Hong Kong is a city of structured chaos. 

 

Cable Car to Ngong Ping Village.

The Buddha dominates the view from the moment that you arrive.

The shear scale of the Buddha is quite mind blowing.

An offering to the Buddha.

The Tian Tan Buddha

The surrounding countryside is breathtaking.

Amid all the tourists, It can be easy to forget that this is a place of worship.

Po Lin Monastery

Dragon statues outside Po Lin Monastery

Po Lin Monastery

The dragon theme continues inside Po Lin Monastery

Right at the end of the day, the sun finally breaks through the cloud cover; bathing Tai O fishing village and the sounding mountains in light.

After my exploration of Hong Kong Island this morning, this evening I finally headed into the city itself. 

I’d decided to take a tour of the city so that I could orientate myself before heading out by myself. This was going to be done in three parts – by foot around the markets, by open top bus around the city, and then a cruise with dinner and entertainment around the harbour. 

It should have been a simple relaxing evening. But in typical Blakely fashion, it didn’t quite work out that way. 

I went down to the hotel lobby to meet my lift, but was instead met by a young woman who told me that she worked for the company and was getting a lift, but that we would be waiting for a while as the bus was stuck in traffic. So instead we popped back inside and grabbed a table and had a chat. After wearing out the normal civilities and queries about where I come from, she turned the topic of conversation to the one thing that the British are guaranteed to engage in – the weather.

“So. There’s going to be a typhoon later” was her opening gambit. “Eh, really” was my startled reply. As it turns out the typhoon warning was at its third level, the one directly below imminent landfall. The warnings were on TV, on traffic signs and as she pointed out, also in the hotel lobby. Only a total moron could have failed to be aware of the incoming storm.

Being that moron, I excused myself and ran upstairs to grab something I figured I would soon need – my rain jacket, and then outside for our lift had finally arrived. 

Our destination was the market in Temple Street. Stalls line both sides of a narrow street with the stallholders selling pretty much anything imaginable. Synthesised bleeps and whirs from electronic toys, or the hum of hundreds fans add to the cacophony noise generated by shoppers and onlookers alike. 

The gap between the stalls is barely wider then two people standing. This means that you must progress at the speed of the crowd as you join the queue of zombielike shufflers making their way down the street. Occasionally the procession halts as someone ahead suddenly stops as they see an item they want to look at. In the few seconds between this happening and the parade restarting; any stallholder adjacent will seize their opportunity to make their pitch. 

I could not help but take my mind back to Marrakech and the Jemaa el-Fnaa, the giant market square that in the evening changes into a giant open-air festival of food. The places for me seemed to be a microcosm of the two the countries. Both are noisy, crowded and at first overwhelming to the senses. Both are chaotic but it is in chaos that the differences become apparent. In Morocco, the chaos did seem to be just that – chaos. The consensus of the crowd is that the individual rules. It is every man for himself, and if you want to get somewhere then you need to fight for it. But in Hong Kong, if you stand still for a moment and just watch the people it all starts to make sense. There are patterns in the chaos, a politeness or a respect that whilst you are all compressed into a small area that the actual sense of crowding is very little. In Morocco, or indeed London at Christmas, the body feels like it has taken a battering just walking down the road as people career into each other, bumps and knocks picked up from carelessly carried bags and umbrellas. This didn’t seem to happen here. No matter how surrounded you may be, there is always that little bit of space. It is minimal, but it never feels frustrating or threatening. 

It is strange that I don’t really enjoy crowds, or indeed confrontation. However I do really enjoy markets, which really are the apotheosis of crowds. I even enjoy haggling. With a little knowledge it can be a lot of fun. Knowing the rough discount that can be achieved means that you can have a little back and forth with the seller. I love the mock indignation of both parties as they open with one price, and you open with a price that you know is low; but not insultingly so. I think that is the trick. If you offer a stupidly low price at the start, all you do is annoy the seller. I think it sends a message of contempt – that you don’t take them seriously. But that offer that is a little bit low, then it is recognised as part of the game. I think its in my nature that I just like to come to an agreement that works out the best for both parties. 

I made just a single purchase during my visit to the market – an umbrella that folds up and is stored in a fake water bottle. It cost around 50p, and would prove to be an inspired purchase. 

Demonstrating once again my amazing talent for timing; I joined the open-top bus ride just as the heavens opened. 

The typhoon was starting to come in now, with the rain really being whipped in by a strong wind coming in off the harbour. I confess to finding the entire situation hilarious, watching people huddling down into their seats as the wind did its best to rip the small waterproofs directly off of our bodies. But for me, it was just fun. I ride everyday and compared to a rainy winters day this was a walk in the park. 

My only disappointment was that I wasn’t really able to use the camera as the rain made shooting near on impossible was water droplets were plastered to the lens by the wind.

