Hong Kong for the first time

In all my years of travel, I have very few regrets. I’ve made the most of so many business trips and explored the wider world. However, two regrets always stand out. One occurred while visiting London on business in 2002. At the time, British Airways was offering a special deal flying Concorde to New York. You could book a ticket on the supersonic jet in one direction and return on a regular Jumbo Jet for a remarkably affordable price.

I debated the merits of booking myself an indulgent weekend but decided it wasn’t a great look professionally. At the time, our tech industry-centric company had just spent a year closing offices and cutting jobs worldwide following the dot.com bust. While it was the right move politically, to this day I rue the day I turned down an opportunity to fly Concorde. A year later, the supersonic airliner was permanently grounded, and the opportunity was gone for good.

My second regret was one of sheer inertia. For several years in the late 1990s, I had several friends living in Hong Kong, including my longest-standing friendship in Australia with Michele Olsen. I’d always wanted to experience the hair-raising landing at Kai Tak Airport, the city’s primary airport until July 1998.

The airport’s geography meant that pilots were forced to fly down Victoria Harbour, plot their location using a giant checkerboard pattern on the aptly named Checkboard Hill, where upon they’d make a low-altitude (below 180 metres), 47-degree right-hand turn, ending with a short final approach and touchdown on a runway extending into the harbour. For pilots, this airport was technically demanding, as the approach could not be flown by instruments. It had to be flown visually, thanks to that notorious last-minute right-hand turn.

Sadly, I never did get my act together. As a result, when I finally booked my first trip to Hong Kong in 2000, the airport had long since relocated to its current location at Chek Lap Kok. Ironically, after so many years of procrastination, I ultimately visited the city twice that year. My first trip was a brief four-night vacation. I landed on the evening of 16 March and departed again on 20 March 2000. Three months later, I flew back to Hong Kong courtesy of a company called Network Asia, a regional tech start-up, to conduct media training for its top executives.

Michele went all out for my first visit. At the time, she was employed as an au pair for a wealthy expat family. The family had given her a convertible to drive as part of her employment. One evening, after meeting up for dinner, she decided to drive me over the recently opened Tsing Ma Bridge. This 1377-metre-long suspension bridge was part of a new highway built to link the city with its new airport on Lantau Island.

Michele knew I was a civil engineering fanatic and thus decided I’d enjoy driving the entire Lantau Link that included a new cross-harbour tunnel, freeway system and the new suspension bridge. We made our way to Tsing Ma Bridge with the roof down in her employer’s convertible, enjoying the sea breeze and city lights at night.

The bridge itself was brilliantly lit with an impressive floodlit display soaring overhead as we drove. About halfway over the span, the floodlights suddenly turned off, as they did every night at 10:00pm. Decades later, I still recall the moment. Remember, we were in a convertible with lighting visible in every direction, including the suspension cables directly overhead. Hence, the sudden switch to near-complete darkness was truly dramatic.

On another occasion, Michele picked me up from my hotel, drove us up Victoria Peak to enjoy its iconic harbour view, and then across Hong Kong Island to spend an afternoon wandering through the eclectic markets in Stanley, a beachside town on the island’s rugged southern coast. I also remember this being the first time I met her future husband, David, who was enjoying a wild time in Wanchai celebrating St. Patrick's Day (on 17 March) with other expats. 

As you can see from the images above, I took time out to explore the bustling street markets in Mong Kok, including its famous bird, fish and flower markets. As a first-time visitor, I also did the classic tourist thing and watched the Noonday Gun being fired in Causeway Bay. 

On my penultimate day in town, I booked myself a day trip to the former Portuguese colony of Macau. I caught the high-speed ferry to Macau, and then on a whim, caught a helicopter back to Hong Kong. You can read about my day in Macau here. On Monday, 21 March, I caught an overnight flight with Ansett Australia back to Sydney, flying via Brisbane.

As I noted earlier, a few months later, I unexpectedly returned to Hong Kong on business. At the time, I was managing the account of a new regional internet service provider start-up company called Network Asia. Michael Dunn, the regional marketing manager, was an expat Brit who’d spent many years living in Hong Kong. He took a shine to me and asked me to fly up from Sydney and spend a day media training their senior executives. I flew into Hong Kong on Saturday 17 June and back out again on Wednesday 21 June.

