. 

In the evening we had time to get to know the others over a few drinks.

The next day we were on our own.  All the others had opted for a one night cruise, so after saying our goodbyes we moved onto a smaller boat for the day for our private tour of other parts of Halong Bay. Our boat was crewed by the captain / cook and the tour guide. Because the boat was so small we managed to get to some parts that the bigger boats can’t reach. 

We dropped anchor beside an island which appeared to have a small cave at the bottom of it.  The tour guide readied the kayaks and we got into one.  We were told to paddle to the cave and keep going through but to watch the head height.  When we got through we found ourselves in a lake totally surrounded by mountains.  A bit like be in the crater of a volcano.  Along one side there were monkeys swinging in the trees.  It was idylic.  We paddled about there for a hour before heading back to the boat. 

We sailed to a sheltered spot where we sunbathed while lunch was prepared.  We were really spoiled.  Lots of freshly prepared meats, fish and vegetables with fruit to follow.  Later in the afternoon we stopped at a beach where there is a rough path which leads to the top of the mountain.  On reaching the top we got a spectacular view of the bay. 

After slipping and sliding our way down we headed back to the boat where we got into the kayaks and paddled about for a bit. 

Halong Bay a visual feast for the soul (Syd - Dec 2011)

The sun was just beginning to set. The view was gorgeous.
 Unfortunately it was then time to head back to the bigger boat for our second night.  When we got onboard it was very quiet.  The boat had gone in for an inspection that day and had been delayed so it hadn’t been able to collect the guests who were due to arrive.  We had the big boat to ourselves that night too.  Oh well dinner for two and a couple of games of chess. The cruise was great.  The highlight of our time in Hanoi.  It was great having the boat to ourselves but the previous night when we had company was great too.

New Year in Vietnam is not the big celebration it is at home.  They have their big celebration at Chinese New Year “Tet” which this year is at the end of January. 

Their small celebration for New Year consisted of a Flower Festival which took over the streets around Hoan Kiem Lake and at the Temple of Literature, and a street party on the 31^st December with two stages at different points in the city centre.  The one at the end of the lake was playing Rap music,but we went to the one outside the Opera House where they had various live performances from well know Vietnamese and International artists.  The music was pop / rock with a touch of classical thrown in.  Later on there were a couple of DJ’s who played through until midnight. 

see if you can find us!

The stage was five sided with a large column in the middle.  The walls of the column were TV screens where they displayed the time and some views of the crowd and performers.  There are six roads that lead to the Opera House and each seemed to be packed with people.

We have enjoyed our month in Vietnam.  We’ve met lots of very nice people and seen lots of beautiful sights, but we’ll be glad to get out of the madness of the streets of Hanoi.