Ewens-Downing Adventures in Asia

After spending the day with our friend Ernie, we left the splendor of the Peninsula Hotel in another Rolls Royce limo and headed out to the Hong Kong airport. Our flight was on All Nippon Airways (ANA), a Boeing 747, again in Business Class. The nose end of the plane was configured for first class seating, but the seats were sold as business. We had huge full reclining bed seats. We had our creature comforts. Little did we know that we would soon lose all concept of what comfort was.

Before we boarded in Hong Kong, the gate staff unfurled a large sheet of paper that had written text in Japanese and English warning us that there was a typhoon expected in Tokyo that evening and we might not be able to land there. Why they didn’t just cancel at that point still astounds us. But we took off on-time and settled in for about a 4 hour flight.

As we flew over Japan, there were numerous announcements over the P.A. from the pilot, sometimes with a broken English translation, sometimes not. The chief purser was one of our business class stewardesses and several times she came before the two of us and the other two non-Japanese speakers (in this case two German businessmen) and knelt down with a worried brow explaining that we might not get to Tokyo. At one point, they were talking about landing in Osaka, which is about 3 to 4 hours by train from Tokyo. But the plane forged onward toward Tokyo, only having to circle for about an hour before the pilot said he was going in for a landing. We started down and the landing gear came down, but then the pilot pulled up sharply and then announced we couldn’t land and were going to Osaka, about an hour away and that we should land there at 10:25 pm. Ron asked the purser what that meant–would we get a hotel? Again, she had a furrowed brow and said something like she didn’t know but not to worry. Of course, we thought, the airline would take care of us. We were, after all, in business class, right?

We landed in Osaka about when they said we would but then waited at the gate for an hour and 20 minutes. They kept saying that there was no ground personnel available (saying “so sorry”). Just before midnight, they let us off the plane to the jet way where ANA staff was handing out envelopes with $30,000 yen to each passenger (about $300), a danish and some orange juice. And that was it. Exhausted and confused, we plodded through to customs.

The customs agent wanted to know why Ron left the box saying where we were staying blank. He said basically that we didn’t plan on being in Osaka that night and had no idea where we were at or where we would stay. Next we claimed our luggage and went to the ANA service desk which was in complete chaos. Apparently quite a few other planes had landed in Osaka for this same reason. We seemed to be the last. So we of course had far fewer choices available to us.

There were no hotels available anywhere in Osaka, not at the airport and not in the center city (again “so sorry”). And besides, the last train for the center city had already left, so why did we want to go there, they asked? We thought maybe to get a train to where we were supposed to be? But the last train was at midnight and we were almost 45 minutes cab ride to the center city anyway.

Ron got the message loud and clear that it made no difference that we were in business class or that he has Gold status in the Star Alliance program (ANA is in with United, Luftansa, Singapore, etc). The $30,000 yen was it. (”So sorry”) They would make us a reservation the next morning for a flight to Tokyo that might or might not go because of the typhoon, and at our own expense. Because this was a weather diversion, they were through with us once the plane landed in Osaka.

We tried to consider our options, I called a Hilton in the center city where we’re staying in about 10 days. All they had was a smoking room for $400 and the executive suite for $1500 — those are in US dollars not yen. By the time we decided to try for a cab to the center city, they had sold the smoking room. At this point we had no other option but to spend what was left of the night at the airport. Oh, joy.

The airline had given out blankets and sleeping bags. While we were trying to find out what our options were other people had grabbed all the chairs in the airport and had settled in for the night. Someone had vacated one chair near an elevator so we grabbed it. While I went to the washroom Ron tried to get some sleep. But he was able to due to a repeating “bing bong” that the elevators make constantly. (So that’s why the other people left!) We finally ended up under an escalator on the floor, creating a little “cave” by barricading the entrance with our luggage. In under 24 hours we had gone from living the high life at the Peninsula to being essentially homeless people living under a staircase. Thanks typhoon X and ANA!

