Thursday, April 25, 2019

Hong Kong April 2019



We departed Sorong, Indonesia heading for Canada which is 6000 NM east.  However, to get there required us to first fly 1500 NM west to Jakarta via Makassar,  then 2000 NM north to Hong Kong before finally turning east toward Vancouver. 

This seemed like a perfect time to see Hong Kong and spend a couple of days stretching our legs and taking the sites and sounds of this Historic city.

We had never flown on Garuda Air and were surprised and delighted and the friendly staff and generous service.  The flight attendants were all coiffed, immaculately attired and with their best smiles made the miles simply fly by. 

The service was outstanding and the inflight meal delicious, the entire flight a real delight. Given today's travel norms of grumpy overweight flight attendants and a bag of nuts for a meal,what can I say, but this was a rare medium well done!

 Before we knew it we had landed at Makassar Sulawesi’s Sultan Hasanuddin Airport with a short layover before heading on to Jakarta and Hong Kong.

Not knowing what to expect but thinking we were in a third world country so with expectations kept in check we were blown away by just how modern, clean and convenient both these airport were.
Both these facilities were modern and clean and big but amazingly efficient and well laid out.  

With a certain sense of humour as depicted in many of the wall sketches of the fire extinguishers and modern art.  


It was not uncommon to see both Segways and inline skates being used by airport support staff.


Hong Kong is an extraordinary, vibrant and crowded territory of more than 7 million people.  The view of Hong Kong islands skyscrapers from across the harbour makes a stunning urban panorama, and this insomniac metropolis buzzes with energy day and nite.  Despite this, and my foregone conclusion that I would feel claustrophobic in amongst all the crowds…amazingly it was not like that.  Yes there are people everywhere…but somehow, someway, everyone seems aware that personal space is respected. 

  
It did not matter whether day or nite, crowded streets or overflowing bus and tram rides…people were polite and provided just enough elbow room to allow personal space. 


We only had three days to see this amazing city, and we ran hard to do and see as much as we could.  With the help of the friendly staff of the the Local Hop On Hop Off transit system we were able to see a lot in the comfort of open air buses enjoying the many varied sites, sounds and dare I say smells of this megalopolis. 

The downtown streets are filled with shops and more shops, street vendors of all manner and tailors hawking their wares.  Every few steps there would be another one handing you his business card and claiming to be the best and cheapest and fastest offering full tailored suits in 24 hrs.  The prices were not what they used to be, but what is…even so, a full custom tailor made suit for less than $500 and made in a day!

One is awestruck at the density of people and buildings.  New next to old, architecturally stunning against downtrodden and dilapidated…and graveyards set in the middle of it all.  Space is a premium and it is all used. We found some of the best shopping in the central open markets…day and night they are hustling…and it is possible to buy reasonable quality at bargain prices…haggling is mandatory and expected…so it was also kinda fun!

You cannot visit Hong Kong without going to see The Thai Tan (Golden) Buddha.  Getting there required us to make use of the high speed underground rail system.  It is modern, clean and efficient.  Well, maybe too much so.  To buy your ticket involved dealing with the automated Ticketing machine.  In spite of our best efforts, we could not manage to get a ticket.  Finally in a slightly exasperated voice I said…”Does anyone here speak English?” A young man turned around and said “how may I help you Uncle”…hahaha  no way were we related, but my white hair allowed me a measure of respect.  It took him a couple of tries with my $100 note and he finally went to a Kiosk and purchased two tickets for us.  When I tried to pay him, he refused to accept saying “you are a guest in country” and walked away with a smile on his face…Wow!!...we hopped aboard the train and Kaija struck up a conversation with a nice young lady who wanted to be sure that we were OK and did we need any help.  
 
Very impressive, I shudder to think whether an Asian guest in one of our Great Canadian cities would have received as warm and generous a welcome.



The gondola ride is half the fun…stretching miles high above  the city and surrounding hillside it afforded the perfect opportunity to take it ‘all’ in.   



The Buddha is a shrine, and the crowds are quiet and respectful.  It is a walking tour culminating in a 220 step climb to the top and then a visit to the temple housing three Golden Buddhas.  The first two are merely Gold plated, the third however, is solid gold.  It is quite an eyeful.



