This trip was one of those trips where I couldn’t figure out what the hell I was doing, half the time. Getting there went okay. Smooth entry and grabbed a taxi from the Airport Express terminal in downtown, since I arrived so late.
But then no matter what plan of action I decided to take, where I chose to go, when I wanted to go there, how, anything...it went wrong, in some way...and grew very frustrating.
To be fair, the one thing that did go without a problem was the delivery and pickup at the book fair. And I got to see people I hadn’t seen in years. Indulge in a bit of gossip.
Met an Oliver who seems really sweet and is not bad looking...and got him confused with an Oliver I know who is not at all like him. And talking with with some of the dealers was an adventure in catching up on the direction of the book fairs' futures. It's over. It's changing. No one new is coming in...well, except for a few young people. It's too expensive. It's too hard. Don't like the venues used...except Hong Kong. All of which I've heard before.
But everything else? Took a tram to Happy Valley Racecourse and got off one stop too early so walked all the way around the building...to find it’s closed. The museum wasn’t even open.
The Peak is shabby and charges double to just go up to the roof for the view. On a hazy day. And getting to the tram up to it is ridiculously difficult. Despite my research, I wound up needing help from a laborer to figure out the right bus to catch. Then he told me how to tell the driver when to let me off.
Turned out, I was two stops from where I needed to get off, and I'd been planning to go in the opposite direction
Coming down from the Peak I hopped off to grab the 6 bus to Stanley, which I’ve done several times during previous visits...but I wound up at Stanley Prison, not Stanley Plaza or Market. And the only way I could figure out how to get out of it (since Google Maps was just confusing) was to take the bus back to Central.
Next day, I got the same number bus and got right to the market...which is half of what it used to be but still workable. However, the remaining pubs just felt skanky so didn't get my fish and chips.
Going to Kowloon on the ferry was okay, but the Jade Market was depressing. I remember it being more open and spacious. Of course, that was over 10 years ago.
I used the same hotel I'd stayed at, previously, because they had a shuttle service to the airport train...but don’t now. “Take a taxi or walk.” Said with a straight face. Hard mattress. Small shower stall. No bottled water in the room. At least a 7/11 was nearby so got some there...and Watson Water does not disappoint.
Everywhere I went, either an escalator or elevator was not working and stairs were the only option. And each time I took a taxi from Central Ferry to the hotel, it was a different price. Got some nasty leg cramps from walking and climbing so much. Feet hurt.
Was sold a full-fare Octopus card when they offer one for seniors, giving them a 50% discount on transportation. So I got one. But to top it up, you need to provide cash in HK dollars, nothing else.
Had a cable car actually refuse to let me board. Ngong Ping was depressing. And when I was leaving to come home, I wound up walking to the Sheung Wan station...and almost got turned around, there, thanks to poor signage.
Not all that impressed with Korean Airlines, either. The seats were barely cushioned and I got leg cramps, going and returning. The food is edible, at best, and some was just too Korean for me. Some of it I simply could not eat, like boiled beef and fish. As for the entertainment they offer...nothing on it appealed to me. I even went through a weird time slip en route home where it went amazingly slowly...like how it seemed two hours has passed when only one had.
I did do some work on DW...but got lost. I feel like I’ll be better off doing a page one rewrite to suit Adam. So I did no further work on it while in HKG or returning home. My mind was not at its best. All out of sorts.
If I do Hong Kong next year, I’m going Cathay and staying at a different hotel. I don’t like changing planes in Seoul; Incheon is a cold airport in so many ways.
Granted, it’s been 7-8 years since I’ve done this trip, and I am getting old...but I don’t recall having this massive sense of ennui that took hold of me. Maybe it’s affected by the bullshit with Felon47 and his scum.
Can’t escape that, can you?