Somehow the morning managed to wind its way to around 5AM. As the sun rose we got in line to buy tickets with 300 other people noting that the display board still said “Questionable” as to whether the flight would go due to weather. When Ron purchased the tickets he asked the agent if we shouldn’t have just gotten rebooked to Tokyo at no charge. She said back in broken English “so sorry” that we’d need to pay and then talk to “International Services”. We finally boarded the flight, again being told that it might have to turn back to Osaka. Well, we finally did land in Tokyo but without a lot of translating of the announcements in Japanese.

We found a YCAT bus from to Yokohama, arriving about 8:30 and was told by hotel staff that a room wouldn’t be ready until 2pm. Though I was a member of their frequent stay club and guaranteed early check in we still got the “so sorry, room not ready”. We finally got taken to a room at 12:45 but it was smoking, “Oh, so sorry!” And another 20 minutes before they got us non-smoking. Ron crashed in bed no doubt dreaming of people telling him “so sorry,” not to be heard from for several hours. I jumped into the tub and took a bubble bath while admiring the view and winding-down. For the moment we were once again princes.

Above is the bathtub with the portal above it. Did I mention that we were staying at the Yokohama Royal Park hotel? It is on the highest floors of the tallest building in Japan, the Landmark Tower. Our room was on the 57th floor. My ears popped every time we went up and down in the elevator.

Looking back on this experience we can laugh about it. But at the time we were exhausted and completely vexed by the circumstances that were totally beyond our control. As they say in Japan, “cho utoshi.” So irritating! This event simply gave us a low point to go up from! After all, it couldn’t get any worse. (grin)

Macau is a small island off the coast of China and quite near to Hong Kong. Ron was interested in visiting this destination because it used to be a Portugese colony. The mixture of eastern and western cultures promised to be quite interesting. So we got on one of the high speed ferries that run between Hong Kong and Macau. These run every half hour and take an hour to reach Macau. We bought our eft the ferry terminal in Kowloon about 10:30 am and headed for our departure gate. As we wound our way through the terminal, there was a large LED sign with our gate number. It was flashing Chinese characters in red with the gate number. Not knowing what that meant, we ran for our boat, only to baord the ferry and sit for 10 more minutes before it left. The ferry was uneventful, travelling through open sea between Hong Kong and Macau. Upon approaching the island I saw of all things a man-made volcano. Ron told me that the island was popular for gambling casinos. It was like approaching Las Vegas by boat.

The ferry ride wasn’t unlike taking the ferry from Marin to San Francisco. Except that when you get to this destination you have to go through immigration processing. I was happily snapping photos in the terminal until Ron noticed the no photography signs, and suggested that I might not want to be doing that. I threw my camera into my bag lest someone from immigration get irritated with me. They got irritated anyway, when I got a phone call from someone in Hong Kong who I’ve chatted with from Electone Zone. The immigration officer wanted me squarely looking at him in order to verify the person whose photo was on the passport was indeed me.

Once we got out of the terminal we jumped right on a bus bound for downtown. Little did we know it was a local that wound its way through the casino area and then through the outskirts of the city. We passed all the same big name casinos that you’d see in Vegas: MGM, Wynn, the Venetian. You get the picture. Eventually we got to a town square that reminded me of Puerto Rico. We got out and began exploring. First stop was a Macanese/Portuguese restaurant that had very different food from what you’d expect in an area heavily populated by Chinese people. The food was very interesting: Cod, cabbage, and chicken stew primarily influenced by Portuguese cooking. It was good, but the portions were big and the food was kind of heavy. We skipped the desserts.

The downtown area was an interesting mixture of cultures. There were churches and name brand designer stores mixed in with tiny stands and shops. It was quite the downtown everything market. Once we got off the main street we found more of the Chinese culture. The alleys and back streets were lined with different food stands and vendors of all varieties. With the smells, sounds and crowds we got a taste for what life in China might be like. But the Portuguese influence was always there too. The star attraction in the old city is the ruins of Sao Paulo cathedral, a church that burned down in the 1800s and all that remains is the grand staircase leading up to the facade

After taking some more photos and going down some more back streets we headed back to the ferry building. We weren’t much interested in the Casinos, so decided to catch our ferry back to Kowloon.

