Phab Hong Kong 1994

A personal insight into a Holiday of a Lifetime by Matthew Law

“There were always going to be problems and we encountered a few, but the important thing is we are all here today and we can stand back and proudly say that” … pause for a second and increase volume … “we did it!” These were the words of Peter Gooch on the last Wednesday of the South East Phab's holiday of a lifetime in Hong Kong. A buffet had been laid on at Peters’ request by the staff of the Pok fu lam Phab centre so that we could invite some guests and say our thankyou's. The evening was a great success. It was hard to believe that not two weeks before, the fifty or so people in the room were all total strangers to one another. I for one felt that all those present had been lifetime friends.

The Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-200 took off from London Heathrow Airport at 11.05pm on Friday 14 October and landed just after 5.30pm on Saturday 15 October in Kowloon, Hong Kong. With the time difference of seven hours, the flight did not take quite so long as we had thought. Eleven and a half hours on a plane is quite long enough though and it was a relief to finally escape from one's chair and be wheeled down the narrow aisles to the door.

We all got through passport control surprising quickly. We had all just had over eleven hours to complete our boarding cards but everyone of us chose to madly scribble on it just before we handed them in! 1 waited slightly apprehensively by the coach which was waiting to take us to Hong Kong Island where we would be staying. Would I need to be lifted on or would there be adequate railings to enable me to climb on myself? 1 was pleased that it was the latter of the two. We actually travelled on many coaches during our stay but the only thing that differed about them was the Registration number and the miles on the clock so I could enter them all independently.

Loading on and off the coach became part of the holiday. The coaches were not accessible for wheelchairs and so the party had to accept the fact that it was going to take time to get everyone on and off again. By the end of the holiday we had it down to a fine art. AB's first, then walking PH's, then a fight for who was going to give Donna a piggy back off, then those that could climb down the stairs (Andy, Martin, Matthew), then 'Arms down' Ann and then the others (Sarah, Simon, Vicky, Pauline and all). I found it quite good fun in the end. It may have taken a while but it was always good fun. Wouldn't life be boring if we were all AB's!

We arrived at the Phab centre at about 9 o'clock on the Saturday. We were all very tired and hungry. The Phab centre provided us with a lunch on arrival. Not much of the food was eaten. I think it was to do with the fact that we were all unsettled having just arrived and were tired after our long journey.

It had been clearly stated before we left that the accommodation and facilities were of a basic nature. So I didn't expect much as I headed to my room. I was not disappointed! I was in room 2 which was the first room on the right on entry to the accommodation block. I was sharing a room with 3 others - Graham, Andy and Martin. As I was the first to the room I had first option on beds. I made my choice and headed off to check out the washing facilities. They were basic too but it is worthwhile mentioning here that when one uses a wheelchair it is better to have accessible, basic amenities than lavish, posh ones that you can’t get to. Yes, it was all very basic but it suited my needs perfectly.

There was one last thing to do before my head hit the pillow. It was 11.30pm Hong Kong Time so 4.30 pm Greenwich Mean Time. The football will finish in quarter of an hour! I tuned into the BBC World Service and waited eagerly. The clarity was crystal like even on my old walkman. In fact 1 had a better reception 6000 miles from London than 1 do in Chobham which is only 28 miles away. Still, it doesn't matter whether one hears it clearly or not - if your team loses 3-1 to Arsenal it is better you don't hear it at all!

The next day (Sunday) we all spent getting settled into our new surroundings. Some of us spent time in and around the swimming pool or doing archery, playing snooker or table tennis. There were plenty of activities in and around the Phab centre to keep us fully occupied. We also used this day to arrange our groups. We split into groups of about 6 or 7 with approximately as many PH’s in them as AB’s.

Monday 17 October saw the first excursion of the trip. Hong Kong Island tour by coach. The views from Victoria Peak are stunning to say the least. Picture 3 massive sky scrapers, all over 60 stories high (The Canary Wharf Tower in London is only 50), boats packed into the picturesque Victoria Harbour like sardines in a can, hundreds of tourists lining the narrow cobbled streets at the top of the mountain, dozens of stalls selling paintings, clothing and other souvenirs and jumbo jets banking at 600 feet between buildings and landing on a single strip of runway which reaches out into the water. I would imagine it to be one of the best views in the world.

Tuesday 18 October - Macau Excursion Tour. Macau is one of three islands (joined by long, narrow road bridges) situated to the south-west of Hong Kong. A Turbo Cat took us to the island. The sea was decidedly choppy as we embarked and it was somewhat of a challenge to get all 14 wheelchairs on board safely but we managed it. We had a guided tour in two small coaches, the wheelchairs followed in an additional van which caused the party slight concern as the coaches arrived at the hotel for lunch a good ten minutes before it! Visions of a major lifting exercise were dismissed on its arrival.

