I think I packed pretty well for this trip. For a typical over-packer I knew the backpack would be a challenge for me, but there has really been no issue, I haven't missed an article of clothing, or wished for an overlooked toilitry. (Actually not true - last night I had a serious wanting for Fabreze or some sort of disinifectant spray. A mental note I took down for next time.)
The one item that I regret not buying before this trip is for sure a tape recorder though. The sounds of India are souvenirs I'll bring home but I'm afriad will fade after a while.
I'm in Pushkar now. A small village in the state of Rajastahn, about 3 hours from Jaiper. Pushkar is a rurul town that caters to travelers so it really doesn't feel all that rural. The village is situated around a holy lake, making it a pilgramage village, so Pushkar also caters to the pilgrams who come to bathe in the holy waters. It's all-veg and dry (that means no beer or liquor - it's detox time). And a really wonderful place to spend a couple days doing absolutely nothing but lounging on the beds and swings at the rooftop restaurants reading a good book. There's a great bazaar with lots of beautiful silver and textiles that is easy to get lost in for a few hours as well.
I woke up early this morning. The sounds of the AM are familiar to me now: random moos from strolling cows; beeps from the motorbikes - even when there's no one else on the roads, just out of habit I guess - oh and no cars in the center of Pushkar, there's no room for them with all the backpackers, pilgrims, cows, and wedding parades; high pitched Hindi chatter from uniformed children walking to school carrying silver tins filled with Thali; bicycle bells; metal grates going up as the stalls open for the day (which reminds me of New York); and the one sound that I could really do without - the spitting, some Indians have the habit of spitting all the time, and it becomes an entire production of sucking in to gather all the phlem at the back of the throat, rolling it around to get it cocked in the proper position in the mouth, and spitting it at bullet speed through pierced lips. Some, with I guess larger phlem build up that maybe rises from the lungs, sound as though they are actually vomiting. This I would maybe leave out of the fantasized tape recording.
(Side bar: I guess I shouldn't really be calling it a tape recording anymore... a little out of date ... anyway)
It's wedding season in India now, and throughout the day in Jaiper and here in Pushkar I am not reminded of it more. The brass bands squawk down the streets in dusty band uniforms, grooms ride sparkly horses, women in their separate parades wear the most beautiful saris and sing traditional wedding songs. Fireworks go off all evening, and big parties running on generators because in Pushkar the power goes out all the time. Nigel and I haven't crashed any of the wedding parties yet, but we're in talks - working out proper toasts and such.
Back in Delhi, the sounds of the bazaar surrounding my hotel were the most haunting. I'm sure if I spoke Hindi the calls of hawkers sellings tomatos, beans, carrots, bananas, oranges, and pomegranites wouldn't sound so chilling. But "apple" in a foreign language, repeated in a foreign tone is really quite creepy. Take my word for it.
As I head back to my hotel to get some breakfast (banana honey pancakes that are an "eggless wonder" - oh yeah no eggs in Pushkar either, practically vegan here - and a chai tea) I'll weave between cows and motorbikes as the men in the shops call out, "Yes, good price. Just look. It's free to look!"
Monday, January 29, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Golden Triangle
(( Ugh... power outage lost what I just wrote... this one might be half-ass... ))
I'm in Jaiper now. I've been to Bangalore, Delhi, and Agra since the last blog. It's been a little while... not that long though, just moving quick.
Bangalore was interesting, it was like a little bit of Europe in India. Or an Indian version of Europe. Or a third world Paris, if you could imagine such a thing. There was a nice botanical garden in the middle of town that offered some escape from the honking traffic, we strolled through here, people watched, and visited the "government aquarium" that is housed in the middle of the park. After paying the entrance fee we learned the "government aquarium" was merely a few small fish tanks arranged in a semi-circle with labels taped to the tops: "Guppy" and "Gold Fish" were some of the exotic fish featured here.
