20th May - Explore Hong Kong

Considering the time we stopped nattering and went to sleep we got up very early - 8ish. We were both too excited about going and seeing the city. We had a huge breakfast brunch as a treat at the hotel. It was £15 each but what a treat :-) We had loads of coffee and nattered for about 1 hour before taking photos of the harbour and the views from the pool and roof top. I love being an excitable giggling little girl with Jacob.


We could have got a taxi or the free hotel shuttle downtown but we decided to walk and explore instead. It took ages to walk the couple of km to Nathan Road as we kept on stopping to take photos and check out the place. We first had a look round the shops right next to the hotel and then walked along the water front. Took photos at the avenue of stars but did not recognise and except Jacky Chan.


Once we arrived in the downtown area we then wandered up Nathan road and I tried to buy some replacement hard-disks for photo storage and some cables I need but they were asking silly prices.

We explored the malls in the area and took a walk through the park and then caught the train over to ??????



We were getting hungry and so we treated ourselves to coffee and quiche. We tried to the catch the cable car to go and see the Big Budda but we had spent far too long exploring the city and having fun and it was too late. By the time the cable car got us to the Budda it would be closed. We headed one the underground to Hong Kong Island instead and walked from the underground station to the Victoria Peak tram where we queue with all the other hundreds of tourists to take a ride up to the top. It took ages! I really do not think the tram is worth it - you might as well just get a bus to the top.

Wondering round HK I remembered loads of things from my last visit here about 5 years ago. I should have remembered that the tram is rubbish and it would be better just to walk or get the bus up to the top. I found it very strange to be in such a clean, modern city again after being in third world countries for the last four and a half months (ish). It was actually a bit of a culture shock. HK is go clean and materialistic. You can buy anything. It was strange to see Starbucks and McDonalds etc again.


I am not a big city person but I do actually like visiting HK. It is lovely to be able to see the mountains and greenery behind the skyscrapers and I love being close to the sea. Where as other large cities feel like they go on forever as a sprawling concrete jungle, HK is really compact into a very small space and so it does not make me feel so claustrophobic. It is really easy to get out into nature from HK downtown just on a short train ride. The living space of most people in HK is extremely small and so where as Brits spend alot of time in their own homes enjoying some space or entertaining friends and family, HKers do this outside of the home in restaurants etc.

The views from the top of Victoria Peak where fantastic! I had seen them in the daylight the last time I was in HK. We were hoping to be able to see the views at dusk and then at night time today but we ended up queuing for ages for the tram and so it was pitch black by the time we got to the top. We had a wonder round on the top and then an awesome meal at a restaurant over looking the whole of HK.


The meal was extremely expensive but absolutely awesome. Rare fillet steak... I had died and gone to heaven it was so good. As my friend Justin would say "A good steak should make you weep!" This one pretty much did. We enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine and nattered until late. A taxi driver tried to rip us off and charge us £35 for a ride that should have been about £10. We were annoyed that he had tried it on and just decided to walk and train it back to the hotel. It was lovely to see HK at night time and wonder through the streets.

A really fun day! It is sooooooo lovely to see one of my bestest buddies and catch up. I have missed my closest friends on this trip. There are some people that you just click with and even after time apart it just goes back to normal straight away. Jacob is one of these people.




For more photos click here