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Published: April 8th 2010
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In the Dandenongs
Which one's Puffing Billy then Hong Kong and Homeward bound
Saturday 3 April
Before flying off late Saturday evening Mike and Sara take us on a trip to the Dandenong Mountain Range some 40Km north of Melbourne - nice scenery and a ride on the Puffing Billy steam train which takes us on some steep inclines and very picturesque views. In the evening we all go out to dinner in the dockside area of Melbourne before saying our fond farewells to Mike and Sara and catching our plane to Hong Kong just before midnight.
Sunday 4 April
We arrive in Hong Kong just after 6.00 am. With the time difference 3 hours behind Melbourne and having had very little sleep on the plane, we are both feeling a little jaded. We get to the hotel about 2 hours later and fortunately we are allowed to book in early and have an added bonus of a free upgrade to a room with a full harbour view - whilst a fabulous view, it would have been improved by less misty weather. We decide (probably wrongly) not to have a sleep but to have a look around Hong Kong. We go to the Happy Valley
Puffing Billy
Scary stuff - spot Mike's legs! Cemetary and take some flowers to the grave of Jude’s brother Richard who died in Hong Kong in 1970.
We get back to the hotel about 2.00pm and decide to visit the Dickens bar for lunch - Those of you who were with us here 4 years ago will remember a very ‘messy’ afternoon, evening and dare I say early morning there - the place has not changed at all in fact I half expected Chris and Dave to be still propped up against the bar!! To hell with sleep we think so we decide to take the Star Ferry to Kowloon. Logistically Hong Kong is made up of Hong Kong Island (where our hotel is) and Kowloon plus surrounding territories which are situated on the mainland. Access to the mainland areas of Hong Kong is by ferry or tunnel.
We spend much of the afternoon in Nathan Road (Kowloon) where we were accosted at least 30 times by people trying to sell us copy watches and others wanting to make me a suit - we bought neither - I already have my ‘Kevin’ Kline watch I bought 4 years earlier! and what the hell do I need
View from our Hong Kong hotel bedroom
In the distance Spooky Kowloon in the mist a suit for!! Later on we visit the Jade Market and Temple Street night market where I am reminded once again of some of those smells which we first encountered in Bangkok emanating from some of those strange looking things being cooked on the streets. We do sample some Chinese delicacies in a rather strange establishment - but very cheap. Before we get the ferry back to the island we are treated to a spectacular sound, light and laser show which we view looking out over the bay towards Hong Kong island. We fall into bed at 10.00.
Monday 5 April
After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast we are out again and get a bus to Stanley and visit the market there. Stanley is on the south side of the island and the bus ride takes us up winding mountain roads with wonderful views. We go through Repulse Bay which is a very popular beach resort on our way before arriving at Stanley. This side of the island is oh so different from the hustle and bustle of the north - far more laid back and relaxed. The inevitable purchases were made in the market
Kowloon
Bustling Nathan Road before returning by bus and tram to our hotel. In the evening we treat ourselves to dinner at the Revolving Restaurant in the Hopewell Centre. The restaurant is situated at the top of one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong - it does a full rotation in about 90 mins and commands spectacular views over the city and beyond. The meal was excellent and we were able to do the buffet justice unlike our last visit which some of you will remember!!
Tuesday 6 April
The next day we spend on trams, visiting the Peak and taking in the hectic pace of Hong Kong. The trams are quite unique - they have changed little in over 100 years and are the only double decker trams in the world. Not the most comfortable of rides but any distance travelled costs only HK$2 (about 18p) - sitting in the front seats on the top deck has got to be the best way of seeing Hong Kong - especially at night. As in England, this is a holiday weekend and there seems to be crowds of people wherever we go which seems to add to the somewhat crazy and very
Jude at Stanley
Why didn't I hide the credit card humid atmosphere here. We also travel on what is believed to be the longest continuous (well almost) moving walkway in the world where escalators take you for nearly a mile passing shops, markets and cafes - a most unusual experience! In the evening we eat at a bar/restaurant called Pawn - our table was on a balcony overlooking the bustling streets of Hong Kong and the food was very good - thank you Mike and Sara for the recommendation.
Our flight to Heathrow leaves at 7.30am on Wednesday so having picked up our luggage from the hotel we spend the majority of the night in an airport lounge. After a 12 hour flight we touch down at Heathrow, in the rain, feeling a little worse for wear but are cheered by the welcoming sight of Joanne. We will now be staying with Jo, Dave and Sam for a few days before going home at the weekend.
It has been a wonderful 2 months for us especially meeting up with Mike and Sara again - the time seems to have flown by. We have had some fabulous experiences and have met a lot of very friendly people on our
Hong Kong views
Pete on the Peak travels but we are now very much looking forward to catching up again with family and friends - hopefully in slightly warmer weather than when we left!!
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