Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Brian - Huntington, IN on October 8, 2007:

I'm sure your tour guide will deluge you with ideas for shopping at Ladies Market and such, but take the train to Lantau Island. It was very much worth the trip!!! We were there for ten days this Spring and while it was fun, I wouldn't go running back there like I would for Sydney.

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We have an extra day available, and Kit has already decided to head there. Thanks for the confirmation of the idea. -rc

Posted by dj, Australia on October 8, 2007:

Ref the photo of you and Kit. Are you very tall Randy or is Kit very small?

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Yes, definitely. -rc

Posted by Robert Kelly - San Francisco on October 8, 2007:

Despite being "passionate in his reply", talk is cheap. This is not really an indication that "At least part of Chinese hospitality industry gets it". When I was in China (Hong Kong and mainland) last year, I spoke to several US-based businessmen. They all said that the Chinese they deal with frequently say what they THINK people want to hear. It seems to be a cultural thing. The US-based businessmen have to expend great effort to discover what the Chinese are really doing as opposed to what they say.

Posted by Felix, Dutch Flat CA on October 8, 2007:

Take the bus! Well, if they still have them ... I was there in the navy, 1974, and on our very first liberty excursion, we piled into the top front of a red double decker bus and rode around until we got back to the start. Two hours for 5 cents, I think. No tour guide, but worth the price.

And the Victoria peak tram was something else. Is it still called Victoria Peak?

But you have the advantage in not having to endure liberty boats ...

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I think things are a tad different now, Felix. With traffic the way it is, I think a full circuit would take more than two hours now.... -rc

Posted by Sean - Sydney on October 8, 2007:

You don't have to go back as far as the 60s for the air in Hong Kong to be much clearer. When I lived there in 1995-97 there was virtually none of the haze you see today.

When I went back for a visit earlier this year I was shocked at the difference, and learned from friends that the haze is pervasive pretty much all year round. It doesn't come from Hong Kong itself of course - it's blown down from the vast industrial cities of Shenzen and Guanzhou just across the border to the north.

Posted by Anthony - Hong Kong on October 8, 2007:

I live in Hong Kong, and have seen the pollution get worse every year! The Hong Kong Government is trying their best to resolve local Hong Kong generated pollution. But the culprit of the choking smog in Hong Kong comes from over the border, Guangdong China. As China has become the factory for the world, making everything under the sun, they are spewing tonnes of pollutants into the atmosphere. And Guangdong province being one of the more developed provinces in China because of its proximity to Hong Kong, continues with their unabated industrial expansion, the sky over Hong Kong will continue to suffer, blanketed by choking smog! Every now & then, when the atmospheric condition is right, and the wind is blowing in the opposite direction, away from Hong Kong, you can see blue sky over Hong Kong. I must admit it is quite a sight, with the harbor, the peak over on Hong Kong Island framed by a crystal blue sky!

China needs to do more to curb their pollution, and Hong Kong must move forward with their environmental protection policies to make sure Hong Kongers & visitors alike continue to see clear blue sky over Hong Kong and southern China!!

Posted by marion in moscow on October 9, 2007:

First, nice to see a pic of the two of you.

Second, Hong Kong used to be and may still be the best place to buy fire [Australian] opals on the main shopping street if you love that jewel.

Third, the further into the rural Mainland you go, the nicer the people will be -- that is, fewer will be city slick greedy -- but the worse the pollution will be.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to welcome you to the country I am no longer teaching in, but during the six years I was there found reading your True a great way to stay in touch with North American-style sanity.

Thanks always!

Posted by Bob - Renton, Wa on October 9, 2007:

So, is the REAL TsingTao any better than the stuff they send over here? It always tasted like skunk-cabbage to me... (well, like it SMELLS anyway).

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It was pretty good, yes. I think the stuff we get it the U.S. tends to be pretty old.... -rc

Posted by Jeralie, Oklahoma City, OK, USA on October 9, 2007:

When we were in Hong Kong in October 1988 there was very little air pollution. Sorry it has changed so drastically.

Hopefully mainland China will address this problem, but I wouldn't count on it anytime soon. Not having to worry about the expenses of nonpolluting factories makes it cheaper to run them. That's one of the reasons why so many countries are beating a path to manufacture products in China. Plus cheap labor. This includes the U.S. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Posted by Dave, Chicago, IL on October 9, 2007:

Re: skunky beer. Green beer bottles, such as those used for Tsingtao, offer less protection than brown bottles against developing a skunky odor. The skunky odor is a result of degradation of the hops by natural or fluorescent light. Some research by professors at UNC and published in 2001 described the chemical changes, but this is something that has been known about for quite some time. So if you buy beer in green or clear bottles that has been sitting out for some time, or even in the cooler under the lights, there's a reasonable chance it may be skunky. It can also happen to brown bottled beer, but it takes longer to develop. Beer in cans, such as the one in Randy's photo, don't develop the odor since the beer is not exposed to light.