Thursday 17 January
Arrived at dawn after a 10.5 hour flight. Managed a bit of sleep, watched some films and felt OK when we landed. We'd already booked an airport shuttle which took us to our hotel in Kowloon - the Eaton Smart. We were dreading that we would not be able to get into our room for hours but they had one ready for us at 9.30 a.m. so that was good. The hotel was smart and chic and looks to be in a good part of town. It was an interesting ride in from the airport, we passed a massive port and more high-rise flats than I have ever seen in my life.
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| Hong Kong |
Hong Kong is a city of just over 7 million on a land mass of 427 sq. miles and space is at a premium. Although it's like no other city in China due to the long years of British colonial rule, it is still 95% ethnically Chinese with over half born in Hong Kong. Because of its limited land space and dense population, there are 16,000 people per sq. mile with over 50% living in government-subsidized public housing. A typical apartment is 23 sq. metres with a single window. It has a living room/bedroom, small kitchen area and bathroom and is often shared by a couple and one or two children. Standards of living are generally good though.
We had a sleep for a few hours before walking down Nathan Road, also known as 'The Golden Mile'. This is Kowloon's major artery and the closest thing Hong Kong has to an 'Oxford Street' or 'Fifth Avenue'. We arrived eventually at the waterfront and caught the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour. It remains one of the most spectacular ocean crossings in the world even though it only takes 5 minutes. We saw the iconic Hong Kong skyline from the top of the ferry although it was a little misty so we'll probably do it again tomorrow.
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| 'The Star Ferry', Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong |
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| Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong |
Dave's foot is really bad today so after a little look around we crossed back and had a slow wander back up Nathan Road. By the time we reached the hotel though he was in agony - no exaggeration. Had a beer and, sadly, a McDonald's as it was just across the road and back to our room. Hoping for a good exploring day tomorrow.
Friday 18 January
Had a lazy morning, went down to breakfast about 10.00 a.m. and out a bit later. Walked back down to the ferry, crossed the harbor and arrived at the Central District where we caught the No. 7 bus to Aberdeen Harbour. The weather is warmer than I thought it would be in January and today is bright and clear as well. We had a great bus ride, it was about an hour long and we climbed up and up and up - the views of the harbor were magnificent. We arrived in bustling Aberdeen and had a walk looking at the fishing boats, ferries, sampans and junks - totally fascinating. Eventually we caught a free ferry to 'Jumbo Kingdom', billed as the world's largest floating restaurant. It was a bit early for dinner but we had a beer and enjoyed the views.
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| 'Jumbo Kingdom', Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong |
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| 'Jumbo Kingdom', Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong |
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| Aberdeen Harbour, Hong Kong |
Back in Kowloon we wandered up Nathan Street, had a walk around Kowloon Park and arrived at dusk at the Temple Street Night Market which was quite close to the hotel.
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| Hong Kong |
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| Harbour City, Hong Kong |
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| Kowloon Park, Hong Kong |
The Night Market was brilliant, lots of stalls and a great atmosphere. Dave's foot is playing up badly though so he is not really in the mood to do a lot more today. Ate some Chinese food in a little restaurant opposite the hotel and had an early night.
Saturday 19 January
Dave's foot is bad so we had a lazy start to the day. We went back to the harbor and crossed over to the Central District. It's a bright, sunny, warm day so we bought some sandwiches and sat in the sunshine at the harbor with a little picnic. Got a ticket for the hop-on-hop-off bus and visited a few of the sights. The Man Mo Temple was built in 1847 and is Hong Kong's oldest. It's dedicated to the gods of literature and war (Man and Mo) and the grand entrance is flanked by stone lions for protection. Inside ashes flutter from huge incense sticks that hang from the ceiling - the smoke is intended to carry prayers to heaven.
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| 'On the hop-on-hop-off bus', Hong Kong |
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| Man Mo Temple, Hong Kong |
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| 'Incense burners at Man Mo Temple', Hong Kong |
Next we went to the Mid-Levels Escalator which are said to be 'the longest people-mover' in the world. The escalator is a combination of steps and ramps and it passes through buildings and over streets lined with cheap noodle stalls and upmarket bars and galleries. We stopped off at a bar for a beer and started chatting to a young couple from Wigan who were off to Sydney, Australia - he was starting a rugby career there - wish we were going as well! We then got another bus and did a tour of the financial district where some of Hong Kong's most famous building are including the colonial Legco building, the sci-fi forms of the Bank of China Tower and the Luppo Centre - this was hugely interesting and its impossible not to have your neck permanently upturned skywards.
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| Hong Kong |
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| 'The Ferry Timetable', Hong Kong |
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| 'Back streets' Hong Kong |
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| Hong Kong |
We've been hugely impressed with Hong Kong. It's a pity Dave's foot has been so bad as the city warrants a bit more than we could fit in, another couple of days would be great. We're both a bit stressed though about going home, Dave's in a lot of pain and the day didn't end too well when we had a massive row. A sad end.
Sunday 20 January
We had a 5.00 a.m. wake-up call and got picked up at 6.00. for the hour's ride to the airport. Easy check-in, boarded and off by 9.30. The flight was OK, good films and the 13.5 hours passed quite quickly. Time to go home. Adventure over at least until the next one.
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