Our last day we took a ride up the 100 floors to the top of Sky100 to take in a view from the top.  You cannot fathom the density.  40 story apartment towers are the norm and there are hundreds packed together as far as the eye can see.  There are many many taller structures.  7 of the top ten tallest structures in the world reside in China. 

If Hong Kong is on your bucket list and you feel like splurging you might consider staying where the stars stay...Elvis, Diana, Frank and every US president since Roosevelt just to name a few.  The Peninsula Hotel offers a level of comfort and service seldom found anywhere.  With a fleet of 7 Rolls Royce's at your beck and call...just saying "you can't take it with you".

I will admit that my stunted understanding of China and Hong Kong was sorely lacking.  We expected to find a third world country with commensurate amenities…instead we found a modern vibrant functioning city that reminded us in many ways of our home city of Vancouver, on steroids.  Set on the waterfront as a coastal city surrounded by mountains the people who run this town have figured out how to provide services, transit, communications and accommodations that are modern, functioning and a real delight to visit.   

Our 3 days passed in a flash and Hong Kong was a blast.


We're not sure we would want to live here, but we are sure glad we took the time to visit.


Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Misool Adventures with Sv Jams


Along with friends Murray and Carol on Sv Jams  we headed south to the Island of Misool.  We had thought to give this a pass, but as this area is well regarded for it’s diving we decided to have a look. After a quick trip back into Sorong to re-provision, we spent the next few days harbour hopping enjoying a leisurely pace.  With the winds favorable for our hop down to Kofiau we set sail and enjoyed one of the first good sails since arriving in Raja Ampat.  We enjoyed a couple of fun days checking out these remote islands and found the snorkeling quite good and the anchorages well protected.  We continued south to the Blue Water Mangroves where Murray and I hoped to do a dive and the girls looked forward to snorkeling the marine nursery.  Unfortunately, our enthusiasm was somewhat tempered when learning of an incident where a diver had lost an arm to a resident Salt Water Croc.  We had no intentions of being his next meal and as we saw no local divers we elected to take a pass.  We carried on south and east around the west end of the island and along the south coast before arriving a Balbulol. 
This is one of those places that is a must see.  Unfortunately, anchoring is almost impossible, but with our trusty floating lines we secured our boats to the surrounding rock face. 
It was a wee bit tight for two boats and so for the first time in 15 years cruising, we not only tied off to shore we rafted.  It turned out to be a fun time as we turned our mono hulls into a double wide.   
Carol and I discovered our common love of the Ukulele and it wasn’t long before the daily practice sessions began. 


Along with Kaija and Murray crooning in the background we serenaded many a nite away.We enjoyed 10 terrific days rafted up here. 
Each day was filled with snorkeling, dinghy exploring, attempts at fishing and Murray and I finally got the dive tanks out and did our first familiarization dives to improve our comfort levels. 
We are both novice divers and it was good to have the company. 
 

 We spent a lovely day dinghy touring discovering places with no footprints in the sand where we enjoyed hours of snorkeling, fly fishing and laying in the soft sand.






and found an exclusive beach for our own private picnic.
 



We sailed a few miles south a few miles to the Misool Eco Lodge where we met Sue from Vancouver and her partner Mike from New Zealand who manage this very exclusive dive resort.  This is not an inexpensive resort, and while we had hoped to dive with them, they were full, but graciously offered to fill our tanks for a very modest fee.  We enjoyed a couple of amazing dives in an area that has dozens of choices.   

Before we knew it a month had passed and it was time to head back to Sorong. 
  We had a few days left to enjoy before flying back to Canada, so we went scouting for a spot to dive.  Along with  Murray and Carol who were anticipating the arrival of their daughter Madison and new Beau.  We traveled north to Mansur Island and discovered two moorings at the Raja Ampat Dive Resort. We spent the next couple of days exploring and discovered some of the best snorkeling we have found ANYWHERE, complete with large schools of BIG FISH. 
We went ashore and enjoyed a lovely meal and our final night with these two fun folk.  Thank you Murray and Carol for 5 fun months, your kindness and generosity. 
Murry and Carol and family are now up in Wayag, we are back in Sorong prepping KaijaSong for moorage as we prep ourselves for a much anticipate trip back to Canada to see family and friends we have not seen for too long. 
Stay tuned for updates of that adventure and the ongoing passages when we return and continue our Go West sailing plans…to Komodo Island, Singapore, and Langkawi to take us into the next decade…2020 and beyond.