Your Egypt

[Hedgehog]

Hello everybody...

Here I am in Hong Kong. Kowloon Bay to be precise. I am visiting my son and his wife, and spending time to experience the Chinese New Year and SHOPPING... :bounce: :bounce:

I flew from Cairo on Tuesday, via Qatar Airlines. I had never travelled with them before and have seen so many adverts on TV about this 5 star airway I thought I might just try it. They offered much lower prices than British Airways and KLM the usual companies I fly with, so I flew business class....wanted a bit of 'pampering' :D

I had to fly from Cairo to Doha, then Doha to Hong Kong. The airline provides private sitting areas for business passengers. At Cairo it was a tad small, full of business men and their laptops. You know, it is so funny to watch a male use a lap top, most cannot use the built in mouse. There were several guys using a 'plug in' mouse to try and access their computers. :smt003 Just imagine watching these men trying to use the mouse...there was no where to 'roll' it. Some used the sofa some used their leg. Well. it provided me with some amusement. :smt042 I find both my sons have problems using the built in mouse on a lap top, I think they are great. It must be a male thing... :smt043

Anyway, to get back to the flight. I had a window seat, and no one sitting next to me. lots of leg room and not too far from toilets. We were served Champagne or soft drinks, of course I went for the fizz. :drunken: In fact it was followed by several Bucks fizzes, I don't know how I managed to get down the steps of the plane at Doha.....but I am on holiday..... :lol:

Doha airport is very security conscious and most of the airport is made from marble, it was every where. Lots of shops, where you can spend your money...and you can use UK pounds, Euro's, or local currency. I had to find the 'privilege' lounge to wait, as there were 4 hours to waste. now here is the problem. The airport 'bus' you to another area where there are business facilities and the waiting lounge are. Lovely large lounge with plenty to eat and drink, and great facilities for meetings and business type going's on but I felt marooned and set apart from the airport. When your plane is due to leave they bus you out to it. Perhaps it was me, but I felt cut off from the main airport, and worried I might be left behind. (I know...you are saying 'stupid madame) or words to that effect.:smt076

The plane was a little early arriving, going through passport control was easy. Egyptians by the way do not need documents to enter Hong Kong, there is a special agreement between Hong Kong and Egyptian powers that be. :thumright: You come into a brand new airport. At one time Hong Kong airport was right in the middle of the housing area, and it....so I am told .....was very scary landing. After being met by son and daughter in law we had a short drive to Kowloon Bay.
As most of you will be aware Hong Kong has very very tall buildings. There are so many people living there that the only way to house people is 'up' The buildings where my son lives are 24 story's high, he is on 6 floor. Lifts are very efficient, and caretakers keep all communal facilities in pristine condition.....very different from Cairo.. There is not a lot of space for gardens......as in Cairo....but what there is, is kept in immaculate condition. Near my sons apartment are two ponds one houses lots of small turtles, and the other is home to many gold fish. There are trees shading the ponds, and at this time of year they are festooned with lots of fairy lights. There are huge pots filled with flowering shrubs at the entrance to all apartments, shopping malls and train stations. every where is decorated with red and gold paper decorations and lanterns...(pictures will be later) It feels like Christmas in the UK.... :smt101

I hit the shops ....running.... on the evening I arrived, and the following day.....bought 4 pairs of sandals ......won't go into the other details. :shock:

Yesterday we went to The Peak...this is the tallest part in Hong Kong. It is a great tourist attraction. There are views all around, they have made the viewing platforms higher since I was last there, but it was very misty so we did not go there. Instead we had a meal in the Decor Cafe......it was not a cafe. but a five star restaurant. We had a beautiful meal and the crowning end was their Crème Brulee.....it is served in a large soup style plate, and flambé when it came to the table.....YUM... :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

A link for The Peak.. http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full/en/index.php

The New Year Celebrations start to day. It is traditional to go to the parents home for a meal...and to visit the evening flower market. So I will let you know more later...

Bye for now...... :smt006 :smt006 :smt006

[Eastern girl]

very nice report hedgy, i just came back and came straight to see how ur doing! enjoy ur trip and write more when u can, photo plz!!

[cebddd]

How exciting to be in HK for Chinese New Year!!

I went to HK on business 3 times this past year flying out of Los Angeles on Cathay Pacific. It is a nice airline but I was flying in economy except for one time I got upgraded to business class . . . my company/client was too cheap to send us in business class, LOL.

