Hong Bo Hotel Shenzhen

... the bus back and wanted to just walk back to the hotel and explore the city. A couple of the teachers from Malaysia came with and we sort of just wanderer around the city and through the nearby streets. The Malaysian teachers were American with one Canadian (eww gross), and they had never been to China either, so we had a good time exploring. When I arrived back at the hotel, I got changed and opted to do some exploring on my own (i.e. grab a pint). I leisurely traveled around ...

... on the ground floor we grabbed a tasty pakora with a drink from a Pakistani stall then headed to the shore for our first sight of Hong Kong Island. The streets w**e busy and ev**yone wanted to sell us fake watches, handbags and suits. The roads w**e v**y busy so und**passes w**e the only option which became v**y confusing as und**passes became shopping centres and all sense of direction was lost. We eventually found the wat** front and had a wand** along "the walk of the stars" wh**e ...

... drink for a late lunch and continued up. At the top we were on a street lined with very exclusive looking apartment blocks and nothing else. The escalators only came up and there seemed to be no way of getting down. We assumed that they would have had to lead us to something. I thought that we were heading for the peak, a popular place with great views over Hong Kong, but on looking at the map, something I should perhaps have done earlier, I could see that we were nowhere near ...

... we were sat next to a guy who was from just outside of sydney and he was very friendly to us he even knew a fair bit about football or "soccer". the whole flight was really good the three of us got a little drunk and watched films. the onboard meals were immense we had lamb curry and cornettos!! and i was seated in the legroom seat automatically so i didnt have to complain and stand around for hours to get a seat i could fit into!! :)
and the flight continued...

... Kong's most sensational dining experiences, and is an excellent spot to see and to be seen... The stunning décor was created by internationally known avant-garde designer, Philippe Starck. The floor-to-ceiling glass wall offers unmatched views of Victoria harbor and Hong Kong Island, and the atmosphere is certainly like being at the top ...

... Kong, well its a full on, in your face place that hits you the moment you emerge from the MTR. The humidity & humanity engulf you. There's nothing shy about Hong Kong. I think its the insane skyscrapers, endless neon, and thronging masses that make this the most 'bright lights, big city' place I've been. You literally couldn't cram more people on the island, but somehow they all seem to get along fine. The vibe on the street is very friendly, and you end up ...

By now you've read Aidess' post on Beijing and all the amazing things we saw there, including all of the shopping. At one point in Beijing Aidess said to me "I've never seen this many malls and high-end shops anywhere in my life." Then we came to Hong Kong. Hong Kong puts Beijing to shame when it comes to shopping. There's no Great Wall here, no Forbidden City or Summer Palace. True, there's a massive sitting Buddha and Hong Kong Disneyland, and I think a ...

... fast and frequent service whisked us north out of the city to 'Tsuen Wan', a crowded, high rise area. From the station, a taxi took us to the Gold Coast area, another modern area of smart, high rise apartments on the coast. At a local bar we found canned 'Boddingtons' beer and had to check it out! This was a favourite watering hole for many ex-pats, a lot of them now being resident in HK. A delicious dinner was at a next door, Thai restaurant and late in the evening we caught a bus ...

... to do with our time based on the weather cooperating or not. On a whim, and because I'd been feeling sick and didn't want to protest, we made plans to go to a prison museum near Stanley Beach. Stanley is about an hour's bus ride away and gives you the most breathtaking tour of the island. It's breathtaking for its water and islands scenery as well as the curvy and narrow mountain roads from the view of the front seat atop a double decker bus. Luckily for me, we never made it to the prison ...

... the priviledge. Here I managed to scratch that itch as I spent time with Sherry and managed to coax her out of her shelln (a little bit). This is harder than you would expect especially as she is nocturnal meaning that the whole time I was awake and eager to play, she was fast asleep (and vice versa). All in all, Shen Zhen was a fantastic diversion from our trip and Aron et al were brilliant hosts who kept us entertained and left us oh-so relaxed! Thanks a million for your hospitality!