On to Delhi: Delhi was... very much a capital city. It had a bit of a DC feel to it in parts - the newer parts. Old Delhi looked more like sections of Bombay, crumbling buildings, tiny shops, and lots of cooking on the street. Oh and cows. Everywhere. Ya know Paris and dog poo, well in Delhi you have to look out for cow poo; and it comes in puddle size. In Delhi we saw some old ruins and temples,and shops that our rick driver thought would be of interest to us. However, I wasn't born yesterday, and was keen to these rick tricks thanks to my experience in Bangkok... but.. our rick driver was really nice so we appeased him and went to three shops where he received three coupons, each for a full tank of gas. And some commission from Nigel's rug purchase.
We drove from Delhi to Agra, about 4 hours southwest past sprawling farms and small villages. We stopped twice: once at a rest stop that a clown flagged us in to, and then again at a huge white marble temple that popped up out of no where. This place was a little different,they didn't lay claim to any one religion, prayed to their grand master guru, and preached vegetarianism. But the real eyebrow raising thing about this place was the small basement temple that was lined with neon track lighting - you can check out the pic on facebook.
Once in Agra we found a small budget hotel with a great rooftop restaurant with a view of the Taj Mahal. We wondered around the small streets of the Taj Ganj area that night and came across a wedding parade that consisted of the groom and his nephew both adorned in sparkly textiles, both atop a horse who was just as sparkly.
And both looking really bored as they rode through the streets escorted by a brass band and small boys carrying bright lanterns bigger than them. The next morning we planned our day while having breakfast on our roof facing the taj. We learned that most everything in Agra has to do with the Taj - we hired a rick to take us around for the day, he took us to see the "baby taj" (built 35 years before and with better craftsmenship says the driver), the view of the taj from across the river, a shop that sold mini taj's, a marble factory where mosiac inlay was done just as it was done on the Taj, and then finally after all that anticipation we saw her for sunset. As the sun goes down, the Taj Mahal changes from bright white to pink to orange to a hazy shade of grayish blue. It's really quite spectacular; it's kind of so perfect that my pictures look as though I'm standing in front of a green screen and I've inserted the Taj digitally.
The next afternoon we boarded the bus to Jaiper - a short six hour ride past more farms and villages, and what felt like miles of brick-making plants - a weird contrast between the green landscape and the brick smokestacks. Yesterday we walked through the old city, all of the buildings are done in red sandstone which gives Jaiper its nickname of The Pink City. For sunset we went to the monkey temple a few miles outside of the city. It's a series of old temples built into the mountains where hundreds of monkeys live. I bought some peanuts and made some friends. It's so creepy seeing the monkeys up close in their natural habitat - they don't feel like animals, more like little people the way they move and behave; the way they took the peanut from my hand, and then grabbed the entire bag when they were impatient with me. At sunset every day two men come down in their car and toss out bananas, before I could even see the car the monkeys knew it was time. Hundreds gathered at the bottom of the road and waited for supper. It was amazing to watch them peel and eat the bananas, there was a clear hierarchy of who ate more. The blog does not do it justice, it was one of the coolest things ever. I swear.
Anyway, taking it easy today, might go see a bollywood movie tonight. Then we go to pushkar in the morning.
I'm in Jaiper now. I've been to Bangalore, Delhi, and Agra since the last blog. It's been a little while... not that long though, just moving quick.
Bangalore was interesting, it was like a little bit of Europe in India. Or an Indian version of Europe. Or a third world Paris, if you could imagine such a thing. There was a nice botanical garden in the middle of town that offered some escape from the honking traffic, we strolled through here, people watched, and visited the "government aquarium" that is housed in the middle of the park. After paying the entrance fee we learned the "government aquarium" was merely a few small fish tanks arranged in a semi-circle with labels taped to the tops: "Guppy" and "Gold Fish" were some of the exotic fish featured here.
On to Delhi: Delhi was... very much a capital city. It had a bit of a DC feel to it in parts - the newer parts. Old Delhi looked more like sections of Bombay, crumbling buildings, tiny shops, and lots of cooking on the street. Oh and cows. Everywhere. Ya know Paris and dog poo, well in Delhi you have to look out for cow poo; and it comes in puddle size. In Delhi we saw some old ruins and temples,and shops that our rick driver thought would be of interest to us. However, I wasn't born yesterday, and was keen to these rick tricks thanks to my experience in Bangkok... but.. our rick driver was really nice so we appeased him and went to three shops where he received three coupons, each for a full tank of gas. And some commission from Nigel's rug purchase.
