I'm posting this belated TR from our 2016 trip to Hokkaido. It's overdue cause I'm a procrastinating slack bastard and we're a month out from wheels up on our trip to Northern Tohuku, plus the stoke levels on this forum re the Northern Hemi winter are rising as fast a teenagers hormone levels as the summer holidays approach.
Linky to my only other, also late thread: https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/t...ngential-thread-now-focused-on-hornets.56457/
Unfortunately it'll be in parts due to the threadbare state of the fibre connecting our place to the wide, wide world.
I hope you enjoy.
The itinerary was Melb > HK for 3 nights. HK -> New Chitose -> snowy caboose -> Tomamu 7 nights. Another Caboose > Sapporo for 3 nights > bus Rusutsu 7 nights > Otaru 3 nights
We were travelling as family of three; me, my wife and out then 2yr old daughter.
We had high hopes for the flight with Cathay, unfortunately it got off to a bad start and was book ended by a long ending. We sat on the tarmac at Tullamarine for close to 3 hours as apparently a seat belt was broken and HK flight control wouldn’t permit take off??? I’ve got no idea how they sorted this out, and I don’t really care but the parts really should be interchangeable rather having to come from the same operator.
After eventually getting under way and in the sky everything was A-ok, the seats in cattle class were fine, the food was better than the average, the beer was free, the entertainment good and staff really nice. To top it off our 2yr old girl was well behaved and even had a sleep.
When we were finally in Chinese airspace and preparing to descend we were informed there would be delay due to access to a terminal, erghhh. The dude from HK sitting on the other side of the aisle leaned across and in hushed tones, with the air of deep paranoia about him, told me that this was a deliberate tactic by the tower operators as there is some sort of conspiracy against Cathay, as they’re owned by the English. I slowly retreated to the sanctuary of my family bubble and ordered another drink - Auspicious start, not. OMFG, just land the plane.
So what should’ve been a 9-10hrs flight was more like 13-14. Shitty start to a holiday but hey, were in HK and we’ve never been here before so onwards and upwards.
The hotel shuttle was prompt and off we went onto the seemingly endless expressway to Nathan Road. It was an interesting drive along the nigh time freeway with factories, refineries, bridges and sky scrapers illuminated in hazy smog, this gave the night a distinctly dystopian, Blade Runnerish feeling - kinda romantic actually (not sure what that says about me)
We’d hoped for a night out, or at least dinner on the street but we were all knackered and it was about 9pm by the time we turned the key on the hotel door. 45 mins later, with my wife and daughter snoring in the bed I slinked outside for a cold beer and a round of Dim Sum – yum. Welcome to old HK.
As a Strategic Urban Planner in my professional life I was immediately fascinated, and beguiled by the urban madness enveloping me, and all consuming hum of humanity (and ageing concrete) that was so immersive I felt under water; jet lag I guess.
We had three days to explore HK, with no plans but to walk the streets, eat some food and try to keep a toddler entertained and compliant
And a lot walking we did, I think we clocked over 20k back and forth and weaving through the laneways off Nathan Road and on HK island.
The ‘old’ town around Mong Kok etc is in a state of decrepitude and glitz, a place of contradictions and character. One block is full of glittering façades which then gives way to decay and a steamy, smokey urban nightmare. There seems to be a slow burning transition underway with a lot of the buildings along Nathan Road and within two street backs being refurbished and renewed rather than demolished and rebuilt. However most of the buildings have suffered the harsh decades of humidity, sun, rain and cold winters – I never saw inside any of the residence in this part of town but I can’t imagine the amenity is great. The disparity in wealth and inequality is definitely not hidden or obscured by anything.
I’m not sure what the catalyst for the renewal is but I assume it’s not the Central Gov planning or concern for the residents but rather organic response to higher land prices close to the harbour and lack of land on HK island. I didn't have the time nor resources to look into.
Due to the tiny residences it appears a lot people use the street for a lounge room so there’s a great communal vibe going on even though it’s the middle of winter. This is not an unusual way of or an aberration but perhaps a reversion to older ways of communing and cohabitating
HK Crossing from Above
Island Commercial District Street Scene
View from the Hotel Room,
Back Streets HK, Insouciant Local does not like Camera
Decay and Decrepitude
Waiting for the Ferry with One Super Cranky Toddler
The central park is great for a relaxing early morning walk, gawk and talk, by 8am, in the low, early morning light it’s full of people undertaking their personal morning ritual of Thi Chi or some other slightly bizarre stretching routine.
Solitude
Through the Gate to Harmony
People Watching
Old Man Still Working Hard
To bookend the day we visited the Night Markets in the Mong Kok area, these are definitely worth visiting for a very unique experience.
