Hong Kong

Sharon and the girls at last get the Visa's approved and I meet them in Hong Kong on Sunday 8th March. The idea of the stop was a much needed break in the 20 hour flight to Melbourne from London, and an opportunity for a whistle stop tour of HK. Arriving at the Marriot in Admiralty, Sharon and the girls prove the need for the break by sleeping for a good few hours in the hotel.

First night was spent with a quick walk around the surrounding area, bumping into the red light district in Wan Chai while looking for a restaurant. It was great to get that "Bladerunner" neon lights, hustle and bustle feeling while luckily avoiding any awkward questions from the girls. We ended up having a Thai for tea!

To cap the night off we ended up in the hotel outdoor pool on the 12th floor, swimming away while craning our necks to look at the excessively lit, 40 plus storey skyscrapers crammed all around us.

Monday turned out to be the day to cram everything, starting with the giant Tian Tah Buddha at Ngong Ping. Personally I was unsure about this as it was all the way back out the near the airport. However I was introduced to the delights of one of the most efficient and reasonably priced transport systems I've ever been on, and 30 mins later we were at the base of the peak where the monastery and statue are.

There is a beautiful path weaving steeply up through the hills to the Monastery and I'm sure if we had followed the (very) few other brave souls our enlightment at the top would have been all the greater. As it was probably a 3 hour walk up, and we had 2 young girls we elected to take the cable car: something that set the tone for the rest of this particular excursion.

Once at the top visiting the Budha statue was awseome. Over 100 feet of brass lotus positioned Buddha in a setting that could have been from "Enter the Dragon". The view down the other side of the mountain to the coast was no less impressive with endless little islets reminiscent of Vietnam. Taking the steps up to the Budha was free, unlike the "authentic" village between it and the cable car, the gift shops, and the "we've caught a tourist" Chinese lunch. Best I can say about the village was that the builders from Disneyland down the road had obviously wandered up here bored of a lunchtime.

We stopped off at Kowloon on the train on the way back to wander through the markets. This was as good as Wan Chai's neon lit mayhem, but without the potential awkward questions. We took the Star Ferry back to HK Island which at something like 60p for all 4 of us must be the bargain of the universe to get a view of one of the worlds great city skylines at night. Cheap though it was, I'd forgotten about these ferries, and despite smooth water in the bay the Hong Kongese proved they knew a thing or two about building skyscrapers but diddly squat about sea worthy boats.

One of the overriding memories of Hong Kong, other than a worry about the electric bill, and the need for a good head for heights when you look out pretty much any window, was the post SARS scare cleanliness. I only mildly exagerate when it seems like someone is walking behind you wiping clean every footprint as you go: acre after acre of smudgless glass, and miles of polished stone floors you could shave by.

Tuesday morning was an early start to get the flight to Melbourne.