"Southern China Trip 2007 : First Stop : Kowloon" China by soundchaseruk

After 30 years of marriage and joint holidays with my wife I decided I wanted a holiday alone to explore myself and the Chinese way of life. So this was to be " a holiday of a lifetime" and a "one - off" - although I kinda knew that if this worked out I'd want to do it all again !! I planned the trip for a year and finally arrived in hong Kong from the Uk on 12th October 2007. What hit me first was the high rise apartment blocks, and the scale of things. Especially of interest to me were the old apartment blocks that looked like they need demolishing, and I thought "people live in these ?? " !!! However I was fortunate enough to stay in one of the many apartment blocks and found the rooms really nice, its just the outsides which need attending to.

Chungking Mansion

Having booked the "guest house" on the net (although on arrival they had no record of it) I entered what seemed like a film set of the underworld, which was Chungking Mansion on Nathan Street Kowloon. Teeming on two levels with an amazing mix of Africans, middle eastern folk, and backpackers looking for a cheap place to bed down, the cooking smells and hustle and bustle was such a suprise. Finding the right lift lobby to my house was a challenge in itself. Clutching my belongings tightly I eventually made the lift and floor kinda wondering what I had let myself in for.

Reservation ?? Sorry sir said the Indian man (this place was supposed to be run by an ex-Army English man ) -well maybe he was ?? But wait we have a room. Good God it was small, barely functional and I had to stand in the toilet to have a shower !! For £15 a night I guess I had no choice and I intended to spend the least amount of time here as possible.
The photo shows you the outside of the place, something the websites don't. As the ROUGH GUIDE TO CHINA says, these places are potential death traps if a fire breaks out, but hey !! it was an experience you wou;dn't get in a 5 star hotel, and I did come to China to experience life and to be tested.

Mong Kok Markets

I met up with a local resident who kndly showeed me around the saturday Bird, Ladies and general markets in Mong Kok. I have never seen so many people (well I do come from Cambridge of just 100,000), but what a buzz this place has. The noise from the cars, buses and shops, and the very special cooking smell that fills the streets from street vendors and canteens made this stroll through the streets very interesting. I am sure there were bargains galore if you wanted them, but I wasn't here for the shopping.

A football game was going on in the local stadium, and across the road the sports fields were well used by the locals. The bird market wasn't busy but I imagine people buy these caged birds to hang out outside their windows for some company, when on the 24th floor of the block.

The electrical stores were better stocked than in the Uk as certainly everyone seemed to have the most uptodate mobile and gadget going.

Luckily I picked up a map and info at the airport info desk, as it is essential so you don't get lost. Not everyone spoke English, in fact few did, but armed with a phrase book and a smile I managed to get around, when I was alone.

Back in Kowloon though, i found the Park and the swimming pool complex, which at the end of my stay was most welcome. With temperatures at 30 degrees every day, a swim was most relaxing.

• Pros:A really exciting Place
• Cons:Cheap Accommodation Not Good
• In a nutshell:Busy, Noisey, Fascinating, Electric Hong Kong