Tour leader keeps customers satisfied<\/p>\n
Our trip was a lot more appealing because of our lively tour
\nleader.<\/p>\n
Willy Fung Sun Cheung, 53, is helpful and informative, keeping
\nthe trip rolling along with stories from his colorful life.<\/p>\n
Cheung was born and grew up in Malang, East Java, before his
\nparents moved to China around 1962.<\/p>\n
\"It's never clear what the reason was,\" he said in perfect
\nIndonesian despite having lived in the former British colony for
\nthe past 41 years.<\/p>\n
The move probably had something to do with the events of 1958
\nwhen the People's Republic of China claimed that every ethnic
\nChinese in the world was a Chinese citizen, which led the
\nIndonesian government to give those of Chinese descent an option
\nover their citizenship.<\/p>\n
Cheung tried his luck in Hong Kong, doing various jobs, from
\nworking in tunnels to performing with a Hank William-esque yodel,
\nbefore landing in the tourism-field 15 years ago.<\/p>\n
From the moment we met him upon our arrival at Hong Kong
\nInternational Airport, he filled us in on his cache of
\ninteresting stories, such as the under-ocean tunnels, how Hong
\nKong will have its own Disneyland in 2005 (\"much bigger than
\nTokyo\"), to the vagaries of local transportation.<\/p>\n
Our favorites were about Indonesian tourists, especially
\ngovernment and military officers, relatives of former president
\nSoeharto and celebrities.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesian tourists are the most difficult to handle. They
\nmake local tour leaders here muntah darah (vomit blood),\" Cheung
\nsaid, chuckling.<\/p>\n
Lack of discipline, a relentless zeal for shopping and little
\ninterest in local culture are only a few of the less desirable
\ncharacteristics of the Indonesian tourist, he said.<\/p>\n
\"An important person insisted on driving in a limousine
\ninstead of joining our bus tour. I was also blasted by a military
\ngeneral, who refused to walk some 10 meters in drizzle.\"<\/p>\n
Through his rich knowledge and excellent numerical ability, we
\ngot to know about more than just the best places to shop and dine
\nand how cigarettes are deadly expensive (at least HK$23, with a
\ngovernment warning that is chillingly simple, \"Smoking Kills\").<\/p>\n
We also got deeper into the life of Hong Kongers, and how they
\nsuffered from the double whammy of the economic crisis and, most
\nrecently, SARS.<\/p>\n
\"I myself have been barely working the past three months, only
\naccompanying business visitors once in a while. Hopefully the
\nsituation will get better,\" Cheung said.<\/p>\n
Limited space and high living costs force Hong Kongers to live
\nin tiny apartments but pay a king's ransom.<\/p>\n
\"Many employees can't afford an apartment, so they sleep in
\nthe lobby of the Star Ferry Harbor. They're not laborers, you
\nknow, they work at offices,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The likes of security officers even prefer to commute between
\nHong Kong and nearby Shenzhen in mainland China, which has much
\ncheaper accommodation available.<\/p>\n
Cheung said Hong Kongers were hard workers, because they had
\nto be. Its rocky landscape means it has to import 70 percent of
\nits water needs, with the rest supplied by water catchment.<\/p>\n
Cheung is a hard worker himself, earning enough to send his
\nson, Alex Fung, of whom he is very proud, to Boston's Berklee
\nCollege of Music.<\/p>\n
Cheung plans to retire within the next one to two years.<\/p>\n
\"After that, I will go back to China, and back to the stage
\nagain,\" he laughed, before doing his famous yodeling routine for
\nus one more time. -- Hera Diani<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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