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Hong Kong, I have watched it and
read its magazines but I had never experienced the real Hong Kong in half a
day. On one hand, I heard that Hong Kong is the premier civil aviation hub of
southern China and its airport is rated the best (isn't it Changi ?). On
another hand, I needed to research on the star grades of Hong Kong hotels
as I had no knowledge of its hotels.
So, I booked a last minute return
flight to Hong Kong.
On July 9, I flew for the first time
to Hong Kong on VF902.
On the flight VF902, a group of more
than 30 Victoria Secondary School pupils and teachers were flying for the first
time. Their enthusiasm in the air through their Christian and school songs and
Valuair air stewardesses singing with them kept the spirit of budget flying
alive. It helped me recall my first ever overseas flight in my life last year
and early subsequent flights back from Bangkok with Valuair, pampering
experiences throughout.
The loaf of bread-shaped
international terminal of Chek Lap Kok airport on Lantau Island is itself an
important tourist attraction of Hong Kong. While flying towards Chek Lap Kok,
it is amazing to admire the breathtaking morning scenery of Victoria's Peak
from an aircraft seat. It is taller than the apartments and skyscrapers of Hong
Kong Island as the Airbus A320 actually circumvented The Peak for the
passengers' closer look.
There is no need to travel with Heli
Hong Kong or climb up to Victoria's Peak anymore to admire the famous night
lights of Hong Kong. The natural beauty of Hong Kong lies in the morning and
afternoon from the Airbus.
After the Airbus A320 landed in the
airport, ladies in their thick rouges and turquoise attire protecting every
access area from arrival to check-in areas with their walkie-talkies interrogated
us as they demanded to check our conventional air tickets before allowing us
access to the check-in area or even to go to one of its airport bookshops.
It took me fifteen minutes to
persuade the pretty security guard that an electronic ticket of Valuair is
valid as an airline office air ticket !
At departure gates, the handsome
tall security guards took over but they rarely rattled.
Chek Lap Kok is the airport where
mist and clouds shroud a mountain above the skyscrapers like a water colour painting
at one direction and jets land right outside its viewing gallery in another
direction. Its control tower is surprisingly shorter in height than Changi's.
Fabulous shopping awaits the tourist
at Chek Lap Kok the airport shopping paradise.
For example, WH Smith sells
stationery and mainland Chinese magazines that one cannot find in Bras Basah,
Singapore, plus many duty-free shops selling goods at fantastic, unbeatable
prices.
Chek Lap Kok was holding its own
shopping festival in conjunction with HKTB's Hong Kong Shopping Festival.
Chek Lap Kok's food court located
next to the viewing gallery comprises Western, Cantonese and Japanese fast food
restaurants. They sell more variety of fast food than Singapore.
For example, Burger King's combo
chicken hamburger is larger in size than what one can find in Singapore and it
fills one’s hunger. Ajisen Ramen offers one a free drink if a full lunch or
dinner set is ordered.
As I continued to explore the
airport, I realised how space-conscious a business-minded Hong Kong entity is.
Chek Lap Kok's airport airline
offices, which are on the same levels as the shopping facilities, are smaller
than other Asian airports, like typical Hong Kong normal apartment suites, and
thus they make room for more arrival and departure gates. There are 80
departure gates altogether under one roof alone.
Stepping out of the check-in area
and the arrival hall, the service-devoted HKTB, hotel reservations staff taught
me the star grades of Hong Kong's hotels. The Airport Express Train staff
showed me how to visit the landmark civil aviation facilities of Hong Kong from
Chek Lap Kok.
I enjoyed the opportunity of
travelling to see the nearby headquarters of Dragonair and China National
Aviation Corporation (CNAC), two adjoining buildings whose location is
ideal for free photography of Hong Kong Island before Victoria Harbour. Outside
Chek Lap Kok are civil aviation oil processing factories and the two airlines'
houses fronted by palms. Except Sundays, the Houses are opened for air ticket
booking, airline information taking and tourist sightseeing, a practice that no
other airline headquarters have.
