Talk

Travel

It’s open season for attack on Papua-New Guinea hotels at the moment . Mr. Arthur Calwell, Leader of the Federal Opposition, started the ball rolling in July, and Mr. Noel Maloney, chairman of the P-NG Tourist and Travel Association, kicked it about rather fiercely in August.

IT was even suggested that with the hotels so bad, arrangements should be made to get tourists into private homes.

The secretary of the Australian Hotels Association, Mr. Kevin Corridan, is visiting the Territory at the moment especially to carry out a hotel survey. He will submit a de tailed report on standards, which might or might not bear out some of the things Mr. Calwell and Mr.

Maloney have been saying. But many people will be surprised if it doesn’t bear some of them out.

Mr. Calwell’s statement in July,

made after he had completed one of his frequent visits to the Territory, was to the effect that there seemed to be little or no improvement in some hotels since the war. Licensed motels might be the answer, he said.

In his criticism, Mr. Maloney, who is a Port Moresby businessman, said he challenged hotel owners to do a better job as a prelude to the concerted drive for tourists which was now being made by his association. (PIM, August, p. 21).

“Challenge” was just a nice way of telling them off. The biggest obstacle to the tourist trade was the poor standard of Territory hotels, said Mr. Maloney, who added: “Hotel people have always said that when the tourist trade started, they would do something about improving hotels. Well, the tourist business has started and I challenge everybody associated with hotels to keep their promise and do something adequate.

After all, the people who will benefit from an increased tourist trade, more than anybody else, are hotel and guesthouse proprietors.”

Mr. Maloney said he was continu

ally hearing complaints about lack of hotel accommodation, poor services —some hotels rarely if ever had hot water, and some, at times, didn’t even have running water. The most bitter complaint was that hotels con tinually put more than one guest into a bedroom.

When a person paid for a bed room that paying guest was entitled not to expect to wake up in the morning and find another guest—

frequently intoxi cated—sharing the room!

Mr. Maloney said that Ansett-ANA and TAA were already proving that tourists

wanted to come to the Territory. By their own efforts, these airlines were arranging visits of tourist parties.

But the biggest problem was finding hotel accommodation.

“This situation is intolerable,” said Mr. Maloney. “It is useless hotel people trying to be convincing by ranting that they can’t effect improve

ments until potential business obvious.

“The airlines are being forced! be selective because they know ths they bring big parties—such as pan from public schools—there won’tt anywhere for the tourists to sleep.' “My association, therefore, wj appealing to hotel proprietors accept the challenge to earn m money, must consider how problem can be overcome, if hr proprietors won’t co-operate.

“One plan envisaged is to c: out a survey of private homes every centre tourists could visit, learn how many householders w» be prepared to take in paying gui “In Port Moresby alone I cc immediately, find up to 50 ha holders—many with empty bedroc because of school children beinjj Australia—who would be prepare co-operate.

“This would mean, also, of co< that tourists would see the Terri' from ‘inside’ Territory homes, would have a chance to experii real Territory hospitality.”

Going Abroad? Why Not

Try Hongkong?

Hongkong offers the soc ticated unusual. Its hard coc British Crown Colony, but its at phere comes entirely from 3,500,000 Chinese, all but 800,00 whom have arrived there since war. Its continued existence—a century hangover of coloniali:i is an anachronism, and only be< it suits the convenience of its neighbour.

The Colony of Hongkong ccx of the city of Victoria (which is. most people think of as HongH the Kowloon Peninsula on the i land opposite, and the New tories, which account for about s

Port Moresby is a pretty town-especially in the wet season-with an attractive ha[?] In the dry season it has not so much to commend it for beauty.

Photo: Papuan

iths of the total land area of roximately 400 square miles. The v Territories are leased from aa on a 99 years lease. The lease another 36 years to run—a fact hasn’t much significance, one or the other, ictoria (which is on Hongkong id, but faces the mainland) and loon are crowded, bustling cities owering skyscrapers, many hotels thousands of shops. The best lential districts are in graduated s up Victoria Peak—and the : helps make Victoria the spec ar city that it is. ; one time social distinction was lated by the elevation at which lived on the Peak, but since the nt of air conditioning, this no ;r holds the same importance, ig a certain distance down the itain now is considered some of an advantage. From about , with the wet season approach the Peak is often covered in I, and those on the upper levels ipt to spend their time in the while those lower down enjoy line. e airport at Hongkong has been ded from the Kowloon side the Harbour, and as a result of the new hotels have been on that side of the harbour, in Road, Kowloon, similarly, is ded as as fine a shopping area e shopping districts of Victoria Kowloon and Victoria are linked assenger and vehicular ferries, passenger ferry is one of the efficient of its type in the world.

' New Territories are given over tellite manufacuring towns and ive agriculture. The latter, rer, supplies only a fraction of olony’s food requirements. Most ts take a car trip out through lew Territories where you can mething of the old and the new and smell some of the most un stinks on this earth, hough Kowloon, Victoria city he New Territories appear to i with human life, there are extraordinarily secluded and spots on Hongkong on the other rom Victoria. Repulse Bay is lost favoured resort but there Iso others, all with fine sandy es.

ELS: As most tourists now come ongkong by air, most of the hotels i the Kowloon side. One of the nown—although not the newest—is -mnsula, on Salisbury and Nathan and within easy walking distance * err y wharf. (Repulse Bay Hotel lea by the same company). The ar is a new hotel, further along L Road; and one of the oldest 01 L. the Victoria side is the * ere are dozens of others B irom the modern to the spectacu -11 m all cases it Is essential to

book well in advance. Demand far out strips supply at the moment, although no less than four new hotels opened on the Kowloon side at the end of 1960 (The Park, Ambassador, August Moon and Imperial). Half a dozen other hotels, some of them running up to over 30 stories high, are in course of erection (four on the HK side) and will be opening in 1962 and 1963.

SHOPPING: Hongkong is world renowned as a shopping centre. It is a free port so goods that are subject to sales or purchase tax in their countries of origin can frequently be bought cheaper in HK.

There are literally thousands of tailors in the colony, many of whom will run up a suit in a matter of hours. Their skill ranges from good to shoddy, but don’t expect Saville Row excellency, you won’t get it. Prices are very modest.

Women who want something exclusive and worthwhile would do better to patronise the shops in the good hotels (such as those in the Peninsula or Miramar), rather than take a chance with a tailor or dressmaker chosen at random.

“Dynasty” gowns, American styled and Hongkong made, are world famous and the cost for pure silk is about the same as for quality cotton in Australia. (HQ in the Peninsula Hotel).

Everything from utter junk to the rare and valuable may be had in HK. Most people recognise junk; the rare and valu able is harder—so take expert advice.

Every second shop sells jade—or some thing that looks like jade; and camera shops abound. The rarest sort of estab lishment is the wes tern style department store selling quality goods. The one or two that exists are tiny by standards.

British subjects have no worries about getting their purchases home—except normal ones attached to Customs duty.

But American citizens have. They can not take into the US goods of Communist Chinese origin and this rule is rigorously enforced.

WHAT TO DO: Most tourists take a trip in the Peak tram at least once.

It ascends its 1,300 feet at a very steep angle, passengers facing forward, and then takes them down the same distance dragging them backwards. In either event the view from the window looking down on harbour and skyscrapers is spectacular and produces optical illusions that make the leaning tower of Pisa look like kid stuff.

It is possible to hire a drive-yourself vehicle but unless fanatical about this, a car with driver will probably suit your purposes as well. A tour of the New Territory will give some idea of what life can be like for a Chinese peasant, although a visit to one of the ancient walled villages is best skipped by those with delicate stomachs. From a hill in the New Territories it is also possible to peer into Communist China which, although it looks no different from where you have just been, gives most tourists some sort of strange thrill. The drive from Victoria to Repulse Bay and to some of the other beach resorts on Hongkong is full of beautiful scenery.

Night life in Hongkong comes in all varieties of Eastern and Western. There are innumerable places to dine—including the floating restaurants of Aberdeen where the diner goes out in a sampan and choses his fish or lobster while it is still alive.

PHOTOGRAPHY: HK Chinese give every indication that they are completely in different to tourists except for business

purposes This applies to taking photos.

The writer of this article, who paused for a few seconds out in the New Territories to take a photo of some women and children working in the field, got back in the car and disappeared without it when they all left the field, grabbed stones and clods of dirt in their fists and advanced screaming; and was similarly pursued and abused all over Kowloon Wharf by a rickshaw-coolie who reckoned he was in a street scene that had been taken on a cine camera. The thing in HK is to pay everyone in sight before taking a photo.

GETTING THERE; HK is on the major air routes. From Europe you fly via Singapore; and from America via Honolulu and Tokio.

Qantas Empire Airways and Cathay Pacific both run Electra air services be tween Sydney and Hongkong. Return First Class fare: £A375/15/-; Economy Class, £A2BS/15/-. Qantas has four services a week each way and Cathay two. One of Qantas’ services call at Port Moresby, from which point First Class return is £A294/2/-; and Economy Class £A22O.

With Qantas it is also possible to make a round-trip of it taking in Singapore and Bangkok one way and Manila and Port Moresby (or Darwin) the other. This round-trip is £A39B/5/- First Class and £ A3OB Economy.

Sea is more difficult than air travel.

The Australia-West Pacific Line vessels (“Citos”, “Milos”, “Aros”, “Delos”, ‘ * S a m o s ’ ’ and “Tanos”) carry about 12 passengers each in single and double berth cabins. Ports are visited in Borneo, Japan and New Guinea as well as two

calls at Hongkong, but there is a very long waiting list for passages in these ships. Cost, Sydney back to Sydney, in a double berth cabin is £A4I2; single cabin 10 per cent, extra. Except in unusual circumstances it is usually necessary to join the vessel in Sydney (not in NO), It is slightly easier to get a single passage Sydney-Hongkong on these ships and then return by air. Cost of this single passage is £AI92/12/-, double cabin; £AI76 single cabin.

The China Navigation Co. and Royal Inter Ocean also run passenger-cargo vessels between Sydney and the Far East, including HK, calling at numerous ports. The vessels of both lines carry more passengers than the Australia West Pacific Line but it is still necessary to book well in advance as the demand is heavy. Fares vary but a round trip Sydney back to Sydney, calling at a variety of ports Including Hongkong, Manila and Japanese ports is from £A3O2 to £ A 496 in China Navigation vessels “Changsha” or “Taiyuan”. Sydney-HK single fare is from £AII6 to £A242.

New Guide Book

The US Mobil Oil Company, with

publishers Simon and Schuster, have

now produced the Mobil Travel

Guide, the first US guide book to

describe in detail local sightseeing

attractions and rate hotels, motels and

restaurants impartially. In Sydney

copies of it can be inspected at Pan

American Airways, Elizabeth Street.