Arrive In Better Shape

I badly need one!

Long-haul flights do really wear out our bodies very easily. Lack of sleep and lack of mobility on a 16 hour flight took its toll on me as I stumble haggardly early in the morning at The Pier - one of Cathay Pacific's business class lounges at Chep Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong. I didn't even go to the food section where I always order a bowl of wonton soup whenever I'm here. All I needed was just a cool, refreshing shower. I headed straight there and the shower attendant, gracious as always, escorted me right away to one of the several shower rooms available.

Hong Kong

ROOM WITH A VIEW

From my 10th floor room at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford, I could very well see across Victoria Harbour the jagged skyline of Hong Kong island. Manhattan for me is still the undisputed King of Skyscrapers but this one I'm looking at is truly unique: the buildings look better when sandwiched by the water and the hills. What completes the picture in my hotel window is the sudden appearance of a junk, a traditional Chinese sailing vessel.

I'm staying for the night in Hong Kong because I was unable to get a seat on this afternoon's flight to New York. Earlier today at the Cathay Pacific check-in counter at the NAIA, the agent told me that the flight to New York is full and that I would have to stick with my original departure date which is tomorrow. As if to console me, the agent informed me that I've been upgraded to business class. The agent also took the effort of securing my walis tambo (a broom made from tiger grass) in a box when she saw me struggling with this gift I got from my friend Harley.



As soon as I cleared immigration at the Chep Lap Kok airport, I bought a return ticket on the Airport Express train to Kowloon station for 160 Hong Kong dollars. In less than half an hour, I arrived in Kowloon and transferred into the free shuttle bus which dropped me off right outside the hotel's lobby. With only my rolling carry-on, check-in was a breeze and I made it to my room in no time. I immediately tested the hotel's Instant Service via phone and asked for a shaving kit. In 4 minutes, housekeeping delivered the kit! I'm impressed.

My stay at the Intercontinental is complimentary, thanks to my Priority Club membership. For 30,000 points, I was able to snag a free one-night stay here. The hotel is very accessible to the shopping and dining areas of Tsim Sha Tsui and commands a grand view of the harbour. Walking along the nearby promenade will take you all the way to the Star Ferry Pier where ferries to Hong Kong island await.

STAR FERRY

I always try to use a local ferry whenever I can as it gives me a chance to be intimate with the local scene. There are many memorable ferry rides in big cities around the world that I've taken: on the Chao Praya river in Bangkok, on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, on Vancouver Harbour in Vancouver and of course, on the Hudson river in New York. Crossing Victoria Harbour via Star Ferry therefore is a must. I've done this during my first visit here and I'm still doing it now on my way to Central. The views are superb and it's incredibly cheap - only 2.20 Hong Kong dollars between Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.

I've always wanted to see Hong Kong's skyline from a different perspective - looking down at it. The way to do it is up there on Peak Tower near the summit of Victoria Peak which I was unable to do on previous visits to Hong Kong. After getting off the ferry, I took Bus No. 15C for the Peak Tram Terminus where I paid 33 Hong Kong dollars for the return trip on the funicular railway. Being a popular ride , and the quickest, to The Peak, it gets crowded with tourists. The trip up to Peak Tower, less than 400 meters above sea level, takes only 4 minutes.

VICTORIA PEAK

I'm lucky this time that the weather is clear. The panoramic view of central Hong Kong, Kowloon and the ever busy Victoria Harbour is truly dramatic. Buildings such as the Bank of China Tower (my favorite), Central Plaza, The Center, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, and Two International Finance Centre (the tallest structure in Hong Kong) seem to jostle for position in front of camera-wielding tourists. As night falls, the buildings lit up like tall bejeweled ladies.

Back in Tsim Sha Tsui, I found myself hankering for dinner. Near the Star Ferry Pier and sitting right next to a Philippine National Bank branch, I discovered Cafe de Coral, a busy Chinese fastfood chain with very affordable and quite an extensive menu. My Fried Garoupa dinner with steamed rice, soup and Chinese tea cost me only 36 Hong Kong dollars! Oh well, I'm glad I didn't have to eat McDonald's hamburger this time.

Hong Kong

Revisiting one of the biggest Chinatowns on earth was more like coming to a familiar neighborhood. After all, my dear adopted hometown of Flushing in New York is heavily populated with Chinese immigrants. There are also tall buildings aplenty in Hong Kong island as there are in the island of Manhattan. But what's more apparent especially in Tsim Sha Tsui district is that unmistakable energy and madness of Chinese businesses along its many narrow streets: thrift shops, restaurants, bakeries, beauty saloons, electronic stores, real state offices, and banks. I feel like I was back in Main Street, Flushing, although this one is bigger and rowdier.

Looking up dazed among the concrete canyons - probably from jet lag or ignorance of deciphering Chinese characters - I remain impressed with the transformation of Hong Kong from being a backwater of British colonialism in the 1950's to being one of the world's financial centers today. Since being given back to China in 1999 and thereby designated as a Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong continues to prosper as more businesses are being set up. Even kids have something to nag parents about: Hong Kong Disneyland is almost complete.

I wanted so much to go up Victoria Peak today but the weather was threatening and the sky was gray. I felt the mist would obscure the view again just like the first time I went up there. If I could not even see the peak, then there's certainly nothing from up there to see below.

Today's visit to Hong Kong is the shortest I have made in any city anywhere in the world. If not for the Airport Express, I wouldn't have ventured out of Chek Lap Kok. The trip to Kowloon station from the airport and back was quick and efficient, costing me 90 Hong Kong dollars
for same-day return ticket. They even have buses that ferry arriving passengers for free to various hotels around the city. Airport-bound passengers laden with luggage also have the option of checking-in right at the train station's airline counters - how convenient indeed!

During the two hours I spent hanging around Tsim Sha Tsui, I managed to do a bit of walking
after being on the plane from Los Angeles for almost 13 hours. And of course, two hours is more than enough for me to snag souvenir magnets and a bagful of Giordano shirts.

Meanwhile, Victoria Peak will have to wait. Next time.