Tuesday 10th March 2015
Early start again for the penultimate flight of the trip. Our concern here is case weight, as this is the only flight where we haven’t managed to pay up front for extra baggage – our allowance is only 20kg per person. We have thinned out as much as we can, by ditching liquids and non-essential items. The alarm was set for 6am and we went down for breakfast in the restaurant. It was as good as yesterday, though we avoided the jellyfish salad and stuck to the usual plate of fruit and yoghurt followed by a hot selection and a couple of pastries.
Back in the room for more repacking and juggling items, sneaking heavier items into our carry on bags. Using the bathroom scales, we weighed the cases, we know they were over but weren’t sure by how much. We checked out and got a taxi. It is wet again and the drizzle looks set for the day. We know there is a toll road out to the airport, but the driver decided to head through the city instead. The traffic is manic all the time, but as rush hour the chaos is multiplied, with traffic going in all directions, we just smiled and were thankful again someone else was driving.
It is quite a long run out to the airport, it started very slowly but as the traffic thinned out the pace increased and the estimate of 45 minutes was about right. The fare was 350,000VND, which is just over a tenner. We made our way inside the new looking huge international terminal the Vietnam Airlines area was absolute bedlam, with people queueing up to get into the area where the check in desks are located.
A quick scout round revealed that there very few people in web check in queue. The problem was getting in the bartered area. We used our height and Englishness and managed to barge our way to the web check in desk, where there were only three young Vietnamese lads in front of us. they were being sorted by a young, stern looking agent, who made them take items out of their cases to get them down to 20kg. It didn’t look good for us.
Eventually, they managed to get their cases sorted and it was out turn. Sue’s case was 24.1kg and mine was 23.7kg. we expected to pay $80 in excess baggage charges but the agent gave us a stern look but didn’t say anything. he just attached tags to the bags and put them through. We debated whether he didn’t want to upset tourists, or wasn’t confident enough to communicate to us. Whatever the reason, we were happy with the result.
We quickly made way through security and immigration to gate 23. Immigration was very slow and thorough, much more so than when we came in. There is no Priority Pass lounge here, so we set up at the gate – it is a very impressive bright, airy, clean concourse and has free wi-fi. there aren’t many shops or restaurants, but that wasn’t a problem as we are still full of breakfast. For the first time on the trip, the gate announcement came that out plane has been delayed.
The delay was announced as 30 minutes but was actually a lot less than that. While we were waiting I got a message to say our room in Hong Kong was ready! We boarded at 1030 and sat in seats 16F and 16G on a pretty full plane with a 3-3 config. I was next to the window and Sue was sat next to a lady who lives in Florida, but is actually from upstate New York, just like our great friend Eileen. (except that Eileen has now moved back to New York State.
Push back was 1035 and wheels up on runway 11 was 1105. I had to content myself with reading the newspaper as it was very cloudy and we lost sight of the ground a few seconds after take off. Then came a real surprise. We got a full meal service, on a flight of less than two hours. We were given a choice of beef or fish. we both had the fish and it came with a prawn salad starter, a really generous pice of fish with rice and veg, followed by a fruit salad. Very nice indeed.
During the flight we put our watches forward one hour. Despite our delay, we came in to land on time. Immigration was no problem, it always seems quick and efficient in Hong Kong – as does the badges, which came through very quickly again. As soon as we were landside we got Octopus cards – each has a $50 deposit and $100 credit, which sounds a lot, but there are $11HK to the pound at the moment.
We are staying out in the New Territories at Sha Tin, as the prices of Hong Kong hotels appears to have skyrocketed and also it is an area we haven’t really explored before. Thanks to Flyertalk I knew that we could easily get to the hotel by A41P bus to Ravana Gardens. We walked to the bus station and there was one at the stand about to leave – perfect! Both of us jumped on and settle down – it wasn’t busy. It is a long run along the 8 towards Kowloon before the first stop. First of all we passed the familiar Tung Chung area with Citygate Outlets,then had a quick ride out to the 9 and finally over the Shing Mun River to Sha Tin -as always in Hong Kong we were amazed at the number of huge high rise flats that are everywhere.
Once we had crossed the river and turned left, the second stop was Ravana Gardens, which took us by surprise a bit, but we managed to get all of our stuff of and we saw the huge Marriott opposite the bus stop. We walked under a subway to the hotel and checked in, no problem. They have lovely staff who gave us lots of info about the hotel and the local area, as well as giving us an upgrade to a river view room 2509.
Once we had got our bags up to the room, we went down to the lounge area to chill and discuss options. The actual lounge is being refurbished at the moment , as they have cordoned off an area adjacent to the lobby. We had a coffee and Sue chatted to the girls and established the the huge local mall is walkable.
The New Town plaza is the biggest mall in the New Territories – it has 350 stores and 50 restaurants on 8 floors, including M&S. We had a nice walk there along the banks of the river with the evening joggers and walkers. I was in shirt sleeves, but it was a little chilly. At the mall we split u and had wander – there is even a Snoopy World Theme park! I had a wander round the camera and electrical shops, but was most impressed with the two Mac computers they have a customer services for guests to use free. Neither of us bought anything and we decided to get the 284 bus back to the hotel – It is a $3.8 fare (about 30p) and stops at Ravana Gardens.
Back at the hotel we discussed meal plans. It is the last night of the holiday and the hotel does a very nice buffet, but it is over £40 a head, and neither of us are that hungry. We eventually decided to eat free in the lounge. They had some lovely hot chicken, as well as tuna baguettes, crudities , pork dumplings (gyoza) and some lovely little quiches. this was followed by green tea cheesecake and washed down with Carlsberg lager / sparkling wine.
After we had eaten, we had a chill and repacked our stuff into three bags instead of the two. The hotel is very impressive and is a full service Marriott in all but name.
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