Stopping over in Hong Kong ? The legendary Chungking Mansions...

[grahamw48]

My home for over a year, and believe it or not....much loved, in a love/hate sort of way. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owf7mHiTS4Q

[scott&ligaya]

yes it has some great food and other attractions but many dangers LOL

[scott&ligaya]

I am sure TAWIII will have comments/memories of CKM

[Tawi2]

I had an apartment in Mid-Levels but used to visit Chunking at least weekly,had loads of mates in there,met some dodgy guys of all ethnicities,basically I f***ing loved the place,met some great women there,had some awesome curries,I even found a nepalese brothel once that catered for Gurkhas,it never closed,never slept and was always interesting whatever time you popped in,you always found something or met someone even if you werent looking for it or them :)

[grahamw48]

Yep, never a dull moment in Chungking. :icon_lol:

One day we had to step over someone's body to get into the lift....Pakistani guy.
He'd just been 'chopped' (hacked to death) by a bunch of Chinese, and the cops hadn't yet arrived. :action-smiley-060:

Another time some guys from our hostel (mostly construction workers like me) had a big battle with with some Nepali workers from the next floor, right in 'Travellers' reception area....just like the bloody wild west. :rolleyes:

[Tawi2]

Pakistani guy.
He'd just been 'chopped' (hacked to death) by a bunch of Chinese, and the
There was a scouse bouncer used to live in chungking,he was chopped several times for throwing a triad down some stairs,he lost a finger etc whilst protecting his head :rolleyes: I also remember some chinese guy being chopped and dying of blood loss just off nathan road around the corner from Chungking :icon_lol: My mate scotch Kieth was near Bottoms Up(Made famous through the man with the golden gun)when he threw an apple at a she-male prostitute,the chick-with-dick threw some incredible punches,I couldnt do a thing as I was creased up in stitches at the scene :laugher:

[grahamw48]

Ah, my friend also worked as a bouncer there, at a Triad owned and run night club (I suppose they all are ;)).

Some of the stories he used to tell me were pretty shocking.

He was basically permitted to do anything to misbehaving punters....bar actually killing them.:cwm24:

Maybe that approach would quieten things down a bit over here too. :icon_lol:

[Englishman2010]

This sounds reasurring, im staying at a dodgy mansion place at 54 Nathan Road in a few weeks...the Cosmic Inn if you know it. It was the cheapest place I could find that didn't look too flea bitten, its about 500 hkd a night which is cheap for Honkers. Im staying at the Evergreen in Jordan a few weeks later, that looks a little bit better.

[Tawi2]

54-56 is Mirador Mansions the next one up,its an up-market version of chungking,a sanitised version,neither the ambiance nor the characters,I knew a guy who hung himself on the roof for whatever reason back in the 1990's :Erm:

[grahamw48]

Yes, Mirador is a sort of Chungking 'annexe'.
Its biggest advantage is that there are hardly any stairs to climb, or lifts to share cheek to cheek with several large sweaty Nigerians.

You'll survive. :icon_lol:

Just keep an eye on your stuff. ;)

When I first stayed in Chungking my bunk in the dorm for 6 was 50hkd a night.

I later moved into my own room for a princely 110hkd...less drugs and illegal immigrant raids too. :D

[Tawi2]

illegal immigrant raids too
I got locked up for 18 hours in Wanchai nick once when the cops were checking people outside Big Apple,I didnt have any form of ID whatsoever so was held till someone turned up with my HK ID card,the 18 hours flew over quickly as I was chatting with Illegal nigerians and indians :Erm:

[Englishman2010]

Sounds appealing:omg: I might have to break the bank and book somewhere a bit nicer....a skip in a back alley outside a roasted duck cafe will do:cwm3:

[Englishman2010]

it doesnt look too bad on their website http://www.cosmicguesthouse.com/
I'm only there for 2 nights anyway

[grahamw48]

It's a well known place, and I'm sure you'll be fine. ;)

[Tawi2]

Could be worse,I still remember stepping inside Kowloons walled city in 1989 or 1990,now THAT was scary at night,especially for a kid :cwm24: it was a twilight zone of drugs,prostitution and crime :omg: Home sweet home ;):icon_lol:

[Englishman2010]

At least it's a bit closer to the entertainment in Honkers, when I stayed there in Dec and Jan I was a bit further out of town near Mong Kok.