The tour of the city lasted around an hour, and by this time the wind was in full force. The bus deposited us at the harbour and we joined a larger crowd for a cruise on the harbour as well as a meal and entertainment. 

As we were boarding I started talking to a woman named Alvina. She’d just stopped of in Hong Kong for a couple of nights having just spent a month in Japan. To say I was jealous of that experience would be an understatement. We chatted through the meal, and the cruise. The cruise itself wasn’t the best because of the weather, so we decided to get off at the first stop. 

The boat docked, and let us off somewhere on Hong Kong Island.  In truth we had no plan at all, and so we just wandered the streets chatting and exchanging stories about our home and travels.

So in all a pleasant, if unusual evening. One in which I feel I’ve finally started to understand this amazing city. 

Today I explored Hong Kong Island itself.

The first port of call was the Man Mao Temple. Built in 1847, and undergoing serious renovations in 2011. The temples air was so heavy with incense that it became difficult to breathe. 

I profess to not seeing much of the temple as it was quite literally covered inside and out with bamboo scaffolding. Although there was one moment of levity as it was explained how the temple had two sets of doors. The main entrance to which we would all pass, and a second set just inside which would never be opened lest it let the devils inside. Needless to say on the day I visited these were wide open and covered in newspaper as the frame was repainted. 

Next stop was the Peak Tram. This famously steep railway takes you up to the Peak which is where you’ll get the most spectacular views of Hong Kong. When I arrived the queues were huge, and as the train arrived the crowds surged forward I attempt to get on and bag a seat on the right hand side of the carriage so the views could be enjoyed. However, I feel that it was so overcrowded that no-one really enjoyed the short ride to the top. 

Arriving at the station you are not greeted by a stunning view. What you are presented with is a modern, sterile shopping centre. A huge plaza dominates the top, dotted with all the familiar fast food and coffee shops. But it is only a short walk before you get to experience that view; and what a view it is. 

When I arrived it was still fairly misty, so visibility was not all it could be. But this did not detract, as you look down onto Victoria Harbour and across in Kowloon.

I confess to immediately looking for those skyscrapers that I can see from my hotel window and using these to zero in on my own location. It was then that it struck me that Hong Kong is actually a remarkably compact city, one that is compressed into a small area and has grown vertically rather than becoming a sprawling metropolis.  

It’s also the first time that I’ve questioned my decision to bring just a single 35mm lens with me as there is just so much that could be taken in with a wide-angle, or viewed in detail with a telephoto.

Truth be told, if you have no interest in the shopping or cafes, there is not really a lot to do once you’ve grown accustomed to the view. It is certainly worth a visit, but I wouldn’t make it the priority of a trip.

Next I made the winding trip down to Aberdeen Harbour, where I boarded a small boat known as a sampan and took in a trip around the harbour weaving in an out between the ultra expensive yachts and cruisers and the ramshackle house boats owned by the fishermen. 

We also passed the Jumbo Kingdom, a floating restaurant that I’d quite like to visit but is a bit out of my way for someone eating on his own.

My last port of call was Stanley where there is a famous market selling mainly clothes and souvenirs from what I could see. Much of this was dedicated to t-shirts poking fun various world leaders; including  Obama dressed in a Chinese workers uniform which I found quite amusing. 

I bought a couple of ‘jade’ dragons, soon to be destined for the top of my iMac, and retreated to a bar along the seafront for some shade and a most refreshing pint.

Today turned out to be a very strange days travel. 

It started normally enough, with a shower before making my way outside with plenty of time for my pickup. But as I got downstairs I was told that my lift had left about 20 minutes before, and I should ring the tour company ASAP. 

During a pretty stressful phonecall, it emerged that I had been provided with a pickup time that was 40 minutes later than the one that the driver had been given. I was very unhappy with the attitude of the person I spoke to at the office, who first suggested that it was my own error (despite having evidence to the contrary), and then informing me that there was nothing that they could do and I would not be able to do the tour. 

All this 20 minutes before the time that I was expecting to be picked up. 

After a little negotiation – mainly my threat to contact Visa and have all payments that I had made to the company disputed and reversed they finally acquiesced and allowed me to at least attempt to join up with the tour party. 

So it was that I found myself in the back of a taxi heading for the train station to meet a guy named Jamie so that I could catch the express train to Shenzhen.  I got out my phone as soon as I arrived, dialled his number and the phone of the man stood next to me rang. It would appear I’d located Jamie. He then told me that there was no hurry and that we had at least 20 minutes before the train departed, and if I wanted to grab some breakfast from a shop then I had plenty of time. 

Munching on my hastily bought panini I explained the issues of the morning to Jamie and he gave me a response that in retrospect was pretty chilling – “don’t worry it happens a lot”! 

Well, at least I was here now and could just sit back and relax until we reached Shenzhen. 