The hotel was lovely, access was good and the food was pleasant but I couldn't help feeling I would rather have been out exploring the Island. As we travelled back to the Turbo Cat I came away with a rather dull picture of Macau, but it was a good experience and another couple of stamps in my passport. Been there, done that etc.

A morning by the pool on Wednesday was followed by a Harbour Cruise, The flight of steps down to the boat presented the party with another interesting challenge. With piggy-backs, lifts of various kinds and the odd steadying arm it was not a problem and we set off on time. The cruise presented numerous photographic opportunities of Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and some rather impressive views of planes landing and taking off but I for one thought that an hour would have been long enough to take in all the sights.

I did feel sorry for the rather attractive oriental female who was busy throughout the cruise taking pictures with a camera that looked like something out of star wars. I asked her if she would take a photo of four of us. After some deliberation she agreed and promptly fetched a wide angle lens the size of a traffic cone. She took our picture and after a few minutes came back with the picture neatly presented to us in a key-ring. I felt slightly heartless as I just said ‘No thanks’ when she mentioned the price.

Up at 7.00 am on Thursday to catch breakfast at 8.00. Ocean Park was our destination. Ocean Park is Hong Kong's version of our Alton Towers/Thorpe Park/ Chessington World of Adventures. The first thing you notice when you approach Ocean Park are the four massive escalators that take you up to the main part of the theme park. We all presumed there was another way up for wheelchairs but we soon discovered that it was the escalators or a wasted day. The longer one ponders, the more doubts creep in so the art is just to go for it! We looked on anxiously as the first wheelchair mounted. The step formed, the wheelchair tipped back and the pusher took the strain. All was OK so the others followed. After a 20 good minutes we all reached the top and the view was impressive. The funfair was visible with the big Wheel and Rollercoaster catching the eye.

First stop was at the Ocean Theatre. This was a massive outdoor auditorium with seating for around 3,500 people. We saw a show with exciting performances from a killer whale, dolphins and sea-lions. Then it was off to the Shark Aquarium. It is quite an experience to have eye to eye contact with 22 different species of shark. As we made our way through Asia's first underwater viewing tunnel I remember thinking to myself what would happen if someone smashed the glass. Luckily, there was no such occurrence and so we all made our way safely back to the top of the Theme Park to have our lunch. In the afternoon we experienced the Raging River ride and witnessed a show featuring a female unicycling juggler amongst other acts. It was an excellent day which would have been enhanced had we seen the ‘Guide for guests with disabilities’ before we arrived.

Friday 21st was a coach tour of Kowloon and the New Territories followed by a visit to Ladies Market. We didn't really see much of these parts of Hong Kong other than from the coach. It was interesting to see the construction of the roads and bridge leading to what will be Hong Kong's new airport.

Ladies Market is one of two lively markets located in Yau Ma Tei which is on the West Coast of Kowloon. Stalls at the Ladies Market are open every afternoon but we spent most of our time wandering the streets of Yau Ma Tei. The other market is Temple Street Night Market which is busiest at around 9.00pm. Our group visited this Night Market one evening in the second week of the trip.

It seemed impossible that come Saturday 22nd we had been in Hong Kong for a week. For me this day was the highlight of the holiday. A relaxing morning by the pool was followed at 11.30 by a visit to Sha Tin Racecourse. Smart Clothes were the order of the day and I didn't feel overdressed in my white shirt, Hong Kong purchased 'Mickey Mouse' tie, blue trousers and sports jacket. Thanks to a contact made by Peter Gooch we were the honoured guests at the racecourse that day and as such we had the best tickets in the house.

We arrived at about 12.15 and each of us had our own personal ‘escort’ to take us in. Perfectly situated ramps and lift took us to the members lounge which was already laid for dinner. There were four tables, each seating about ten of us. There were four TV screens above each one and the balcony outside provided a perfect view of the sun-drenched course. The screens provided upto-the-minute information on runners, riders, colours and odds and each table had piles of betting slips placed on them.

When each race started, we had the choice of watching from the balcony or on TV. Most people chose the TV, probably for two reasons. Firstly, it was easier to follow the progress of your selected horse and secondly, it meant you could eat your meal at the same time. It was well worth eating too. Melon for starters, then steak followed by ice cream. Probably the best meal of the holiday. I had no winners during the day and managed to lose $190 (£16ish) but others were more fortunate like Donna - one bet, one win - and Simon who netted a cool $800. We arrived back at the Phab centre at about 6 o'clock and we spent the evening enjoying Simon's winnings ... NOT!

It was up at 5.00 on Sunday. A day trip to China. The coach departed at 6.30 and we travelled the length of Hong Kong to get to the border. The first stop inside China was at the Terra-Cotta Army exhibition. I had heard of this but knew nothing about it. I didn't even know what Terra-Cotta was, but was informed that it was a type of clay/ stone. For those that want a brief history lesson: The Terra-Cotta Army was discovered, by accident, by some Chinese peasants in 1974 who happened to be digging in the right place. Several thousand life-size Terra-Cotta soldiers had been made and buried to protect a Chinese Emperor from unwanted spirits. (He must have been quite an important bloke - a bit like Glenn Hoddle I suppose!) Anyway, a few of these stone soldiers were on display and it is quite breathtaking to imagine thousands of them all in rows laying undiscovered for over 2000 years.

A half an hour’s drive then took us to Splendid China - the world's largest miniature scenic spot - not unlike Blackgang Chine on the Isle of Weight. Splendid China enables tourists to see the whole of China in a couple of hours. Quite an experience! There were about a hundred different scenic wonders to be seen, all arranged in accordance with their respective real locations in the country. We saw the Great Wall, the worlds biggest palace and Buddha statue, Huangguoshu Falls (one of the worlds biggest waterfalls), the mausoleum of Genghis Khan and the magnificent Confucius Temple, the Temple of Heaven.

It had to be the hottest day of the holiday and understandably frequent rests were taken by our helpers. Time allowed us to see less than 50% of Splendid China but even then, a lot of us were pretty tired after what had been a long but very enjoyable day.

The morning of Monday 24th was used to recover from the trip to China and then after lunch in the Pok fu lam we all made our way to Stanley Market. This had proved so popular earlier in the holiday that this was not a planned trip but was added because of excessive demand. Stanley market is located on the southern tip of Hong Kong Island, its narrow winding lanes are packed with shops and stalls selling everything from designer denim, silk and leather-wear to jewellery, pictures and any other souvenirs you care to mention. Stanley used to be a fishing village and it still possesses a quaint, seaside atmosphere which makes shopping in it a pleasant and refreshing experience.

It was then off to the Pearl of Hong Kong where we had dinner aboard the famous Jumbo Floating restaurant. Ferry boats are used to transport guests to and from the restaurant. The wheelchair access on and off them was very awkward to say the least but in the words of Peter Gooch 'we did it'. The menu was all seafood, cue the age old joke (which I won't even say). There were 7 in the party that preferred not to touch the main dish (4 on our table). This caused no end of confusion to our hostess not least because we had 2 vegetarians as well! Fiona was also a bit confused as when she dropped her chopstick (not an uncommon occurrence within our party during the trip), her meal was confiscated. One presumes for reasons of hygiene!

Tuesday was another most enjoyable day, again the morning was ‘at leisure’ (as the event timing sheet said) and then we went to Central District, Hong Kong for a guided tour of the Governors House. We arrived a bit late (the bus driver having slight navigational problems ie - didn't know where the hell it was). We were made very welcome none the less and were given a very accurate, detailed speech about the history of the house. We were allowed to see all downstairs - lounge, dining room, hall etc and a group photo was taken in the ballroom. I was both surprised and pleased to see that there was more than adequate wheelchair access both inside the house and in its ample surrounding area. ‘The ramps outside were installed more for baggage and waste transportation than for disabled people’ I was honestly and reliably informed. But they certainly served us well.

We were actually introduced to Mr Patten just before we left and it was nice of him to find time in his busy schedule to introduce himself.

Quarter of an hours’ drive then took us to another floating restaurant. Unlike the Jumbo this one actually moved as we ate. It wasn't really a floating restaurant but a boat with a restaurant on it. Unfortunately, the restaurant was on the first floor of the boat which meant negotiating 2 flights of at least ten steps. It proved a challenge well worth mastering. The restaurant was beautiful and the food was lovely.

After the meal we were presented with some good entertainment which included another unicycling juggler; male this time (I think they must be popular with the Chinese), a gentleman showing off his body suppleness by squeezing into a small wooden box (known as a contortionist) and an attractive female showing off her ample cleavage with various degrees of clarity (known as an exotic dancer). I can't believe my camera ran out of film!

Wednesday was spent winding down by window shopping in Central District. We split in to our allocated groups and headed in separate directions; some to Kowloon via the Star Ferry and others like us just idly cruising around just enjoying the scenery. The only time we increased our speed was to make a sharp exit from the rickshaw carrier who wanted £20 for a five minute trip round the square!

Most people packed before the buffet on Wednesday evening because another early start on the Thursday morning meant there would be no time then. The morning flight lasted 14 hours but was far more comfortable than the incoming one as a 25% booking meant we all had four seats each. I discovered two things on arrival at Heathrow; it was freezing cold and Chelsea were out of the Cup, beaten 1 -0 at Upton Park.

I think the biggest compliment 1 can pay to those responsible for arranging the holiday is to say that when I first noticed vacancies on the holiday (in Phab Magazine) it was advertised as a ‘holiday of a lifetime’; having now experienced it that is exactly how I remember it.