[grahamw48]

I got locked up for 18 hours in Wanchai nick once when the cops were checking people outside Big Apple,I didnt have any form of ID whatsoever so was held till someone turned up with my HK ID card,the 18 hours flew over quickly as I was chatting with Illegal nigerians and indians :Erm:

lol! Now you've reminded me of my friend (bouncer/plant operator) who was taken off to the cop shop after an 'affray' in Travellers, during which he'd been whacked round the back of the head with a baseball bat :cwm24:, and was actually an innocent party...comparatively speaking.

Anyway, he was so miffed by being dragged off, that next morning when the cops said he wasn't being charged and could go, he refused to leave unless they first sent in a senior (British) officer to apologise, and a McDonalds 'Big Breakfast', because he was hungry. :D

They eventually agreed. :laugher:

[Englishman2010]

Could be worse,I still remember stepping inside Kowloons walled city in 1989 or 1990,now THAT was scary at night,especially for a kid :cwm24: it was a twilight zone of drugs,prostitution and crime :omg: Home sweet home ;):icon_lol:

Sounds like Ermita:icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Ah, that human funfair...:foudamour:

[Tawi2]

Sounds like Ermita
Even in its heyday back when I first visited 20+ years ago Ermita was never like the walled city,that place was truly something else,I dont know if theres any footage of it anywhere online but it was triad run,I walked around often and never saw another gweilo inside :Erm:I remember ermita BEFORE it was closed down by mayor Lim.


in Travellers, during which he'd been whacked round the back of the head with a baseball bat
I knew a guy in Mirador who opened his flat door and was bottled by ginger-jason :Erm: over some minor dispute or another :Erm:

[Tawi2]

Was the movie CHUNGKING EXPRESS about the mansion?:Erm:

[grahamw48]

Yes ! :xxgrinning--00xx3:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chungking_Express

Funnily enough I played a Hong Kong police inspector in a movie, but that was about 1995. :)

[Tawi2]

Came over all nostalgic for a moment :icon_lol: I remember one night several of us decided to sneak into Ocean Park and swim with the dolphins,they all got p*ssed as newts before we went and decided we should just sneak into Kowloon Park and swim there instead,about 15 of us climbed the fence and spent a thoroughly enjoyable night in the Pool :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Me, the ex and some friends (in Ermita).

My bouncer friend is the big guy, second from right:

.
http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/4201/negs006.jpg

[scott&ligaya]

gret pics and memories of a an unforgetable place, got me to thinking of all the crazy stuff we got up to when living out there.. used to run (well run and drink a lot) with the wan chai hash house harriers (vehicle for many Brit/Filipina marriages) the infamous men only Royal Southside hash (my honey has still not forgiven me for the Club Bunnys incident lol) procured without consent a junk out of Aberdeen harbour and went island hopping for the weekend.... hid a police car from the officers who stupidly left the keys in it... and generally just had a fab time. Pity about the polution levels these days, even the family area of Discovery bay on Lantau is getting bad otherwise we would look to head back with the little ones

[Tawi2]

Graham,that bouncer geezer looks remarkably like Big Phil :Erm: He lived in mays place(Big-phil)married a tiny Pinay half his size,went off to Guimaras for a while,last I heard he was back in the UK.
Scott,I think we all did strange things,most cant be revealed for fear of imprisonment :icon_lol:

[Tawi2]

That guys profile DOES look scarily like big-phil :Erm:

[grahamw48]

My lips are sealed....in the interests of a certain person's privacy. ;)

What a small world, eh ? :)

[Tawi2]

I KNEW it was him,but there was a slight moments hesitancy as there was someone else in the pic I didnt recognise :Erm:

[Tawi2]

Now you have me wondering about all of the other truckers I knew :Erm:

[grahamw48]

I KNEW it was him,but there was a slight moments hesitancy as there was someone else in the pic I didnt recognise :Erm:

That was another girl he brought to England for awhile, but didn't marry in the end. :)

I know his wife well....and the kids, but a few years since I've seen them.

[grahamw48]

Now you have me wondering about all of the other truckers I knew :Erm:

I mostly just drove the smaller trucks like Volvo A35s and Caterpillar D40s on the airport. Later I operated front loaders and backhoes.