I stayed at the Sheraton in Kowloon Bay, which was right in the touristy area with lots of shopping and easy access to the train which we took to the office many times. It is a great way to get around in HK.

I think the weather is probably better for you right now. I went in May, June and July . . . hot, humid, ugh! and typhoon warnings a couple of times while I was there. All very interesting, but I wish I was able to go during the winter because I heard it is nice.

I got some good pix from the Peak. Go to see the Big Buddha . . . the day that I went it was covered in fog, LOL, so I have lots of pix of a big shadowy thing surrounded by fog.

Enjoy your time in HK . . .

[Hedgehog]

Hello everybody…

Its is February 18/2007 the start of the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival.

I looked into the history of this special time of year for the Chinese, and as my Daughter in law is Chinese I thought I would try and show my interest.

There are 15 days of celebration in all. Many people travel back to their birth place to be with their families at this time of year. Some times it takes 3 or 4 days to get back to their families, as many have moved away from their birth home to find work.

Each year is named after an animal and this year it is the year of the pig. :pig:

The first day is the welcoming of the New Year and it is spent at the mother’s home where she will prepare a family meal and all the family will attend.

Many will abstain from eating meat on this day.

We arrived at the home of my D in L’s mother. The table was groaning with a big selection of food. She had cooked some meat as having visitors from different parts of the world she wanted to cater for all needs. After the meal we went to one of the flower markets which spring up around Hong Kong at this time of year. Every where has displays of flowers and pot plants of orange trees. Gold is the lucky symbol at this time of year, and very often if you go to a restaurant for a meal you will be given a tangerine or mandarin type of orange, to represent gold....



On the second day it is a birthday celebration for all dogs, and prayers are said to ancestors

The third and forth days are for sons-in-law to pay respect to parents-in-law

The fifth day is called Po woo. No one visits family or friends, but some think the continual visiting of relatives may cause friction, so a break is advised…..

On the sixth day to the tenth day the Chinese visit their relatives freely. They also visit temples and pray for good health and fortune

We went to visit the Big Buddha The official name is the TainTan Buddha, and he lives at Ngong Ping, Lantau Island. http://www.hong-kong-travel.org/PoLinMonastery.asp

This Buddha is huge…

He is the worlds tallest seated bronze Buddha. The statue is situated near the Po Lin Monastery, the biggest center for Buddhism in Hong Kong. They have commercialized it quite a bit by building a ‘village’ along the route to the Buddha. Here you find shops and restaurants from different countries around the world. To get to the Buddha you have to climb 268 steps and circling the platform (the lotus) where the Buddha sits.

But before reaching you have to get from Tung Chung by using the sky rail cable car, and this goes HIGH. The views are fantastic.



Around the ground people were lighting incense sticks and praying for health and wealth for the coming year. Not just the small sticks you can buy for the home but huge monsters just as in this picture…..



The seventh day the farmers display display their produce. The farmers make a drink from seven types of vegetable to celebrate the occasion. This day is also considered the birthday of all human beings.
You will see many trees decorated with red envelopes. For real they will have money inside, and these are given as gifts to family and workers...such as care takers, cleaners, or if you own a company , give money to your staff



On the eighth day there is another family reunion dinner

The ninth day offerings are made to the Jade Emperor

Tenth day to twelfth day friends and family are invited for dinner. After so much rich food day thirteen a simple meal of rice and mustard greens (like spinach) are eaten which help cleanse the system

The fourteenth day is reserved for preparation for the Lantern Festival which is held on the fifteenth day

That’s all for now…

Bye…. :smt006 :smt006 :smt006

[kamar]

Thanks Hedge for to shared it.
This is a travel I want to do :wink:

[Hedgehog]

Hello everyone.