We drove from Delhi to Agra, about 4 hours southwest past sprawling farms and small villages. We stopped twice: once at a rest stop that a clown flagged us in to, and then again at a huge white marble temple that popped up out of no where. This place was a little different,they didn't lay claim to any one religion, prayed to their grand master guru, and preached vegetarianism. But the real eyebrow raising thing about this place was the small basement temple that was lined with neon track lighting - you can check out the pic on facebook.
Once in Agra we found a small budget hotel with a great rooftop restaurant with a view of the Taj Mahal. We wondered around the small streets of the Taj Ganj area that night and came across a wedding parade that consisted of the groom and his nephew both adorned in sparkly textiles, both atop a horse who was just as sparkly.
And both looking really bored as they rode through the streets escorted by a brass band and small boys carrying bright lanterns bigger than them. The next morning we planned our day while having breakfast on our roof facing the taj. We learned that most everything in Agra has to do with the Taj - we hired a rick to take us around for the day, he took us to see the "baby taj" (built 35 years before and with better craftsmenship says the driver), the view of the taj from across the river, a shop that sold mini taj's, a marble factory where mosiac inlay was done just as it was done on the Taj, and then finally after all that anticipation we saw her for sunset. As the sun goes down, the Taj Mahal changes from bright white to pink to orange to a hazy shade of grayish blue. It's really quite spectacular; it's kind of so perfect that my pictures look as though I'm standing in front of a green screen and I've inserted the Taj digitally.
The next afternoon we boarded the bus to Jaiper - a short six hour ride past more farms and villages, and what felt like miles of brick-making plants - a weird contrast between the green landscape and the brick smokestacks. Yesterday we walked through the old city, all of the buildings are done in red sandstone which gives Jaiper its nickname of The Pink City. For sunset we went to the monkey temple a few miles outside of the city. It's a series of old temples built into the mountains where hundreds of monkeys live. I bought some peanuts and made some friends. It's so creepy seeing the monkeys up close in their natural habitat - they don't feel like animals, more like little people the way they move and behave; the way they took the peanut from my hand, and then grabbed the entire bag when they were impatient with me. At sunset every day two men come down in their car and toss out bananas, before I could even see the car the monkeys knew it was time. Hundreds gathered at the bottom of the road and waited for supper. It was amazing to watch them peel and eat the bananas, there was a clear hierarchy of who ate more. The blog does not do it justice, it was one of the coolest things ever. I swear.
Anyway, taking it easy today, might go see a bollywood movie tonight. Then we go to pushkar in the morning.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Kerela
Tonight I will be in Bangalore and sleeping in a proper bedroom for the first time in three nights.
From Goa, Nigel and I took the overnight train to Cochin, Kerela. First class didn't exist on this train, and second class AC was sold out, so third AC all the way... It wasn't so bad though, just a big car with beds lining the walls. Waiting on the platform for the train to arrive we met an older British couple who we later saw twice more throughout our Kerela trip, and two young guys both traveling alone - one offered up some Valium seeing that we were all a little bugged out, not knowing what to expect from the third class sleeper car, (so cheers* to George from England). Sleeping just across from us were two other travelers from just outside London, we decided to pair up with them and get a hotel together the next night in Cochin. The sleep that night on the train was fine, but I awoke to what seemed to be sudden chaos, but was only the morning routine on the train - loud Hindi chatter, and vendors walking up and down the coaches selling drinks and breakfast. In that deep, nasally tone that only vendors can do so well: "Chai, chai" "Coffeeeee" and "Samoosas! Samoosas!"
Cochin seemed like a nice town from what we saw of it - only having less than 24 hours we made it to the Dutch Palace and Port Cochin to see the Chinese fishing nets. We had a pretty good dinner at a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant with Fin and Jackie - our London friends - and then drinks at a rooftop bar around the corner. It overlooked a stadium that looked as though it was setting up for some big concert and just next to that was a dumpster and trash pile, that was almost as high as the stadium, where the tallest cows I've ever seen we're having their dinner. I swear they were massive - i wanted to take a picture but was afraid the flash would piss them off, and I didn't want to do that. Nigel said that they were just normal cows, that I was just seeing them up close, "city girl," but I still think they were weirdly huge.
