Rooftop Bars in a Warm Climate

There's nothing else to compare with an evening of tasty cocktails and amusing banter with friends... Except when the location is a rooftop bar on a warm night (on this occasion overlooking night-time Chiang Mai).  

There are several bars to choose from, but we chose the Myst Bar as we fancied some of the cocktails on the menu.  We finally settled on Vampire Kiss which includes vodka, strawberries and liquid nitrogen apparently!! Yummy!!

Vietnamese BBQ

The culture here is that the majority of people don't cook at home, but go out for their meals.  It's still strange for me to accept that going to a restaurant is a necessity rather than a social event (as it would have been back in the UK).  My other ex-pat friends feel the same but, when we get together, we generally consider it a social occasion even if we end up just sharing the meal then going our separate ways!

Sometimes the best times are had when impromptu 'plans' are made.  Hence, a great little gathering of  us (farang and Thai friends) enjoyed a mouthwatering meal at the Vietnamese Barbecue tonight.  It is a highly popular venue, on the west side of the city, and is very reasonably priced so we were forced to wait for our table at the next door bar, Mixology.  Fortunately, it was 3 for 2 Happy Hour there and it has a very interesting drinks menu!!

I can only imagine that Paul's stomach has an indestructible lining as he downed the Iron Chef: a whiskey-based cocktail consisting of several liqueurs which are poured into a pan, set alight and then added to a tumbler of ice!  Personally, I settled for 'Lost in the Garden' which has a mixture of strawberry, raspberry and blackberry with lemonade and vodka.

After the aperitifs, we selected our meat and vegetables to cook on the barbecue which was a cross between a steam boat and a grill plate.  Verdict: great company, great conversation, great food and great value.

Tian Tan Buddha, Po Lin Monastery, Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong

Despite a somewhat hazy day, I decided to visit Ngong Ping village, Po Lin Monastery and the Tian Tan Buddha statue on Lantau Island.  I took the MTR, for ease and speed, to Tung Chung station then walked across a modern, cobbled square to the cable car station only to be faced by a massive queue snaking around the overpass.  "Why oh why didn't I think of checking whether I could book tickets online?" I kicked myself mentally as I watched a group pass smugly along the express line to collect theirs. Luckily, I had a book on Kindle which I was more than happy to read.

With boredom alleviated, I soon found myself ushered into a large cable car for the stately trip up and across the island.  I chose a Standard Cabin (at HK$150). Since the prospective 25 minute ride across sea and rugged, mountainous terrain already left me faint hearted, the Crystal Cabin with its see-through floor probably would have resulted in actual heart failure for me!  My fellow passengers were excitedly taking selfies and snapping endless shots of the vistas.  

 

For the first few minutes we had bird's eye views of the busy airport - in itself an amazing development, created by levelling two small islands and reclaiming over 9 square kilometres of seabed!

Arriving at Ngong Ping village one cannot help but be drawn towards the imposing 34m bronze Buddha statue on its lotus throne, which itself sits atop a three tiered altar at the peak of Mount Muk Yue.  

The Tian Tan Buddha is reached up a flight of some 268 steps (although I lost count somewhere around 240).  Unusually for a Buddha statue it faces north - in this situation bestowing blessings upon China.  

Ascending the steps, and seeing the sun forming a halo around Budhha's head, is a breathtaking experience in many ways.  Looking up into the serene expression brought a real sense of peacefulness to me and I marvelled at the detailed craftsmanship which manages to convey beauty, solemnity, calmness, compassion and benevolence. 

For a modest fee of HK$30, which also includes a 4 item snack at the monastery's Vegetarian Cafe, you can enter the 3 storey exhibition hall inside the pedestal.  On display are a number of interesting Buddhist art and relics including: a Buddha bone relic, gifted to the monastery in 1992; a wood-carved statue of Ksitigarbha (the Earth-Store Bodhisattva); the Bell of the Flaming Mouth, engraved with images of Buddha and scriptures - this bell is designed to chime 108 times a day to symbolise clearance of 108 worries; 4 paintings, depicting important events in the life of Buddha; a massive wood engraving showing "Hua Yan Dharma Preaching", brightly painted using mineral pigments; and a collection of precious scrolls with Buddhist scriptures.  Helpfully, there are a few English translations with the exhibits.  No photography is allowed inside the halls.

