22th January, Sunday---See Hong Kong WTO Pia Zui

Today is Sunday and I am ill. No one like to be ill, butI hate most being ill on weekends.

Because weekend ill cannot MC so most boh hua (lousy deal) one.

So while I rest at home, I tell you about my recent trip to Hong Kong. I was at Hong Kong for holiday from 16th Dec, Friday to 18th Dec, Sunday 2005.

Believe it or not, the weekend that I was at Hong Kong, zun zun kena the WTO meeting there.

Did I get to see the over 1,000 Koreans pia zui (gang fight) with the Hong Kong police?

Yes, I did.

Getting to Hong Kong

How I get to Hong Kong?

I take economy first class.

No I cannot take first class. It means that I take economy seat. And some more on a budget airline. So it's the cheapest way possible to Hong Kong.

A Tourist Milking Machine

Hong Kong is a very well-oiled machine built to milk tourist dollars. You don’t need to buy any Hong Kong map before hand.

Before you can get out of the airport, you will be already stuffed full of maps given free-of-charge by the promoters there. These free maps are actually very good. They have all the information you need as a tourist. From map of MTR stations, to the major tourist attractions. Basically, they tell you how to spend money in Hong Kong.

But one of this free map got this funny slogan. It shows that Hong Kongers are very direct people. It also shows that their English are not very good. It says on its front page:

“So many places to shop, so little money.”

And I thought only the Japanese have weird English.

Welcome to Hong Kong.
Jackie Chan is Big in Hong Kong.

Some Places I Went To

I was there for vacation. I traveled free-and-easy. Hong Kong has a very good public transport system. So one can easily travel around Hong Kong without needing the guidance of a tour group.

A beautiful view of Hong Kong Island from the their famous Victoria Peak.

The bus ride up and down Victoria Peak can be quite a thrill.

Photo taken from the front row seat, top floor of double decker bus.

It is sort of an alternative to roller coaster ride.

I also went to Ocean Park.
This is the cable car ride to the upper half of Ocean Park.

Ocean Park got all the sea animals like dolphins and seals.

One would think it is beside the sea.

But ironically, it is actually on top of a mountain.
I wonder how they transported those dolphins and sea lions up this steep mountain?

The Tian Shui Wan.
Or Shallow Water Bay.
Yes, there actually is a Deep Water Bay. It's next to the shallow one.

How to Tell A Singaporean from a Hong Konger

To Ang Mohs, they probably think that Singaporeans and Hong Kongers (it's not Hong Kees) look a like. To me, all the Ang Mohs look a like.

But no matter how much a Singaporean can look like a Hong Konger, there are ways to tell Singaporeans apart from Hong Kongers, even from a distance.

Here is how, based on my observation from my 3 days of stay at Hong Kong:

1. At the Travelator.

At the airport, I saw got Travelator. So I very happy. No need to walk. I just stand on the travelator and let the travelator move me along.

After a while, then I notice that I am the only one left standing on the travelator. All of the Hong Kong people around me are walking on the travelator. They don't stand still on the travelator one. They walk.

Singaporeans use travelator to save them from walking.
Hong Kongers use travelator to help them to walk faster.

2. In the restaurant.

Hong Kong is a very jam packed place. So in their restaurant, all their tables very small and full of people one. And if you want to wait to get a table all by yourself so that you can whisper sweet sweet things to your cai (girlfriend), then you will never get a chance to eat.

In Hong Kong, it is always crowded so you need to share table with other people one. A bit like eating at Raffles Place in Singapore, especially at Golden Shoe hawker centre.

So I learnt very fast. I see got 2 free seats, we quickly take. I and my friend share the small table next to a Hong Kong couple.

Hong Kongers are very efficient people. So very quickly, the waitress served us 2 glasses of Chinese tea.

I was a bit thirsty from just now shopping. So I drank the Chinese tea.
As I drank, I noticed the Hong Kong girl sitting beside me, kept staring at me with her eyes open wide wide.
Basket, never see before Singaporean is it?

Then I noticed that the waitress also served the Hong Kong couple the same 2 glasses of Chinese tea.
But instead of drinking the Chinese tea, the Hong Kong couple put their chop sticks and spoons into their Chinese tea!

