Ramblings on a day in Kowloon
Sitting in Kowloon, just across the harbour from Hong Kong, grateful for the invention of air conditioning. We arrived early this morning from Sydney; it was a smart idea to take the overnight flight. First time on a Cathay Pacific flight and quite possibly the most comfortable nights sleep I have had on a plane. Their business class section is unusual in that it doesn't have any rows of seats but rather a series of 'pods'...hard to describe but think of a chevron pattern and each of the lines is a pod. So there is really no point in traveling with someone as you can not easily see or talk to them...which is fine for an overnight flight. The pods are a bit claustrophic at first and definitely strange during take off when instead of being pressed into your seat back by the gravitational pull, you feel yourself falling sideways backwards. And trying to see out the window on landing is challenging as you must crane your neck about 100 degrees to see out the window.
I crossed the plane's threshold into the jetway and was instantly blinded by condensation on the lens' of my glasses. It is a city sized steamroom here!
The city is simultaneously futuristic and historic: gloriously modern architecture next door to hideously decaying structures overlook a harbour where enormous container ships dwarf the ancient junks they navigate past.
Cartier on every other corner, with small Asian markets between, selling unreadable packages of products and unimaginably strange food products. Giant metal cranes show their necks all over the city while all the scaffolding is hand tied bamboo poles.
The hotel room has a door bell. And delightfully an electric kettle for an afternoon cup of tea (so nice of them to retain the British influence)! And outlets that take American plugs!
An early afternoon rain shower made no difference to my appearance or my attitude as the humidity on its own had left me damp all over and the rain actually felt refreshing. So different than how I felt about the rain in Scotland...cold and discouraging.
Victoria's Peak has yet to peak out of the clouds today and while it will prevent me from seeing the best view of the city, it has also resulted in there being virtually no pollution problem today.
Tonight we're off to the night Market on Temple street and the laser show that plays across the buildings of Hong Kong.
I crossed the plane's threshold into the jetway and was instantly blinded by condensation on the lens' of my glasses. It is a city sized steamroom here!
The city is simultaneously futuristic and historic: gloriously modern architecture next door to hideously decaying structures overlook a harbour where enormous container ships dwarf the ancient junks they navigate past.
Cartier on every other corner, with small Asian markets between, selling unreadable packages of products and unimaginably strange food products. Giant metal cranes show their necks all over the city while all the scaffolding is hand tied bamboo poles.
The hotel room has a door bell. And delightfully an electric kettle for an afternoon cup of tea (so nice of them to retain the British influence)! And outlets that take American plugs!
An early afternoon rain shower made no difference to my appearance or my attitude as the humidity on its own had left me damp all over and the rain actually felt refreshing. So different than how I felt about the rain in Scotland...cold and discouraging.
Victoria's Peak has yet to peak out of the clouds today and while it will prevent me from seeing the best view of the city, it has also resulted in there being virtually no pollution problem today.
Tonight we're off to the night Market on Temple street and the laser show that plays across the buildings of Hong Kong.
posted by shrunken girl at 4:28 AM
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