The LambCutlet Disorganisation

Due to the joys of bad weather… I’m still at Heathrow as my flight has been diverted to London Luton and the latest news was that it was still awaiting a slot before it can get itself from Luton to Heathrow.

The upside though is that flight time shouldn’t be more than about 10 minutes. At least cheap-ish Wi-Fi access does help waste some time till the plane finally shows up! :D

This post in an automagical post, written at 12:28 UTC on 28th of June, 2005.

Assuming everything has gone smoothly, I should now be on the flight off to Reykjavík, Ísland to disappear for 1 week before briefly popping back to old Blighty for 1 night then heading out again and circumnavigating the globe! There will be more such amazing automagical posts to keep you all entertained should I not be online for the next 3 months and a bit… :P

Seems only like yesterday I finished writing about 香港 (Hong Kong)… wait a minute, it was only yesterday I finished writing (read “rambling”) about it! Anyway, as I had already planned to be on the opposite side of the globe to visit some friends, I’ve gone a little further and shall be off as of today and heading to:

• Reykjavík, Ísland — 28th June till 5th July
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — 6th July till 11th July
• Hawai‘i, United States of America — 11th July till 17th July
• Auckland, New Zealand* — 17th July
• Brisbane, Australia — 19th July till late July/early August (damn International Dateline making the 18th July disappear!)
• Melbourne, Australia — late July/early August till 22nd August
• Republic of Singapore — 22nd August till 5th September
• 雲南 (Yunnan), 中華人民共和國 (People’s Republic of China)** — late August?
• 香港 (Hong Kong) — 5th September till 26th September
• دبي (Dubai), الإمارات العربيّة المتّحدة (United Arab Emirates) — 26th September till 2nd October
• Санкт-Петербург (Saint Petersburg), Россия (Russia)**/*** — early October?
• Tallinn, Estonia*** — early October?
• Rīga, Latvija*** — mid October?
• Switzerland*** — late October?

*

Just a brief flight changing stop :(

**

Provisional, depending on successful visa applications

***

If I have sufficient funds by that bit of the journey

There is the hidden blessing that I’ll probably be offline for the duration, with the earliest arrival back in Blighty of the 2nd of October 2005. Along the way I’ll be visiting my paternal aunt and cousin (in Vancouver Island), Nykky (in Brisbane), 貝貝 (Bei Bei) (in Melbourne), my mother’s side of the family (in 香港 (Hong Kong)) plus trying to make various enquiries regarding business registration, banking accounts and so forth.

Assuming I’m not utter broke after دبي (Dubai), I’d like to mini-tour Europe once again and annoy a few people such as Inese! For that leg, I quite fancy the idea of travelling by rail… though I guess I’ll cross that bridge once I get to it! :D

Anyhoo, I need to get some lunch, finish packing and head off to Heathrow Airport for this evening’s outbound flight! :P

26th of February — All good things must come to an end… time to find my way home!

• The damned snooze button proved too tempting and didn’t haul myself out of bed till 08:30 HKT. Only had about an hour to get wash, ready and all repacked before 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) was due to come and pick me up with her friend at 10:00 HKT and head to 香港國際機場 (Hong Kong International Airport)
• 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) arrived on time with her rather unusual friend, as he’s one of the few people in 香港 (Hong Kong) that aren’t stupidly rich, yet still have their own car. Alas it meant he had to be his own chauffeur! Made our journey once again and last time for me this trip, across the 青馬大橋 (Tsing Ma Bridge)… all 1377m of it!
• Once at 香港國際機場 (Hong Kong International Airport), I was completely in awe of the huge arrival and departures hall seeing it in full for the first time, it was then a near painless check-in though I didn’t managed to get window seats once again. :( There was an in-airport Maxims Chinese Restaurant so took the opportunity to have one last 飲茶 (Yum Cha) before I needed to board my flight
• After the food and drink, time was close to 12:30 HKT meaning I had to be off. Said my goodbyes to 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) and thanked her friend for the two lifts to and from the airport. Once through immigration exiting 香港 (Hong Kong), it was down the escalators and catching the internal train to get me to the West Hall, complete with a WH Smiths! ;)
• Spotted my 747-400 to get me to Frankfurt am Main and taking a look back at the East Hall of Arrivals and Departures. Just thien, I was was greeted by uncle whom was still on duty though took the time to come and wish me a safe journey home. I said I will give them all a phonecall once I’d arrived back in England, if only to give grandmother some piece of mind
• The long-haul flight was rather uneventful though did chat with the gentleman next to me, nothing but politics but he admitted that is very much the case of his native 臺灣 (Taiwan). As conversation went on, it turned out he was travelling with his wife, though as I couldn’t see her, asked where she was and due to the shortage of seats, she was about 6 rows back. Had no rejects regarding his request for a seat swap with his wife and myself and after a bit of musical chairs decided to make good (ab)use of Lufthansa’s FlyNet®, listening to Manderin pop music and blogging from 11 000m above the Earth! ;)
• About 5 hours into the flight, we passed the Himalayas once again. 8 hours later still, we arrived in Frankfurt am Main which was a was a rather cold -12°C and tried to find Gate C06, where I was supposed to board the 737. Once on board, during the pre-takeoff preparations, the poor plane got a good torrent of de-icer! Though given the temperature, it was very likely a good idea! ;)
• The flight back to Birmingham Internation Airport was thankfully trouble-free and just managed to make it out to Birmingham Internation Train Station for the last train home by 5 minutes, though had a little panic as couldn’t get the inter-connecting SkyRail to shut it’s automatic doors and head off! Then it was a short wait for the train home, which did get me back to Northampton exactly on midnight as the timetable said it would!