I was stunned. I started to look around the restaurant. I realized that on other tables, they wereall doing the same thing.

So in Hong Kong, the Chinese tea is used to wash the chopsticks and spoons, and not for you to drink one!

Don't be like me.
Remember, their free Chinese Tea is not to drink one.
The Hong Kong roast duck and roast pork are super oily, but super yummy too.

Basket, that Hong Kong girl sitting beside me.
She see already, why never tell me to stop and still allow me to continue to drink finish my tea?

So in Hong Kong, if you see the blur sotong that go and drink the Chinese tea meant for washing chopsticks, there is a chance the sotong is a Singaporean.

The bowl of noodle is called Kong Chai Meen.

Or "Worker’s noodles". I really like it. It is a simple dish: instant noodles, with ham and egg.
You can try an authentic version of this in Singapore as well.
Go to Ngee Ann City, basement.
Restaurant named Central (Zhong Huan), after the CBD of Hong Kong.

3. On the escalator.

In Hong Kong, the cars are all right-hand drive one. That means, the car keep to the left of the road. Just like Singapore. Riding on escalators also got left-hand drive and right-hand drve.

In Singapore, we are taught to keep to our left. So we hold the escalator rail with our left hand.

In Hong Kong, it is the opposite. The Hong Kongers keep to their right and hold the escalator rail with their right hand.

So many times we ride the escalator, everyone else would be keeping to the right and only me and my friend keep to the left (because we forget and stuck to our old Singapore habits).

4. Of all things while on a tour, you take a picture of a bank.

Good to see a part of Singapore contributing to the Hong Kong society.

Some Observations of Hong Kong People

1. They don't usually smile

Even though it is the country that produced some of the funnies comedians like Stephen Chow, Hong Kong people are not a smiley lot as a whole.

In Singapore, the jaen hu everything also like to talk GST. They collect Goods and Services Tax from you. They also like to preach GST (Greet, Smile and Thank you) to the people in order to raise service standards in the country.

In Hong Kong, the people give good service, but in a different way. They will do everything for you sui sui fast fast. But from beginning to end, they will not break a smile. Even their hotel staff also like that.

All their mouth starched to their face one.

So actually Hong Kong girls are pretty, because their skin so smooth. But because they don’t smile, I prefer the Singapore Ah Lians, because at least they smile at you more.

2. They work very fast

In fact, every thing they do, also fast. Walk also fast. I always kena overtaken, while walking in the street, by their uncle and aunty, grandfather and grandmother.

When I first arrive at my hotel, I went to the concierge to check in. A lady hotel staff attended to me. Wah, she quite pretty leh. I still remembered her name is called Joan.

No lah, not she tell me her name. I saw her name tag.

So as she was typing into the computer to check for my reservation, I was talking to her to reply to her usual check-in questions, and also checking her out.

However, I noticed that she got this very serious look in her face, staring straight into the computer screen. And of course, she don’t smile one.

And she was typing into her keyboard, so serious, so fast, as if like she taking part in some SMS competition like that.

I thought, “Wah, why so serious? Type so fast for what? Is it got long queue behind me?” I turned my head around and looked. But not a single other guest waiting to check in.

After a while, I dare not talk to her anymore. She looked so serious and so concentrated.

3. One of the in-thing now is army clothes

I think Hong Kongers have this fetish thing for army clothes.

Out of every 10 young people on the street, whether guy or girl, one of them will be wearing or carrying something with army camouflage.

I show you.

Dam Chio right?

She easily beat our Miss Singapore, Miss China town, Miss Tourism, all flat right?
And she is just a promoter on the street I happen to spot.

Notice that she is wearing a camouflaged skirt.
The girl must think that I am a chi ko pek.

Another thing that is in-thing amongst the girls, is high-cut boots.

See the chio girls' colleagues. Also wear camouflaged skirt and high-cut boots.

Dam sexy man. Don’t know do they still wear them when in bed.

So maybe Hong Kong girls will be crazy over Singapore guys. Why?

Because we all have No 4 camouflaged uniforms. Some more, ours are really authentic ones. Really issued by army and really is army uniform. Theirs all bluff ones.

So if you plan to go to Hong Kong soon, wear your army No 4 and army boots there. I tell you, you will be hotter than Andy Lau.

