Tania in China

Mon, Nov 13: The Escalator to the Sky

Another travel day. I once again am packing a suitcase, flying somewhere, then unpacking suitcases. Who would have thought I would get tired of travel? For me it is not so much the travel part as it is the luggage part. I am really getting to hate packing and unpacking! I am not quite a stuffy this morning, and am not sure if the ginko is working or not. Things seem less bouncy, but it might just be my imagination. This morning I opt for the blueberry pancakes for breakfast and they are good but not spectacular. All in all, I like the lounge in Nanjing better, and the hotel room is much cheaper there!

I ask for a late check-out, then go back to my room and call my sister, who works as a trainer for Ruby Tuesdays restaurants and is currently helping open a new restaurant somewhere around Dallas. It has been quite a while since I have gotten to talk to her, and it is really good to get caught up. I tell her that if Rubys ever opens a restaurant in Hong Kong she should definitely get herself put on the team, and she tells me she thinks they already have one (I looked it up, and they actually have 3!). She helped open a Rubys in Seoul last year, and had a really good time (except for the motion sickness). I have really enjoyed Hong Kong, and think she would, too.

I decide to try the metro today, and have a heck of a time finding the station! I follow the signs underground, but there always seems to be a missing sign somewhere and I miss a turn. I finally get where I need to be, follow the instructions I found on-line, and find myself at the base of the escalators.

The Mid-levels Escalator is the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, operating downhill until 10 in the morning for commuters going to work, and then operating uphill until midnight. The Mid-levels Escalator consists of 20 escalators and 3 moving sidewalks. It is 800 meters long, and climbs 135 vertical meters. Total travel time is 20 minutes.
Due to its vertical climb, the same distance is equivalent to several miles of zigzagging roads if travelled by car. Daily traffic exceeds 35,000 people. It has been operating since 1993.

The ride up the escalators is really something, although no section is longer than a city block. I get to see a bit of the city this way, and I am really sorry I ate so much for breakfast when I spot a Krispy Kreme about halfway along my ride, right next to the escalator, and with it's "Hot Now" sign on! Rats! I pass it by, and as I go higher and higher, the crowds get sparser and sparser until I reach the top and there is nobody around. It had been misting when I walked to the bottom of the escalator, but now at least it is not raining at all, although the extra water has now made things really humid. There is no real indication about where to go or anything to see, so I pick a direction and head off. The sidewalks are narrow, but this city has been designed with walkers in mind. When I reach a freeway, for each freeway ramp and branch there is a separate walking path to end up in the same location. I don't quite know how people keep it straight and figure out how to get where, but I think once you learn it it would be a great system. After a few dead-ends and backtracking, I find myself at the city zoo and botanical gardens. I find amazingly that it is free, and it is also practically empty. It is not a large collection, but very nice for what they have, and it is a nice suprise to find in such a big city.

Some of the animals were sleeping in the heat, but a surprising number were active.
There were some monkeys playing tag in one of the cages, and even some quite peppy tortoises eating and walking around their cage. They had around a dozen different primates, maybe 6 other mammals, and a couple dozen different species of birds.
The leopard was off with the birds, not with the other mammals, and I was shocked to find it awake - I was sure it would be sleeping through the heat of the day. The birds were almost all quite alert, and I spent a bit of time watching them eating and walking.
These flamingoes were quite interesting; when I first came by their cage, they were all huddled in the back of the cage, while a single white duck was down by the front corner. When I passed by the cage again they had all moved to the front section and were all drinking and walking around, until the duck got up and started walking toward them and chased them all back into the back corner! We know who the dominate bird is in that cage! This whole zoo is built on the side of the mountain, and I did quite a bit of climbing up and down the paths looking at the exhibits. I finally decided it was time to head back into town, followed the sign to the bus, made a couple of more wrong turns, then finally found a bus stop where the bus would take me back to the Metro. I had planned to take the ferry one last time, but the bus dropped me off at the metro station and my feet were starting to hurt, so I took the path of least resistance and took the metro.

I needed to eat something, but I was so tired I figured what the heck, I would order a hamburger from room service. I pulled out the menu and found out that the hamburger was $120 HK! Not including the service charge! That is over $15 US! I am NOT going to be eating that hamburger. I lay on the bed for a while, then give in to fate and walk to McDonalds. I swore I would not eat at McDonalds during my China trip, but what could I do? The first thing I noticed was that this restaurant had a McCafe attached. McCafe is McDonalds attempt to compete with the Starbucks on every corner. They have all the requisite coffee beverages, both cold and hot, as well as the cakes and muffins you expect to find. I didn't notice if they had free internet, but everything else was there. I pass by the McCafe and order at the counter. The food did taste exactly as it does back home, and the price was slightly cheaper. It was interesting to see that one of the side alternatives offered with the combo meals was corn - they just seem to love corn over here.

By the time I get back to my room it is time to check out and then go out and wait for the shuttle back to the airport express. The bus is supposed to come every 12 minutes, but I stood for almost 20 before getting picked up; luckily I had added enough time in my schedule for this possibility. The airport express again was an excellent ride, and my only issue is that I forgot to turn in my octopus card at the train station to get my deposit back. Darn! Checkin for my flight was painless, and after checking my luggage I have an hour and a half until my plane. I have got to cut down my waiting time at the airports by a little bit! Going through customs is nothing at all like China - they simply take an exit card from us and we are on our way. I put some effort into trying to use up the rest of my Hong Kong dollars, then go to the gate to sit and read. It finally is time to board and once again we are being bussed to the plane, and I notice that I am one of only 5 or so women on a flight of around 60 men! Really strange - I don't think I have ever been on a flight like this before.

On the plane I once again have an empty seat next to me (yea!), and they serve us a full dinner of noodles with chicken, some type of cold pate and ham wrap as an appetizer, a roll and pineapple. The 2 hours on the plane goes quickly, and again the airport is practically empty when we arrive. This time we had been given all the documents we needed to fill out on the plane, and getting through immigration, customs, and the health inspector is a breeze. It is harder to get out of China than it is to get in! After collecting my bag I am bracing myself to refuse all offers on the way to the taxi line, but nobody approaches me, I get in the first taxi in the line, and it turns out to be my best experience yet! The driver really seems to know what he is doing, he doesn't honk at anybody, and just in general gives me a really good vibe. I am happy.

This time checking into the Sheraton the remember I am platinum, and I am given a junior suite without having to ask. The room is smaller than my last suite, but plenty of room for me. It is practically a full suite - it is on the corner of the building, there is a full hotel-room sized living room, a major pillar in the corner of the building, and a small passage to the bedroom. The rooms don't have a door between them, but they feel really separate. The only bad thing is that this is not a Tower room, so the robe and towels and toiletries are not as nice. I should have bought that robe when I was in the last room! If I don't get a tower room again I will have to ask in the lounge if I can buy one of the tower robes. On the desk is a letter addressed to me listing all my perks as a platinum guest, including access to the lounge for breakfast and for cocktails, so at least that has stayed the same.

Once again I unpack everything, and am really happy I will be in this room for 2 weeks so I won't be packing again for 13 days! Yea! It is almost 11 when I finally get everything organized, so I don't even watch any of my DVDs before heading off to bed. Tomorrow is going to come too early...

posted by Tania @ 3:31 PM