Memories of Kai Tak - SIA A380 Economy to Hong Kong and a Run to Checkerboard Hill

[yflyer]

As this was brand new hotel, some facilities were not yet available, the restaurant served a buffet breakfast, but did not yet offer 24 hour room service.

There was a vending machine in the lobby, and also a phone number provided for food delivery services.



There were many malls a short car ride away, where many dining options were available.

There was also a gym and a rooftop pool.



There were nice views of the stadium from the rooftop.

[yflyer]

The evening of my arrival, I caught an Uber to Causeway Bay.



My first stop, a gastropub, "2nd Draft", by Young Master.



A sampling flight of 3 Young Master Ales/Beers.



I'm not really a beer person, but I really like what Young Master does, especially their Classic Pale Ale.

There was some really amazing food at 2nd Draft, which can only be termed HK-Western fusion, conceived by well known chef May Chow, who also helms the adjoining Little Bao restaurant next to 2nd Draft.

For example, Mapo Burrata, essentially burrata cheese with sauce/topping of spicy mala sauce (similar to mapo tofu)...



This flavour combination was unexpectedly successful!

Also fat-fried edamame...



...which was your traditional Japanese style edamame drinking snack, but with a twist...these were fried in chicken oil!

And then, grilled top blade steak, which was absolutely delicious, as good as any top steakhouse anywhere.



A wonderful meal and great beers to match!

[yflyer]

We then proceeded on foot through busy Causeway Bay...



...to what looked like a nondescript commercial building...



...but this building housed many restaurants, and a traditional Japanese cocktail bar...



...named Bar Executive...



...presided over by master bartender and owner Ichiro-san...



I sampled Ichiro-san's signature martini, which was top notch...



...and enjoyed a refreshing Daiquiri as well...

[yflyer]

I could have spent a long time at Bar Executive, but I had an appointment that evening, an event at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.




This was a Wednesday evening, and the Jockey Club packed.



This was a race night, but also an Oktoberfest celebration...



...complete with band...



Wednesday was the new Friday, the sign proclaimed, and from the crowd here, I could believe it!



The atmosphere was amazing!



One thing they don't tell you about live horse races: in my imagination, horse races were noisy affairs, with clomping hooves and galloping, buit in reality the horses raced by smoothly and seemingly silently...



The Hong Kong Jockey Club is right in the middle of HK and a core part of life in Hong Kong. I wonder why HK can sustain horse racing, but Singapore cannot.

What a wonderful way to spend an evening!

[yflyer]

On the last day of my trip, I headed for a run up Checkerboard Hill.

Landings at the old Kai Tak Airport's Runway 13 are the stuff of aviation legend. One of the most challenging airports to land at, pilots had to be specially certified before being allowed to land there. Despite its difficult landing, Kai Tak had a superb safety record.

I flew into Kai Tak on several occasions before the airport closed in 1998, on SQ, CX and JL. I have hazy, happy, memories of those flights, and recall that I was always gripped by the views out the window as the aircraft came in to land.

This was the so-called Checkerboard Approach, where pilots had to sight the checkerboard pattern on the hill before making a 47 degree right turn, often at 1000 feet or less, to land on Runway 13.



There are many cockpit videos of this approach on Youtube, which offer a pilot's view of the approach:

I had not actually planned to run up Checkerboard Hill on this trip. It was a decision made on impulse, on the day itself, and very hastily planned.

I was up really early in the morning for a video call, which was cancelled at the last minute. It was about 7am. I had 2 hours before my business meetings began at 9am.

The night before, at the rooftop party on the top floor of the Dorsett, I looked around at the view and had wondered where Checkerboard Hill was, and whether the checkerboard pattern still existed. No checkerboard was visible from the rooftop. But it had got me wondering where the hill was. A quick look at Google Maps showed that Checkerboard Hill was just over 3km away from the Dorsett.

That was a very doable distance. It was not clear if there was actually a route up to the Checkerboard, but at least I would get to see it. I made a snap decision there and then to change up into PT kit and run there.

[yflyer]

I began my run at the Dorsett.



At that early hour of the morning, the weather was still very cool. Following the route suggested by Google Maps, I ran along Sung Wong Toi Road....



The suggested Google Maps route was good, but not perfect, I had to backtrack a few hundred meters at one point as there was no way across the busy Kowloon City Flyover and Argyle Street, at the 1km mark, but eventually I found a traffic light and pedestrian crossing.

This was a predominantly residential area...



...with many schoolchildren heading to school, and commuters heading to work...



The route took me to KowloonTsai Park...



...which was quite busy with residents going about their morning exercise.



The checkerboard was quite close, but there was no sign of it.



Eventually I reached the HKCTA Tennis Center, right in front of Checkerboard Hill.



But where was it?



From the base of the hill, I could just make out the checkerboard pattern through the trees and foliage. But how to get up there?

I was right at the base of the hill, and could hardly see it. At that point I was quite disappointed. All the way here, only to catch a tiny glimpse of the checkerboard.

There was no way up the hill from where I was. There was a steep staircase/ladder up, but the sign was said that this was for maintenance work only.



I was about to give up. Then I looked up again and saw a person walking along a path quite close to the checkerboard. So there was a way up after all!

[yflyer]

It was getting late, and I would need to head back to the Dorsett soon for my business meetings. But I thought, what the heck, I may never be back here again. I decided to press on.

I continued, via Google Maps, on a circuitous route through the surrounding area...



...and up the hill.



Up and up...I was getting disorientated...would I be able to find my way down again?



