Hong Kong Musings 4

April 4, 2009

The Harbourside

Saturday in Hong Kong but I could not feel the difference, not from the 43^rd floor. Sometimes I think I lost track of days because I don’t report anymore to the office every day. When you work, you will have the so called Blue Monday and then TIFG that is, “Thanks God it’s Friday”. The days in between you feel “just work and it will be Friday again.” I do try to do my work as regular as before but due to different time zones, I receive most email messages in the afternoon that I thought, I should start working around 1 pm here local time. There is 6 hours difference between Netherlands and Hong Kong. When it is 12 noon in NL, it is 6 pm here.

My neighborhood

I haven’t met yet my neighbors next door and I don’t have the illusion that I will meet them soon not even in the elevators or in the corridors. Living in The Harbourside apartment is just like living in a high-rise hotel. When Wim and I arrive from our shopping, the guard readily meets us and carries our luggage up to the door front of our room. It is convenient though. Non-residents could not enter the premises without presenting their passports or any authorized ID. We have to carry resident IDs as well.

Wim and I just toured around the vicinity. The concierge showed us the nice swimming people, the park and the barbecue area. There is a piano room a reading room, in door golf, fitness center, etc. All are for exclusive use for the residents. We did not use any of the facilities yet.

Strange enough I do not have the urge to go out and discover Hong Kong yet. We live in Kowloon area which history can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960–1279). The old Kai Tak airport was located in this part of the peninsula and was considered as one of the most dangerous airports in the world. I still remember Cathay Pacific landing at the old Kai Tak Airport during my first visit in Hong Kong in 1981. I have to close my eyes when the plane needed to take a dangerous right turn to land over many buildings and screeched through unbelievably short runway. Will it make it? I felt that I was pushing my feet to the plane’s floor just like when you push the break of the car. The airport was a perfect haven for the daredevils but not for faint-hearted people like me. Kowloon is one of the most urbanized part of Hong Kong and one of the most densely populated places on earth.

The news Hong Kong International Airport is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport, because it was built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation. It is one of the busiest airports in the world. The airport is about 20 minutes by airport metro express from Kowloon MTR station which is literally built under our apartment. There is a special check-in counter for people travelling to the airport from Kowloon MTR station. Passengers check-in their luggage at the MTR station and can go straight to the pre-departure area.

Apart from mapping the immediate vicinity where we live, I have not done a lot yet except to buy the things we need in the house. We have barely three weeks time to furnish our house from spoons to bed. The rented furniture will be reclaimed on April 21. So I am trying feverishly to get the things we need, the sooner, the better. We are progressing though.

In between I am trying to learn how my new acquired Blackberry Pearl 8220 mobile phone works. It promises a lot of features but first I need to know how it works. I said goodbye to my old and loyal Ericsson but decided to keep it as my second phone especially when I am traveling. I rarely used my mobile phone in the Netherlands but here Wim impressed on me to carry it with me all the time and not to forget switching it on. In the Netherlands my mobile phone was most of the time on the “off” mode and used it only when I call Wim or one of the boys to pick me up at the station.

Our Philip 32” flat screen TV was delivered today. I can live without a TV set but Wim simply can’t. However, I was so surprised that we have so many channels. I can even see one Filipino Channel.

The only hassle we have so far is that our HCBC debit card does not work. We already went to the bank to complain about it but the bank said there is nothing wrong with our plastic card. What a reassuring word but until today, we can’t pay anything using our debit card. It is time to take another trip to the bank, and complain! Another hassle: our washing machine needs to be inspected by the concierge but he can only come after Easter Sunday! This is not nice but it is not a disaster.

My Cantonese language teacher sent me an email informing me that my lessons are scheduled twice a week, 2 hours per lesson. I will start this week, and see how fast or slow I will learn Cantonese. She should in hurry before I forgot how to count 1 to 10 in Cantonese.