The next morning we drove down to Alleppey where we boarded our houseboat and met our guide Biju. The backwaters of Kerela are listed as one of the "1000 sites to see before you die" and now I know why. One of the most beautiful landscapes I think I'll ever see: Rice fields that go on for acres and are a color green Crayola couldn't duplicate. Many parts of the fields are flooded, depending on the stage of harvesting, and in these the duck herders bring the ducks to feed off of the bad rice. Duck herders?? Have you ever?? It's great, they make these noises that tell the ducks where to go and when. Little villages pop up along the banks too, and for every village there is at least one, usually two, Hindu temples. These past two days happened to fall in the middle of a 10 day Hindu festival - where the religious leaders spend the day reading, explaining what they've read, and singing Hindu songs over loud speakers so everyone in the village can listen while they work in the fields, markets, etc. So as we cruised south on the backwaters the sounds of Hindi chanting followed us, echoing 360 in more densely populated areas.
All meals were served on board - some of the best curries I've ever tasted (pineapple curry, have you ever??), and little side dishes like chili mango salad and beet root, everything included some different form of coconut - even the french fries, which they called finger chips, were fried in coconut oil. And you could tell.
Floating down the backwaters we would often pass another houseboat or two - one of which was carrying that older English couple from the train platform, we waved and then realized who they were and waved harder. For the three days spent on the boat, it was like three days sitting on the back of a convertible riding in a parade: kids run to the banks and wave and shout "Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!" Ladies doing their daily laundry in the river would stop to watch us float by.
Midway through the trip the water changed from fresh to salt, leaving the rice fields behind. We were entering the fishing villages now. Chinese fishing nets lined the banks, and our second night was spent anchored amongst them. The nets are worked all during the night, they attach a light to the top which attracts the shrimp into the net. Every 15 minutes I could hear the creaking of one of the nets and could tell if it was going up or down by the direction of the light. A successful catch was met with the sounds of flopping in a plastic bucket.
It was a good thing Biju had mentioned the tradition of the Hindu festival, because when I was woken up at 5:20am to the sounds of Hindu chanting coming from both sides of the river, up and down stream, I knew I hadn't just woken up in some weird Bollywood horror movie. Nigel goes, "ya hear that? it's like outta Deliverance." But daylight came and the chanting seemed to rest for a bit while everyone was having breakfast I guess. Then it was cruise down the river a bit more until we reached our docking point and jumped into a rick that took us to the train station, where we hopped the train that the older British couple was riding, that took us back to Cochin.
Flight tonight to Bangalore, where all the call centers are located, so you can think of me while you're sitting on hold for 20 minutes. :)
From Goa, Nigel and I took the overnight train to Cochin, Kerela. First class didn't exist on this train, and second class AC was sold out, so third AC all the way... It wasn't so bad though, just a big car with beds lining the walls. Waiting on the platform for the train to arrive we met an older British couple who we later saw twice more throughout our Kerela trip, and two young guys both traveling alone - one offered up some Valium seeing that we were all a little bugged out, not knowing what to expect from the third class sleeper car, (so cheers* to George from England). Sleeping just across from us were two other travelers from just outside London, we decided to pair up with them and get a hotel together the next night in Cochin. The sleep that night on the train was fine, but I awoke to what seemed to be sudden chaos, but was only the morning routine on the train - loud Hindi chatter, and vendors walking up and down the coaches selling drinks and breakfast. In that deep, nasally tone that only vendors can do so well: "Chai, chai" "Coffeeeee" and "Samoosas! Samoosas!"
