Roll On Hong Kong

Greetings from Hong Kong!

Well well well, it has been over two months since I moved (back) to Hong Kong, but it definitely feels like much longer than that. And what a fascinating time it has been.

During that time, I have:

• Successfully completed a project assignment for Earthwatch, acting as a facilitator for their Alcoa Sustainability Fellowship program. It was a great learning experience for me and I had loads of fun!
• Started working for a local consultancy as a Sustainability Advisor, which has been interesting. Lots to learn and plenty more to look forward!
• With the help from a friend, mapped out my life goals and a one-year plan to go with those.
• Explored parts of Hong Kong I had never seen before -- Mai Po Nature Reserve (米埔), Tiu Keng Leng (調景嶺), Long Ke Wan (浪茄灣), Cheung Po Tsai cave (張保仔洞), Lion Rock Hill (獅子山), and the Heritage Lodge (饒宗頤文化館).

• Revisited some excellent locations -- Cheung Chau (長洲), Sai Kung town (西貢), TST pier (尖沙嘴), Lan Kwai Fong (蘭桂坊) and Ladies Market (女人街).

• Met some interesting people at a number of networking events.

• Trialled a Kempo class -- sadly no one else came, but I did get a good workout and revision of the techniques.
• Done some comprehensive research into the local mobile and broadband providers. Message me if you’re new to Hong Kong and want any advice ;-)
• Had a few visitors already, and looking forward to many more in the coming months :)

A bit about my typical day, in case anyone thinks I've been bumming around all the time ;-)

So as a contractor I “work from home” on most days (but that also means I have to be disciplined). What that really means is that my commute is usually a 3-minute walk (more time for sleeping!) -- either to the local library (my primary office), or the local McDonald’s or Starbucks (my secondary office). The local library is actually a great place to work -- it is free, quiet, has good WiFi, and has decent opening times (9am-10pm most days; 12-10pm on Thursdays, 9-5pm on Sundays). But there are some drawbacks: the air conditioning is often too cold; being a library I can obviously only take calls outside in the corridor; the toilets are pretty dirty and smelly. Otherwise, McDonald’s and Starbucks are excellent alternatives if I need a change of scenery, or when the library is not open. Only thing about McDonald’s is it doesn’t have power sockets, so I can only stay there for as long as my laptop’s battery life. Obviously both locations come with a price tag -- the lowest expenditures are $4 for an ice-cream cone in McDonald's (but very unhealthy), or $25 for an iced coffee in Starbucks (but I'm trying to cut down on caffeine). But hey, beggars can't be choosers. It’s usually harder to keep your seat in McDonald’s if you want to leave your seat to use their (very dirty) toilet. It can be pretty noisy too, as it is often filled with rampaging kids. Some might even sit next to you and read out loud what you’re typing. Very annoying indeed. Starbucks is generally much better by comparison, though I've had to write to their head office to suggest they turn down their air con as I'm usually freezing cold despite wearing an extra layer of long-sleeves. 

I have also managed to maintain my meat-free diet. In all honesty it has been much harder to do than in the UK, especially when I eat out. Everything seems to have pork these days, even “prawn dumplings”. But it is doable. Guess I just have to eat more fish balls and sushi!

I must admit that the premise for my move to Hong Kong has changed somewhat - things haven’t quite turned out quite how I wanted / expected them to. But, c'est la vie, here I am nonetheless, and I should definitely not let it be a reason for not making the most of my time here or make it as successful as possible. Roll on Hong Kong.

The madness of Venezuela

Most of the travellers I've spoken to felt it was too dangerous to go to Venezuela, yet they were very curious and found it a fascinating place. Safety was my biggest concern too; I'd been advised against travelling to this country by several friends; a film crew from a Chinese travel program went to Venezuela and had to be picked up by armed guards on arrival; the FCO advised against all travel to the Venezuelan-Colombian border (though that wasn't where I was going).

Bearing in mind that my entire stay was organised through a hiking agency - from pick up on arrival to drop off on departure at Caracas airport - my experience was probably quite sheltered and skewed. Nevertheless I'll share my experience and some of the things I learnt during my two weeks there.

1. Currency

If you do go to Venezuela, MAKE SURE YOU TAKE US DOLLARS with you. At the time of my visit, November 2015, the official exchange rate (e.g. xe.com, rates used by credit/debit card companies) was around 6 Bolivares to the dollar. The exchange rate at local casa de cambios (e.g. Italiocambio) was around 200 to 1! But if you changed your dollars on the black market (e.g. anyone in the street or shops willing to do so, but be careful), the rate ranged from 600 to 800 Bolivares to the dollar!!