There were about 15 other people with us, mainly Australian and Kiwi visitors who were much more pleasant then the hen party of yesterday. I got chatting and did the now traditional explanation of Guernsey and its location in the world. Only this time one of the Aussies had actually heard of Guernsey. 

I knew what was coming next; it always comes next - the tax question.

I’m seriously considering getting leaflets printed so that I can just hand them out when I’m next faced with The Question. 

Jamie then came and sat next to me and explained that the other guests would only be with me for the first hour or two. They were here on a shopping trip, whilst I was here for a cultural trip. This would mean that I would be on my own for the afternoon and evening; but not to worry as they had arranged a personal tour guide for me who would join us in China. My reaction to this was fantastic. I’ll get to have a chat with someone from China and have access to them that I wouldn’t be able to have in a group. 

We crossed over the border into China. A painlessly simple process that did fill me with a little disappointment as it was explained that as we were on a group visa they would not be stamping my passport. But, but, but I want my passport stamped; I felt like crying. It’s bad enough travelling through Europe and not getting a single stamp. But arriving in China and not getting a stamp just felt unfair. To they not understand that to us weirdo’s that want to visit as many places as possible that passport stamps are like drugs?

Leaving the station I felt hit by a wave of humidity and heat. Shenzhen it was fair to say was hot. Very hot. The second thing I noticed was that most of the buildings were tall, as in Hong Kong. But looked cleaner and newer. As it turned out this was pretty much the case. Twenty odd years ago Shenzhen was a small fishing town, with a population of around 20,000 people. Today it is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a growing population upwards of 14,000,000 people. This is because Shenzhen had been declared a Special Economic Zone by the Chinese government. Specifically to try and drive this sort of rapid growth and attract business to the area. 

Shenzhen is now one of the worlds largest manufacturing hubs. Primarily specialising in the assembly of electronic goods. With companies such as Foxconn having large hubs here. This has led to one of the more unusual situations in China – a country that has a surplus of men when compared to woman. However in Shenzhen woman are the primary recruits as they work on the assembly lines, whereas men do more manual work. This means that the female/male ratio is around 7:1. 

Even I fancy those odds! 

Our first stop was the Diwang Commercial Centre, or more specifically the 69th floor where there is an observation deck. This gave us a spectacular view of the city, with highrises stretching away into the mist. 

At the top of the tower is something quite unexpected – a waxwork of Margret Thatcher. Thatcher is immortalized together with her Chinese counterpart  Chairman Deng Xiaoping (who was introduced with solemnity as ‘the dear leader, Deng Xiaoping’) as they negotiated the Sino-British Joint Declaration regarding the handover of Hong Kong back to Chinese rule. The guide at the tower said to me that Thatcher was held in great esteem, and asked if this is the still the view in Britain. I tried to give a diplomatic answer. But the look I received after I did not give anything but unequivocal praise to the former Prime Minister made me feel like I had surprised them by suggesting that people in Britain may not universally admire her. 

Escaping I was then introduced to Rosie who was to be my guide for the rest of the day. We were dropped off at what was described as a Theme Park. This was called Splendid China, and was not a theme park in the way that Westerners would recognize one. 

Splendid China is basically a series of miniature versions of Chinese landmarks connected by beautifully landscaped gardens and paths. Very pretty, but not really what I was expecting on my ‘cultural tour’. But as I had Rosie with me, I envisaged picking her brain about Shenzhen and hearing what she thought about her country. Unfortunately, this was not to be. 

We entered the park, and Rosie handed me a map and told me to meet her back at this spot in a couple of hours. Er, ok but what I supposed to be doing. She sighed and waved a hand dismissively. ‘Just be back here’. Ok, fine but what is this place? She then told me about the miniature landmarks, and I could rent an electric car to drive myself around the park. I took one look at these cars which looked suspiciously like invalid carriages I said that I would walk. Another dismissive wave later, one which would suggested I could fly as far as she was concerned and she’s turned on her heel and walked off in the opposite direction. 

So I stood in the middle of the entrance, with my guest map written in Cantonese, the signposts written in Cantonese no grasp of the language and even unsure if I’m able to spend Hong Kong Dollars here. I looked around and did what I always do when I’m unsure where to go – went left. 

As I’ve said the park itself was attractive. But I came to realize three things as I made my way around. 

1. It was hot. Very hot. Hot enough for the locals to all be sat on benches, umbrellas in one hand, fans in the other. If there is one thing I’ve learnt it is that when the locals are wilting then you have no chance. 

2. It must have been either the start or the end of season because everything was closed up. Stalls, amusements, shops all boarded up and closed. 