6. They will not bump into you

You got see the Malaysian bikes on Singapore road or not? They all experts at squeezing through traffic right?

Hong Kong people also good at squeezing through traffic. But not with bikes. But with people.

Hong Kong is a very small place. Everywhere is jam packed with people.

I show you.

Typical human traffic at major shopping areas

It is like our Singapore China town area, during the peak Chinese New Year period. Full of people.

The difference is that in Singapore, with so many people around, you can squashed like sardine. But in Hong Kong, even with so many people walking so fast, no one will bump into you.

So if you think you want to “bump” into pretty Hong Kong girls there, you can wait long long.

7. Motorcycling in Hong Kong

There are far fewer motorcycles in the places that I was at: Kowloon and Central, compared to Singapore.

The types of motorcycles I saw are mainly commuting types. That is, scooters and Super4s. I saw a few 400cc sport bikes. I did see one CBR1000RR4 Fireblade.

There could be a few reasons for the fewer motorcycles:

1. Hong Kong public transport is very developed, especially their MTR. So there is no real need to ride around in a motorcycle. Just hope onto the MTR and a few stops later, you are there.

2. Parking can be a problem. I noticed that in Hong Kong, motorcyclists do not anyhow park their bikes on pavements. They only park in designated bike lots. And parking lots are really a premium in land-scarce Hong Kong.
   

I saw this scene where a man waited for 10 minutes for an empty motorcycle lot to park his bike.

3. It is ironic to me that Hong Kong is known to be a freer society and Singapore is a fine (as in summon) city. Yet in Singapore, it is much even to park your bike than in Hong Kong.

4. It can really be cold to ride in Hong Kong. I was there during winter and I felt it was really chilly and cold there. Imagine you were riding with the cold icy wind blasting at you on a motorcycle. It is really very uncomfortable. Now I understand why those full tourers like ST1300/1100 and BMW emphasize so much on windblast protection. Because it is essential for riding in cold countries. Thankfully, in Singapore, you can ride all day/all night and all year round.

5. The Hong Kong motorcycle schools look more appealing than those in Singapore, judging based on this Hong Kong motorcycle school advertisement.

Hong Kong motorcycle ad.

If the girls in their motorcycling school are like that, I don't mind re-taking my bike license again man.

f. The police in Hong Kong ride several different types of
bikes. I have seen them ride BMW. I would imagine this would be their favourite as it protects them well from the cold wind blast. I have seen them ride VFR.I also seen them ride a couple of Diversion-like semi-naked type of bikes.

8. Hong Kong Uniforms

If you want to see how the school uniform in Hong Kong compared to Singapore, here it is.

Mind you, I do not have a fetish for school girls in uniforms.
I just want to show you their school uniforms ok?
But come to think of it, their school uniforms are a bit like those of Japanese girls.

WTO: Big Trouble in Little China

When I reached Hong Kong, I know nothing of WTO because whenever I read newspaper, I don't really read the news one. I only go to the 4D and TOTO announcement sections, comics page, the movie section and the sports section.

One day, while shopping, I saw a group of a dozen of people standing by the street singing. At first, I thought they were Christmas caroling. But actually, they were a goup of Koreans doing a peaceful demonstration.

Your average Christmas Carol don't sing
"Down Down WTO".

At first, I thought that after I take a photo of them, I better be prepared quickly run away already in case they buay song and want to hoot (wallop) me. But after I took a photo of them, I realised that they don't mind at all. So I took some more.

When I saw these Koreans singing, I thought, wah, this kind of thing can never happen in Singapore.

In Singapore, got one time, only 3-4 people wear some T-shirt, carry some banner in front of our CPF building, already attracted our riot police in a heartbeat. In Singapore, the jaen hu wouldn't let you sing on the street like that one, no matter how nice your song is.

If you think singing these Korean singing is fun, let me tell you: This is not the real thing. The real show starts later.

Showdown at Central

On Friday evening, just after office hours, I was riding the bus back from Victoria Peak and passing through “Central”, their Central Business District (CBD) area.

I was attracted by long continuous rows of Police vans parked at the road side in the middle of their CBD. Strange sight isn’t it?

This is a picture of the typical Hong Kong Police vehicle. They don't travel in cars, but in vans. Just like what you see in Andy Lau movies.