Which is why you should never use your credit or debit cards under any circumstances!

The largest note is Bv100 (a typical lunch in a local restaurant sets you back Bv1200). It is not uncommon for people to carry thick wads of cash. Wallets are pretty useless!

The highly ridiculous differences in the exchange rate was largely due to the huge desire for US dollars, presumably because of the highly volatile commodities, and the seemingly worthless local currency.

Locals cannot change their Bvs for USD. Importing goods (e.g. medicine) is therefore extremely expensive for locals, but sometimes they have no choice as pharmacies do not have 60% of what they should have (due to insufficient funds to import).

2. Oil and petrol

1 Bolivares buys you 10L of gasoline (that's 1/600 US dollar if you changed the money on the black market)!!! The country is rich in oil, and has been relying in it since the start of the 20th century, but currently it has no capacity to refine. A big refinery blew up a few years ago, and has not been repaired it replaced. It now trades oil with America for part cash part gasoline.

When I was in Santa Elena there was a very long queue for the petrol station. It was mainly because Santa Elena was so close to the Brazilian border that people were crossing from Brazil to fill up tanks or locals filling up to resell the petrol over the border.

3. Industries

Many Venezuelan industries have collapsed. Many mining and metal extractive industries now owned by the Chinese. Its reliance on oil has meant that all other sectors have been neglected, hence the import of almost everything (e.g. toilet paper).

4. Livelihoods

Some Venezuelans only earn Bv8000 ($15) a month, a whole chicken costs Bv1200-1800. Typical local breakfast costs around Bv100-400. Food basket for an average family costs Bv80,000 per month but supervisor at post office earns only Bv15,000.

Several years ago Chavez lowered the price of beef from 20/kg to 3.8/kg enforced with guards for 3 years so no more meat sold on official market. Corruption prevails, according to a local.

Unemployment is high. Education system was screwed up in the 80s/90s, even everyone could pass high school and university. School teachers were lazy and students didn't have to do much to qualify, who have now become the "lost generation". Most of the population is 35 or under, but lots of people do not understand the failures of the state. Some blame the Chinese for 'milking them'. Lots of people have left the country for better opportunities.

Due to low stocks, when buying things in some shops, e.g. pharmacy, proof of us required - only certain digits can buy on certain days of the week. A way to ration and stop people from buying stock up to sell on black market.

Venezuela - Travel Tips and Advice for the Roraima trek and Angel Falls

I did both Roraima and Angel Falls with Hike Venezuela, costing a total of $660. I've included the itinerary at the bottom of this post.

When taking overnight buses, make sure you bring a fleece and sleeping bag. The air conditioning on long distance buses is very powerful and it gets really cold. Keep all your valuables with you.

Also bring enough food and water, the bus does not stop for dinner or snacks. There is a toilet on board but it's quite disgusting. The lights go out pretty much as soon as you set off, and the reading lights don't work, so there's not a lot to do for 12 hours.

Not far into the trail you will be attacked by puri-puri, small flies that bite and leave a red round mark / dot. They are much itchier than mosquitoes and they are not afraid of DEET! I had another bug repellent (Care Plus from Decathlon, active ingredient Citriodiaol 19.2%) which did work. Having a head net also helped (but I got lots of funny looks from other people).

Pack warm and waterproof gear (jacket, gloves, hat, poncho). The weather changes more regularly and abruptly the closer you get to Roraima. Temperatures drop as well as you go higher up, especially when the sun is gone. The persistent mist/fog at the top also makes it feel colder. You'll also have to walk under a waterfall on summit day, so bring a poncho (I had an umbrella but that meant I couldn't use one hand, which could have been disastrous on a slippery climb). Have a rain cover for your rucksacks.

Bring a couple of pairs of spare socks. You'll need to cross two rivers and the rocks are very slippery, but having socks on helps.

Your agent will tell you this before you set off - put an extra plastic bag liner inside your rucksack, in case the rucksack falls into the water from the river crossing. If you have dry bags that's even better.

There was no electricity at all for 6 days so bring extra batteries for your phones and cameras. It gets pitch dark by 6pm (in November) so we just went to bed after dinner. The upside was I woke up naturally quite early everyday, around 5am, which was perfect for seeing sunrises.

You can wash (yourself and your clothes) almost everyday, in River Tök, at the base camp and also at the top if using natural organic biodegradable products. Be warned, the water is cold though.