On the lower tier, six bronze Devas kneel in graceful dance postures offering tributes to Buddha.

The Zodiac Way has statues flanking the pathway, along with signs warning about keeping away from the feral cattle that wander the area. There were some girls having a photo taken standing near one bullock and begging their mother to buy them one for Christmas!

For tourists, there is a choice of food from either the vegetarian restaurant or café at the monastery. Although the photo doesn't do it justice, the food was really tasty and filling.

As for the monks, well they line up with their food bowls and enter the dining hall to eat in silence.  Later, there is a peaceful, melodic chanting drifting through the air from the unseen monks gathered in the Main Hall.

Worshippers light incense sticks and causing strong scents and smoke to waft on the breeze.

A gardener takes a break.  I love the distinctive hat but always feel surprised by the layers of clothing the locals wear in spite of the heat.

The Bodhi Wishing Tree.

Kowloon, Hong Kong. Day 3.

Perusing my new app of the day on Hong Kong Attractions, I decided to go to Kowloon.  There was a walking tour that I could take PLUS it had a convenient map and info.  Perfect, I thought as I headed for the MRT.

At Tsim Sha Tsui, I emerged at Exit E and followed the crowds ambling towards the waterfront walkway, by Victoria Harbour, dubbed the Avenue of Stars. From the pictures on the app, I had high hopes of this homage to the Hong Kong film industry but,  in my humble opinion, it was rather pitiful really. That isn’t to denigrate the plethora of Hong Kong film industry professionals who are celebrated with handprints and ‘star’ plaques along the promenade – à la Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. But, truthfully, the views of the Hong Kong Island skyline and the Peak across the harbour were far more spectacular, even in the smog! So much so that I didn’t even walk far enough to find the bronze sculpture of Bruce Lee. With a respectful bow to Bruce and the other 100+ celebrities, my final comment is that perhaps it was an ‘off’ day for me, especially as I'm not at my best when jostling along with the crowds of tourists.  Not a good start to my walking tour!

U-turning towards the Star Ferry Pier, I set off to find the Clock Tower. Officially named the Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower - with typical Chinese attention to describing something ‘how it is’ – this monument is all that remains to mark the site of the former Kowloon terminus.  At 44m, the red brick and granite tower gently looms over an open area between the ferry terminal and the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, until one spots a simply massive multi-storey cruise ship in the background which dwarfs everything else around!!

Looping back onto Salisbury Road, I passed by the opulent 1881 Heritage luxury shopping centre and gaped/closed my jaw/watched as a private helicopter landed its guests on the roof of the Peninsula Hotel.  The latter sight, in itself, helped me to appreciate that my 'tired finger' hotel booking error could have been far more financially disastrous!!

How spacesuits have changed!
Or is it Matthew McConaughey in there???

The next stop was the Space Museum. With my HK$10 entry fee including “free Government Wifi” (goody: catch up on emails!) I entertained myself with an unexpected variety of static, audio-visual and interactive exhibits.  One I particularly enjoyed was a Moon Walk.  Strapped into a harness (rather like a baby bouncer) I ‘experienced’ the effect of the Moon's gravity whilst I bobbed along a track. I asked whether the staff could take a photo for me. 

“So, sorry. No photos inside. Safety reasons,” they politely replied.  A few minutes later, I became eternally grateful for their rules. I fell into a fit of giggles at the consternation of another visitor who observed my ridiculously hilarious, crimson-faced efforts to return myself to the start of the track using a combination of bounce, twist, jump and ricochet off the far wall!! Oh, the embarrassment. At least I’m never likely to see him again… except in this photograph.

Eventually, I made my way outside and looked to my app for the next highlight.  Oh, no. Battery drained (darn this old 4S). I dug out the unwieldy paper broadsheet-sized tourist map; I’d have to do this the old-fashioned way.  Hmmmmm. 

