Into the Mainland We Go

I am not awoken by the alarm today but by Tom telling me I have 10 minutes before we are due to meet our first guide downstairs. I think I had one too many beers last night and slept through my alarm, so panic mode engaged. I get up and I am ready and dressed in ten minutes. Downstairs is Erika, Tom and Alfred. Alfred is our guide for today in Hong Kong and Tom and Erika are my new travel companions. I also learn that Flo, who is suppose to be our fourth travel companion, won’t be joining us, having turned up for a tour of Mainland China without a visa and, for anyone who has read my first post, knows getting a Chinese visa is easier said than done. Even more so when Alfred tells me it is a Chinese national holiday this coming week and all the government buildings will be closed for the rest of the week. Seems like Flo won’t be joining us for a while.

Once we are all introduced and our bags are locked in a secure area we head out to Hong Kong Island, more specifically Victoria Peak. We load onto the tram and are through the tunnel and at our destination in no time. There is a gondola up to the Peak that has an outstanding safety record having never had an incident since its opening. Like many things on Hong Kong Island the peak is named after the late Queen Victoria, another remnant of a colonial past. The Peak is amazing, a beautiful view across not only HK island but most of Kowloon as well. Alfred tells us about how some of the property here is the most expensive in the world, reaching up to half a million per square metre. I am not sure I fully believe this but it is interesting to hear. Apparently a person’s wealth can be directly correlated to how high their property is on the mountain; the higher you are, the wealthier you are.

At the top is, what is essentially a shopping mall, although when we get there most of the places are closed as it is still relatively early in the morning. Like most of the hotter countries I have visited, the days start and end later here. The group head to the observation areas taking photos and enjoying the views, Alfred points out some of the major buildings and tells us a little of HK’s past, not only with Britain but with China too. Alfred is of the opinion that it is only a matter of time until HK is fully incorporated back into the mainland. After all the British lease of the territory has been up for years now, so the Chinese government have a rightful claim, at least that’s how Alfred sees it. I don’t really know enough about the turbulent geo-political past of this place to understand the ins and outs, all I can say is that I have enjoyed my short time in Hong Kong enormously.

Once we are back down we head back to the metro via the HSBC building. The bank has a fascinating history in Hong Kong which we don’t have time to fully get into as we wander through their walkway enjoying the beauty of the building. Under the building itself is a line on the ground marking what used to be the waterfront of the island. Throughout history the island has grown in size through reclaimed land being added to allow for expansion. The building which used to sit on the water front is now more inland, but still very impressive, apparently the outer and inner design guided by Feng Shui experts. After cutting through the building we head back to the hostel to pick up our bags via the metro. By the way the metro is so impressively clean and efficient it puts the London tube to shame.

Stunning views at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) building, Hong Kong

Once we have our bags we are ready for a day of travelling into mainland China via train. We head to Kowloon station to get the train to Shenzhen where we go through immigration. A surprisingly smooth and hassle free process, a lot easier than getting the visa itself. Once through Alfred takes us to lunch for some spicy noodles. Annoyingly there are no ATM’s in the station and the place where we have stopped to eat won’t take card. I am finding out most places in China won’t take card, instead there is Alipay, something none of us have set up having never heard of it before. It is a system that uses QR codes to transfer money digitally; why this can’t work in conjunction with card machines is beyond me but, hey, Alfred pays for us and accepts Hong Kong dollars in return – cash we've been able to get out before getting on the first train. The noodles are nice, although I have to say not as spicy as advertised. After we have eaten we are brought to the station gate where we say goodbye to Alfred.

Erika, Tom and I find the platform by ourselves and take a guess to which of the sets of numbers indicating which car will be where, is the correct one. Luckily we get it right and find our seats with ease, something I had been worried about when Alfred told us we only have three minutes to get on the train. The three and half hour journey to Guilin West goes fast, as I smash through pretty much the whole first season of Formula One: Drive to Survive. Once there we meet Ping, our guide for our time in Yangshou, which is a town a drive away from the station. So we use the restroom and then into a minivan and head straight off. Once at Yangshou we drop our bags at the hotel we are staying at and go straight out to dinner. Ping has arranged some food for us at a local restaurant, I order a beer, I wanted to avoid alcohol but it is more expensive to order a soft drink, so get a beer instead. After the food the group heads back to the hotel for an early night, exhausted. I say an early night but it was 11pm which for me these days is relatively late. Hopefully tomorrow I wake up fresh and eager to explore this new town.

Feng Shui design

An immaculate Metro

Onwards into China via Shenzhen North Railway Station

Our first night in Yangshou