taking a tram from sheung wan to north point

In my first traveling in Hong Kong Island, I took a tramcar from Sheung Wan to North Point without any purposes. Before taking a tram, I walked around the Sheung Wan area. I hardly remember where I walked around this not-so-large, or in short, narrow area, but certainly remembered the name of a particular street, "Cat Street". I found lots of old benders dealing in real or fake antiques and sundries along with the street.
Walking for a while from Cat Street, I found a Chinese noodle shop that hung a magazine article featured the shop's wonton noodle on its front door. The elder mistress beckoned me to come in, then said something in Cantonese that I hardly understood. With her gestures and pinpointing to the wonton noodle article, I just understood that I should order that noodle for my lunch, or the noodle would be served automatically without my saying any words. After a few minutes, as I expected, the wonton noddle came in front of me. The noodle bowl was a little bit smaller than I expected, but the taste was so good that the magazine wouldn't take any rake-off from this shop to make an article. Moreover, the noodle was so cheap, maybe, US$ 1 or less than US$ 2, at that time.
So, after finishing lunch, I took a tramcar to go to the North Point. I sit on a front seat in the second floor and looked out of the wide front window, while a tram running.
The scenery I saw was nothing special, but I still remembered it, and I guess, maybe I'll never forget it. A part of the scenery was a constant line of people, their excitements, signboards of shops, neon signs in day time, tall buildings, and the blue sky.
When getting off the tram, I felt the heat and high humidity as usual around here. Then, I walked and looked for interesting streets in North Point.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

wan chai and causeway bay

After several years when I firstly got to Hong Kong Island, I just returned there, this time, on the way of my business trip. Just like NYC story I was telling in the very previous weblog, I hardly imagined that I actually came back here in my business suit. Of course, pieces of the Hong Kong scenery I used to see while previously wandering, seemed to be totally different for me, though the buildings and excitements around the locals were not quite changed.
I stayed in a middle-class, but a little bit cheap hotel in Wan Chai for several days, and walked everyday to the meeting place that was a good conference room in one of the most expensive hotels in Hong Kong. The hotel located between Central and Admirality area, and walking from Wan Chai area to there, I always went across the old red-light restrict. Around there, there were lots of bars, parts of which were filled with tourists at the evening. One day during this business stay, I had no dinner appointment. So, I just looked for a famously nice Chinese (hopefully, Cantonese cuisine) restaurant. I walked and sometimes took the subway, and eventually reached Times Square Shopping Mall in Causeway Bay area (though it was eventually just next stop to Wan Chai by a subway).
There was a pretty good Chinese restaurant there, and since then I went there more than two times for dinner after business meetings, but never had a meal, 'cause each time I went there, the restaurant was fully reserved as wedding receptions.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

going to stanley

In Hong Kong, I stayed in a cheap hotel around Yau Ma Tei, which was in Kowloon and a little bit far from the top of Tsim Sha Tsui. I remember that my stay was for 5 days, and everyday, I walked from my hotel to the top of Tsim Sha Tui. It was about an hour or more walking. Of course, I didn't go straight to the top, but often wandering around interesting side roads I incidentally found. Near Kimberley Street in Tsim Sha Tui, I found lots of turtle shells in a huge pot, and the shop displaying the pot in its front served a cup of famous turtle jelly. According to the shop's ad written in Cantonese (though I slightly understood), it seemed to be good for health.
Everyday, a certain destination of my walking in the morning was the Star Ferry pier, of course, to take the cheap ferry to go to Hong Kong Island. But after reaching the island, usually I had no destination to go. So, usually, I took a bus that I hardly knew where to go, but only knew the entire island wasn't so big that I could return easily anytime from anywhere. One day, I took a bus that showed the destination, Chek Chue, in short, Stanley, in its front plate.
So, I was going to Stanley without any purposes, but hoping to see parts of Pacific Ocean.
At that time, Hong Kong had the rain continued on all day long.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

