(Pictures to be posted very soon)
After an uneventful week in Singapore, I was off for Hong Kong in a group of 6 INSEAD guys, seeking a good time and some sightseeing.
As always, the trip began in our beloved Changi Airport. I purchased a silicone case for my fancy new mobile phone: an O2 XDA II Mini. (http://www.seeo2.com/product/XdaIImini/template/XdaIIminiProductInfo.vm) My buddy Tapan did not like it and offered to exchange it for my PalmOne Treo 600. He even later threw in a Motorola BlueTooth headset to sweeten the deal. (Thanks Tapan!)
We flew out on Friday afternoon with JetStar Asia, a low-cost provider based in Singapore. The crew was very focused on up-selling, such as drinks and personal TVs… No complaints whatsoever, though, as we received very good service, had emergency row legroom and landed on time. After a strange temperature check upon arrival, we boarded the train to our hostel, which I had booked online. The hostel was a bit disorganized, and it certainly wasn’t the Mandarin Oriental, but the rooms were acceptable. We quickly dropped our bags and headed for the Fong bar in Lan Kwai Fong, THE “hot” bar area in Hong Kong. Pretty much everyone there was expat, which was a bit of a disappointment, but the party scene is impressive. It was filled with expat bankers trying to feel cool and flash their money. I enjoyed my quarterly Cuban cigar at the Fong, and then we bar-hopped to 3 or 4 different places, including the Lux and the Dragon-I, a supposedly “exclusive” club. We met up with other INSEAD students visiting Hong Kong, and were about 10 at the apex. Good times, good times…
The next morning, we walked around the Hong Kong side for about an hour, and headed for Kowloon to meet with an ’84 INSEAD alumnus for Dim Sum. On the way there, we figured out that we could purchase “concessionary” tickets for the MTR (subway) at half-price from the machines. Sure enough, we got caught by the transport police. We pleaded innocence and flashed our Singapore student ID. The officer was quite nice and let us go without any fuss, although this rate is reserved for full-time Hong Kong students under 18. With a Canadian passport and a Singaporean student ID, you can get away with murder!
The alumnus was a very nice, very well connected guy in Hong Kong. We then split up into smaller groups to cater to everyone’s interests. Leo, Marcus and I visited the Jade market and the local market. It was quite impressive to see all the live frogs, fish, turtles and chickens being slaughtered as clients were purchasing them. I recorded some gruesome videos… We also visited a couple of Buddhist temples and observed local religious ceremonies. We regrouped at the “Felix” at the Peninsula Hotel to watch the Hong Kong lightshow drinking Sherry. The 26th floor bar is an ideal place to watch the lasers and light beams dance above the city every night at 8pm. It also has amongst the nicest toilets in the world, where you can take a leak while overlooking Kowloon.
We then enjoyed Beijing Duck at the Spring Deer, a restaurant highly recommended by my bible: the Lonely Planet guide. We headed back to Hong Kong island for a night out in Wan Chai, another trendy neighbourhood recommended by two random girls we met on the street. We had a couple of pints at the Coyote watching a Chinese couple blow us away with their Salsa dance skills. They were so incredible, that including them in the blog is a must! We then walked out and met two very nice local girls who showed us to another nice bar with live music. It was another late night out on the town.
On Sunday morning, we had quick breakfast at Starbucks by the hotel in Causeway Bay, and then boarded the tram up Victoria Peak, to enjoy one of the world’s most impressive sights. We walked around the peak and had a refresher inside the Peak mall. We then came back down and had very nice Dim Sum in a local restaurant. We then rode the longest series of escalators in the world, which was pretty boring. My colleagues were already leaving Hong Kong, so we went back to the hotel to grab their bags and I wished them well. Being alone in Hong Kong is no fun, so I called up one of the ladies I had met the night before, and we went out for dinner in a Thai restaurant together. We then enjoyed a live performance in a bar in Lan Kwai Fong.
The next morning, I planned on going to Aberdeen to have lunch at the Jumbo Floating restaurant, but my LP guide was pretty outdated, and the bus it suggested to take was no longer in service. I therefore decided to play it safe and stay in Hong Kong. I walked around all day! First, I walked from Causeway Bay to Central, then had Dim Sum at the same place as the day before, since the other highly recommended place did not exist anymore and I was dying of hunger. I then visited the Hong Kong Park and the aviary. I headed West to a rather strange neighbourhood specialized in selling weird animal products. I finished the afternoon shopping for a few Christmas presents (I’m in Montreal in one month!) and headed for the airport. Chek Lap Top is a truly amazing structure. It’s almost 2km long, and is ideal for the shopper on the go. After checking in, I had dinner (You guessed it: Dim Sum!) and flew back to Singapore. Unfortunately, I fell asleep on the plane and after loading up on duty free, I wasn’t able to fall asleep until 4:30am. I used this time to deal with the 110-or-so emails in my INSEAD mailbox, and think about just how great this weekend was!
Life is good! (at least until the bankers start calling in my loans…)
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