Last night was kind of weird. Was super tired, as even with the low amounts of sleep I need, 3 hours of sleep then a long flight followed by being up till past midnight in the timezone I came from is a bit much.
Getting out of the airport was relatively easy - express train then a complimentary shuttle to the hotel from Kowloon Station. Had a brief moment if confusion, as you can't actually see the hotel from the stop, but made it ok.
The YMCA Salisbury has got to be the nicest YMCA anywhere. Posh lobby, nice room, even a complimentary fruit basket. I checked out my room and them headed back out towards re harbor to catch the 8pm light show. Unfortunately, all the harbor view rooms at the hotel were full, which kinda works as it got me out and exploring. It was kinda cool - the lights from some of the office buildings on Hong Kong island put on a show choreographed to music they broadcast from speakers.
Then walked through the Star Ferry terminal to the harbor shopping centre area, which is this massive complex of super swank boutiques. Fave bit was a little gallery of cupcake art. I was also tempted by the presence of macarons from posh French bakeries, but decided it would be best to find dinner.
I managed to find a food court in one of the shopping centres. It was kind of overwhelming - there seem to be a lot if tourists in HK, but most seem to be Asian, so ordering was difficult. The number of choices was kind of overwhelming, especially when I was so tired and hungry. Almost gave up and ordered mcdonalds, bit ended up getting fresh dumplings instead. I've actually been pretty good food wise. Haven't eaten at McDonalds yet - partly because there's no advantage in terms of wifi, which I pretty much everywhere here. Picked up a complimentary access card at the airport, and they have hotspots pretty much everywhere.
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Back on the bus, heading back to central. Will head to the peak next I think. The bus system here is pretty good. They're all air-conditioned, which is a nice escape from the heat, though it does have the unfortunate side effect of making my glasses fog up when I step off the bus. Or whenever I leave a store for that matter. Ended up buying an octopus card instead of fumbling with exact change all day - they refund your unused balance at the airport, so it's super easy. Haven't gotten lost yet which is good.
Have had a pretty successful day so far. Got a super cheap student lunch special in Aberdeen, and also managed to find a charger for my iPod which was greatly needed.
Decided against getting a ride on a sampan, mainly because being a fishing area, it kinda all smelled like fish. I did pass by a cool little shop run by the fisheries association, where I picked up some cute souvenirs. None of my credit cards worked, which is kind of ominous, as I also had problems at Starbucks earlier in the day (though I did successfully find a China tumbler - never did get one from NZ, but having the Australia label in the Katmandu mug kind of counts). I'll have to figure out collect calling once I get to the hotel, to make sure it's just a weird connection problem, and not something up with my accounts. The lady at the shop was really nice though - she locked up and took me out to show me where I could find cash machines.
The weather has been gorgeous - but kinda hot and sweaty. Still though, as my plane getting here was delayed by rain storms, I expected to spend the day wandering around in the rain. If I mange to get up the peak I should get some awesome views of the city.
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