At the time, the dot.com boom was peaking, and like all well-financed start-ups, Network Asia was splashing cash like nobody’s business. I was flown business class to Hong Kong and put up in the uber-lux five-star Mandarin Hotel in Wanchai. Michael was happy to fly me in on the weekend so that I could catch up with friends before starting work on Monday. My first working day wasn't exactly exhausting. It began with a planning meeting and a leisurely lunch at the exclusive expat Press Club in the Mid-Levels district. 

The company’s headquarters were equally extravagant. They were housed in a high-level office building in Wanchai. The company’s entrance lobby, halfway up the building, was a multi-level atrium with a lush garden wall and Feng Shui water feature. I couldn’t believe I was looking at an indoor waterfall flowing high above the street below. Unsurprisingly, two years later, the company ran out of funding and closed its doors in 2002.

I’d return to Hong Kong regularly for many years on business, particularly after becoming the Regional Director for Asia Pacific in May 2002. I was also in Hong Kong during the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York in September 2001. After leaving Text 100, I continued to visit Hong Kong once a year to attend an industry trade show and meet with some of Artiwood’s Asian-based suppliers. I maintained this routine until January 2020. We stopped attending these events after the COVID pandemic. As of today, the trip I took from 6-8 January 2020 was my last visit to Hong Kong.

This final trip is worth a special note. In the months leading up to this visit, Hong Kong had been racked by increasingly violent and desperate protests. Between March and November 2019, hundreds of thousands of people had been regularly turning out for rallies and marches to express opposition to a bill allowing extrajudicial detention and extradition to Mainland China. As the months passed, the protests became increasingly violent as Mainland-sponsored vigilantes began attacking protesters and the police responded with increasingly aggressive tactics.

These protests reached their most desperate moment in November of that year when protesters took control of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in Kowloon and blockaded the Cross-Harbour Tunnel. The protest siege ended when police eventually stormed the campus. Sadly, these protests were in vain. A revised version of the extradition bill was eventually passed into law in May 2020. I've illustrated these dramatic events using images pulled from Wikipedia.

By chance, I found myself attending a meeting with a supplier at their hotel near PolyU in January 2020. As I exited the station, I found myself standing in the heartland of the student protests that had taken place just seven weeks earlier. Temporary hoarding and residual graffiti were still visible as I walked to my meeting from Hung Hom metro station. It was another of those special moments where I’ve been privileged to experience a headline-making, or historical, location first-hand.

On a more positive note, this final business trip also included a dinner with Angie and Ivan, owners of an organic plush toy brand we distributed. My hosts generously entertained me at VEA, an exclusive, intimate fine dining venue overlooking central Hong Kong. We were treated to a selection of vintage champagne and Kristal caviar, followed by a series of delicate dishes individually curated, prepared and presented by a private chef working in an open kitchen at our table.  It was undoubtedly one of the most decadent evenings I've ever spent in all my years of business travel.

The Wonderful World of Hong Kong

Regular readers of this blog will know that I've visited Hong Kong many times over the last 15 years. Its been a regular destination for business trips and a convenient stopover for numerous long haul flights between Europe and Australia.  Over the years its become harder and harder to find anything new to enjoy in the city whenever I find myself stuck in a hotel room for days on end.

I recently flew to Hong Kong for three nights to attend the annual Hong Kong Toy Fair. It was literally a flying visit to catch up with several key suppliers and search for new products.  I flew to Hong Kong via Melbourne on Saturday morning.  This rather unusual route let me to take advantage of a discount Premium Economy airfare and save the company several hundred dollars.

I use to fly to Hong Kong via Melbourne regularly for business. For many years this route offered the only night flight into Hong Kong with Qantas. However, it was never a very pleasant trip. The Qantas lounge in Melbourne is the worst of any capital city in Australia. This meant that the late night transfer was never much fun regardless of whether you sat it out in lounge or at the departure gate.

I had originally planned to have dinner on the Sunday evening with one of our suppliers.  However, the meeting was rescheduled shortly after I booked my ticket. As a result, I found myself in Hong Kong with a day to spare.  After a few hours of pounding the laptop in the name of customer service I finally ventured out to explore two local venues I'd never visited.

