Hong Kong ~ Day One
As we leave the airport, the first mission is to get to Beth and Marc's home. The taxi system in Hong Kong is a bit different in that each cab is associated with a different area ~ in total 3 areas, hence 3 different coloured cars... Green, Red and while I guessed yellow, it is actually Blue.
We arrived at the complex and I tell you the place is like Fort Knox, where you need to show the resident card to a) get into the complex or on the shuttle, b) again to get up the escalator to the lobbies of the buildings, and c) again to open the door to the lobby with the elevators. This requirement seems to be more stringent if you are not white as I was able to pass by fairly freely ~ even on my own without Beth and Marc being around.
Their apartment has 3 rooms on the 22nd floor. When you look out, you have a view of the airport ~ which is great for Marc and the pilot friends ~ they are able to view the birds as they come in.
They have turned two of the rooms into bedrooms and the third is an office. The kitchen is amazingly tiny, but with space being at a premium, I don't think you would find ones much bigger without taking an enormous chunk out of your pocket book.
The complex itself is quite extensive. It has the most ammenities of any complex in Hong Kong and includes: fitness room, outdoor and indoor pool, outdoor beach area (yes, they are making a man made beach), squash courts, track for motorized kiddie cars, bowling alley, virtual golf, and small strip mall under the buildings to name a few. There grounds are also well maintained ~ only questionable part is the design flaw that allows rain to pelt down on you while walking in the covered path between buildings. The have elevated sections of the roof to allow for air flow, however did not create an over hang, which means the minute the rain falls at any angle other than straight down, it is raining in the covered path ways!
After getting all of my luggage into the bedroom, Beth and I head over on the shuttle to the MTR (subway station) for Tung Chung (their area) and go to the grocery store.
Shuttle at the compound:
Now the store itself is pretty western so you are able to find things like Dream whip and Kraft Dinner, but because of this there is a bit of a premium you pay for the food. Although I'm not sure that this is terribly bad, as it allows you to try the new exotic stuff at your own pace while ensuring you don't starve in the mean time! But the one thing that seemed truly odd, you buy your bread not by the loaf, but rather by 4 or 8 slices. Yes, they put part of the sliced loaf into a bag and you purchase very small quantities. I guess this way you rarely need to worry about getting the end piece...
After dinner of homemade tacos, I was off to bed. Despite sleeping a fair bit on the plane, I was done!
We arrived at the complex and I tell you the place is like Fort Knox, where you need to show the resident card to a) get into the complex or on the shuttle, b) again to get up the escalator to the lobbies of the buildings, and c) again to open the door to the lobby with the elevators. This requirement seems to be more stringent if you are not white as I was able to pass by fairly freely ~ even on my own without Beth and Marc being around.
Their apartment has 3 rooms on the 22nd floor. When you look out, you have a view of the airport ~ which is great for Marc and the pilot friends ~ they are able to view the birds as they come in.
They have turned two of the rooms into bedrooms and the third is an office. The kitchen is amazingly tiny, but with space being at a premium, I don't think you would find ones much bigger without taking an enormous chunk out of your pocket book.
The complex itself is quite extensive. It has the most ammenities of any complex in Hong Kong and includes: fitness room, outdoor and indoor pool, outdoor beach area (yes, they are making a man made beach), squash courts, track for motorized kiddie cars, bowling alley, virtual golf, and small strip mall under the buildings to name a few. There grounds are also well maintained ~ only questionable part is the design flaw that allows rain to pelt down on you while walking in the covered path between buildings. The have elevated sections of the roof to allow for air flow, however did not create an over hang, which means the minute the rain falls at any angle other than straight down, it is raining in the covered path ways!
After getting all of my luggage into the bedroom, Beth and I head over on the shuttle to the MTR (subway station) for Tung Chung (their area) and go to the grocery store.
Shuttle at the compound:
Now the store itself is pretty western so you are able to find things like Dream whip and Kraft Dinner, but because of this there is a bit of a premium you pay for the food. Although I'm not sure that this is terribly bad, as it allows you to try the new exotic stuff at your own pace while ensuring you don't starve in the mean time! But the one thing that seemed truly odd, you buy your bread not by the loaf, but rather by 4 or 8 slices. Yes, they put part of the sliced loaf into a bag and you purchase very small quantities. I guess this way you rarely need to worry about getting the end piece...
After dinner of homemade tacos, I was off to bed. Despite sleeping a fair bit on the plane, I was done!
posted by Carrie @ 9:29 PM
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