Then I saw their police was busy mounting mesh wire screens onto their vehicles.

Then I saw many many of their green-clad police was running around in full riot gear (helmet with visor, glass shield, elbow and knee guards, and a big long stick) on the pavement like antsy ants.

I was wondering, what is happening?

Then the bus went pass one junction and I caught a glimpse of the event.

Confrontation and Face-Off

It was a 3-4 lane wide major road in the middle of their CBD. But on this Friday evening peak hour time, the road was completely devoid of cars and deserted. Why?

Standing at one end, was a human wall of Korean demonstrators, that stretched and covered the 3-4 road lanes.

Standing at the other end of the road, separated by a mere 100 metres of clear road, was what looked like the entire Hong Kong police force.

It was also a human wall of rows and rows of green Kong Kong police fully armoured in riot gear, with the first row forming a continuous row with their transparent shield.

It must look like hundreds and hundreds of Hong Kong police already there. Yet behind them, armies of even more Hong Kong police are streaming in like ants to thicken the phalanx.

It looked like exactly like a scene out of a movie like those Roman or medieval time war show, such as Troy or Lord of the Rings.

With such a high concentration of forces packed into such a small area and faced-off against each other, it does not take a genius to know that the inevitable.

What eventually happened and reported in the Hong Kong papers the next day.
Over 1,000 Korean demonstrators slugged it out with the Hong Kong police at Central.
Tear gas, fire and all.

I didn’t get to see the actual clash. Because the bus already by-passed it. If I had known, I would have immediately gotten off the bus, buy buy a drink and a stool, sit down on the side and watch them wallop each other.

Still, the sight of the two sides doing the face-off was already well worth my Hong Kong trip.

Who are these demonstrators and what are they protesting about?

I think the protestors are Korean farmers lobbying against WTO’s call to remove acts (such as subsidiaries or tax reliefs) that protect the Korean farmers’ trade from foreign imports.

While I was at Hong Kong and saw so many Korean farmer protestors, I thought, wah, I didn’t know that there are so many Korean working in farms at Hong Kong.

Kind of strange that small Hong Kong has so many farms needing so many Koreans isn’t it?

I learnt later that these Korean farmers actually flew in from Korean to Hong Kong especially just to do this protest thingy. So no, the Korean farmers don’t work in Hong Kong.

I also learnt that protests and demonstrations are real common in the Korea society.

That is why the Korean farmer protestors in Hong Kong were really highly organized and professional in their ways. From their street singing, to mass bows in front of photographers to the climatic clash.

They were so professional that after fighting out with the Hong Kong police, the Koreans apologized to the Hong Kong people, something like “My apologies for the inconvenience. We have nothing against you. Our target was the WTO. It’s nothing personal. Thanks for being such good host.” No sweat.

I read that there was not much arrests and so the Korean farmers flew out after the WTO was over. Maybe some would have stayed a little longer and went to Ocean Park and Victoria peak.

One Night in Beijing

I spent 3 nights in Hong Kong. I can't think of any song along that line. But it reminds me of another song along the same line: One Night in Beijing.

One Night In Beijng; 陈升的这首<北京一夜>

不想再问你
你到底在何方
不想再思量 你能否归来么
想着你的心 想着你的脸
想捧在胸口 能不放就不放

ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 我留下许多情
不管你爱与不爱
都是历史的尘埃
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING
我留下许多情
不敢在午夜问路
怕走到了百花深处

人说百花地深处
住着老情人
缝着绣花鞋 面容安详的老人
依旧等待着那出征的归人

ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 你可别喝太多酒
不管你爱与不爱
都是历史的尘埃
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING
我留下许多情
把酒对月高歌的男儿
是北方的狼族

人说北方的狼族
会在寒风起
站在城门外 穿着腐蚀的铁衣
呼唤城门开,眼中含着泪

呜......我已等待了几千年
为何城门还不开
呜......我已等待了几千年 为何良人不回来
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 我留下许多情
不敢在午夜问路 怕触动了伤心的魂
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 我留下许多情
不敢在午夜问路 怕走到了地安门
人说地安门里面 有位老妇人 犹在痴痴等
面容安详的老人
依旧等待那出征的归人

ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 你可别喝太多酒
走在地安门外
没有人不动真情
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 你会流留下许多情
不要在午夜问路
怕触动了伤心的魂（人）
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING
不想再问你 你到底在何方
不想再思量 你能否归来呖
想着你的心 想着你的脸
想捧在胸口 能不放就不放
ONE NIGHT IN BEIJING 你会留下许多情
不要在午夜问路
怕触动了伤心的魂

lifted from http://literature.mblogger.cn/dflying/posts/15967.aspx"

When you first hear this song, most people would think that it is an awful song. Because it songs a bit like wayang song. Got this woman singing in a high pitch voice.