Arrived home utterly exhausted and just about managed to gather myself to call 香港 (Hong Kong) I’ve arrived back safe and well! Just one day of rest for the wicked (me) before it was time to be straight back at work with little idea how badly the jet-lag will affect me this time round. So that concludes my 3 week journey to 香港 (Hong Kong) and retro-blogged ramblings… till another time I guess! ;)

As my recent ramblings retro-blogging about 香港 (Hong Kong) almost comes to a close, a few more photos now grace the “Family Archives” in the old gallery, in particular a few from the time I went on a school trip aboard “The Huan” Adventure Ship whilst I was at Quarry Bay School.

There are also some others I stumbled across whilst I hunted for those particular ones and I’ll let yourselves play “spot the new pics”! ;)

25th of February — Following on from last time, where I found myself stranded in no-man’s land…

• Due to the wonders of nationality law, meant that if I was to travel across the border through 落馬洲 (Lok Ma Chau), as a British Citizen I would need a visa though they were issued immediately. If I was to travel as a Hong Kong Citizen with my provisional Identity Card, I wouldn’t need a visa, though would require a “Return Home Permit” which is basically an internal Chinese passport. Either way, this meant I had a 9 hour wait for the visa application office to open to process my “immediate” application, not fancying on trying my luck to pass some hard cash to get things done really immediately, I attempted to contact 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) whom was already on the Chinese side
• Contacting 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) proved difficult as the local mobile phone I had been borrowing turns out to not work on the Chinese networks. Wondering around aimlessly trying to get closer to 香港 (Hong Kong), I eventually got a signal! 卓欣 (Cheuk Yan) happened to call right at that moment asking how things were and on explaining the muddle I was in, she said she’ll try and get hold of her sister and send her back my way. When I managed to catch back up with 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi), we figured to try our luck again with the Chinese Immigration officials though what I gathered from the Manderin they insisted on conversing to me with proved more or less accurate… I’d just have to wait! :(
• Then going through a number of options of what the two of us could do, myself and 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) decided that we’d head back to 香港 (Hong Kong) and keep ourselves amused there, keeping in mind to head back to 落馬洲 (Lok Ma Chau) at 08:00 HKT! 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) managed to locate various friends of hers that were out late on a Friday night, meeting up with then inside a bar somewhere in 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui). We both stayed till about 05:00 HKT and being slightly paranoid at being refused third time round, I suggested that we should pop back to the hotel so I could check up on the old Internet. As I looked up the Chinese Embassy website, which forwarded you to a phone number to call, it turns out it was only European Union Citizens except the British would get an immediate visa, whereas I would have to wait at least 1 working day! Then as I turned round to let 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) know of the situation, she had already collapsed on my bed and was fast asleep. Struggling to stay awake myself, I retired to the other bed in the room to get a few hours kip
• Woke up around 11:00 HKT and had a devil of a time in getting 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) out of bed as today was my last day where I could do anything and there were still some final errands to attend to. This included collecting my Hong Kong Identity Card, to replace the temporary one I had been given when I went with uncle to have my childhood one renewed. The wait at the Hong Kong Immigration Department was thankfully short though was a little odd in waiting for my name to be called out in Cantonese
