Hong Kong

Trip Start Sep 29, 2008
1
9
41
Trip End Aug 2009

Flag of China  ,
Thursday, October 30, 2008

To get to Hong Kong we fly from Kathmandu to Delhi, with a 4 hour wait, then onto Hong Kong. We get delayed at Delhi airport for over 5 hours, problems wih a fuel pump we are told. We are fed a Subway to keep us quiet.
We eventually get to Kowloon and arrive at our hotel at 5am! Feeling sorry for the tired messes in front of them, the staff upgrade us to a suite. The kingsize bed and 2, yes 2, 42 inch flat-screen TVs greet us. We are asleep before our heads hit the pillows.
What feels like a second later and we are awoken by the alarm, time for breakfast.
We head out to Kowloon and the many markets. Walking in the busy, but not crowded streets we notice how clean every where is. This is our type of city. With the Jade and Ladies markets done we then visit the Tin Hau temple. The smell of incense is almost overpowering.
We walk to Kowloon Park and have lunch watching the parrots.
That night we master chopsticks in one of the many street cafes serving great sweet aand sour pork, before spending the evening at the Temple Street night market.
On our second day we get the Star Ferry to Hong Kong island. The impressive skyline is shrouded in mist, the weather dull and overcast. We catch the tram to the top of the Peak and take in the view from the Peak Tower. With Daves fear of heights and a rain shower this is short lived.
We decide to walk back down, the descent is as steep as any in Nepal. Even with getting lost we manage to find our way down, walking past the houses of the seriously rich of Hong Kong. Bentleys, Rolls, Ferraris and even a Maybach pass us.
We head for an Irish pub and join the crowd of Australian and Kiwi rugby fans. The Bledisloe Cup is being played in Hong Kong for the first time and the Wallaby and All Black fans have taken over the city. Thankfully the All Blacks win.
We then walk the many miles of sky walkways that weave in and around the skycrapers. It's a pedestrian city above road level, with shopping malls and hotels the only points of reference.
We eat the best dumplings in Hong Kong for dinner, or so the Lonely Planet tells us.
We then return to Kowloon on the ferry and admire the neon skyline from across the water.
Our final day involves shopping and using the internet. Oh, and Dave watching the Brazilian Grand Prix in a bar at 3 in the morning. The race and the result brings our stay in Hong Kong to a happy conclusion.
The alarm at 5am is not so welcome. We've got an early flight to Ho Chi Minh City.
Slideshow Print this entry