But it is actually one of my favourite songs of all time. Why? Because of the lyrics of the song.

If you read the lyrics carefully, it is actually a sad romantic song. A bit like angmoh's Romeo and Juliet and the Chinese' liang sang bo and zu yi tai that kind.

If I were to loosely translate the lyrics, the song is about a old woman in Beijing, still waiting faithfully for her lover to return.

When the old woman was still a young girl, the lover had left her to to go and fight a war (a bit like in Singapore, you kena enlistment letter from Mindef like that).

But the lover then never returned. The young girl waited and waited, and becomes a old woman, not knowing what happened to her lover and still waiting.

The lover actually had died. He had become a heart-brokened wandering ghost, still dressed i his war armour, wandering at the gates of Beijing, looking for his lover (a bit like the angmoh show Ghost).

Romantic but at the same time, sad or not?

Such nice songs often make me wander, how come people can write songs with such beautiful lyrics. Then why Singapore, with so much money, cannot think of better songs but always end up with songs like Count on me Singapore?

Bekok, Last Ride of the Year

31st December 2005, Saturday - Bekok, Last Ride of the Year

Very aptly, Spectrum organised an outing on the very last day of 2005.

Bekok is not anywhere in between Singapore’s Bedok and Buki Batok.
Bekok is a small town/village somewhere between Keluang and Segamat. And there is supposed to be a waterfall there, as well.

Malaysia everything also have. I read in the papers that someone in Malaysia claimed that there is a Malaysia Bigfoot living around the Endau Rompin area, which is where the Bekok waterfall is near. Maybe got chance to see this Big Ah Meng swimming in the waterfall.

The day ride itinerary is as follow:

The ride will take me on some NS highway riding. And it takes me back to the sua pa lor (country side road) that I just went on my last trip, my favourite J32 near Pagoh.

To Meet-up Point

This is a very nice picture of the Singapore skyline, shot by Spectrum over the Sheare's Bridge, as he was heading towards Esso GP, our meet-up point.

When I saw this photo, I am reminded of how beautiful our planet is and how beautiful our sunrise can be, even in Singapore.
Then why I still always like to wake up so late and miss all this?!

At the meet-up point, it is like a market place.
Because there are 26 bikes coming for this ride!

Got one garang Phantom; one FJR; quite a few blackbirds; definitely several Hornets; a few quintessential Super4s; 3 lady riders: 2 ride CBR1000RR4 Fireblade, 1 ride Super4; ST11; one 400 scrambler; 2 scooters: Silverwing400, Burgman 650; FireBlade 900; R6; and of course, one Fazer1K (good ol Frost).

Eye in the sky.
A mini-motorised glider over GP Esso.

On to North South

I was the sweeper for this trip. I don’t know why they call the last bike, the sweeper. Sweep what? Sweep stranglers? Or sweep for things that fall off from other bikes?

Anyway, from my view as the last bike, the convoy of 26 bikes remind me of what, you know? Remind me of Singapore Traffic Police operation, after rounding up a large bunch of bikes for illegal modifications, then herding them back to TP HQ at Ubi Road to give summons.

If you want to ask me the lady riders ride fast or not on their Fireblades, I’ll tell you I can’t tell. Because I am the last bike and these Fireblades (Spectrum always like to call them FireBirds, don’t know what is he thinking of) act as markers.

Exit Pagoh

You will think that with these lady Fireblades acting as markers, they will surely catch everyone’s attention. I tell you, you are wrong.

One bike, overshot and missed the Pagoh exit, even though the lady Fireblades have parked their bikes at the Pagoh exit to mark the turn-off.

