April 2007 - China
My second last day in Hong Kong began with a trip to the tailors for a fitting for a new suit (actually it started with a banana, but you don’t need to know that). After all the adjustments were made to what I hoped would be the perfect suit I had to bootscoot back to the Hotel. I had to meet with the Director of IT in Hong Kong, Chin Lee.
Chin took me on the best site inspection that I have ever had. He showed me everything from the back of house offices (meeting a few old friends along the way) to the Residence swimming pool and gym, some of the residence’s apartments, Executive Club, Spa and then he kept asking if there was anything else I wanted to see. I saw as much as anyone could possibly see, loved every second of it, especially the number of moments where your jaw just dropped. There were a few, when I saw inside the Spa, the French restaurant Caprice, the Executive Club Level, Residence Pool and Gym, it is a STUNNING hotel. Chin also took me for lunch in a little Shanghaise restaurant which is part of the IFC shopping mall, had a great meal.
After seeing the Hotel inside and out it was time to see Hong Kong for the Peak. We headed to the top of the peak by tram and picked the perfect day to look back on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The sky was blue and the fog/smog was minimal. So many pictures later we headed back down from the peak.
Once again I was able to 'dump' the parents and head out to dinner with two new friends, Clark and Ash, Canadians living in Hong Kong. We took the Star Ferry across to a Thai restaurant that had been recommended to Clark by another friend. The Thai restaurant was in a golf club with a view of the three storey driving range (for something a little different).
The wine was flowing as well as the conversation, afterwards Clark said that we should "turn it up a notch" and head for the bar on top of the Peninsula Hotel (that really famous hotel in Hong Kong). I was all for this change of pace so off we went, walked into the Hotel and headed up to the bar. Met this Scottish guy in the lift that had been travelling around the world and had last been in Sydney. So we started chatting as we entered the bar, but that was short lived (sorry Ash, I have to write this!) We were turned away at the door of the bar because the power tripping hostess didn't like Ash's shoes. So we had to say goodbye to the Scottish traveller (who we would have invited to have a drink with us) and headed across the road to the Sheraton because I had recalled Mum and Dad mentioning the bar on the top floor (we stayed there the first time I was in Hong Kong).
These people were more than happy to let us in for a drink because of a minimum charge that is just a little higher than one cocktail (cheeky buggers), but I finally had a decent Mojito so I was more than satisfied and the view was cool too. They declined my credit card, but that is a story in itself for tomorrow. We chatted and chatted until it was time to head back to the Hotel. I had a 8am spa appointment the next day, my last in Hong Kong (not the smartest move I ever made) and Clark had to work so it was quite a reasonable hour when I stumbled (not really) back into the room with Mum saying, "I was just wondering where you were." Her usual statement.