Hong Kong - a different view

2ifc, with Hong Kong Station

Hong Kong is one of my favourite cities. It is dynamic, easy to navigate and there’s always a surprise just around the corner. That, and the harbour. Enough said.

The easiest way to get in to the city is via the MTR Airport Express, with the station right after arrivals. The Airport Express Travel Pass at HK$100 is a good way to get around town. It gets you a return ride on the Airport Express and unlimited trips on the MTR network for 3 days. Plus, it acts like the normal Octopus Card, reloadable and all so you can use it on the Star Ferry and tram networks, apart from paying for groceries.

So, this time around, I decided to stay an extra day to really explore Hong Kong. I have never really done the tourist bits in Hong Kong, bar the Peak so this would be different.

Of course, no trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a ride on the Star Ferry. There really isn’t much of a fare difference between the upper and lower deck on the ferry, and the terminal is connected to the ifc complex on Island Side, and across the street from Nathan Road and the Brutalist Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui in Kowloon Side.

The 'new' Central Pier

Along the Promenade on Tsim Sha Tsui (or TST to those who can’t quite pronounce Djim Saa Choi or however it’s rendered correctly), every morning at around 8-ish, you will see both tourists and locals doing some exercise: locals doing their fan-based tai chi and tourists trying out their hand with an old master tutoring them.

'Political Statements'

Kowloon skyline

The view from TST is sheer amazing, and even with the dense fog during my stay, it is still a panorama to soak in and enjoy. Interesting architecture and cultural sights along the way, the Promenade also functions as Hong Kong’s Avenue of the Stars, an homage to the city’s film industry.

Dense fog over Hong Kong Island

Amateurs in background left, professionals with fans in foreground

Part of the Avenue of Stars

Around TST, little bits of old Hong Kong abound. There is the iconic Peninsula Hotel, a very nice spot to while the day away over a cup of tea and scones, or just down the road along Salisbury Rd is the Heritage 1881, a beautifully restored colonial Former Marine Police Headquarters, now a shopping mall/restaurant complex. While it does look a little over-done in some places, the old structure still looks on proudly despite her questionable facelift.

Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Rd

Heritage 1881, Salisbury Rd

Main building and stables to left, Heritage 1881

Artillery gun relic, Heritage 1881

'Down the barrel of a gun'

'Response' to 'Political Statements'

Back on Hong Kong Island, an architectural gem lies in the west past Sheung Wan and at the border with Kennedy Town. Getting out from Sheung Wan MTR station, old Hong Kong is before you. The quaint trams wind their way through narrow streets as the Western Market makes you wonder if you are in Melbourne. The damp cloudy grey weather does not help erode the questionings.

Western Market, Sheung Wan

Sheung Wan side streets

Sheung Wan

Hong Kong University, a secular educational institution set up by the merchants, traders and gliteratti of Hong Kong, is a beautiful building, tucked away in a leafy area of the city. Surrounding it are quaint residential buildings and Hong Kong’s King’s College, a high school with a very beautiful frontage.

King's College, Sheung Wan

King's College, Sheung Wan

Hong Kong University’s Main Building is a wonderful structure, and wandering around the cloisters and porticoes provides a nice respite from the somewhat congested feel of the city. For one of the densest cities in the world, this part of the island feels very spacious.

Courtyard, Hong Kong University

Main Building, Hong Kong University

Back in Central, I went to pay a visit to my friend’s office in the International Finance Centre. Little did I know, 2ifc has a little surprise for visitors, if you dig. In a separate lobby, facing the linkway to the Central Piers is the entrance to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the effective Central Bank of Hong Kong, and among the few (if not the only) authority to contract out the printing of currencies to non-government linked banks.

Central, from Hong Kong Monetary Authority Plaza

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority is located on the 55^th floor of 2ifc. Ask to visit the visitor’s centre, bring your passport and you’ll be whisked away for a lofty view of the city. There is a decent exhibition on Hong Kong’s currency and how fiscal policies works, but it is the view that stands out, quite literally.