My itinerary for the day included Lamma Island followed by an evening at Hong Kong Disneyland. These are probably two of Hong Kong's most well known tourist traps so its probably not surprising its taken me so long to finally visit them.  Lamma Island is famous for its seafood restaurants.  The island has two clusters of dining establishments; located on opposite sides of the island.

The smaller of these two locations is Sok Kwu Wan. Boats from Hong Kong island dock here less frequently which means its often a quieter, less crowded place to dine.  I decided to give it a try rather than head for the crowds at Shue Wan. However, upon arrival I must admit I wasn't overly impressed by any of the dining venues. On a whim I decided to walk across the island and try my luck in Shue Wan.  

The cross island walk takes about 1.5 hours and covers a distance of about 8km. Unlike most "bush walks" the track is actually a concrete paved trail for most of its length. Much of the track is shaded which makes it a less arduous trek in Hong Kong's often steamy climate.  It also offers plenty of scenic vantage points which by Hong Kong standards are relatively free of humanity's visual clutter.

As I reached Shue Wan I found myself equally unimpressed by the dining options available.  I'm sure if you're a local you know which restaurants offer the best seafood.  However, for the uninitiated its main street filled with ramshackle venues simply felt like the perfect breeding ground for a nasty dose of botulism.  I decided to skip a late lunch and try my luck with an early dinner at Disneyland.

They say Hong Kong Disneyland is the Disney Corporation's smallest theme park.  However, my visit seemed to be perfectly timed as the crowds were relatively light.  Waiting times for rides were generally less than ten minutes and I never felt jostled by the surrounding crowd.  I had a wonderful evening reliving some of my favourite Disneyland rides. The only disappointment?  It's A Small World was closed for a private function. I simply love this uber kitsch ride with its stereotype cultural figurines and clunky robotic icons. 

I stayed in the park until the night time parade down Main Street, followed by the popular firework's display over Sleeping Beauty's castle. It was an iconic experience that left me with a childish grin from ear to ear. I still remember watching the opening credits for the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday evenings. Tinkerbell use to fly around the castle setting off fireworks with a wave of her magic wand. Disneyland's display does a pretty decent job of bringing this cartoon overlay to life.

Keeping up appearances

Ten days from now I'll be boarding yet another airplane to make my way back to North America.  This time I'm taking my parents on the trip of a lifetime through Canada and New York.  No doubt there will be plenty of new posts to share in the weeks ahead. 

As a result, I've been working hard to complete a series posts covering the tour of China I took with my parents back in May.  I finally published the last of these update earlier today. The following series of links take you to each post I've now published.

• Read about our two-day whirlwind tour of Shanghai.  Highlights included the luxurious Grand Hyatt hotel and a waterfront stroll along the world famous Bund.
 
• Our first day in Xian, the ancient imperial capital of China.
 
• The magic of the Terracotta Warriors.
 
• Some of the other incredible sights and sounds of Xian that you never hear about. I think the city walls are almost as remarkable as the Terracotta Warriors.
 
• Our first day in Beijing where we visited the Temple of Heaven and later watched hundreds of people spontaneously dancing in a plaza outside our hotel.
 
• Our visit to the Great Wall of China.  Mao Tse-tung once said you're not truly a man until you've walked along its ramparts.
 
• A walking tour of the Forbidden City, just one of five cultural highlights we packed into our second full day in Beijing.
 
• A grand Panda spotting expedition that left all of us speechless, including our guide.
 
• My visit to Jingshan Park, one of the most extraordinary landmarks in all of Beijing.
 
• Finally, my successful visit to the Tian Tan Buddha of Hong Kong following years of failed attempts.

You may also want to take a look at the June archive for posts on trips that Garry and I made to Adelaide and Canberra back in April. Enjoy the memories. We've had fun creating them!
 

Gliding to enlightenment

I’ve been visiting Hong Kong regularly for more than a decade. Over the years, I’ve progressively made the rounds of its popular tourist attractions – with one exception. For numerous reasons, I’d never made it to the giant Tian Tan Buddha sitting above Po Lin Monastery on the southern flank of Lantau Island. The colossal 34-metre bronze statue was erected in 1993 on a small hill overlooking the monastery. Initially, it could only be reached by taking a ferry to the island, then transferring onto a bus that wound its way up a perilously steep hillside. The trip took an entire day and was best avoided during inclement weather.