Eventually I found my way to the top of the hill. I looked around the area, and saw a dirt trail by the side of a fenced up area.



I headed down and found myself looking down at the tennis courts where I was before.



There were nice views from that spot. I could see Hong Kong Island, and even The Peak, far in the distance.



More importantly, I knew where the Checkerboard was relative to where I was standing. I made my way carefully along the pathway on the hill...and bingo! There it was!



After Kai Tak closed, the checkerboard pattern had faded in colour and had fallen into disrepair, but in 2022, in recognition of its historical significance, the checkerboard was repainted.

And now, in late 2024, while somewhat obscured by trees, it was still visible, in bright red and white.



The route up was quite convoluted, with many forks and turns, but at least the route down was now very clear.



While it was definitely possible to go back down the hill the way I came, I did see a local or two take this shortcut down the maintenance stairs.

Thankfully while the sign said "for maintenance only" and while there was a locked gate at the foot of the stairs, it did not take a genius to figure out how to bypass the gate...



I headed down, and hailed an Uber back to the hotel. Total distance that day, just 4km, including an exhausting uphill segment up Checkerboard Hill!

[yflyer]

Late that afternoon, I caught an Uber to HKIA for my flight home.



SQ departs from HKIA Terminal 1...



The check-in area...



Check-in times for SQ flights that day...



While the airport was quite busy, security lanes moved quickly and immigration was quick as well.

My first stop in the airside area was the foodcourt...



In the days when SQ1 and SQ2 made a brief transit stop in HKG before continuing onto SIN or SFO, after deplaning I used to make a beeline for Zheng Dou (正斗粥麵專家) for a bowl of wonton noodles and congee before reboarding.

I was delighted to see that the outlet was still operating there!



The menu...



I ordered both the signature shrimp wonton noodles and a bowl of congee...



Absolutely lipsmacking delicious!

[yflyer]

After that, I headed to the SilverKris Lounge...



This lounge has not changed much over the last few years.



Shower rooms...



Seating area...



High back chairs...



Tables for dining...



Buffet and made-to-order noodles and laksa...



There was a full service bar.



There was a nice selection of wine, liquor and cocktails.



The bartender that day deserves special mention, he really knew his stuff and took great pride in the drinks he made. Thumbs up!



I had a Prosecco (Years ago, this lounge served Champagne)...



...and a very well made martini...

[yflyer]

I headed to the gate...



My flight was SQ895, a 6.50pm departure and scheduled arrival time of 10.40pm.



Today's flight was operated by Airbus A350-900 registration 9V-SMI, a 7 year old aircraft.



Boarding was via facial recognition only. No boarding pass required, just a glance at the camera!



This aircraft was in SQ's long haul configuration with the 2013 cabin products.

Business Class, configured 1-2-1...



Premium Economy, laid out 2-4-2...



Economy, in 3-3-3 layout...



While this was not the very latest economy seat product, the seats were still very comfortable, and in excellent condition.

[yflyer]

The seats had very good recline, and were very comfortable. No underseat obstructions, but no footrests either.



IFE was state of the art...



...and included live TV news channels...



The handheld IFE controllers that the seats used to have, have been removed. There was no need for them anyway, as this was a touchscreen.



A/C power...



A pillow and blanket at each seat...



The bathrooms had sensor operated taps...

[yflyer]

Hot towel service...



Lovely...



Great views of Hong Kong out the left side windows as we took off...



Flight time of 3 hours 15 minutes to Singapore today...



Dinner was served...



There were 2 choices for dinner, a Western selection or Asian style chicken with rice. I opted for the chicken, along with G&T (These days, when I order a G&T on SQ, I explicitly ask for it with a lemon slice).



This was a wonderful meal...



The prawn salad starter was very tasty...



The main course was very good as well...



Dessert was a sure-fire crowd pleaser, Haagen Dazs chocolate ice cream...

[yflyer]

Cabin ambience on this 100% full A350 was very good...



Final approach into Singapore, with great views of the Singapore skyline out the left side windows...



We landed at 10:22 pm, 18 minutes early...



This was a wonderful flight, with a great cabin product and really good cabin crew. On this short 3+ hour sector, the cabin crew took great care of passengers. I was particulary appreciative of the FS in my section of the plane, who pro-actively offered me a 2nd G&T when he was my first cup was empty. A big thumbs up!

T3 arrivals was not busy when we arrived, and it was nice to clear immigration with just facial recognition -- for Singaporean residents, there is no longer a need to present your passport on arrival, just smile for the camera!

[yflyer]

Final reflections...

My flights on SQ to and from Hong Kong were superb. While both the A380 and A350 are very good aircraft to fly on, my preference would be the A380 any day.

Hong Kong has undoubtedly changed over the years, but it remains a uniquely vibrant and exciting place to visit. When I was there, the vibe was that of a thriving city, with a great F&B scene and lots of business to be done.

As far as the sports and concert/events scene was concerned, the upcoming stadiums and venues at the upcoming Kai Tak Sports Park will definiteily make Hong Kong attractive to sports events as well as top tier music acts. I was very impressed by what I saw at the new Kai Tak Sports Stadium, and I believe it will be fantastic when it opens in 2025.

It was also great to see the checkerboard on Checkerboard hill up close. It brought back many happy memories of past trips to Hong Kong, and to the old Kai tak airport. Too bad the airport closed long before the A380 entered service. I would have loved to experience that approach in an A380!

Thanks for reading!

[StarG]

Thanks for sharing and taking us on your journey yflyer.