Always pee away from water sources. For no.2, your porters will dig a hole in the ground at the camp sites below the mountain. At the top you should be using a plastic bag provided by the porters, who will also give you white powder to line the bag (I couldn't work out what the powder did but I didn't spend too long investigating either). Tie the bags up and the porters are supposed to take them down the tepui to be disposed of. Never leave your waste in at the top or in the open, and insist on your porters follow the rules (sadly I saw lots of human waste left behind).

There are lots of quartz crystals at the top. They are beautiful but don't take any away. Sadly lots of people do this. Not only is it illegal it is also immoral.


When trekking especially coming down try not to use trees for support too much - quite a few young ones are already loose and on the verge of being pulled out by tourists holding onto them for balance or support. It's bad for the trees' health but also dangerous for the trekker.

If you see any litter on your way up, mark them outso you can pick them up on your way down.

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive in Caracas and overnight hotel - US$35pp

Day 2
Internal flight to Puerto Ordaz (8am) - US$25
Transfer to Cuidad Bolivar (9.30am, 60 minutes) - US$15
Night bus to Santa Elena (5pm, 12-16 hours) - US$10

Day 3
Arrive in Santa Elena (7-10am), overnight in posada - US$10
 
Day 4-9 
Roraima Trek 6D/5N (5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners) - US$245
 
Day 9
Afternoon back from trek (3-4pm)
Nightbus to Puerto Ordaz (5-6pm, 12-16hours) - US$10

Day 10
Arrive in Puerto Ordaz (7-8am), overnight in Posada - US$10

Day 11-13 
Angel Falls 3D/2N - US$245

Day 13
Flight back to Puerto Ordaz (9-10am)
Flight to Caracas (5pm, 1 hour) - US$20
Overnight hotel - US$35

Day 14

Transfer to international airport

Gratitude

I am grateful to my parents, for everything they have done for me throughout my life; for all the cold long dark days they had to endure at the takeaway; for dealing head on fearlessly, or sometimes fearfully, with the uncertainties that moving to a new country brought; for painstakingly learning pretty much all my primary school curriculum with me while running the shop (except that time when my Dragon Ball Z comic book got ripped up). Forever indebted, no words can describe it.

I am grateful to my sisters and family, for all the support they've given me, especially behind the scenes; for the fun we had when we were much younger (and for using me unsparingly to run errands for them); for their trust; for their wise advice when most needed; for the amazing meals you've cooked for me; for being there no matter what. Thank you.

I am grateful to all my friends - past and present; the critical ones (you know who you are) for keeping me on my toes; the wise and reflective ones for asking me the important questions and making me think; the fun ones for bringing more colour into my life; the similar ones for making me see my flaws; the ones with completely different personalities for making me less monotonous and a bit more interesting. Even those who have walked in and out of my life have contributed to making me who I am today. Thank you for being there when I most needed you, thank you for being there even when I didn't need you, thank you for your inspirations, and thank you for not judging.

I am grateful to my Kempo teachers and training partners - you are all both my teachers and my friends. You have kept me from getting fat (hard to believe eh?), taught me a lot about the martial way and Zen philosophy, and played a big part in my twenties. Without Kempo and without you, I would probably be a completely different person today.

I am grateful to all the people I have worked with - colleagues, clients and friends; for all the opportunities you've given me to learn and develop; for all the fun we had together that made work more bearable; for all the free teas and coffees and biscuits and beers and champagnes; for the trust you placed in me even if sometimes I didn't know what I was doing!

I am grateful to the people I have met on my travels, fellow travellers and locals alike; for enriching all these unique experiences; for giving me directions when I'm lost; for going the extra mile to help me fix my bag zip or looking after my phone when I left it behind and so much more; for your recommendations and travel tips; for putting up with my snoring.

I am grateful for being alive! Can you imagine being otherwise? It'd be pretty boring I think.

I am grateful for the air, every breath so refreshing and revitalising.

I am grateful for my eyes, for allowing me to see so many beautiful things. And I am grateful for all the beauties in this world - the sunsets, the sunrises, the blue skies, the turquoise and deep blue waters, the snowcapped mountains, the lush green forests, the magnificent rainbows, the brilliant starry skies, the light and the darkness.

I am grateful to my food - you taste great (most of the time) and you keep me going. And I am grateful for my taste buds and my stomach, for all the wonderful sensations I experience everyday!

I am grateful for my body, for allowing me to travel and do all the things that I want.

I am grateful for my mind, for letting me think and wonder and imagine and ponder and appreciate.

I am grateful for the world - mother nature - the mountains, the seas, the lakes, the trees, the wildlife, the cities, the people - for giving me opportunities time and time again to let me experience and learn about you.

Thank you all.