3. No matter how fascinating the exhibits, it was me that was the center of attention. 

At first I thought I was imagining it. But out of the corner of my eye I’d see people stand up as I walked by and stare at me. Then it became a little more obvious, then it became bloody obvious. People were quite literally stopping in their tracks and grabbing for their camera or grabbing friends as they pointed at me.  It was a very odd sensation. It didn’t feel unsafe or even particularly rude as it was obvious even to me that this was purely fascination. Just particularly unsubtle fascination. 

I fixed what I hoped was a friendly smile onto my face as I didn’t want to give off any vibes of being uncomfortable under all the scrutiny, but I was starting to wish that I could walk without the stares for one reason – it was so hot that my shirt was starting to get wet through and stick to me which was making me feel more self-conscious than any amount of pointing had done so. That pretty much anyone I passed also had huge dark sweat stains didn’t seem to occur to me. 

I found a nice shady place to sit for a while and finally found a use for my map as I folded it and turned it into a makeshift fan. I was starting to blend in with the locals already! 

Making my way back to meet Rosie, the sun started to drop which in turn led me to another two conclusions. First that I wasn’t going to get back before it was completely dark, and secondly that it wasn’t getting any cooler. In fact it was actually getting hotter! 

I met Rosie who asked if I’d really been walking around the park, and when I answered in the affirmative it turned out to be the end of the conversation as she turned and told me to follow her. 

Where she led me was to a large dining hall, where I was seated at a table that could easily have seated twelve or more. This was in the center of the room and surrounded by similar tables, only these were all packed with other diners. After taking my seat I looked around for Rosie, but she had disappeared once again. I sat for a good five minutes at the empty table before a waitress turned up with a huge jug filled with tea, poured an eggcup sized cup and handed it to me before putting the jug onto the table and fading back into the crowd. Rosie then reappeared and said that he had ordered food and it will come soon. 

Evidently not learning from experience I still half expected her to pull up one of the chairs and take a seat. But no sooner had she finished speaking then she was gone. The waitress reappeared with a small rice bowl and chopsticks. She was followed by a chef carrying a huge bowl of boiled rice who then set it down on the table. People on the surrounding tables started staring at me, and then the giant bowl and then behind me. I soon realized why. The waitress reappeared with another huge bowl, this time filled with soup and a large plate of what looked to be pork in a sweet and sour sauce. 

Each of the bowls and plates held enough food to feed a good six of seven people on their own. Yet the waitress had reappeared with another plate of what turned out to be beef with onions. 

People were now staring open mouthed at this apparent display of gluttony. 

It slowly occurred to me what was happening. 

My tour company would likely have had a standing order for a reserved table, with a set menu. The restaurant was likely just bringing out the standard order, but Rosie must have neglected to mention that there was just one person.  I was tucking in when Rosie reappeared and went ballistic . Not because of the amount of food. No, it was because I hadn’t been given western cutlery. She grabbed the waitress and started berating her. The waitress quite reasonably pointed to the food and me which was quite obvious she was saying he’s doing OK without. I was repeatedly telling Rosie that I was fine and I can use chopsticks, but she told me that I didn’t have to, and in the end I had to demonstrate to her that I was able to use them before she left the poor waitress alone. Then watching for a few seconds to make sure that I suddenly hadn’t lost the ability to use chopsticks when then burst out into applause and walked away again.  

If I hadn’t been self conscious already, I was now as half the restaurant had stopped to watch this little display. Then I noticed the eyes focus behind me again. My heart fell as I watched another three dishes appear before me.  The photo above doesn’t show even half of what I ended up with in front of me. The beef and pork were great and I made sure to try at least a little of everything which helped cement my opinion that bean curd is rank.

Rosie then reappeared to tell me that she would come back in 40 minutes to take me to the show. Show? Turns out my evenings entertainment would be a dance display. I said that I was full, and that I’d like to go for a walk rather than waiting here. She then bemoaned my ‘waste of food’ and ‘not finishing it all’. I genuinely don’t know if she was serious, or if this was her being humorous. Either way, the only way I’d physically be able to get all of it into me would be with the aid of a scalpel and strategically placed cuts in the stomach area.

I went for a short walk and found the most amazingly lit pagoda and bridge. Which I stopped at and took photos of until it was time to head back to Rosie. 

The dance show was surprisingly good. A whole company featuring acrobats, gymnasts, animals, fireworks and an amazing rig that simulated a waterfall. 

I didn’t have a clue what was going on, but the show was thoroughly entertaining.  Youtube proved a bit of a dry well, but I did manage to find the below clip. 

Finally it was time to return to Hong Kong, and say goodbye to Rosie. I felt we’d really become close during our time together….. OK, not really. But despite the weirdness of the day, I’d actually had a really good day. It was a shame that I was pretty much clueless throughout it, but somehow I feel that being dumped in the middle of somewhere with no way to communicate may have been more fun then being part of a large group. It was certainly a strange way to get my first experience of China.