Fortunately, the strayed bike realized his mistake, turned-up and rejoined back to the group. This incident has no serious implication other than cause slight delay and comedy.

Shortly, after the Pagoh toll booth, we reached a T-junction and we turned right.

J32

A few hundred meters, there is the Petronas petrol kiosk that we filled-up before we start our J32 track.

This Petronas was the same Petronas that I went to in my last trip. Being there again brought back sweet memories of my last trip.

Never knew I would be back here again and so soon.

The difference was that in my last trip, we traveled in a small group of 3 bikes. This time round, it is one whole gin gang of 26 bikes.

Convoy leaving Petronas.

I kind of feel like a shepherd.

J32 is a country side road. It leads through nothing but mainly plantations and a few small villages. It is a very scenic and relaxing ride.

Size does matter.
At J32, the bigger the arrow signs, the sharper the bends.

So if you see big big arrow, better seriously slow down.

No Man’s Land at J32.

Swee boh? Nice or not?

This time round, I rode rather fast through J32, compared to my last trip where I rode at a very relaxing pace. If you were to go to J32, I advice taking things slowly to admire the surrounding beauty.

At the end of J32, we hit Route 1. Turn right towards Labis/Keluang.

After riding about 10km or so along Route 1, you will see this sign board below. Turn left to Bekok.

Bekok

After turning off from Route 1, the ride takes you to a short stretch of trunk road. This ride is also very nice that matches that of J32.

The road will cut over the railway track that leads to the railway station at Tanjong Pagar, Singapore.

Shortly after that, the road will take you into Bekok village. Within the village, there is a particular junction where you need to turn right, then turn left (at the next immediate turn).

Carry on straight. You will then see this sign. Turn left.

Watch out: There is a short stretch of road that has potholes. Nothing to worry about. Our Fireblades and ST11 all went through them with no sweat.

WaterFall

This is what the waterfall looks like.

The waterfall is not those steep steep kind like Nigeria Fall. It is gentle mini-falls. In a way, it is good because it is safer and you can access most parts of the water.

People having a good time there.

This is the toilet.

I had quite a bit of challenge in going to the toilet. Because it did not show male or female sign. It only got the alphabets L and P.

Is L male or female? Scully I go into the wrong side and see makcik inside how? Surely mati.

After a while, I learnt. Tandas means ‘toilet’. L is for male (Lelaki). P is for female (Puan). To help you better remember, just think of Longang for male and Papaya for female.

Into the Water

Spectrum playing water with xiao mei mei.

Strange as it is, the water can be very cold. Many of us dare not immerse ourselves fully into the water because the water is too cold.

Also be careful of how you walk when inside the water. Dry rocks are ok. Wet rocks and rocks underwater are slippery. Sand is also ok to walk on.

After playing in the water for some time, I ate my lunch. For this trip, we already packed our lunch to the waterfall to eat. Actually, there is no need to. There are stalls at the waterfall that sell food such as burgers. The burgers cost only 1.5 Ringgit and are quite nice.

My lunch is nasi padang packed in foam box. It reminds me of my SAF reservist training. I never knew I would say this one day: but the SAF food (as of last year) actually taste better than my current nasi padang.

For your information, I have helped you check out the market rates of hawker food in Malaysia. Wanton noodles in small towns should cost around 2.50 ringgit. In KL, it can cost 4-5 ringgit. For nasi padang, it varies greatly between 3 to 10 ringgit depending on what you order. In general, the muslim food seller, tend to be more honest and would not anyhow take you for a ride.

While I bought my food from a local stall, others went through greaterlengths to have special lunch.

Look at him blissfully enjoying his biscuits garnished with canned tuna.
Yum yum. Can I have some too?

The dip at the waterfall is very refreshing and cooling, especially for bikers after a long ride. It is now time to change back to dry clothes.

But this can be quite a challenge.
Look at Spectrum skilfully putting on his socks and riding boots.

Walking to and fro the Tandas can also be a challenge, when barefooted, because of the small little rocks on the floor.

Group Photo

Ride Back

We back-track to Route 1. Then take Route 1 to Yong Peng, then North South back to Singapore.

The ride back. Heading home and towards 2006!

I wish you a safe and enjoyable ride, good health and prosperity in 2006!

*Many of the nice pictures here are courtesy of Spectrum.