Hong Kong visit
Here I am in Hong Kong, in the room I am sharing with Lael on the 24th floor of the Park Lane Hotel overlooking the bay from Hong Kong Island, looking NorthWest. It is raining in a rather British way and I can understand why the British chose the place and stayed for a while, although thwir circumstances of getting it are rather shameful to say the least.
We are here with a small group from the small to attend the Apple Education Leadership Summit to devise a vision and goals for the use of ICT at GIS in the months and years to come. That is the plan anyway.
My first impression is of a people obsessed with shopping, which I am not, so feel rather like a fish out of water. The prices are high (compared to Thailand) and it would be a really expensive place to bring the children…I cannot bear the thought of it as I would have to say no to everything! I have managed to get a few luxuries, at a price, but cannot really get marmite as it is about 6GBP…worse than Chiang Mai…my hopes are dashed (sorry Isaac). This is the cheapest hotel of the ones on offer and is xxxGBP/per night. Lunch each day costs about 10GBP and a twix bar is about 70pence. water is 60p/bottle. I am trying to spend nothing if possible but have had to buy a beer or two to be sociable…I had a half as it was about 4.50GBP per pint. The others here seem to be obsessed with shopping. I went out with Lael to a pub this evening and then came back here alone as they were going on to a computer/camera shop and then a market to browse. The market is called.
I was looking on the internet a moment ago to see where the walled city was where jackie Pullinger served as I would love to see the location. I have found that it was pulled down in 1998 just before the handover to the Chinese and is now the site of the Kowloon Walled City Park. For a brief history see http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=4122551
Well, that enough for now…back soon
Andrew