Reviews abt my Hongkong trip

There I go again....this is my third post abt my HK trip.

My Red Alluring friend and I bunked at some budget hostel, Kowloon Hotel and New Garden Hostel. It was challenging for me. I had always slept in comfortable and lavish hotel room laced with coffee, air-con, tv, carpet and relaxing shower. Oh how I love tucking under thick and quilt blanket!

On the other hand, I thought that it would be good to break out of my comfort zone, and experience the life of staying in budget hostel.

My hostel is located in some grimy and aged buildings with ugly sights of old air-cons poking out of the windows on outside.My room is very tiny, about 1/2 of a standard HDB bedroom. The bathroom is very squeezy - wash basin, shower facet and toilet bowl cramped into a pigeon hole. The availability of hot shower is limited from 8am to 12pm and 8pm to 12am. Actually they bluffed us. They said that it will go off after 12am. But the hot water was still streaming 10 mins later after 12am. Okay, it is not a total bluff. I tested it at 3am and yup, it is very icingly cold!

In the morning, I can hear some noises outside when I am snoozing. Of course, not my own snoozing noises but other noises from upstairs, downstairs or outside my room. I dun know what is that....but I guess that it is the sounds of usual hustle and bustle of life buzzing within the building.

The lift is so slow. It stops operating after 10pm. Wah,another restriction after limited hot shower time. We had to climb 8 floors idiotically, not knowing that there are lifts operating all the time at other corner of the building. We panted for nothing. Crying aloud!

I expected my trip to be completed with eating and shopping. But.....I am ashamed to say that I didn't make it to my food itinerary. Instead of Hongkie wanton mee, yuotiao, soya bean milk and some local delicacies, we ended up having pasta (yup, it is cooked at Hongkong restaurant by Hongkie chef. But I protest that it is not counted as Hongkong cuisine. It is considered as Italian food. They think that they can fool us by trying to pass pasta as HK food.) and bread. Yes, we had dim sum and congee but not for every meal. Our schedule was in a bit of chaos that didn't permit time for meals. We Chinese-idiots cannot read Chinese menus displayed outside their eateries that hindered us from going in and try their food. It was a bummer that I never try their wanton mee and compare the difference between Singapore and HK version. I go and wail.

Before I flew to HK, I resolved that I must exercise my restraint to spend money on clothes. My weakness. I cannot simply resist the serpent's temptation ( in the bible, the serpent tempted Eve and Adm to eat apple and they fell to sin.) to buy pretty clothes. There were sales season offering up to funky 40% discount everywhere. There are no GST or service taxes. Wow, I wish tat Singapore should follow HK. At least, Singapore's GST is lower than Australia's tax, 10%. My money was spent on boots, food and designer products- cup, photo frame and mousepad designed by HK designers. But no clothes at all, I am amused. Okay, I told a little lie. I got a few hair accessories but hey, they are cheap.

I heard that people are reputed to be rude. Really, I went and found out for myself. I only met one insolent MTR officer. The old people are hopeless to communicate with. When we ordered congee, we asked them how much. They looked bewildered. We gesticulated by rubbing our thumb against our index and first fingers as "money". But still they cannot get it. We wrote down the symbol "$". They were blurred. Sigh! We took out our bucks. They gesticulated "2", 2 times. I assumed that it is $22. But no, actually it is $20. Then why they gesticulated "22"? Unaswered question.

Public transport fares are quite steep. As a tourist in Singapore, I can cover the whole of island for maybe $20 for three days. But in HK, 3 days' tourist MTR card covers unlimited rides for $60. Hmm...unlimited rides for 3 days, $60? But our legs, limited manpower and energy, we can stop at few places from afternoon ( we always woke up very late and left our hostel in late morning, quite close to lunch hour.) to night.

I realised that we never walk on the stretch of Nathan Road, the "famous" road where the police always chase after gansters. This is what I watch on TV. I want to walk along the road and see what the shops offer. But...sigh. Another bummer.

posted by Sleek Black @ 1/06/2006 07:30:00 PM