Home » Hong Kong Australia » Guido's Down Under Experiences: October 2004

Down Under: my experiences in South-East Asia, Australia & New Zealand.

Guido's Down Under Experiences: October 2004

FlyingDutchman
2006-03-19 20:04:29

Displayed times (last time: )

Sun 31 October 2004
Macau
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

After posting on my website yesterday I walked up to Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island (not the highest point in Hong Kong). Unfortunately the views only got worse compared to the observation deck at the upper terminal of the Peak Tram, so I went back there. I decided to splash some money on the attractions there, notably the Peak Explorer and Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium. When I got back to Tsim Sha Tsui I found a good Japanese fast-food restaurant ('Yoshinoya') that serves big bowls of rice, chicken and vegetables for only 2,60 euro. After dinner I walked around Tsim Sha Tsui, checking out all the electronics for sale.

Today I took a ferry to Macau, another Special Administrative Region of China. Instead of being ruled by the British, like Hong Kong, Macau was ruled by the Portugese until 1999. I found out that it could have been ruled by the Dutch though, since we invaded the peninsula in 1622 with 800 men and met very little resistance. But a single cannon shot from a Jesuit priest (hitting a barrel of gunpowder) caused them to flee. What a shame. Anyway, Macau nowadays has still quite a few Portugese buildings remaining, and it is weird to see the mix of Chinese culture and Portugese heritage. I spent all day doing the Lonely Planet walking tour around the peninsula (including a visit to the excellent Macau Museum), and had to rush to catch the ferry back to Hong Kong. I really start to like this Pacific Coffee Company, if only for the free internet access at their coffeeshops (no weed here, strictly forbidden).

Sat 30 October 2004
Hectic Hong Kong
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

Yesterday I successfully managed to pack all my stuff in my bag, and to my surprise my large backpack was only 19,5 kg when I checked it in at the airport. It could have been 25 kg, because over that amount ...