Andrea Travels: My Amazing Race

Hello everybody!

I'm back in Korea, after a whirlwind vacation! There's so much to tell, that I'm going to have to do this in instalments.

Oh! Before I forget...I am under quarantine for 7 days. Yay! So I only get to go back to work next Tuesday instead of tomorrow (Thursday)! Thanks to Korea's strict health regulations regarding Human Swine Flu, because I travelled to Thailand, where they have a high number of SI cases, I have to stay at home for 7 days (house arrest, yes) but at least I get to recover from my hectic travel schedule! Win-win situation! :)

Right! Here goes.....

I hit the air running.

I finished off my fifth English camp, which was a week-long, late-night camp...thoroughly exhausting, but what amazing kids! I couldn't believe it, but I actually cried when we bade our farewells. All the teachers stayed in a love motel! So cool..... for those of you who are not familiar with the love motel concept, allow me to explain briefly. In the East, i.e. Japan, Korea (I'm sure China must also have this), due to lack of space, and tight family units, where young people stay with their parents and grandparents, things can get a bit crowded. So when young couples, as well as married couples, need some special alone-time, they go to a love motel. The entrance is covered with fabric/tarp which hangs down 3/4 way to ensure privacy from curious eyes. Rest assured, of all the love motels I've stayed in here, none have been sleazy. They are tastefully decorated, bigger and cheaper than traditional hotels. Patterned wallpaper on the walls, (yes, sometimes, of nude ladies) but I've never stayed in one of those rooms. LOL! Sometimes rooms are decorated according to a particular theme, seasonal, colour, etc. Mood lighting, large screen tv's, sometimes internet in the room, minibar, toiletries, etc, etc. Apparently, love motels are the way to go, especially for single ladies travelling alone, as the rooms are well equipped, private, safe and of course, cheaper and bigger than hotel rooms.

Automated room selection

Anyway, on Friday, 7th, I just had time to get home, dump one suitcase, finish packing another, shower and change, and then Gyo Lim and her mom were waiting to collect me. Off to Gumi we went, to Gyo Lim's aunt's home. The family took us out for dinner, and then we went to bed for a few short hours. Again, these Korean people.... the mother gave up her bed for me to sleep on (the only raised bed in the house, as most Koreans sleep on the floor) and everyone else slept on the floor.

We caught an express bus to Incheon Airport (3-4 hours away) at 04:20. While we were standing in the queue, waiting to check-in, we were offered seats on an earlier flight (Cathay Pacific). But what they didn't tell us was how much we had to run to make that earlier flight that they decided to offer us! And hence, we hit the air running..... Our very own little Amazing Race! Cape Town INTERNATIONAL Airport really spoils one with it's small size!

Landing in Hong Kong was amazing. What a stunning landing view! The airstrip extends into the ocean. Everything is spotless and in place. One minute, you're flying over sea traffic, the next you are taxi-ing down a runway with ocean on either side. Beautiful!

Hong Kong airport

The drive from the airport to Kowloon Island, where we were to stay, was magnificent. Mountain and sea. Beautiful combination of old and new. The new parts are big money, glam buildings, while the old parts look like something out of an old Jackie Chan movie set in Chinatown. Quite similar to some areas on the Cape Flats, actually, people's laundry hanging outside their apartment windows, buildings that haven't seen a fresh coat of paint in maybe a decade or two.

Hong Kong just reminded me so much of Cape Town. After Korea's neon signs, and wonky road planning system, Hong Kong, Macau and Thailand were like visiting a bit of home. Small things, like driving on the left side of the road, road signs, traffic lights, building and town layout, products like KitKat, Cadbury's, Lindt, Cote d'or, Lay's, etc etc, (all the important things, you know!) things that are not easily found (if at all) in Korea. British colonialism has certainly left its mark here. The positive thing about it, though, is that it made me feel more at home in more familiar surroundings. And almost everyone I spoke to, could understand and speak English! Not like in Korea! Just goes to show, one up for the Brits instead of the Americans, whom Korea strives after.

But oh boy! Hong Kong is BOILING HOT! I developed a bad sun-heat rash on my arms in Hong Kong. Temperature is mid-30s at midnight! We stayed at a Korean guesthouse, which was ridiculously tiny. We stayed in a room with a double bunk, with only enough space for our suitcases on the floor. Mini-en-suite bathroom. I couldn't stop myself (you know, me and my blunt tongue!) but when I saw the size of the room, I immediately commented on how small it was. The manager said, "This is Hong Kong style." Well, okay, I suppose, since it is composed of a few islands with millions of people on it. Fortunately, we would hardly be spending any time in that tiny room! (By the way, "Hong Kong style" my proverbial ass! I saw nice big apartments in HK while sightseeing!)

Okay, I'll try to be brief now....

Saturday 8th: We went to a popular Chinese restaurant for lunch, where I tried dim sum for the first time. Had a delicious steamed cake. Then shopping and mall sightseeing... Lah di dah! All the big brand names and fashion houses with humungous stores! I bought facial products and perfume. We then made our way to the Avenue of the Stars which extends along one side of the Victoria Harbour (like in Hollywood, only here Chinese actors are being honoured, i.e. Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, etc). We watched the light show on Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. Every night on Hong Kong Island at 8pm, the buildings lining the harbour display a lighting and lazer show set to music. No wonder HK is so hot! The amount of heat and energy generated in that small space must have totally destroyed the ozone layer over HK by now. Stunning atmosphere, ships and boats constantly moving up and down the harbour. If I could describe HK in a nutshell.... Cape Town on a far grander scale. People from all around the world. Hong Kong people are so used to this international atmosphere, that they don't stop and stare at you like they do in Korea. They are friendly and just go about their business. Then dinner, and sightseeing, street market shopping, all while the sweat dripped away continuously. Finally back to aircon in our tiny room!