Jardine House view from 55th floor, 2ifc

Sadly, there was a very heavy fog when I was there, so I could not see much. The view was not much different from my friend’s office a few floors down. Of course, my friend had only one thing to comment when we saw nothing but white:

“We have our head in the clouds, up in our lofty towers.” Quite literally, head in the clouds.

Hong Kong - Macau

We met up in Hong Kong. I was already there running errands, and Samwise flew in on Friday evening. As one does, we partied all night, only ending at around 5am. Our passports were with us, and we were half-tempted to head straight over to Macau at dawn.

Luckily, exhaustion and reason took over, and we headed back for a quick rest, only leaving at around 10am.

The Hong Kong – Macau Ferry Terminal is located at the base of the Shun Tak Centre, a boxy building with red trimmings by the harbour shore. It is easy accessible either via Sheung Wan MTR station directly, or indirectly from Central/Hong Kong MTR and Midlevels Escalator via elevated walkways between the ifc and Hang Seng Bank buildings.

One word of caution: there are two ferry terminals in Macau, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal on the main peninsula which is closer to the main sights or the Taipa Ferry Terminal on Taipa Island, a 15 minute taxi ride away, next to the airport and close to the large casinos. Ferries depart every 15 minutes, take roughly 1 hour and is HKD 151 on the Cotai Jet.

The Cotai Jet, the blue ferry with agents immediately outside the departure gate at the Ferry Terminal goes to Taipa and is jointly run by the large casinos. I have no idea where the normal ferry to the Outer Terminal has their agents.

Now, I must admit, I have an ulterior motive for going to Macau, and perhaps providence made it the first stop during my visit. We arrived at the Taipa terminal, and after a rather exasperating explanation to our cabbie on how to get to ‘Moorish Barracks’ and pointing on the map, we were dropped at the southwest tip of the island.

There isn’t a perfect map of Macau, and on arrival, I had to detach one from the ‘Whats On’ guide provided by the Macau Tourism Board. There is a pamphlet with the barest information on sights, so best would be to do your research and identify it on a map.

From the Barra Hill, we had to walk northeast towards the World Heritage Sites, and of course partially due to our rudimentary map, we got a little lost, walking parallel to the shore, and watching the locals go by their daily lives.

Warrens and Barra Hill neighbourhood

After 15 minutes of walking, I knew something was off when the map and where we were walking didn’t quite merge properly. Seeing a beautifully restored building, we instinctively walked along a side street, asked the concierge where we were. We were 1km away from the Barra Hill and the Moorish Barracks. Resigned to our fate, we walked along the street, deciding to seek out other Imperial Portuguese treasures.

The Gate

Up the hill and around the bend, something caught my eye: a beautiful gate and some ramparts. Samwise walked over to see the tourist information guide plaque while I stepped back to get a proper look. Then it dawned on me: that detour led me straight to my reason for coming by.

The steps to St Joseph's Church, & Seminary Macau

St Joseph’s Church is part of St Joseph’s Seminary, and is a beautiful baroque church, by far the finest this side of the Orient. The approach past the gate is meant to give visual impact, and that it succeeded.

I told Samwise that a certain relic is here, and we started a rather bizarre hymn walking up the steps.

“We’re off to see the femur-” me.

“The wonderful femur of…St Francis-” Samwise.

Interior, St Joseph's Church & Seminary

Solomonic columns, richly ornamented interior, beautiful copula and treasures about. The relic was housed in a side chapel, and was, to my mistake, the humerus and not the femur of St Francis Xavier, Apostle to the East. Apparently a visit here warrants an indulgence, and Samwise was complaining about back pain after an injury in Tokyo.

Relic of St Francis Xavier

Copula, St Joseph's Church & Seminary

So, my ulterior motive for coming here was to visit St Joseph’s Church and see the relic of St Francis Xavier. Lo and behold, that was my first stop, despite my plans for the Moorish Barracks as stop one.

