Today we were hit by a level 8 typhoon, typhoon ‘Kammuri.’ It meant we had the day off school, which was a nice start to the day, as T is not only for typhoon, but also teeth, and mine are killing me, and teaching does not help.
Last week’s school was stunning. I finished the week in an excellent mood. On Friday evening I went, along with my room mate Paddy to Temple Street to sample tasty foodstuffs.
We made our way through stall after store of trinkets, paintings, electronics and sex toys and were surprised to find we were eating Indian food, very delicious Indian food indeed. Following a hearty Friday night supper we headed to Tsim Sha Tsui (T is also for Tsim Sha Tsui, though you wouldn’t know it to hear a local say it) for some over priced cocktails back in a bar we had visited before, situated somewhere in the sky over Hong Kong.
Saturday was meant to be the day we went to visit Macau. However, this plan was fatally wounded at the point I realised the Chinese embassy had my passport. It was a shame, though we did manage to find a way to fill the gap left by not visiting a former Portuguese colony with its own unique culture and way of life – going to a theme park.
There are two theme parks in Hong Kong, ‘Ocean Park’ and ‘Disneyland.’ We went to Ocean Park. We didn’t stay all day, but we did stay long enough to sample all the rides, including ‘The Abyss,’ ‘The Dragon’ and ‘The Mine Train.’ White knuckles all round. The rides were fun, though my favourite attraction was not a ride, but the cable car between each side of the park, the first cable car I would ride that weekend, but not the last.
That evening we took a manly evening meal at a Thai/Vietnamese restaurant in Kowloon City, followed by a manly milkshake in a coffee shop called ‘Second Home’ in Mong Kok. The reason these events were so manly, was that they were aimed at rivalling the girls’ evening, which involved judging the Mr. Hong Kong competition. Naturally, when we late described our evening to them, it involved a lot more ‘big trucks’ and ‘kinky hoes’ than my humble yet informative blogging style allows for. Still, I enjoyed it despite being bereft of football, beer, cars etc…
The following morning we made our way through the hundreds of Filipino maids sitting and socialising under the HSBC building in central Hong Kong to go for a delicious Dim Sum breakfast at city hall.
Following this banquet Paddy and me separated from the group and explored the science museum before heading to the cable car at Ngong Ping, which took us to visit the mighty ‘Big Buddha.’
The big Buddha certainly did not fail to deliver on his promise of stature. It was huge. Still, the place held a sort of theme park spuriousness that unsettled the ‘village’ for me – by village they mean a row of restaurants and gift shops all white washed and sparkling. Regardless, the views were real, and the Ngong Ping cable car certainly ranks among the best cable cars I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding, and I’ve ridden at least three.
It was quite a busy week, and it was ended by a very busy weekend, one which left me exhausted, and unfortunately in severe pain from my teeth. I apologise if my writing seems a little curt (I’m sure I flatter myself with the notion there’s anybody reading to apologise to), but T is also for Thursday, a school day, and after today’s anti-climactic typhoon threat, I have a Saturday’s teaching ahead of me, as well as the remaining Thursday and Friday. So now, I must sleep.
