12-06-2014, 05:10 PM
Helen,
First, congratulations on your proposed appointment as Asia General Secretary, which presumably is contingent on Kasparov becoming FIDE President. I can only speak for myself, but your news of Kasparov Team Asia will be of great interest to the wider chess community. Let’s hope Kasparov triumphs.
‘Utterly spectacular’
I last saw Macau in late 1995. I can well imagine that in the interval economic development has wrought significant change, but at that time it was still generally accepted that life in Macau - outside the casinos - was lived at a more gentle tempo than in neighbouring Hong Kong, itself a veritable dynamo that seemed to whir ever faster. That gentler, laid back style also appealed to Hong Kong visitors: Fernando’s was a popular, down-to-earth restaurant in the countryside famed for its Portuguese style sardines. But, old Macau was simply wonderful. One of the very last things we did before leaving Hong Kong was to shop in Macau’s warren of antique shops, squeezed cheek to jowl in a maze of vennels so narrow that vehicles could not enter. Fond memories and halcyon days.
Andy,
I missed the 1984 Commonwealth Championship, being on leave at the time.
We went back to Hong Kong for the first time last autumn. Even though we had been warned in advance about the scale of change, we still found it difficult to take in. When we left in October 1995, the population stood (in round figures) at just over 6 millions. In October 2013, this had swollen to over 7 millions. The land area had not increased. The outcome was even taller, bigger skyscrapers. We couldn’t find any of our old haunts bar two, one of which - an Indonesian Restaurant - had become a bric-a-brac shop. But, the people still have their innate charm - hard-working, welcoming, polite and always helpful. Hong Kong Chess Club still meets at the same venue, but I think may have more stronger players than before.
What we also found was that prices had gone through the roof. The Octopus Concession card for the elderly was therefore most welcome. We still had to queue for the new, refurbished Peak Tram (which as resident season ticket holders we did not need to previously but could simply by-pass the queues), but tickets on public transport were much reduced. For example, we could travel as far as we liked on the MTR (MassTransit Railway) for a standard charge of HK$2.00. (Current exchange rate is about HK$13.00 = £1.00.) In some cases, see could even use these cards to pay for goods - Watson’s the chemist, for instance. At the end of our stay, we surrendered these cards and were refunded the unused sum minus a very small administrative charge.
The ‘new’ airport is impressive all right, but we didn’t get a really good look at its outside since we arrived at night and left in darkness. (it was smaller than Beijing and Shanghai airports, which are vast.)
Part of Hong Kong’s ‘problem’ is the huge numbers of Mainland Chinese who visit. These inflate demand, pushing prices out of reach of many residents. I heard a recent BBC radio report that as many as 40+ millions Mainland Chinese visitors came to Hong Kong in 2013. The local administration (in consultation with China) is considering how these numbers can be scaled back: a tricky balancing act.
We didn’t get to the Islands or the New Territories, so there’s still lots to see. Another time, another visit, perhaps. But, all in, Hong Kong remains a fascinating, exciting place to live or visit.
First, congratulations on your proposed appointment as Asia General Secretary, which presumably is contingent on Kasparov becoming FIDE President. I can only speak for myself, but your news of Kasparov Team Asia will be of great interest to the wider chess community. Let’s hope Kasparov triumphs.
‘Utterly spectacular’
I last saw Macau in late 1995. I can well imagine that in the interval economic development has wrought significant change, but at that time it was still generally accepted that life in Macau - outside the casinos - was lived at a more gentle tempo than in neighbouring Hong Kong, itself a veritable dynamo that seemed to whir ever faster. That gentler, laid back style also appealed to Hong Kong visitors: Fernando’s was a popular, down-to-earth restaurant in the countryside famed for its Portuguese style sardines. But, old Macau was simply wonderful. One of the very last things we did before leaving Hong Kong was to shop in Macau’s warren of antique shops, squeezed cheek to jowl in a maze of vennels so narrow that vehicles could not enter. Fond memories and halcyon days.
Andy,
I missed the 1984 Commonwealth Championship, being on leave at the time.
We went back to Hong Kong for the first time last autumn. Even though we had been warned in advance about the scale of change, we still found it difficult to take in. When we left in October 1995, the population stood (in round figures) at just over 6 millions. In October 2013, this had swollen to over 7 millions. The land area had not increased. The outcome was even taller, bigger skyscrapers. We couldn’t find any of our old haunts bar two, one of which - an Indonesian Restaurant - had become a bric-a-brac shop. But, the people still have their innate charm - hard-working, welcoming, polite and always helpful. Hong Kong Chess Club still meets at the same venue, but I think may have more stronger players than before.
What we also found was that prices had gone through the roof. The Octopus Concession card for the elderly was therefore most welcome. We still had to queue for the new, refurbished Peak Tram (which as resident season ticket holders we did not need to previously but could simply by-pass the queues), but tickets on public transport were much reduced. For example, we could travel as far as we liked on the MTR (MassTransit Railway) for a standard charge of HK$2.00. (Current exchange rate is about HK$13.00 = £1.00.) In some cases, see could even use these cards to pay for goods - Watson’s the chemist, for instance. At the end of our stay, we surrendered these cards and were refunded the unused sum minus a very small administrative charge.
The ‘new’ airport is impressive all right, but we didn’t get a really good look at its outside since we arrived at night and left in darkness. (it was smaller than Beijing and Shanghai airports, which are vast.)
Part of Hong Kong’s ‘problem’ is the huge numbers of Mainland Chinese who visit. These inflate demand, pushing prices out of reach of many residents. I heard a recent BBC radio report that as many as 40+ millions Mainland Chinese visitors came to Hong Kong in 2013. The local administration (in consultation with China) is considering how these numbers can be scaled back: a tricky balancing act.
We didn’t get to the Islands or the New Territories, so there’s still lots to see. Another time, another visit, perhaps. But, all in, Hong Kong remains a fascinating, exciting place to live or visit.