Cochin seemed like a nice town from what we saw of it - only having less than 24 hours we made it to the Dutch Palace and Port Cochin to see the Chinese fishing nets. We had a pretty good dinner at a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant with Fin and Jackie - our London friends - and then drinks at a rooftop bar around the corner. It overlooked a stadium that looked as though it was setting up for some big concert and just next to that was a dumpster and trash pile, that was almost as high as the stadium, where the tallest cows I've ever seen we're having their dinner. I swear they were massive - i wanted to take a picture but was afraid the flash would piss them off, and I didn't want to do that. Nigel said that they were just normal cows, that I was just seeing them up close, "city girl," but I still think they were weirdly huge.
The next morning we drove down to Alleppey where we boarded our houseboat and met our guide Biju. The backwaters of Kerela are listed as one of the "1000 sites to see before you die" and now I know why. One of the most beautiful landscapes I think I'll ever see: Rice fields that go on for acres and are a color green Crayola couldn't duplicate. Many parts of the fields are flooded, depending on the stage of harvesting, and in these the duck herders bring the ducks to feed off of the bad rice. Duck herders?? Have you ever?? It's great, they make these noises that tell the ducks where to go and when. Little villages pop up along the banks too, and for every village there is at least one, usually two, Hindu temples. These past two days happened to fall in the middle of a 10 day Hindu festival - where the religious leaders spend the day reading, explaining what they've read, and singing Hindu songs over loud speakers so everyone in the village can listen while they work in the fields, markets, etc. So as we cruised south on the backwaters the sounds of Hindi chanting followed us, echoing 360 in more densely populated areas.
All meals were served on board - some of the best curries I've ever tasted (pineapple curry, have you ever??), and little side dishes like chili mango salad and beet root, everything included some different form of coconut - even the french fries, which they called finger chips, were fried in coconut oil. And you could tell.
Floating down the backwaters we would often pass another houseboat or two - one of which was carrying that older English couple from the train platform, we waved and then realized who they were and waved harder. For the three days spent on the boat, it was like three days sitting on the back of a convertible riding in a parade: kids run to the banks and wave and shout "Nice to meet you! Nice to meet you!" Ladies doing their daily laundry in the river would stop to watch us float by.
Midway through the trip the water changed from fresh to salt, leaving the rice fields behind. We were entering the fishing villages now. Chinese fishing nets lined the banks, and our second night was spent anchored amongst them. The nets are worked all during the night, they attach a light to the top which attracts the shrimp into the net. Every 15 minutes I could hear the creaking of one of the nets and could tell if it was going up or down by the direction of the light. A successful catch was met with the sounds of flopping in a plastic bucket.
It was a good thing Biju had mentioned the tradition of the Hindu festival, because when I was woken up at 5:20am to the sounds of Hindu chanting coming from both sides of the river, up and down stream, I knew I hadn't just woken up in some weird Bollywood horror movie. Nigel goes, "ya hear that? it's like outta Deliverance." But daylight came and the chanting seemed to rest for a bit while everyone was having breakfast I guess. Then it was cruise down the river a bit more until we reached our docking point and jumped into a rick that took us to the train station, where we hopped the train that the older British couple was riding, that took us back to Cochin.
Flight tonight to Bangalore, where all the call centers are located, so you can think of me while you're sitting on hold for 20 minutes. :)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Pics
Not sure if this will work...
Pics are up on facebook courtesy of Bruce. You can find them here http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2123677&id=802249
and here
http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2124807&id=802249
And thanks to ed too. the starr brothers are on top of their game.
http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=577&id=512153395
http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=593&id=512153395
Pics are up on facebook courtesy of Bruce. You can find them here http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2123677&id=802249
and here
http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2124807&id=802249
And thanks to ed too. the starr brothers are on top of their game.
