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The dim sum curse lifted

12 Jun 2005

The dim sum curse is lifted, finally! After a few days of trying to figure out where to go, we hit Hong Kong Island to see what we could find. Our concierge had recommended a place called “Luk Yu Teahouse”, which according to the Lonely Planet guide is full of surly staff. When we got there, it wasn’t even close to full — a sure sign of a not-so-good dim sum.

We tried another nearby restaurant that we’d spied a couple of days ago. Didn’t look any better. At this point, I was willing to walk 100 miles for good dim sum. We’d backed down twice on dim sum, going for something that looked decent, rather than what we’d really wanted. I wasn’t willing to back down a third time.

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Paddles up!

11 Jun 2005

For the record, we didn’t it plan it this way. But like many things on our trip, fortuitious circumstance happened to place us in Hong Kong on the first day of the Dragon Boat festival!

Having first tried dragon boating last year, I was curious to see how the Big Buoys (yes, bad joke) do it out here in Hong Kong, where the sport reigns. There are many differences from how I did it in Calgary last year, and what seems to happen here.

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Going uphill to Victoria Peak

11 Jun 2005

After meeting up with Amy, following our mutual attire sizings (and having a snack in a very Irish bar, oddly sitting amidst a lot of very Chinese surroundings), we took a ride up the Victora Peak Tram.

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Ode to Hong Kong Trolleys

11 Jun 2005

Trolley headlight burning bright,
cart me through this stormy night,
Away to the curious city sights
And let me view the highest heights!

Trolley, tram, whatever they say
You run ”round the city every day
100 years and one you tramp away
So darn cute, promise me you”ll stay?

Buying a suit

11 Jun 2005

So one of my missions here in Hong Kong (self-imposed, I should add) is to find a suit. Not just any suit, but the one for my wedding. So needless to say, there”s a certain amount of care needed in ensuring that what I get is what I need. I mean, I”m getting married in this. Yet, I don”t want to break the bank.

For some reason, dress-makers are on Hong Kong Island, but the tailors are in Kowloon. An interesting divide, but it meant that I couldn”t do anything until yesterday.

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The dim sum curse

9 Jun 2005

We”re cursed. It”s the only way to explain it.Since arriving in China, one of the few things we”ve been absolutely obsessed over finding is some authentic dim sum. For us, this means a seating hall of about 4,000 or so, insanely noisy, carts trundling every which way, and no menu. Oh, and a place PACKED full of people.

You”d think, that in a country of China”s size, we”d find one?

We”ve had dim sum, now, twice. The first time at our first hotel in Beijing. Very unsatisfying. The second time was after our current hotel in Hong Kong (we”re now just checking out for another one; we got this one to cover the days extra in HK) recommended one that doesn”t seem to exist. Either that or the concierge is a moron who doesn”t understand that when you recommend something, you have to know where it is!

The food was good, but it was off a menu. And no carts.

One way or another, we will find proper dim sum!

A little more on Hong Kong

8 Jun 2005

We haven”t been here long, but there”s already a few interesting things that are, well, interesting. Consider for the moment the fact that we”ve been running through three very different countries from what we expect to see at home: Russia, Mongolia, and China. For many of us, China will at least seem familiar, only from possibly walking through our respective Chinatowns or our favourite Chinese restaurant. Be rest assured, your favourite Chinese restaurant probably has little to do (or in common) with some of the places we”ve been…

It”s also fair to say that the Russian places are totally different. Mongolia, don”t even get me started.

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Messed up Hong Kong money

8 Jun 2005

So naturally, upon arrival, we needed to get some money out so we could, well, do anything. The bank machine (from the Bank of China) set the minimum amount of HK$500 (a little less than CDN$100). Imagine my surprise when, on the $500 bill, there reads:

BANK OF CHINA

Promises to pay to the bearer

on demand at its office in Hong Kong

FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS
HONG KONG DOLLARS

By order of the Board of Directors

I wasn’t even sure if this was real money, or some kooky promisory note! (Turns out, it’s real…)

But imagine my FURTHER surprise when I look at the goofy set of $20 bills. Under most countries, the paper currency is issued only by the central bank, e.g. the United States Mint, the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, and so forth. But here in Hong Kong, it seems just about anyone can do it. So far, I’ve got five different $20 from three different banks: Bank of China, HSBC, and Standard Chartered Bank.

This place is messed, man…

Help me, Iâ€™m melting!

8 Jun 2005

Hong Kong is hot. It”s humid. I think I left a trail of melted me behind as we walked around. Oof.

We took our final long-distance train from Xian to Guangzhou yesterday, arriving this morning. We switched from the Guangzhou Main station to the Guangzhou East station (thankfully, they”d completed the metro line in between them) before taking the high-speed train from Guangzhou East to Kowloon here in the Hong Kong SAR.

Getting off the train was rough. But that first sight across Hong Kong Harbour somehow made it all worth the discomfort.

But dear GOD did I ever need a shower…

Xi’an and the Terra Cotta Warriors

6 Jun 2005

Amy and I have gone to some lengths to avoid doing the largely tourist thing: travelling in a tour group. Why? Because this is a trip we’ve both planned, and travelling with a group really wasn’t part of the plan. However, as we’d come to find out, getting to see the Terra Cotta warriors in Xian pretty much required a group.

In retrospect, this is all bunk. You don’t need one. It’s just cheaper. Theoretically.

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