Bangkok was funky - Hong Kong is also funky. I'm digging. A job offer in Hong Kong would be accepted rapidly thankyouverymuch!
Not because we're suspicious or feel particularly regal in any way, my mother and I caught separate flights from Bangkok and met up at Hong Kong airport. Welcome to Hong Kong - funky airport! It all looked strangely familiar and had I not already known it was made by the excellent Lord Foster (as usual I am well versed in the writings of the unrivalled Rough Guides) I probably would have guessed it was his creation. Stunning piece of work Lord Foster - and it didn't wobble one bit. Did you know the Hong Kong Airport is actually bigger than Heathrow and JFK Aiports put together??
My mum decided to treat us to a posh hotel in Hong Kong - so yet again my dirty clothes were being paraded around in unfamiliar territories. Such a disgrace to walk around in old and filthy clothes, I had to get some new ones. Quite a few news ones actually.. I have been wearing make up (aka mascara and brushing my hair) the last few days in order to look more at home in the establishment. Thankfully Mamma has taken some of my stuff home (12 rolls of developed film, books, clothes etc), so there's be more room for potentially more shopping. The hotel was plush and soooo nice. Outdoor swimming pool on the roof (that'll be the 21st floor) and a gym next door (which I sadly have not had time to use just yet). We were smack bang in the middle of Kowloon - right on Nathan Road, aka 'the Golden Mile.' Kid in sweetshop material for yours truly - shops everywhere. Just a block away from Temple Street Night Market. Hong Kong is haven for shoppers. Though a bit of a shock to the monetary situaton after Thailand - the prices are virtually the same but in Bangkok the exchange rate is 72 baht to the pound, here it's 14 HK Dollars to 1 sterling.. YIKES!
First on any visitor's ticklist of Must Do's in Hong Kong has to be Victoria Peak, 552 glorious meters above sea level. It does get a whopping 6 million visitors ever year - sounds like a sardine style nightmare, but then again 6 million people can't be wrong. The journey up to The Peak is a steap ride on a tram. It rattles and shakes, it's been doing the trips since 1888, and the views get more and more exciting the higher up you climb. With Hong Kong being such a consumer paradise the panoramic viewing deck is on top of - yup you guessed it - a shopping mall.. The view was just magnificent. We got there around 4, stayed for late lunch / early dinner and watched the sun go down (well it had actually vanished behind a mountain top) and the skyline turn to a light spectacle. Just amazing.
You like markets? You'd love Hong Kong! In one day we spent time at the Ladies Market, the goldfish market, the flower market, the bird market and the night market! Fake Gucci for all at Christmas!
Time flies when you're having fun and earlier today Mamma started the 28 hour journey home. I took her to the airport. Not an easy task for either of us. We're such criers and hate goodbyes, I mean show me a Kodak Moment ad and I'll show you tears. We both wanted to get the goodbye part over and done with, yet we wanted to be with each other for as long as possible. Emotional tug of war. When she finally went through to the Departures lounge I was on my second Kleenex pack. I decided I needed some peace and calm rather than the frenzie of shopping Mecca, so I headed to the Po Lon Monastery, home to the Big Buddha (he weighs more than a jumbo jet..) Just what the soul needed. As the bus snailed it's way up the mountains the fog was sneaking it's way past and Buddha high up on the mountain top drifted in and out of view. It was just magical. I spent some time with two lovely monks feeding some rather greedy fish (hopefully will have good pictures soon !)and just walked around the monastery for a few hours. I was so calm by the end of it I actually feel asleep on the bus coming back down the mountains!
Now for some reason I have now got a rather large collection of religous artifacts. I have so many religious good luck amulets and saints now I should hopefully be covered in all areas. Amongst my collectin you'll find:
* the good ol' Hand of Fatima around my neck
* two Catholic saints from (E)Spanish friends in my wallet
* a St Christopher from Bridget around my neck
* a heart of gold with two pictures of the guru around my neck
* a blessed and dried(E)Spanish rose in my bag
* a small wooden Laksmi
* a metal Ganesha
* mysteriously a Jewish peace sign stuck to my camera.. Anyone want to tell me they stuck it on there?
So being a bit superstitious and all, today as I was leaving the monastery I realised I don't actually have anything Buddhist with me (well apart from the 1million pictures of Buddha statues..), so when I came across a bracelet that is for safety and happiness combined - well I had to have it... Should be totally insured now.
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