And So it Continues!

The plane ride was pretty good. I decided to fly Cathay Pacific so it had all the good things you’d expect from economy class nowadays. It had movies on demand, music on demand, and some decent (but not spectacular) food. I was envious of those business men in the fully reclining chairs up the front, though. Over the duration of nine hour flight, I simply couldn’t help wishing that I had spent less money on the accommodation and more on upgrading to business class.

I wasn’t complaining however when I stepped out of Hong Kong Airport Station, having taken a 30 minute express train from the International Airport, into the centre of Hong Kong. Right outside the doors there was a convenient shuttle bus straight to the hotel! As I stepped through the doors of the Four Seasons Hotel, the reception oozed elegance! Unfortunately when I walked up to the reception, I was dismayed to find that my (no doubt) luxurious room would not be ready for at least a few more hours, due to a late checkout by some important Taiwanese business man. This put a bit of a damper on my so far pleasant experience. They did however compensate me with a free snack and drink in one of their exquisitely decorated restaurants. I was also allowed to use the free wireless internet connection! Using said internet connection, I was able to finalise the details of my trip, i.e. what I would do on which days. I decided that tomorrow, Friday, the first thing that I would do would be to go down to Wan Chai Market. You know, just to get the full impact of the culture shock.

This morning, after waking up and enjoying a breakfast-in-bed meal, I picked up an "Octopus Card" at the underground MTR station (Hong Kong's version of Myki that actually works). This allowed me to take the subway to Wan Chai. When I walked out into the sunlight, I was right across from one of the streets that lead into the Wan Chai Market area. The next 30 minutes involved me stumbling around with my fingers pinching my nose shut, shielding it from the stench of raw meat. When I finally found an exit street to a main road, I gave myself a once-over. I had come out with two pieces of nice looking, completely fake, cheap jewellery, and minus my wallet. Yep, I had been pick pocketed. Fortunately, I hadn't put all my eggs in one basket, so to speak. I had the majority of my cash, stashed in my safe back in the hotel room, and about 75% of what I had taken with me that day stashed in my sock. Needless to say, I moved my trip to Pacific Place forward a bit. This would however give me a chance to see a rather marvellous sounding Buddha statue later in the week. The rest of my day spent at Pacific Place saw to me losing the rest of the money I had allocated for the day. Not to dastardly thieves, but to shops with extremely well presented, tempting items! As I type this now, I am completely exhausted, and am going to bed soon. I guess it just shows you how much I care about telling all of you devoted readers about my travels!

Thanks Again for Reading,

Ryan Aun