In 2006 the monastery was linked to Tung Chung, a township near Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport, by a 5.7 km cable car. This immediately made the trek to Po Lin effortless. Visitors could now catch a local high-speed train from Central to Tung Chung, transfer to the Ngong Ping 360 cable car and spend 25 minutes gliding comfortably over Lantau Island. Unfortunately the cable car cannot operate in windy conditions which means seasonal typhoons can shut it down for days at a time.

My first attempt to catch the new cable car was foiled in 2007 when the service was suspended for six months shortly before I arrived in Hong Kong on business. Service had been suspended in June after an empty car fell from the cable during an annual brake test. In 2008, intent on catching the cable car, Garry and I scheduled a quick 12-hour Hong Kong stopover while en route to Australia. However, our plans were foiled once again by Tropical Storm Kammuri as it swept through the area on August 4.

I’m pleased to report that I finally made it to Po Lin Monastery in June this year. While returning from work in Beijing I found myself with a few hours to spare in Hong Kong. The weather was sunny and the air quality was remarkably free of haze. I decided to chance it one last time. I’m glad I did. I arrived in Tung Chung to find the cable car operating, with only a short queue waiting to board. Even better, it’s begun operating glass-bottom cabins, called Crystal Cabins, that offer a stomach-churning view of the ground below. Naturally, I purchase a ticket for one of these cabins.

I can honestly say that the ride was worth every penny. The cable glides over picturesque Tung Chung Bay, up the steep slopes of Lantau North Country Park before descending over cascading waterfall to the Ngong Ping terminal. The views were spectacular. From the cable’s summit, you’re treated to unrivalled views of the airport, the Pearl Delta and Tian Tan Buddha, boldly silhouetted against the skyline.

The colossal Buddha didn’t disappoint either. It can only be reached by climbing more than 240 steps to a circular, granite pedestal. The statue was constructed from 202 bronze plates clamped onto a steel frame. This is the same construction method used to create the copper-clad Statue of Liberty in New York. The entire structure weighs an impressive 250 metric tons.

The Buddha’s right hand is raised, in a gesture associated with removing affliction. His left-hand rests on his lap in the position of dhana, or contemplative meditation. Curiously the statue faces north. All other great Buddha statues elsewhere face south. A southern aspect symbolizes his historic resolve to resist young maidens sent to tempt him, thereby gaining supreme enlightenment.

The day’s only disappointment was Ngong Ping village, a rather crass commercial mall built between the cable car station and the monastery’s main entrance. The mall also offers a selection of tourist attractions. The cable car offers a package deal that lets you add two attractions to your ticket. I tried a short interactive film about the life of Buddha but passed on a Monkey movie clearly designed to appeal to children.

The film provided a handy introduction to Buddha and his teachings. However, the experience is somewhat spoilt by a tacky prayer ritual visitors are encouraged to join at the end of the film. You’re asked to take an artificial leaf, insert it into a mechanical slot at the base of a large translucent Buddha statue, and then watch a glowing green light trace its way up to his head.

So what’s left on my Hong Kong bucket list? I’ve yet to visit Hong Kong Disneyland. I’m curious to see how the Disney Corporation has adapted its rather euro-centric assets for the Asian market. I’ve also yet to visit its Space Museum. 

Deja vu: the adventure begins (again)

I'm sure regular readers have noticed it’s been sometime between posts. Why?  Put simply, 14 years of predictable, stable lifestyle are about to radically change.  In July I leave my current employer with no fixed plans for the future. It's a bold decision I made some time ago but have waited until now to act. There are plenty of punters who think I'm crazy to give up a comfortable, well-paying job that's all but set for life.  

However, for several years, the journey with my current employer has felt like a dead end.  I've achieved every goal I set for myself almost 15 years ago, and then some.  Life has become staid and predictable. I feel I have another career path within me.  After much soul-searching I've decided it's time to bring it to fruition.  

As you can imagine this decision has consumed my focus since I set the wheels in motion in late-January.  It’s been more than 21 years since I was last out of work. Understandably the prospect of finding my next pay cheque is proving both daunting and exhilarating.  Since taking this decision I’ve experienced a full spectrum of emotions; from relief and anticipation to utter terror and despair.