After that, it was church after church after church, each slightly less ornamented than the previous. St Lawrence’s Church, across the road is a pretty little number, and we decided to venture down the hill towards the harbour when spotted a pretty red mansion.

Outside St Lawrence's Church

Red House

Thinking it was a tourist attraction, or a museum or hotel at the very least, the sight of guards didn’t really bother us, so we boldly entered the compound, only to have the People’s Liberation Army stopping us, hands on their holsters. Confounded, we made our way out and walked to the main frontage. We accidentally barged in to the Chief Executive of Macau SAR’s offices and residence. Oops.

Macau SAR Government House

We ventured further, taking a side street, amazed at an array of air conditioning units and ended up on a hill, looking at more Imperial treasures. The mint-guacamole coloured Dom Pedro V Theatre and St Augustine’s Church, the headquarters of the Jesuits.

Dom Pedro V Theatre

St Augustine's Church, Jesuit complex in Macau

Just off the theater and church area, our noses found wonderful egg tarts, and Samwise somehow managed to destroy the pastry display door. With pastry in hand, we walked past a cobblestone square, where legend has it, drinking or eating there will ensure you will return. No chance of drinking, when the kiosk was unmanned. We were content with that view of Europe and fine architecture in the square.

Slice of Europe in the Orient

Just off the square was the highlight of any tourist’s itinerary to Macau: the Historic Centre of Senado, or Senate, Square. I’m sure it’s a lovely place, with nice architecture and a beautiful cobblestone square. Instead, we were assaulted by throngs of people. There is half a million people living in Macau, and it felt as if all half a million were in this square at this very moment.

Senado Square

Starbucks and pharmacies, stalls and hawkers, it was sheer chaos, a capitalist enclave surrounded and thronged by citizens of a unique communist nation. Though one thing Samwise and I noticed was how the Mainland Chinese seemed to throng the pharmacies like it was a tourist attraction. It still confounds me till this day.

Hawkers at Senado Square

We excused ourselves from the chaos of the square and made our way down towards Se Cathedral, the city’s main cathedral. The newest of the lot, it was by far the least ornamented and simplest, and the bishop in his wisdom, roped off the front half of the church to let the persons religious go about their devotion without the hordes of tourists breathing down their necks.

Holy House of Mercy, with a very interesting backstory

St Dominic's Church, Senado Square

Interior, Se Cathedral Macau

Heading back to the chaos of Senate Square, we were off to the icon of Macau: St Paul’s Ruins. This would have been a short five minute walk, but the sheer number of people made this feel like a tourist pilgrimage. I imagine Jerusalem to look like this during Holy Week. People packed cheek to jowl, shuffling away, walking at an agonizingly slow pace.

Throngs in narrow streets

St Paul's Ruins, Macau

Up at the ruins, it seemed less crowded, but only slightly. The architecture and grandeur of the building still a visual impact, despite the smog. Up here, the vantage towards the rest of the territory was interesting, to say the least.

We then headed up to the fort, and did our little ‘Game of Thrones’ man the ramparts and watch for wildlings from the battlements. Up here, it was surreal. Mainland China, just beyond the river, cannons still pointing in that general direction.

Ramparts & cannons, Mount Fortress

Manning the ramparts, Mount Fortress

Truth be told, it did not look like a pretty place up here. Glitzy casinos and fancy towers next to Stalinist minimalist blocks and the smog lent it a rather dystopian image. Samwise even commented it could be a perfect stand-in for Lagos.

Four hours later and a rather late lunch and tea, we walked over to the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, passing the glitzy and kitschy Casino Lisboa and Wynn Casino. The modern part of Macau is indeed surreal, and the bus-loads of Chinese visitors reminded us who kept the economy moving.

We felt we didn’t quite give Macau the credit she deserves. She does warrant a night and a day to explore and soak in. Away from the crowds, it is a rather quaint place, good for quiet contemplation, if you ignore the densely built blocks surrounding the quiet patches.