on a plane going to Hong Kong

In the very previous weblog, I mentioned about my first travel in a foreign country, which is Hong Kong. I remember Simon kindly commented on it. This time's my walking is also related to that Hong Kong story, again.
When I was on a plane going to Hong Kong, I got a window seat that I do/didn't like because of inconveniences especially to go to a bathroom when having a meal. Next to me, a young guy, who looked like same age of me, sit and read a book quietly. Coincidentally, I noticed that the book this guy read was the same one I had in my backpack.
The book was a pretty good travel essay about Hong Kong written by a non-fiction writer, and became famous especially among young people at that time, partly because the TV drama based on the book.
So, I just said to him, "hey, you read the book"He just gazed at me, and said yes, he did.
Then, I picked my book from a backpack, and saying that I also read it, 'cause I was going to Hong Kong.
He smiled, and said that his going to Hong Kong this time was also the first time traveling alone in an abroad. We talked a lot about the book and the unknown, but upcoming travel in Hong Kong. We surely shared the same kind of excitements at the time.
When the plane landing on Hong Kong, we said good by, and good luck with each other. We thought that that's the way of traveling alone, as the book also mentioned about, besed on the author's traveling.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

the tower

Although I've decided to write this blog definitely everyday before starting, I already made exceptions because I've got the ful this weekend. So, I almost forgot what I would prepare for this walking about Hong Kong before.
Maybe, that would be about the peak tower at the Victoria peak, I guess.

The pic was the tower's, which I got in last year's early summer. As you can see, the tower was under reconstruction. So, I couldn't go inside the building, but following the information board, I walked to the other view spot to take a pic. As I said before, first time I got to the tower, it was a so heavy rainy day that I couldn't see anything from there. Next time, I couldn't even enter the tower. But I realized for the first time that this tower had a wax doll house, which was opened despite of the tower itself closed. Consequently, this doll house was too noticeable for tourists to go in at that time.
By the way, the tower seemed to be re-opened in last year's winter.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

waiting for a limousine

Hong Kong was the special place for me, partly because this was the foreign country I traveled alone for the first time. I somehow took five consecutive days off, which was eventually less than days I needed to persuade my boss to let me go.
I took a cheap night flight that landed on Hong Kong around 22:00. I was totally a stranger not only to Hong Kong, but also to a place surrounded by what I had never been used to.
Since airport exchangers seemed to be closed at night, I didn't have any ideas about how to take an airport express, bus, and even taxi.
Fortunately, I found a local affiliate of my travel agent, and asked to keep a seat of a limousine to go to a hotel I reserved. The agent kindly did well, so I somehow got to an airport limo terminal almost at 0:00, beginning of the next day.
I maybe waited for half an hour. Until the limo was appeared finally, there were two or three people waiting there.
The final incident was also waiting to be happened as soon as the limo stopped in front of us. Suddenly, the driver jumped down from the limo's front door, and then grabbed at the terminal staff by shouting in loudly Chinese, or I say, loudly Cantonese. The two finally exchanged blows until the other colleagues stopped.
I idly looked the scene and slightly felt that this might be a part of excitements filled with Hong Kong.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.

rainy, cloudy victoria peak

When I was at the Peak for the first time, continual falling of huge raindrops made a white curtain, as if I just happened to be in whiteout, which I mean is, of course, not snow, but a downpour-version. The great view from there was not anywhere at that time.
The pic was my second visit's. I somehow made a point to take the pic, though it was a cloudy day and a few rain drops fell on my head.
Curiously, I remember the downpour view more vividly than the cloudy, but nice view of the city. Maybe, while taking the Peak Tram and turning over its booklet I got from an usher of the Tram, I studied much about trivia of the Peak with great anticipation, say that its origin was related to the governor's summer home built there before1900.
One more important element in that rainy day's trip. I was with the group of tourists. In that group, there was a family of four. Two daughters were so active in the Tram that parents somehow tried to calm them down, saying the Peak and the great view were almost there. When we reached at the Peak, the two girls ran in the rain, then playing and laughing happily with each other at the white-view.
Here was Hong Kong, SAR of China.
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full/en/index.php