What should I do with my career?  As you can imagine I’ve received advice by the truckload.  It’s all been rich, varied, and at times terribly contradictory.  As time passes my options have coalesced into three distinct categories:

1. Take a year off, either to study for an MBA or to consult on a freelance basis until my next step is clearer.
2. Go into business for myself, ideally buying a going concern I believe I can successfully grow and develop for the long-term.
3. Strike out in a new career direction with another employer, leveraging the international business skills I’ve accumulated over the years.

Naturally, each option has merits as well as pitfalls.  With so many choices to explore I’ve decided I need to take a couple of months off and clear my head.  Some might say I’m simply procrastinating.  However, taking a moment to still, or perhaps distract, my mind seems to be the right way forward.  I’ve enjoyed a surprising sense of peace since taking this decision and I'm already seeing new opportunities and connections appear without me forcing the issue.

As a result, I’ve finalized plans for two travel adventures in August and September. First, in August Garry and I take a three-week road trip up the West Coast of the USA from Los Angeles to Seattle.  We then return to Sydney for two weeks before I’ll depart again to take my parents on a vacation through Canada and New York they’ve always dreamt about.  The second trip is a recent development, reflecting in part the success of a ten-day vacation I took with my parents in China last month.  My father coped well with the travel, the food, and the long days of sightseeing.

Dad turned 75 in May. In the midst of his ongoing cancer therapy, there was a time when none of us thought he’d see this day.  Every year has become a precious gift.  Therefore, while reflecting on my own career future I realized that I’d created a unique opportunity to more spend time with him before life settles into a new routine.  It seemed foolish to pass up the chance to take him on a journey listed on his bucket list. 

My parents and I will kick off in Vancouver in mid-September.  Here we’ll catch a train through the Rocky Mountains to Banff; then on to Toronto and Niagara Falls, before taking time to explore New York.  Our journey will finish with a week of driving from Montreal to Toronto via Ottawa enjoying the spectacular autumn foliage.  I then return to Sydney and start making more concrete plans for the future.

Garry’s life is also taking a radical turn.  While researching options for acquiring a company I stumbled across a stationery wholesaler.  Some initial due diligence quickly revealed a host of simple changes, which if undertaken, would dramatically improve the company’s growth potential.  After some agonising internal debate, I ultimately decided it wasn't the business for me.  However, Garry became somewhat passionate about the opportunity and ultimately made an offer.  In July he’ll start life as a small business owner.  Watch as Gazena takes on the world.  It’s somewhat ironic that my current journey of discovery has ended up setting Garry on a new career path.

My next path of exploration proved somewhat more compelling.  By chance I spotted an executive role advertised on LinkedIn, the business networking social media site.  The brief was written in a style that captured my imagination.  On a whim, I drafted a cover letter and submitted my resume.  Weeks later I received a call and was asked to come in for an interview.  To cut a long story short, I was subsequently short-listed on the spot and invited to meet more of the executive team. 

It was both motivating and inspiring to find myself in this position the first time I’d seriously applied for a job.  However, I found myself somewhat conflicted by the prospect of leaping straight from my current employer into another role without a pause.  In the days that followed job applicants were narrowed down to me and one other person. I was not successful. A part of me breathed a sigh of relief. This experience made me realize I needed to take a break and clear my head before truly committing myself to another career path. 

As you can see, it is been quite a journey so far, hence the blogging hiatus.  However, as I finally start to wind down my current employment commitments, I’ve decided to revive the blog.  In the weeks ahead you’ll see me update you on a host of travel adventures, including:

• An Easter weekend in Adelaide.  Garry and I took time out to explore garden city, as well as exploring the southern coast of South Australia and the picturesque Adelaide Hills wine country.

• A series of ANZAC weekend excursions with my brother and sister-in-law during their five-day vacation in Australia.  Garry and I took them on a day trip down the south coast to Wollongong the day they arrived, before heading to Canberra for a picture-perfect weekend of blue skies and sunshine.

• My final business trip to the USA.  I found myself in San Francisco with a weekend to fill.  On the spur of the moment, I booked flights to Southern Utah to take in the dramatically eroded landscape of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.  The experience proved more memorable than expected and the photos simply speak for themselves. 