Better late than never… I have been back in Egypt a few weeks, but just managed to sit down and write the final part about my trip to Hong Kong :wink:

After visiting the Big Buddha I suffered from shall we say politely ‘a gastric problem’ I am not too sure of the reason for this. We did have a Dim Sum meal at the village. For those who do not know Dim Sum is a long list of dishes which you tick off from the list what you would like. Lots of small dishes are brought to the table and you help yourself. You can have 20 or more different choices brought to your table depending on your choice. I have a feeling it was the dumpling that was served with several of the dishes. It is not the sort of dumpling we in the west make…..with flour, water, sometimes fats and when cooked it is light and fluffy. In Hong Kong it is made from rice flower, it is very white and see through, and has a strange texture. I bet some of you out there have had the feeling of putting something in your mouth, and knowing instantly that this is NOT good for you……but you carry on eating…..That was me….... :thumbdown:
So a couple of days were spent with in easy reach of a toilet. :smt090

To end my trip I was taken to Macau. I had often sat in the departure lounge at Birmingham International airport UK and watched the departure board list several planes with destination Macau. I had no idea where it was…..I thought it was in Mexico……I hear you all shouting STUPID… :roll:

Macau was a Portuguese province and they handed it back to the Macau people in 1999. Since then it has become a boom town for gamblers. Huge casinos have been built and they are every bit as big as those found in Las Vegas. It has big hotels and beaches, and historically it is very interesting. So it is fast developing as a holiday resort. :smt033 https://www.cia.gov/cia//publications/factbook/geos/mc.html

You can only get to Macau from Hong Kong by hovercraft. It takes an hour and the sea was calm….thank the lord….my internal organs were still very fragile.
As it was the New Year boats were leaving every hour. The Hong Kong people LOVE to gamble. And my son’s mother in law is first in line for the slot machines. She is a very elderly lady, a bit shaky on the legs, but just feed her and park her in front of a slot machine and she will be as good as gold. She wins….but ploughs it all back into the machines….but she is happy. :bounce:

We stayed at the Mandarin Oriental …
A rather nice 5* hotel. They have their own Casino and designer shops….So I was quite happy. The Casino we went too was called Sands. This is a huge 5/6 floors of gambling tables, slot machines, restaurants, cabaret, and pole dancers. And above all that is the hotel. You are not allowed to take photos inside, so I can’t show you just how vast the place is. But I found this site on internet if people are interested. http://www.worldcasinodirectory.com/casino/the-sands-macau-1018

We had a very nice meal in the steakhouse restaurant, my first in two days, so I kept fingers crossed that it would not disturb my nights sleep… After the meal we parked M in L and S in L at the slot machines and went to walk around Macau city. It is all very new. Purpose built since the hand over from the Portuguese. Lots of shops, places to eat, coast line to view and visit. I wouldn’t mind spending a bit longer there, to check out the historical side of Macau.. .

All the tables on all floors of the casino were VERY busy. Crowds stood round the tables where the customers were having a ‘run of luck’. But you name it and you can play it there. Late into the night we had to drag M in L away from the machines, but straight after breakfast she was back again until the hovercraft was ready to leave.

My D in L left mother, sister, and my son, at the casino and we went off to have a massage. It was here that the lady said to my D in L ‘your friend comes from the UK doesn’t she?’ :scratch: ‘She has that look.’ :scratch: So what look do we people in the UK have? :scratch: How can you tell? Or can you tell? :scratch: Let me say I had not spoken before this was said so she could not tell from my voice. But I will say in reverse…. that when we left I said to D in L ‘that lady came from Indonesia’……D in L looked at me and said ‘yes’ how can you tell. Well for me Indonesian ladies have nice neat tiny noses. (I have always wanted a small nose).. :lol: :lol:

Anyway the massage was great, and after my gastric problems, revived me quite a bit.
We arrived back in Hong Kong quite late, and just fell into bed. All that shopping and casino watching tires you out… :wink: :wink:

The following day I was due to return to Cairo. I arrived in Hong Kong with a large bag, half full…I left Hong Kong with the same bag….FULL, and another suitcase. So I really hit the shops. Luckily I was not stopped at customs. I had my passport checked before I got off the plane so no waiting at control, but what a scrum when collecting my bags and suit cases. Qatar Airlines leaves and arrives at terminal 2 in Cairo….the old and dare I say C R A P terminal…..a mad house. :smt021 :smt101 :smt084

I enjoyed my holiday and the experience of celebrating Chinese New Year. I always come back from places with a 'smell' that reminds me of where I have been. Hong Kong smells of chicken....raw chicken... where ever you go.... :shock: :shock: :shock: Yes, well perhaps I am odd, but that is the smell that reminds me of my stay in Hong Kong :smt120

So what smell is associated with Cairo?.....What are your thoughts?

I am now settled again in Cairo, with my new clothes, gismos and gadgets, trying to work out how to use them..


Bye for now :smt006 :smt006 :smt006