Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been quite a contrast from Thailand. Its clean, organised, expensive and efficient. The tube meets the airport and takes you straight to where you want to go. Such a relief. I loved Thailand, and its chaos, but it is great to get from the plane to the hotel with no complications.

I met Haydn at the airport. He was due to get off the plane shortly after me. I waited at the arrivals area but Haydn's flight kept being delayed so I went to find a seat in the arrivals lounge. I was not really sure if he would arrive. I was getting worried as the information for his flight kept changing. As I went to check what was happening with his flight, he arrived telling me that his plane landed then took off and then landed again. So pleased I was not on that flight!!

Anyway we got to Hong Kong Island in no time on the tube or MTR as its called here. The hotel was lovely. Got to have a hot shower for the first time in ages. I must have spent more than 20 minutes just enjoying the hot water. I did not do very much the first night. Flying always makes me so tired.

The next morning, looking around Hong Kong was interesting. It was easy to walk around no market stalls and their sellers bothering me; crossing roads was safe and easy as the traffic obeys the road rules though there are loads of people are rushing to get to work or to go shopping, which seems to be the favorite pass time here. The buildings are so big and dominating.

I found Hong Kong to be cold initially, the air conditioning is always on so low, walking past each shop is like passing a fridge. I managed to get used to it by wearing more clothes. I was expecting Hong Kong to be as hot as Thailand, but it is about 10oC cooler, which makes it much more pleasant to walk around.

The first tourist attraction I went to was The Peak. The Peak is at the top of one of the mountains and is very steep. We took a tram up and could see all of Hong Kong and some of the surrounding islands. We stayed up there for the sun set and to see the buildings put on their lights.

Most mornings I would wonder in to the food markets and get some fruit for breakfast, and then head to the park to enjoy the morning sunshine. The parks here are full of activity. Men are playing Chinese Chess and the women are practicing Tai Chi, or gossiping with their friends. Open spaces and parks in Hong Kong are really positive environments. People here seem to active and social. The parks are filled with plants and flowers and are very clean.

My favorite park was Hong Kong park. There is a huge pond filled with terrapins and coy carp and water lillys, with butterflies and dragon flies dancing around. There is a tea house, botanical garden, aviary and art museum there too. The when you look up you can see the big dominating buildings. It is such a contrast. It is a place where you can escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The other attractions I found were the bars. I had kept away from the bars in most countries, but here they have happy hour everywhere and ladies drink for free on Wednesday nights. The bars are great fun.

Each Sunday I have been here I have been fortunate enough to go out on a boat around the islands. Haydn has many friends here in Hong Kong and we were invited on to these boats which were great fun. We stopped at a wonderful seafood restaurant. All though I do not eat this sort of food it looked wonderful. Everything was cooked in garlic and chille. I ordered some vegetables and they were so full of taste, like nothing I had eaten before. On the first boat I forgot to take my bikini. Every one went swimming, I could not resist so I went in in my underwear. My bra was ok, but my knickers were a bit lacy and on the small side. It was all good fun though.

We spent a couple of days off the island. We went to look around the markets on the main land. The main land has a different feel. We went to one of the main shopping areas which has lots of fake designer watches and bags. The markets are full of copies. We also went to the bird market which was just so noisy. Apparently the Chinese by birds for their song and not for their appearance. Walking though was just so difficult on the ear drums. We had just left the flower market which was calm, beautiful and fragrant. The bird market was a total contrast. Then we looked around the fish market which was very interesting. So many weird and wonderful fish, coral and other interesting creatures including bugs.

I stopped to watch the light display on the Avenue of Stars. The Avenue of Stars has tiles of famous Chinese film and music stars. It is the perfect place to watch the light display. The view of Hong Kong is amazing. I am so lucky to come here so close to Christmas as the building have festive displays on them as well as their own lights. It so colourful. I really enjoyed the light display. The buildings come to life and they are timed to music. The buildings look like they are dancing.

I took the train right out of town and went to have a look at the Big Buddha which is amazing. We took the cable car over the mountains which were spectacular. Such a contrast from Hong Kong. It was fantastic to see so much greenery and to look out in to the sea. I can not remember all the details regarding the big Buddha but it sits on top of one of the mountains. I think the mountain it sits on is 1000 meters above sea level. It dominates the landscape. Walking up to the Buddha is almost intimidating. it is a huge bronze sculpture. The head alone is 5 meters long and I think it weighs 500 tonnes. It was interesting to go and to see the scenery. We told people the next day that we had been there, then the stories about the cable cars randomly falling were being told. Maybe we would have taken the bus up if we had known that.

The temples here are a little bit different from the temples in Thailand. They have animals on the roofs, and you can have your fortune told, and much more incense is used. They are a bit commercial too. There are cafes and shops with in the temple grounds, which I found a bit strange. The temples are very pretty and the art work is so delicate. They are very well kept.

I am off to Singapore on Sunday. Not sure what I will do when I get there. I have had a lot of fun in Hong Kong. Its so many things. Its beautiful, powerful, delicate, full of contrasts, multi cultural, relaxed and busy. Its quite difficult to explain. The sky line is amazing. People are so kind and friendly. The food is good. There must be more than a million shops. Just so many things.