Mood: Sad it's coming to an end
Music: KT Tunstall, Suede and others.
I set out today with a single task... Find myself a nice set of chopsticks to bring home. I'd seen some nice things in Shanghai and again in Guilin but I'd no space at the time to carry anything more. For the return flight home I'm allowed 2 bags checked in and as such I planned to just buy these things once I got here.
Having located one such shop not too far from where I'm staying, and confirmed this by finding it on Google Streetview. When I got that far, however, I found that the shop had been replaced by something else. This led to some rather protracted wondering around back streets and markets as I worked my way across Hong Kong Island towards the Admiralty area.
Eventually I gave up and hopped into a MTR station and whisked myself to where I'd been the previous day for my second suit fitting. This went fairly well but there were several tweaks that were most definitely required.
On leaving the fitting session I decided I had two options for what to do next. The first was to go to the boat in Whampoa that I had said to Phil the previous day I'd get a photo of Rolf at... the second was to visit the huge new building on Kowloon, at the top of which sits the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. This had been opened 2 weeks ago as the highest hotel on the planet, resting between the 103rd and 118th floors in the building.
I went with the latter and walked through the Kowloon park, tiptoeing past a group practicing tai chi in the hot and humid early afternoon sun. On the way out of the part I saw a building with lots of bamboo scaffolding surrounding it. I looked at this for a while, considering just how safe the duct tape joined structure was... then decided I best move on, if only so I wasn't stood under it anymore!
Following a walk around the building at street level, then a wonder into it's underground service area, I eventually found a way in via the MTR station that sits under the complex and walked myself up to the hotel lobby. Here I found a queue and promptly joined it, without any idea what I was joining! It transpired that a large number of people had come to have afternoon tea at the two all day restaurants up top, and the rest of the people were waiting for tables at this.
I stood in line patiently for about 90 minutes before being told that they had run out of the tea sets but could I could choose from the a la carte menu once a table became free. Thankfully this was only a few minutes before the bar opened, which was my intended target the whole time.
With beer in hand and a sushi & sashimi meal in front of me (sea urchin sashimi might not be one to have again) I sat and ate and eventually the sun went down. I decided to try to make it to the viewing platform for the nightly light and laser show (frickin' laser beams on buildings!). As it happened I didn't quite appreciate that I had to go back to hong kong island and leg it to a different station to get back to the viewing platform. This still would have been quicker than trying to run to the platform but I only just made it to the front to see the last few seconds of the show. Tomorrow I'll be heading to the airport during the 8pm show.
As I was on the waterfront I decided to wonder down the promenade for a while, until I came across the Hong Kong star walk. Rolf is pictured on Jackie Chan's star, but there were a number I recognised (Sammo & Bruce Lee among others).
After this I hopped in a taxi and showed him the map on my phone displaying the road name where the boat is in Whampoa. He had no idea what I was asking and I went and found another taxi who did.
The boat is a facade for the front of a small shopping centre. There is also a connected entertainment complex and cinema next door. I didn't see much to do here so I hopped in another taxi to be taken to the Temple street market. This is a street market that runs at night along small back streets. Almost everything can be purchased here, from clothing to FOakleys, Folexs, other assorted nick nacks and some electronics. I was in search of some chopsticks and in the end bought some cheap ones just in case I can't find anything better tomorrow.
After much more internet searching I've found one place that has a full shop, but that is far too far away to do anything else during the day, and also a possible place in the arts and crafts centre not too far away from where I started looking today.
I'll see how I go.
I will try to post something tomorrow but I'm not sure what opportunity I'll have. Therefore this may be my last entry until I'm back on home soil.
Take care, and have fun all, it's been great.
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