• After collecting my card, we headed up to 黃大仙祠 (Wong Tai Sin Temple) for some fortune telling by the way of 簽筒 (Chien Tung). The trick here was to shake a numbered stick out of the holder and this number is passed to a fortune teller who would then decipher it. Couldn’t recall what 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) asked though I enquired as to the path of the future, to which I was told that there would be misfortune, however not as bad as things could be and that my goal would be a hard slog… so pretty much what I expected really ;)
• Time now was about 17:00 HKT, just enough time to do some last minute shopping before heading to my uncle’s flat for my leaving meal. I had been pestering 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) the last few days if there was anything the family would find useful, to which she said no, though after continued pestering she did let loose that grandmother is very fond of swallow’s nest soup with rock sugar. Due to it’s price though, grandmother would not let herself have any and rather make the young’uns have it instead. I made it a condition with 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) that I’ll purchase this for grandmother as long as her and her sisters ensure it’s her that has it! :D
• 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) made a purchase of some other herbal jelly and with all last minute shopping done, we went up to 樂富 (Lok Fu) for dinner. With pretty much all of the family there, the feast of food was a pure seafood bonanza, personally makes me in awe how the women on my Chinese side of the family, manageto prepare all this in the not exactly big kitchens fitted into flats of 香港 (Hong Kong)!
• My maternal aunt had gotten me some traditional Chinese snacks for me to nibble on the flight back to Blighty tomorrow and uncle was not wanting to be out done and got a bottle of champagne for this even. For the latter though, I was pretty much the only person to have any as it wasn’t quite to Chinese tastes as far as alcoholic drinks were concerned! My grandmother moaned at why I went to the trouble of getting her a present, insisting it was of no use for her, however I told her I had already made a pact with my cousins in that she enjoys it all! ;)
• After dinner and drink, I was told by grandmother I should get some sleep as tomorrow was an early day with 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) coming with her friend to take me to the airport. I had told her I do intend to be back in 香港 (Hong Kong) by the second half of the year though she feared she might not be around long enough to see me return. She also insisted that I’d call them once I’ve returned safely home. So with that, I said my good-byes to everyone whom had been most hospitable and couldn’t have wished for more. As I was on the Nos. 7 bus back to the hotel, I decided to pass it and carry on down to 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui). Between giving my father a call that I will be back tomorrow, taking some final photos of 香港 (Hong Kong) at night and reflecting back at the events of the last couple of years, I did quietly hope to myself that it wouldn’t be another 15 years before I stood here again…

At this point, the time was exactly 00:00 HKT meaning it was time for me to catch the Nos. 7 bus back to the hotel to get some sleep, awaking at 08:00 HKT so as to pack everything up and be on my way back to old Blighty!

24th of February — In Chinese, “18″ is a number of good fortune yet “24″ most certainly isn’t… probably good reason how smooth sailing day can end up being quite so farcical!