[Tawi2]

I cant remember her name,I remember Elsa her cousin,she was a tiny lady :Erm: Loads of strange people around those days,did you ever get recruited or anyone ever attempt to recruit you to do any smuggling :icon_lol: Did you ever meet Piers Hernu or Dominic chappell?Piers was caught Gold Smuggling in Kathmandu,Dom was murdered in Cambodia.

[grahamw48]

Phil and I go back to 1990.

I'm sure he's back in Hong Kong now, and family still based in Guimaras.

He did very well with his computer school and English teaching in HK.

[Tawi2]

with his computer school
I remember that :icon_lol: I think I met him around 1990 :Erm: He used to knock around with Clive and Bristol-steve for a while :Erm:

[grahamw48]

I know both of them too. :D

Don't forget we all lived at or hung out at Chungking, even if not on the same jobs. :)

[Tawi2]

I will have to brain-storm and see who else I remember,last I heard of clive he was living in Pinas,Bristol-steve was on a council-estate in bristol and hating every minute of it,he had 3 kids if I remember correctly,brought his missus and the kids here on a tourist visa and refused to leave :Erm: One guy I knew in Chungking married a Nepalese lady so she could get into Japan,he was paid $5000 and had to escort her to Tokyo,I bumped into him maybe 6 years ago,he was the editor of a HK newspaper,bet he never prints THAT story :laugher:

[Tawi2]

Phil's wifes name is Nicky ;) I made a phone-call on the pinoy grapevine to Saskatoon and spoke to my mates wife who knew her well :icon_lol:

[grahamw48]

Correct. :)

With their kids a few years ago, when they were visiting us in Angeles:

http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/214/philippines2001004.jpg

[Tawi2]

Good God :icon_lol: Nicky hasnt changed one iota :) always good to catch up on people,I lost contact with loads of people,no facebook or T'internet in those days :Erm:

[Tawi2]

There was another truck driver Graham,he was a tall,gangly dark-haired bumpkin sort of guy,his wife was a stunner,he met her in a girly-bar in Ermita or Angeles,he took her to Hong Kong and he drove a truck while she worked in a Girly-Bar in Wanchai,they were a totally mis-matched couple :Erm:

[grahamw48]

Maybe Jeff ? :Erm:

About 6'6", skinny, long hair ?

Used to work with me for McAlpine.

He later moved over to Pui O, and we were neighbours.

Used to smoke dope during his lunch break. :icon_lol:

[Tawi2]

About 6'6", skinny, long hair ?
That sounds VERY much like him,tall gangly bloke,and the dope smoking fits in :icon_lol: Did his wife have sort of frizzy/straight hair if that makes sense,she worked in Wanchai?

[grahamw48]

She was a Filipina...yes, but didn't know she worked in Wanchai.

It wasn't mentioned, far as I can remember.;)

I can tell you that last time I heard from him they were both back in England, Manchester way (he was from that area), and he was driving a HGV. That's a few years ago now though.

[Tawi2]

but didn't know she worked in Wanchai
Manchester does ring a bell actually :Erm: I had another mate married a girl who worked in Wanchai so she could stay in Honkers,she paid him,cant remember how much but they are still together after maybe 15 years,up in scotland and have a daughter.
Funny times and funny people,I knew a guy who started out in Chungking,big tony,ex-para,he always told me he preferred shooting elephant seals and penguins in the Falklands to argentinians :icon_lol:
We had a flat in Kennedy Town for 6 months,he used to drink heavily,one night he had a date with a pinay called Cora,I have a flashback memory of a heavily overweight Badly-tattooed,desperate-dan lookalike running around the apartment wearing nothing but a leather posing-pouch :doh his face lathered in shaving foam as he tried to quickly scrape the stubble from his face,he had a myriad of cuts and stuck newspaper to his chin and cheeks to stem the bleeding,he got dressed,opened a few cans of lager,got ratty over something and threw a full can out of a CLOSED window :cwm24: which landed in the street below :icon_lol: wouldnt it be funny to turn the clock back just for a short time :laugher:

[grahamw48]

Yes, some hilarious goings on there. :icon_lol:

Big Phil was one of the best at such craziness too.

Some of the stuff that he used to get up to when we were in Chungking...:NoNo:...often involving violence, but always justifiably (and Ermita/Angeles).

Oh, and me too at times. :D

You know what it's like when you've just got home after 14 hours away at work, including travel time....and we often did 7 days a week; no mood for backpackers mucking you about or waking you up etc. :rolleyes: