Hong Kong Isla(nd)

Week 19: 27/08/2012 - 02/09/2012

The best way to see a new place is with the locals, so it was great to be able to go and visit a few old friends in HK. It was absolutely fantastic to see Fredel (old colleague), who very kindly put me up at Chateaux Gibson (Mid Levels), in a 54^th Floor room with incredible views over the Harbour. A good catch up on Thursday evening was the calm before the Storm of a hectic weekend.

My view from Chateaux Gibson

Friday:

• Hike up Victoria Peak - predictably sweaty mess, great view of a rain storm sweeping through the harbour, Peak Tram down
• Walked the length of Hollywood Road to meet Chris (old colleague) for lunch
• StarFerry to Kowloon, chuckling at the amusing names(Li Tit?!) in the Avenue of Stars
• Dinner at The Globe (AMAZING beer selection, great pie), with Fredel, Eva, Jamie, Chris….and the whirlwind of energy and chat that is Isla. Beers flowed, banter ensured. Good to hear that Chris has lost non of his cynical ranting…. Amusing to find out his son had only got a silver medal in teeth cleaning.
• On to Carnegies (Isla forced me to dance on the bar), then Beer Pong at Scratch, and finishing the night at the aptly named Dusk Till Dawn.
• In true RAF style, I used a “Please take me Home” card printed in Chinese to get the taxi driver to take me home!

Sunset from the Yacht Club

Saturday:

• Lazy morning, no Junk ride (Chris and Isla called me a gweilo for wanting to do that!!)
• Alternative Breakfast Debrief over Dim Sum with Isla and Fredel, somewhere in Causeway Bay.
• Fredel showed me round a bit including the Tram and an infrastructure exhibition!!
• Watch the sunset from The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club with a refreshing Gunner,
• Lost Fredel in the metro amongst a sea of chinamen….
• Headed to the night market on Temple Street, met up with Nick (ex-Aztec)
• Fredel took us to a local café for dinner and got super excited with custard for desert. I couldn’t keep a straight face listening to Fredel barking out Cantonese.
• On to Wan Chai, for a quiet beer at Mes Ami, Isla joined us “I’m not drinking tonight”
• 30 minutes later, Isla: “Lets do Jagerbombs at Carnegies”.…. off to Carnegies.
• Trafalgar for beer tower, darts (everyone had a several shots at winning, Isla really wasn't taking it seriously, but ultra competitive Nick won the day), then doubles pool…. Victorious Dom & Isla!
• Finished the night at Solas in Central, the true damage only came to light a few weeks later reviewing my bank statement!
• Again I wafted around a bit of paper with some hieroglyphics on and magically the taxi driver took me home.

Clockwise from top left: Fredel, Nick and Me, Chris and me both dressed by his wife apparently, and Isla and me dancing on a bar.

Sunday:

• Brunch at Brunch Club was just what I needed, the revelation that Fredel was a proper g33k was an added bonus (LAN Parties?! Seeeriously?!)
• Took the ferry to Lantau, beautiful day.
• Bus to see the Big Buddha, lunch at the monastery
• Cable Car back to the airport (fantastic views, camera battery dead, argh!)

PHEW! Epic weekend.  Thanks to Chris and Nick making the time for some beers, Isla for providing so much entertainment (some intended, some not), and especially to Fredel for putting me up. 

Watch out Hong Kong….. I’ll be back.