• Having gotten out of bed to get washed and dressed, the plan today was try and do something as local as possible so as to not potentially throw a spanner into the works when trying to meet up with 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) later on in the evening. Headed out for breakfast in 旺角 (Mong Kok) and as I ate, came along the bright idea of finding the Union Square Phase 7 project and have a look at how it was coming along
• I knew it was at Kowloon MTR Station so it was a case of walking westwards along 亞皆老街 (Argyle Street). Though I was still rather full from breakfast, I happened to pass a shop selling 油炸鬼 (fried bread sticks) and 豆漿 (soya milk). If there is anything that is as quintessentially a Chinese breakfast, this is it and not having had this in combination for many years, made some room in my stomach to accomodate more food! Was only HK$10 so it wasn’t exactly a hard sell!
• After an hours slow walk through the bustling streets of 九龍 (Kowloon) I arrived at Olypmic MTR Station, one stop furthernorth than I intended though a good excuse to take a single stop ride down to Kowloon MTR Station. Like it’s twin, Hong Kong Station, it’s got the nifty “In-Town” Airport Check-In though unlike island side, it also boasts on-site residential developments. I got a little lost amongst the private residential area of super-posh flats though did eventually manage to find my way out, looking back at Union Square from a footbridge overflying the entrance to the Western Cross Harbour Tunnel
• The Western Cross Harbour Tunnel itself is the newest of the three that exist in 香港 (Hong Kong), by virtue of it being the most expensive by 200% to 300%, means it’s only running at about 25% of its maximum capacity. That area is also in the process of land-reclaimation to build the huge 西九龍文娛藝術區 (West Kowloon Cultural District) project where Sir Norman Foster’s 1st prize winning vision is most likely to be implimented, starting construction in 2007 & ready for 2011
• Now it was a walk eastwards to 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) along 連翔道 (Lin Cheung Road) then 匯翔道 (Wui Cheung Road). Along there, I got a better view of “The Habourside” residential complex which takes building things with huge gaps for good 風水 (Fung Shui) to extremes! Then it was down south along 廣東道 (Canton Road) having passed the China Ferry Terminal and getting a good view the main shopping district in 尖沙嘴 (Tsim Sha Tsui) with Ocean Terminal and Habour City being everything on the right hand side
• Arrived at the Star Ferry Pier just gone 15:00 HKT and saw the 曉星號 (Morning Star) with its distinctive “Hong Kong - Asia’s World City” livery moored at the same pier with the 北星號 (Northern Star). As I walked along the public pier, I saw the not so common sight of three Star Ferries in the same field of view on the harbour. When I got to the Avenue of Stars, I spotted the Duk Ling junk in the distance and waited diligently till 16:00 HKT where it should return to Tsim Sha Tsui Public Pier and pick up its next round of tourists
• Just as I got to it at the pier, the Duk Ling was off again, making a full turnabout and heading in the direction of 灣仔 (Wan Chai), passing in front of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on the way. However, I was rather disappointed at the size of it (no sniggering please girls!) as the Duk Ling would have only been about 12m (40 feet) in length, rather tiny compared to “The Huan” Adventure-Ship (which I’ve been on as a lad) at a more impressive 27.1m (88.9 feet) though now retired and replaced by the slightly larger “The Jockey Club Huan” of 34.5m (113.2 feet). All three pale in comparision to Chinese Junks built in the early 15th century at the start of the 明朝 (Ming Dynasty) where the largest “Treasure Ships” would have been something like 130m (400 feet) long and 50m (160 feet) complete with 9 masts making them the largest wooden ships ever built, assuming Chinese records were accurate
• With the need to meet up with 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) soon, I decided it was time to head back to the hotel to rest my legs for a bit having walked a fair bit today and rearrange what I was carrying such as not forgetting my passport and leaving behind my Blighty mobile, various cash/credit cards and taking the least amount of cash possible as pick-pockets are rather rife in 深圳 (Shenzhen). 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) surprisingly showed up on time and as I headed out, let the hotel reception know I was to be away overnight and that they can now double lock my room for extra security
• Everyone then met up for dinner at Tong Tai Restaurant on 廟街 (Template Street), initially just two of my cousin’s girlie friends and two guy friends, though were later joined with a couple more and everyone tucked into dish after dish of seafood! There was a hilarious moment whilst I was being asked many questions by the friend of 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) whom was wearing the cap. 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) picked up on this and demanded to know why I was being “bullied” with an “inquisition” akin to those given by concerned parents looking for a suitable husband for their daughter in the days arranged marriages were still common, except that she would have been the bride! All of us couldn’t help but laugh though I would say she was rather cute and a pity I didn’t get better photos! :P
• The restaurant also saw a lot of custom from Westerners, keen on sampling the wonders of Chinese street-side restaurants and all sat outside as they were better able to cope with the cold temperatures of +20°C. As far as getting food was concerned though, it was a case of picking whatever you want from the display and as far as seafood went, you couldn’t get any fresher than what they had as most of it were still swimming ;)
• After much gluttony between the 8 of us, the final bill for food and drinks wasn’t a bad I thought it may well have been, amounting to a total of HK$800. After the monies was settled, myself and 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) said our goodbyes to her friends as we were to head off to 深圳 (Shenzhen)! The bus ride to 落馬洲 (Lok Ma Chau) was only about 45 minutes though going through immigration seemed to go smoothly enough till I got to the mainland Chinese side were a 24 hour boarder crossing wasn’t quite so 24 hour as the visa office only did 9-to-5…

So with the time just gone midnight and 卓兒 (Cheuk Yi) having apparently gone through immigration already, “being in a minor pickle” would have been quite apt. As for how things turn out, you’ll just have to wait! :P