After leaving Dragonair House and
CNAC House, I boarded Dragonair's free company bus shuttle back to Chek Lap Kok
and boarded the efficient Airport Express Train to Tsim Sha Tsui, where the
well-known Hong Kong Science Museum and Hong Kong Space Museum are located
behind the Hong Kong Musuem of Art, a few miles away from the popular Avenue of
Stars which showcases the pillars of Hong Kong's movie industry.
Although the museums may sound
'antique', Hong Kong Science Museum records the technological advances of Hong
Kong's industries, from commerce to civil aviation and from recycling to
robotics, inclusively. On prominent proud display from its ceiling is the DC-3
aircraft of Cathay Pacific Airways in service in the 1940s as this aircraft
opened the route between Hong Kong, China and Singapore, and there is an area
to pique children's interest in driving and plane-riding. Until end of October
2005, its Robot Zoo Exhibition allowed visitors a peak into the amazing world
of nature through robotics.
Hong Kong Space Museum is Hong
Kong's regional planetarium. The prominent musuem marked by its large
egg-shaped dome was previously the defunct Hong Kong-Kowloon Railway. It
features Daily Sky Shows or Omnimax. It is southern China's foremost research
and educational centre of astronomy and space technology.
My trip to Tsim Sha Tsui took less
than an hour and visits to the surrounding area of Tsim Sha Tsui took another
hour or more. Ending the visit to Tsim Sha Tsui where Valuair's office is
located, I proceeded back to Chek Lap Kok by MTR and Airport Express Train to
further explore the gigantic airport deemed "best in Asia".
Recommended half-day transit tours
by HKTB do not start at 11.30 am. So, I am fortunate to have come up with my
own impromptu half-day tour of Hong Kong and obtain free information that I
need based on my specialised theme--- aviation.
Before the way back to Singapore,
the check-in staff who is a Dragonair staff of Hong Kong International Airport
Services Ltd was not able to retrieve the gate number for one airline's flight
when I checked-in early. For example, Valuair's gate number was not printed on
my departure boarding pass. I have had to take a closer look at the electronic
screen for the number. When I told the check-in staff about the number, her
face turned reddish-pink without any apology, as if the situation is a daily
occurrence for non-Dragonair flights.
And so I got the impression of what
is best offered by Chek Lap Kok. The spirit of their best lies in the workers'
ability to adapt to rapid changing conditions in a stressful environment
without stirring up problems for the passengers. The Chek Lap Kok staff face one
passenger's many questions but they only answer the relevant and most critical
passenger question.
Before we boarded the Valuair flight
VF907, I witnessed how busy and time-saving Chek Lap Kok is. The Dragonair's
HKIA staff called us to board Valuair without in sequence as she did not want
the jet to depart for Singapore late.
Onboard Valuair's flight back to
Singapore, I once again enjoyed the pampering service provided by the
value-added airline girls as I viewed a dappled Hong Kong outside. I am very
happy that the Hong Kong-Singapore cabin crew is the cabin crew that
accompanied me back from my first ever Bangkok-Singapore flight on May 12, 2004
as they welcome me back with a PEA rental, a lucky draw gift pack of an Ascott
Apartments name card holder, my personal copy of Valuair's magazine V and their
impromptu postcard made from Valuair's dinner pack as a team.
Hopefully, Valuair could come up
with a new aircraft postcard detached from Valuair's refreshment pack in
future, one way to reduce costs on flying with this value-added airline as well
as marketing its aircraft image to the world effectively.
Lilian Kang, Stephanie, Susan and
Captain Garvin A. show their very high standards of inflight service,
cheerfulness, humor, friendliness and hospitality, values that Valuair
treasure. They make my S$391 payment value-worthy and I have admitted them as
my onboard friends, although our friendship does not last because of the
JetStar Asia take-over.
Half a day in Hong Kong is enough
for me to appreciate the daily working lifestyle of Hong Kong in the context of
exciting Tsim Sha Tsui and busy Chek Lap Kok.
5/11/05 Gan Yung Chyan