• Ten days in China with my parents.  I took on the role of tour guide, escorting my parents through the urban wonderland of Shanghai, the historical realms of Xian, and the cultural highlights of Beijing.
  
  
• A brief excursion en route to Hong Kong airport where I rode the Ngong Ping cable car to Po Lin Monastery. This Lantau Island institution is home to the Tin Tan Buddha, a 34-metre-high bronze statue that sits serenely on a nearby hill. The more hardy visitors climb more than 240 steps to its base to marvel at its colossal size.

• Stories from far North Queensland where Garry and I are traveling this week to witness the marriage of his younger brother to a wonderful, lively lass from Cornwall, England. They currently live in Port Douglas and so family and friends have been invited to join an informal ceremony on a boat anchored along the Great Barrier Reef.

• Highlights of our forthcoming road trip up the West Coast of the USA, followed by a summary of the trip to Canada I’ll be taking with my parents.

A year initially devoid of travel seemed to have morphed into a final hurrah before life truly does change for good.  However, future posts won’t just be about travel.  I’m keen to also share the journey of my new career as its direction begins to unfold.  Let the adventure begin (again)!

UPDATE: JUNE 2015

Garry and I have acquired a fast-growing small business called Artiwood.  We take possession on 12 June.  After several false starts with my new career direction, it's exciting to have finally found the right opportunity. I've looked at dozens of businesses in the last three years. So many of them have been a bitter disappointment and their numbers simply haven't stacked up once I've taken a closer look at the books.  

However, this business is the real deal. Its owner is selling simply because it's become too successful, too demanding, and in desperate need of significant investment to gear it for continued success.  If things play out as we believe we'll double the size of this business within four years; and be well on the way to setting ourselves up for life.

I love the night life

This evening I took several staff members out for drinks in Hong Kong. We stopped in at Azure, a hotel complex located in the LKF Tower. At the top of the building sits Slash Bar. On the 3oth floor a small outdoor deck offers patrons a truly stunning panoramic view of the city skyline. Unfortunately my new-found mission to introduce the world's bar staff on the joys of Ginger Caprioskas hit a road block. Despite being one of the hippest bars in town, fresh ginger wasn't available and my ambitions were soon thwarted.

Hong Kong for a day

Garry and I spent yesterday in Hong Kong enjoying the briefest of stopovers. Our original plan was to spend a day visiting the Tian Tan Buddha statue on Lantau Island. This 34 metre high bronze landmark is easily reached by cable car, just minutes from the airport. However, our well-made plans went out the window as Tropical Storm Goni swept towards the Pearl Delta region. Understandably, the 5.7 km cable car halts operation during high winds. Yesterday gusts were reaching 60 kmph, while low cloud was shrouding the hills. 


We headed into town for a leisurely lunch at G-Bar, a funky rooftop bar overlooking Victoria Harbour. The venue's a hidden jem, located above the pricey IFC Mall. We found it by accident several years ago during another equally brief stopover. Yesterday we dined watching dark rain squalls sweep across the city, as low clouds periodically enveloped upper floors of the almost-complete 484-metre high International Commerce Centre; soon to be Kowloon's tallest building.

Our next tourist attraction, the Hong Kong Space Museum, proved another non-starter. It was just our luck to venture across the harbour, enduring sweaty humid conditions only to discover that the museum is closed on Tuesday. I later learnt that, thanks to its harbourfront location, its doors also close when cyclone warnings are in effect. It seemed we'd have been out luck regardless.


Growing desperation saw us cross the harbour again to catch the Victoria Peak tram. We were determined to experience at least one tourist venue. This proved to be an inspired decision. The wind was brisk and cooling on the observation Skydeck, making for a blessed reprieve from the steamy tropical climate downtown. Our feeble UK-acclimatized bodies had been struggling all afternoon with the sticky heat.


Our final hours in Hong Kong were spent dining at Nobu, a Japanese fusion restaurant over-looking Victoria Harbour. I'd reserved a window seat months ago. The view was spectacular and food; divine. All too soon it was time to return to the airport for an overnight flight to West Australia. We're now ensconced in a top-floor room at the Sheraton in Perth, enjoying another spectactular view across the city and the Swan River.