Hong Kong Day 3 – so many choices
Morning children
John here again. It would be easy to say that Nicola goes in at 8 each morning and spends the morning working with three of her children. Then in the afternoon she spends time with the other three, However, I’m learning that that is far from the full story – no two days are the same.
One of the children might need special care, Then there are administrative needs that might require her to go somewhere else unexpectedly. And countless other changes to the routine. Over 12 years of experience have honed her self management skills.
And in addition, at present she has to manage plans and jobs for her 2 visitors. I know one of them is her mum, who has visited many times, but in the orphanage context she is still a volunteer – enabling Nicola to do things that she can’t do when she’s by herself but also needing instruction and supervision.
So it puts my decisions about what to do in Hong Kong into perspective! I decided yesterday just to walk around and then buy a two day ticket on the Big Bus tours for Friday and Saturday. Eventually I found one of their operatives near the bus station, wearing the company’s distinctive red jacket. I’m not sure if it was the fact that I came from Lancaster, where he had wanted to go to the University many years ago, or not, but eventually he sold me the ticket there and then and extended my two days to two and a generous half.
There is one bus tour on Kowloon (the mainland) and two on the Island. So yesterday I did the Kowloon blue bus tour, getting on and off a few times to explore. Today I will start on the island tours, try the Sampan trip and the night tour. So I won’t have time to do my evening blog, which is why I’m writing this at 6 am. Hopefully I will have time to add the pictures before my head hits the pillow tonight.
The Metro
Getting from my hotel to the pier front involves a walk to the nearest metro station (just like our London Underground) and a one stop ride.
Running empty?
Don’t think the Metro runs empty…
Filling up
Yesterday I was fooled by the signage into thinking that I was at the tube station for my return, when in fact I was just taking a long walk to the station, under ground.
Under ground walk
It seems that they decided that as there’s a shortage of space, not only would they go upwards with their skyscrapers but they would also go downwards with their Metro tunnels, both for humans and the trains. As I turned my phone off I’m not sure how far I walked yesterday!
But here’s a couple of practice shots for the night tour
Icefire
Kowloon Street
Anyway, today I will be making my way to the Star Ferry for my trip across the Harbour. But time now for my morning prayers, before I set out.
…..continuing this evening,
BigBus
Well, my plans went well today, I’m glad to say. I should have taken my coat, scarf and gloves but being a Brit who’s used to being on the narrowboat tiller in England at this time of year, I stayed most of the day on the top deck of an open top bus.
John in sampan bows
Sampan
That is except when I was travelling around the liveaboard Harbour at Aberdeen
Skyscraper at night
I don’t think I’ll want to see another skyscraper after tomorrow – to mimic a phrase from a friend who’s been visiting Myanmar and was “templed out”, I’m “skyscrapered out”! But Hong Kong at night is just something else. I wish my Wi-Fi signal was better so that I could upload a few more photographs
However, that didn’t stop me from visiting the 20th floor at my hotel to take some photographs after everything else. I did make a conscious decision to leave my temple visiting until my spare time in Thailand.