http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=577&id=512153395
http://nyu.facebook.com/album.php?aid=593&id=512153395
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Eyes wide open
Just about every spring break from when I was three until my senior year of high school was spent in Negril, Jamaica. The drive from the airport took us through some small towns and villages consisting mostly of crumbling buildings and too many tin shack communities. Jamaica defined what I knew of extreme poverty. Working in the Salvador favellas brought me closer to that. But I don't think anything could have prepared me for Bombay. In Bombay there is no cleaned up, spruced up area for the tourists. It is reality in your face every where you go. Crumbling buildings, tin shacks, mud hovels, people living on the sidewalks, in parts where the sidewalks are too crowded families live in the middle of the street where there would undoubtedly be traffic had they not set up home there first. And the traffic is unbelievable. It is a free for all, no order and no traffic laws. Cars honking at rickshaws honking at motorbikes honking at bicyclists ringing at pedestrians pushing carts yelling at the cow who's traveling against traffic. A two lane street somehow manages six. It wasn't until the last day in Bombay that Nigel and I figured out the local train - you know the one with everyone hanging out from the doors. We took two to get into town, and on the way back tried for a direct line home but ended up going in the wrong direction. The mistake was a welcomed one though because we saw the outskirts of the city that most people don't see. The poverty crept right up to the tracks and the stations became barely that, just a crumbled slab of concrete. It was a different look at the poverty though: in downtown Bombay you can't walk anywhere without little kids carrying babies tugging at your pants with open palms - (this image will forever be ingrained: a baby sitting up by itself on a mat, not yet able to walk. as I walk past he puts out his hand to me, palm up, and just stares at me with eyes like big black saucers) - But on the train I was able to see people really living, and making the best of life just like anyone does - kids playing cricket, men planting a garden, etc. It's a humble existance.
The extreme poverty is matched with extreme wealth in Bombay. There are great bars and lounges in the city, you would never know because they are behind a wall on a crumbling street that looks just as the others, but they're there. And the bollywood stars are out and the paparazzi's flashes are popping. As I left a club the other night I wondered if we're as blind to the poverty at home as the wealthy Indians seem to be here.
I'm in Goa now, in a little area called Baga Beach. It's peaceful, and eclectic, and probably the only place in India that I can wear shorts and a tank top without feeling the judging stares. I'm here for a few more days, soaking in the sun and drinking too many Kingfishers. Goa is great! Kerela next.
The extreme poverty is matched with extreme wealth in Bombay. There are great bars and lounges in the city, you would never know because they are behind a wall on a crumbling street that looks just as the others, but they're there. And the bollywood stars are out and the paparazzi's flashes are popping. As I left a club the other night I wondered if we're as blind to the poverty at home as the wealthy Indians seem to be here.
I'm in Goa now, in a little area called Baga Beach. It's peaceful, and eclectic, and probably the only place in India that I can wear shorts and a tank top without feeling the judging stares. I'm here for a few more days, soaking in the sun and drinking too many Kingfishers. Goa is great! Kerela next.
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
I'm in Mumbai - or as the locals still call it, Bombay...
I wrote the following back in Hong Kong, but the internet was too slow to post it. Anyway, I'm at a friend of a friend's place here and am having dinner with the family and their friends... don't want to be rude, got to go eat...
It's my last day in Hong Kong - I fly to Mumbai this evening via Bangkok and Columbo, Sri Lanka. Hong Kong is fabulous and it will once again be another culture shock heading back to the third world - however I suspect Mumbai will pretty cosmopolitan in parts.
We arrived in Hong Kong a few days ago in time for a late dinner and drinks in Lan Kwai Fang - this is where we were told we'd find kitchens open late and drinks pouring all night. Driving through central Hong Kong,directly in front of the cab I see a crowd spilling out of a street - what I thought was the end of some sporting event. Nope, that's Lan Kwai Fang, the cabbie directed me. LKF is a series of streets that are elbow to elbow by 11pm - the streets are blocked off but I'm not sure if that's for the crowd, or because of it. The streets are narrow and run uphill with tall skinny buildings lining them, not unlike San Fransisco. In LKF, everything is built up - there are bars, clubs and restaurants stacked on one another reaching to the 7th floors.
My first morning was spent waiting for one of the best dim sum meals in town - the restaurant was a football field-sized banquet hall. It was traditionial dim sum - ladies pushing carts shouting out their respective items. All kinds of dumplings and buns and noodle roll things. sweet tofu, and mango pudding. After our dim sum brunch I rolled myself through central Hong Kong - this alone is worth the flight from the US. Hong KOng's skyline, although compared with New York is on a different level. Every single building is something fantastic. The China Bank tower by I. M. Pei is one of the most recognizable, there's the HSBC building that is called the Robot builiding because you can see every bit and part working, and when you're looking up from inside the atrium it appears as if the building is hanging down, not rising up - it's very cool. After, we went up to Victoria Peak to take in the view from above. That night we met up with some other friends and had a traditional peking duck dinner: sea blubber and shark's fin soup among other dishes. (Sea blubber kind of tastes like a noodle/seaweed salad, and shark's fin soup is really great, a little like hot and sour soup).