After several minutes I decided to head for Ladies’ Market on Tung Choi Street.  It’s not only for ladies of course, but it does have a high percentage of ladies’ clothes and accessories.  Not really needing anything is always a good haggling position to be in if something does catch one’s eye.  Hence, I purchased a perfectly 'real' Mulberry shoulder bag for a ridiculous price (I kept checking my mental calculations to be sure) and got a t-shirt with glittery cat silhouettes (looks far better than it sounds!).  Further deals included some gifts for friends.  By this time I was feeling hungry and footsore so I turned off the main street and found a delightful little restaurant with reasonable prices and a translated menu.

Suitably refreshed, I returned to the harbour for the nightly Symphony of Lights show. Featuring lasers, searchlights and music, it is a truly spectacular experience as nearly 50 buildings light up around Victoria Harbour. Sadly, no photos due to battery failure.  Go on, guess: what was the first thing I did back at the hotel???

The Peak and Times Square, Hong Kong, Day 1

Such is the popularity of Chiang Mai (Thailand) with the Chinese, that Air Asia operates direct flights between CM and Hong Kong as well as other Chinese cities.  The early flight, which gives more of the day in Hong Kong, unfortunately means a dawn journey to the airport.  In fact, I was there so early that the check-ins weren't yet open and we had to wait for staff to arrive before we could pass though immigration too!

On arrival in Hong Kong, I took the Airport Express train (HK$100) then transferred to the underground MTR (Mass Transit Rail system) where I learnt Lesson #1: that the barging to board the train, which I'd experienced at the airport, is not due to 'foreigners' but is how the 'locals' behave - in fact like passengers on the London Underground during peak periods.

Due entirely to my tiredness (and an errant finger click) when making the online hotel booking, I ended up staying in a hotel overlooking the Happy Valley Racecourse on Hong Kong Island, away from one the more central area where I had intended to stay.  Consequently, I purchased an Octopus travel card as I had no choice but to be a frequent user of the metro and bus systems for the duration of my stay if I wanted to visit the many attractions the islands have to offer.  This card proved invaluable as I could use it to pay for goods and services too, such as: shopping at 7-11 or buying a museum ticket.

I was due to meet up with my brother as we had recently realised that our travels could cross paths over this November weekend. Not having seen each other for almost 6 months, we spent the first part of our time together chatting away in an interesting little Chinese place called the People's Book Cafè.  The menu was stuck into the pages of a Chinese children's book.  It's fair to say that the cafè was really more of a bookshop, selling memorabilia related to Chairman Mao and a fairly eclectic selection of other Chinese books and items. Still, it more than adequately served its purpose.

Bemoaning the worsening state of my iPhone battery life, I perked up when Chris suggested visiting the Apple Store just around the corner.  However, as we approached, we could see an extensive queue inside the shop and a pavement full of people selling iPhone 6 and 6+ from boxes and suitcases outside the store. 

Apparently, due to restricted supplies, the new phones are only available for purchasing online from the store from 8am and sell out within minutes.  Many successful purchasers immediately go outside to resell their new phones at about the equivalent of a £100 mark-up. We haggled a bit but decided it wasn't worth the extra cost when compared with ordering online.

We wandered back through Times Square, noticing the progress in Christmas decorations.  Then we headed off towards Victoria Harbour but, because travelling in different time zones seems to trigger hunger for some reason, we found a great restaurant and whiled away a further couple of hours eating, chatting and sampling various cheap beers.  The bill was interesting -I think it was just the fact that it came to hundreds of "dollars" that made us think it was massively expensive! On the other hand, having lived in Thailand for a couple of months, anything would seem costly.

The next item on our agenda was a taxi ride up to The Peak.  The spectacular views across Hong Kong were being enjoyed by hundreds of people. We could even see the light show around Victoria Harbour. Meanwhile, from other vantage points we could see the lights of ships out at sea.  When the breeze got a little cool for us, we headed into the shopping centre for a browse before finally sharing a taxi with a lovely couple from the Phillipines who offered their recommendations for must-see Hong Kong attractions.