Seems to be a lot of Golden Haggi on Skye for Hogmanay. I can report no sightings in Tokyo but will keep my eyes open.
Most of the 20 or so people at lunch were at Mark’s wedding the previous day. However, there were also a lot of his colleagues + sundry others in attendance. I have to say that another highlight of my visit to Hong Kong was that everyone I met seemed to be genuinely nice and easy going. I think I only managed to bore one or two people to death so perhaps a few will still speak to me next time I am over.
By the time that lunch had concluded, the spectre of my 8am return flight the next morning was becoming ever more real. What better way to banish that spectre? Yes, a return to the Turkish restaurant for more beers. Later in the night, my parents returned to the hotel whilst Mark and I continued talking gibberish to Satu (restaurant owner) and others. I cycled back to the hotel, fell off my bicycle and now have some nice grazing and to my left arm – a badge of honour for surviving a busy Hong Kong weekend.
The worst aspect of my trip was the knowledge of my 8am flight. Catching this flight would mean a 5am start from the hotel, something I proved unable to do. I woke up at 1pm (by which time the flight had actually arrived in Tokyo), cussed and shook my head for a while before a taxi to the airport and working it out from there. I ended up getting an ANA flight at some cost but it was much better than Delta Airlines with a great selection of films and better clientele.
As my time in Hong Kong progressed, so my memory fades………perhaps something to do with the Hong Kong tradition of incessant beer drinking. It goes something like this…….got lost trying to find Mark’s apartment, put on the kilt and associated paraphernalia, ferry over (with beer) to central Hong Kong, beers in The Captain’s Bar of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel (very nice hotel!), wedding ceremony, Pier 7 again for the first reception, return to Mui Wo for the second reception at the Turkish restaurant.
A busy day but nice to see all attendees in their finery. Mark had some clothing issues that saw him borrowing my kilt shoes. There was no solution however to his three-quarter length kilt socks that had shrunk in the wash. The socks provided us all with plenty of chuckles and Foggo, Mark’s friend, quipped that it appeared Mark has picked his kilt up from a cosplay shop.
I think I have written enough about the wedding day itself – I will let the pictures do the rest of the talking. The highlight of the day for me was being ambushed by 4 slinky Chinese bridesmaids from another wedding party, all wishing to get a photo with me in my kilt. I liked.
And we still had champagne lunch to follow the next day...watch this space.
We met up with Mum & Joep who were also staying at the Silvermine – both were looking a bit ragged after their hit-and-miss journey escaping the Scottish winter travel lottery. After a restorative midday all day breakfast in the China Bear pub next to Mui Wo ferry pier, we headed into Hong Kong proper. The groom needed a haircut and the rest of the clan needed to stretch our legs after dicing with deep vein thrombosis the day before. I really enjoyed the ferry ride over – great skyline, unusual sights and smells.
As Hong Kong still retains some fading connections to the old empire, I took the opportunity for a pint of Boddingtons and an accompanying bowl of sticky toffee pudding whilst my parents and I waited for Mark to return. This was followed by further beers in The Junk Pub and Pier 7, a rather nice waterfront hostelry with fantastic views out over the harbour and surrounding skyscrapers. It was a bit chilly sitting in the beer garden but the amazing buildings made it feel a bit special.
Friday night saw us all return to Mui Wo to sit outside the Turkish restaurant in for some more socialising. Lots of pints of Carlsberg, spring rolls, and chit chat. A successful, yet predictable end to Friday night. All in all, a very nice day getting reacquainted with Hong Kong and a welcome change from Tokyo.
Not long until my short trip to Hong Kong. Leave from Narita Airport around 7pm tonight and do not arrive in Hong Kong till a little after 11pm. As I have never flown Delta Air Lines before, I am quite interested to see what they are like. However, I am not overly optimistic as the Delta Boeing 747-400s are hand-me-downs from their merger with Northwest Airlines. I anticipate a decrepit aircraft without personal in-flight entertainment. Despite that, I will be happy to have a short break from work and from Japan.