I was going to write more but the mice are chewing on the fibre optics, each photo takes an aeon to uploa = beJesus Turnbull where's my broadband.
For the next instalment Cathay continues to disappoint, we fly the short hop to Chitose and voila, paradise in a frozen field.
Linky to my only other, also late thread: https://www.ski.com.au/xf/threads/t...ngential-thread-now-focused-on-hornets.56457/
Unfortunately it'll be in parts due to the threadbare state of the fibre connecting our place to the wide, wide world.
I hope you enjoy.
The itinerary was Melb > HK for 3 nights. HK -> New Chitose -> snowy caboose -> Tomamu 7 nights. Another Caboose > Sapporo for 3 nights > bus Rusutsu 7 nights > Otaru 3 nights
We were travelling as family of three; me, my wife and out then 2yr old daughter.
We had high hopes for the flight with Cathay, unfortunately it got off to a bad start and was book ended by a long ending. We sat on the tarmac at Tullamarine for close to 3 hours as apparently a seat belt was broken and HK flight control wouldn’t permit take off??? I’ve got no idea how they sorted this out, and I don’t really care but the parts really should be interchangeable rather having to come from the same operator.
After eventually getting under way and in the sky everything was A-ok, the seats in cattle class were fine, the food was better than the average, the beer was free, the entertainment good and staff really nice. To top it off our 2yr old girl was well behaved and even had a sleep.
When we were finally in Chinese airspace and preparing to descend we were informed there would be delay due to access to a terminal, erghhh. The dude from HK sitting on the other side of the aisle leaned across and in hushed tones, with the air of deep paranoia about him, told me that this was a deliberate tactic by the tower operators as there is some sort of conspiracy against Cathay, as they’re owned by the English. I slowly retreated to the sanctuary of my family bubble and ordered another drink - Auspicious start, not. OMFG, just land the plane.
So what should’ve been a 9-10hrs flight was more like 13-14. Shitty start to a holiday but hey, were in HK and we’ve never been here before so onwards and upwards.
The hotel shuttle was prompt and off we went onto the seemingly endless expressway to Nathan Road. It was an interesting drive along the nigh time freeway with factories, refineries, bridges and sky scrapers illuminated in hazy smog, this gave the night a distinctly dystopian, Blade Runnerish feeling - kinda romantic actually (not sure what that says about me)
We’d hoped for a night out, or at least dinner on the street but we were all knackered and it was about 9pm by the time we turned the key on the hotel door. 45 mins later, with my wife and daughter snoring in the bed I slinked outside for a cold beer and a round of Dim Sum – yum. Welcome to old HK.
As a Strategic Urban Planner in my professional life I was immediately fascinated, and beguiled by the urban madness enveloping me, and all consuming hum of humanity (and ageing concrete) that was so immersive I felt under water; jet lag I guess.
We had three days to explore HK, with no plans but to walk the streets, eat some food and try to keep a toddler entertained and compliant
The ‘old’ town around Mong Kok etc is in a state of decrepitude and glitz, a place of contradictions and character. One block is full of glittering façades which then gives way to decay and a steamy, smokey urban nightmare. There seems to be a slow burning transition underway with a lot of the buildings along Nathan Road and within two street backs being refurbished and renewed rather than demolished and rebuilt. However most of the buildings have suffered the harsh decades of humidity, sun, rain and cold winters – I never saw inside any of the residence in this part of town but I can’t imagine the amenity is great. The disparity in wealth and inequality is definitely not hidden or obscured by anything.
I’m not sure what the catalyst for the renewal is but I assume it’s not the Central Gov planning or concern for the residents but rather organic response to higher land prices close to the harbour and lack of land on HK island. I didn't have the time nor resources to look into.
Due to the tiny residences it appears a lot people use the street for a lounge room so there’s a great communal vibe going on even though it’s the middle of winter. This is not an unusual way of or an aberration but perhaps a reversion to older ways of communing and cohabitating
HK Crossing from Above
Island Commercial District Street Scene
View from the Hotel Room,
Back Streets HK, Insouciant Local does not like Camera
Decay and Decrepitude
Waiting for the Ferry with One Super Cranky Toddler
The central park is great for a relaxing early morning walk, gawk and talk, by 8am, in the low, early morning light it’s full of people undertaking their personal morning ritual of Thi Chi or some other slightly bizarre stretching routine.
Solitude
Through the Gate to Harmony
People Watching
Old Man Still Working Hard
To bookend the day we visited the Night Markets in the Mong Kok area, these are definitely worth visiting for a very unique experience.
I was going to write more but the mice are chewing on the fibre optics, each photo takes an aeon to uploa = beJesus Turnbull where's my broadband.
For the next instalment Cathay continues to disappoint, we fly the short hop to Chitose and voila, paradise in a frozen field.
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