A small update before I hit work for a pretty full on day. Definitely not missing the UK and all the SUFC ****, apart from wife and kids but Skype is helping apart from 8 hour time difference. Dawn is breaking and the mist is clearing from the hills at the complex where I'm staying. In fact in the time it has taken to type this the Sun has come up. It's on the edge of a country park and has (I think) 8 tower blocks of which 7 are residential.
A 15 minute cab ride to work (about £4) or £1.50 on hotel coach which runs every 10 minutes before 830. I tend to coach in and cab back. Nearest other residential about 5 mins away.
http://www.hongkongparkview.com/intro.php
Click on suites then stuido suite (right hand box of four). I asked for an upgrade, told I wasn't needed it and they weren't wrong !
Click on spa and resort to see the added freebie extras. Also a fully stocked and large supermarket on site at supermarket rather than hotel prices. Room service is also at reasonable rates as these are serviced apartments rather than a hotel. Burger and chips the other night cost about £7.50, curry is a tenner, traditional chinese from £5 to £15. Steak's a bit more expensive but at £25 compares well.
Lunch in town is fantastic. If you pay more than a fiver you're mad and usually for about £4 you can get a soup, a noodle/rice dish and a coffee or soft drink. Just around the corner from our offices is a Vietnamese that is likely to see a lot of my custom. Our offices are in a relatively new block and the (24th) floor has been refurbished anyway. We have unrestricted views over HK Harbour over to Kowloon.
Haven't been here for 3-1/2 years but not a lot seems to have changed. The Chinese government influence is a little more apparently but apart from gambling sites blocked on isp you wouldn't know it. If you want to gamble in HK you go to horseracing or on a short ferry hop to Macau.
Financial matters are about the same as last time I was here. They are still crying out for western expertise and I've already been offered two permanent roles just by virtue of the fact I'm here, one where I'm working and another out on the town last night. That's a BIGGIE though there's no doubt there is no better place to bring up children if you can get past the 3/4 year waiting list for quality education. Despite what they'd like to think a lot of companies in my line of business are little more than hubs for Europe, America or Japan and other than local business are not autonomous. The chinese are industrious but pretty regimented and not strategisers.
Despite being here since Tuesday last night was my first night out, though I baled out at 1130 and was told I'm a lightweight and will be on the next plane back if I can't hack the pace. I decided to bale out as we were sitting outside by the pool at the Conrad and the drink had just started to hit the obnoxious yanks we were with (why can none of them handle it ?) and they were getting louder and more plainly rude with each passing minute. My boss over here is a more mellow yank but we had our senior EVP over from the US yesterday and a cocktail reception yesterday evening and he was the worst of the lot. You just can't tell a person like that to shut the **** up. :p
Best time of the year to be out here - mid/late 20s daytime with humidity similar to UK summer or better and early 20s in the evening. As I'm up in the hills there's a nice gentle breeze and despite aircon we can open windows in our complex.
Looking forward to the weekend. It's going to be a big night out tonight and though I'm over the lag I could do with 7-8 hours kip. Something I've not managed in over a week now. Plan to hike down to the reservoir in the country park tomorrow before coming back and hitting the gym/swimming pool. Sunday is all about getting down to harbourside with a good book and looking at all the hundreds of domestics on their day off having fun.