New Years in Hong Kong was great. A view of the nighttime skyline was decided as a perfect way to start the evening, drinks at the top of the Pennisula Hotel sounded like the perfect spot - it ended up being better than we had imagined: the hotel was closed for walkins but when we said we had a reservation we were let in right away, there was a stage set up in the front where the band was already playing and the champagne was flowing. A few glasses later we took in the view from the top and then ran for the ferry over to Hong Kong island and sailed under the skyline. A great sushi and sake dinner and partying in LKF rounded out the night.
Feeling a little sinful the next morning, we took the ferry over to Macau - the soon-to-be Vegas of Asia, at present more like AC. Up until 10 years ago Macau was Portuguese territory so the old parts of town reminded me a lot of the old portuguese architecture of Salvador, even the same tiled sidewalks you find throughout Salvador and Rio.
I wrote the following back in Hong Kong, but the internet was too slow to post it. Anyway, I'm at a friend of a friend's place here and am having dinner with the family and their friends... don't want to be rude, got to go eat...
It's my last day in Hong Kong - I fly to Mumbai this evening via Bangkok and Columbo, Sri Lanka. Hong Kong is fabulous and it will once again be another culture shock heading back to the third world - however I suspect Mumbai will pretty cosmopolitan in parts.
We arrived in Hong Kong a few days ago in time for a late dinner and drinks in Lan Kwai Fang - this is where we were told we'd find kitchens open late and drinks pouring all night. Driving through central Hong Kong,directly in front of the cab I see a crowd spilling out of a street - what I thought was the end of some sporting event. Nope, that's Lan Kwai Fang, the cabbie directed me. LKF is a series of streets that are elbow to elbow by 11pm - the streets are blocked off but I'm not sure if that's for the crowd, or because of it. The streets are narrow and run uphill with tall skinny buildings lining them, not unlike San Fransisco. In LKF, everything is built up - there are bars, clubs and restaurants stacked on one another reaching to the 7th floors.
My first morning was spent waiting for one of the best dim sum meals in town - the restaurant was a football field-sized banquet hall. It was traditionial dim sum - ladies pushing carts shouting out their respective items. All kinds of dumplings and buns and noodle roll things. sweet tofu, and mango pudding. After our dim sum brunch I rolled myself through central Hong Kong - this alone is worth the flight from the US. Hong KOng's skyline, although compared with New York is on a different level. Every single building is something fantastic. The China Bank tower by I. M. Pei is one of the most recognizable, there's the HSBC building that is called the Robot builiding because you can see every bit and part working, and when you're looking up from inside the atrium it appears as if the building is hanging down, not rising up - it's very cool. After, we went up to Victoria Peak to take in the view from above. That night we met up with some other friends and had a traditional peking duck dinner: sea blubber and shark's fin soup among other dishes. (Sea blubber kind of tastes like a noodle/seaweed salad, and shark's fin soup is really great, a little like hot and sour soup).
New Years in Hong Kong was great. A view of the nighttime skyline was decided as a perfect way to start the evening, drinks at the top of the Pennisula Hotel sounded like the perfect spot - it ended up being better than we had imagined: the hotel was closed for walkins but when we said we had a reservation we were let in right away, there was a stage set up in the front where the band was already playing and the champagne was flowing. A few glasses later we took in the view from the top and then ran for the ferry over to Hong Kong island and sailed under the skyline. A great sushi and sake dinner and partying in LKF rounded out the night.
Feeling a little sinful the next morning, we took the ferry over to Macau - the soon-to-be Vegas of Asia, at present more like AC. Up until 10 years ago Macau was Portuguese territory so the old parts of town reminded me a lot of the old portuguese architecture of Salvador, even the same tiled sidewalks you find throughout Salvador and Rio.
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