We had found our way to downtown and were on the way to The Peak. But our stomachs told us it was time to take a break. We started looking for someplace to have lunch. We found the Luk Yu Tea House. It turns out this place has been around a long time. And according to our Hong Kong friend Ernie, the people working there are even more ancient! The wait staff can be a bit surly. But our waiter was quite nice. He even took our picture.

After loading up on dim sum we headed off to the tram for The Peak. Near downtown there is a little station for the tram. After paying the fare everyone loads onto some fire engine red cars for the ride up the mountain side. We can tell from the other people that we’re in the right place. It’s the tourist’s first stop in Hong Kong.

The ride up was at times a very steap incline. We were standing-up in the car so we had to hold-on, all while juggling cameras and photo opportunities. The view at right is from my standing vantage point. The cars were pretty packed with people, all anxious to get to the height of Hong Kong tourist sightseeing.

Once we got to the Peak building the real trek started. We were first herded through a series of gift stores and shops. “Where’s the Peak??” we wondered. Next we found a series of escalators that took us past floor upon floor of gift shops, restaurants and attractions. But once we got to the roof, the view was worth it.

We took our photos from many different vantage points. And one fellow British tourist took a money shot of us for the blog. So we had done the Peak! Now it was time to go back down the escalator labyrinth. Oh boy! A Bubba Gump Shrimp Company! (NOT!)

We got back down the mountain and I shot off some people photos during our walk back through the city to the subway and our hotel in Kowloon.

If Hong Kong has one tourist destination it is “The Peak.” Like Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, it is a tourist mecca. So of course on our first day it made for a perfect destination in Hong Kong. As usual, getting there is half the fun. We needed to first get to Hong Kong Central.

A few blocks from our hotel was the ferry terminal from Kowloon going to downtown Hong Kong island. We got on the historic Star Ferry from, what else, the historic Star Ferry Terminal. Once we got to the other side we found our way to “Hong Kong Central”, the main business district of the city. What a bee-hive of activity, people, noise and traffic. It is quite unlike anything either Ron nor I have ever experienced. Remember the street imagery from the movie “Blade Runner”? Well, the future is now and it’s on the streets of Hong Kong.

While it might sounds like a description of any large city, Hong Kong is far more highly concentrated. Add the fact that the streets are smaller, there are overhead signs everywhere and there are people EVERYWHERE. You get the picture. It was quite an amazing experience to be a part of it. At times we felt like rocks in a stream, with people flowing around us as we focussed our cameras.

Once inside the Peninsula Hotel we did our best not to look like wide-eyed tourists. (Which of course we were.) As Ron checked us in, I scoped-out the lobby.

As you can see, the lobby quite lives up to the reputation of “the Pen.” But could our room do as well for us? We had no idea what we were in store for. We took the elevator up the tower. This is a newer building added to the back of the original Peninsula Hotel building. The bell boy politely took our key, opened the door and led us into our suite, the “Whisper of Pine” room.

OK, now I’m going to switch into a sappy Hollywood presentation voice…

What do we find upon entering the room? Looks like some double doors just beyond the foyer. And who could that be waiting inside?

It’s your dear E&D Adventure hosts, Ron and Louis.

There were some welcome treats waiting for the weary travelers. On the coffee table was a presentation of custom chocolates made especially for the hotel and the ubiquitous fruit basket. But this time it contained some varieties we weren’t familiar with. (Ask Ron about his encounter with the Dragon Fruit.) On the desk was some welcome tea. (And if you like the tea set it is available for purchase in the hotel gift shop.)

Needless to say, we were impressed. But wait! There’s more! What is through these double doors? Ah, the bedroom.

You can’t see it because the windows were fogged-over the morning I took those initial photos. But ultimately there was one selling point that drew us to this hotel and this room. That would be the view…

This view is from the Kowloon side of the harbor to Hong Kong island. I have many MANY more photos of the view. Just wait until you see the skyline at night.

We were finally in Hong Kong. So we thanked our bell boy and sent him on his way. After getting cleaned-up and changed we went out and about on safari for Starbucks. Luckily we found one just around the corner from the hotel.