And Samwise commented that his back pain was gone. We suspect the indulgence and pilgrimage from church to church may have played a part.

Oneworld

'Revolves around you.'

Yes, I am looking forward to Malaysia Airlines joining the Oneworld alliance in a matter of weeks, joining the ranks of British Airways and Cathay Pacific amongst others.

At the airport again, lounging away waiting for the next flight. Which has me thinking about postings, and planned it all out I did. A trip report on another side of Hong Kong, a quick few hours in Macau and ecclesiastical heritage of the British and Dutch will be coming up so watch this space.

Medan - Day 5

Early morning and we took the 9am boat back to the ‘mainland.’ Our aim was to catch our 10am transport back to Medan, just in time for Samwise’s flight back to Kuala Lumpur in the evening.

Of course, it went awry at some point in time. Our ride was supposed to take not more than 4 hours back, but this being Indonesia, and this being a relative backwater (please pardon my language), things go a little differently.

Lake view from the main road

Resident cats at Toba Cottages

We asked nicely if we could take the northern route back to Medan, which would pass the famous Sipiso-piso Waterfall: a blade-like waterfall that courses in to the lake, and is the source of the name ‘sipiso-piso.’ (Piso is the local term for knife.) Sadly, our driver said no.

However, his action would cause us much chagrin later when he picked up his sister/girlfriend/free-rider on the way, without informing us, and then stopping for an unscheduled stop at a trucker stop for an hour as the two of them have lunch while he was chatting with his friends, all while Samwise, SSM and I were stuck in the car, like a few other travellers who were stranded there, without ceremony, by their own drivers.

'Domes-R-Us' at the trucker stop

After a rather tense drive and confusion between ‘Airport’ and ‘JW Marriott,’ and me giving the driver and his boss a very stern wording, we made it to the JW and a final good riddance to the driver. I would caution other travellers on this, and the antics these drivers can get up to, and sadly, the indifference of their employers.

At the JW, SSM, Samwise and I had a nice lunch, the standard Western fare with burgers, chips and ketchup somehow making us feel better, before Samwise had to leave to meet up with a friend and head off to the airport.

I, true to my nature, on the other hand, couldn’t really sit still, and with this JW Marriott in Medan being a little bit of a disappointment with the crowds and all, decided to drag SSM on a walkabout around town.

Church near the railway like

View from the JW Marriott

General Post Office by Lapangan Merdeka

Having seen much of the place earlier, we decided to stretch it a little, to the sights I had left in my journal. From our room, I spotted a beautiful looking structure down below. Curiosity got me, and we ventured down, discovering a beautiful Protestant Church.

Bank Indonesia building

City Hall + annex

Walking down towards Lapangan Merdeka, we walked past the old Bank Indonesia building, a beautiful white-wash neo-classical structure and visited the Town Hall next door, now converted in to a luxury hotel with a hideous looking annex, and stumbled upon old pictures of Colonial Medan.

Court house buildings near the Aryaduta Medan

Emmanuel Church Medan

Governor's Offices

Eventually, we found ourselves exploring even more of old Dutch Medan, and paid a visit to the Roman Catholic cathedral and the Protestant Emmanuel Church, before stumbling upon more beautiful Dutch colonial buildings.

Medan Water Tower

By pure coincidence, we found the famous water tower of Medan, a known city landmark, which conveniently helped us locate the elusive Jalan Selat Panjang, the city’s main commercial hub for the Chinese community in Medan, a rather large community with an even larger appetite for food.

The next day, our last day, was spent at leisure. Nothing much, apart from being surprised at the massive crowds at the JW Marriott buffet, a look through the city’s largest shopping mall and the very Spartan facilities at Medan Polonia International Airport.

All in all, a rather eye-opening and somewhat testing trip. Would I recommend Medan? It has its secrets. Would I recommend Lake Toba? Definitely. The beauty of the place would make all that hassle worthwhile.