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Published: August 30th 2010
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About 20 minutes from landing - presumably China Well we have finally started our travels, after what seems like a very long time planning organising and sorting out preparation.
It didn't start too well, we got to the bus stop on Thursday morning to get on the Megabus from Plymouth to London and arrived to discover that the ticket we had booked was not for Thursday but Friday morning. after a brief panic we sat down got the iPhone out and booked another coach ticket on National Express. If this was what we could manage in England with free internet and all the resources what sort of chance would we have in China or Vietnam with no languagee skills and no technology?
Anyway after a couple of nights in London (thanks Kat and Simon) we got to the airport. With a few inevitable tears from Mum H we got on the plane.
10 hours later (in my case 3 films and a brief kip, in Lou's about 1.5 films and 5-6 hours kip) we landed in a very wet Hong Kong. A Typoon level 1 warning which was slightly disturbing (but turns out to be a stand by and not even any chance of wind, and
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First meal in Hong Kong = Malaysian!! Beef Rendag, Mee Goreng & Chicken Coconut Curry makes it sound much worse than it is).
We met a very nice but niave girl in the queue to get through immigration and then got on the 2 train journey to the hostel.
On arrival out of the MTR we got to the hostel tired and grubby praying for something decent - we weren't disappointed. We have both stayed in worse travel lodges than this hostel.
After a particularly impressive shower both in power and relief value, we ventured back out feeling re-invigorated and ready to tackle HK. This lasted as long as the wet hair for Lou and by the time we got off the MTR in Wan Chai (not to be mistaken for Chai Wan which is our stop) she was all ready flagging. We hadn't realised until after we got off the MTR that this was the red light district! Good for drinking and lapdancing but not so hot for a quiet meal. After a walking a couple of blocks we settled on a small ground floor place serving malaysian. The Beef Rendang was great and hopefully the start of a fantastic culinary odyssey that we are both looking forward to.
Home
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Market near times square - just opposite this was the live fish stall... and a "short sleep" which resulted in us waking gone midday, meant a late start. We got out and got on with trying to sort the Visa's for china which is our primary function here, after one check at the local China Tourism Service, we opted for the ministry. Faster by about 4 days but slightly more expensive, and the two hour wait was a bit dull but gave us time to meet a friendly expat teacher and decide on tomorrow.
After this we wanderd to the book shop as Lou cannot function without a Lonely Planet! This could get expensive! but after a book purchase, and a cuppa we moved on to Central and then got on the Star Ferry, an iconic cheap transport across Victoria Harbour, just in time to see the Guinness Book of Record entry Light Show acorss the harbour.
On to the night market in Temple Street via an incorrect stop on the MTR and a brief sojourn around a quiet suburb, and we were eating in the street having a beer. (Our second shared meal of the evening after a short stop in the mall by the harbour)
When finished we
both got a second wind and decided to go for another somewhere and decided on Lan Kwai Fong, a trendy district in HK, reflected by the price of the beer!
Finally we headed for home on the MTR to our room to plan tomorrow!
We both like it here but it's a bit too London for us really- in other words great for a short stay but not much more. It's still not feeling real yet - that we have finally managed to get away and do this thing that we have been trying to do for what seems an eternity now, but it is one small step closer to feeling real! I reckon a few days and we'll get the hang of it 😊
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Chris and Lisa
Round the World Wanderings
Cheers
Thanks for this interesting blog. We are travelling to HK then China next month so will follow your blog with interest. btw Which hostel did you use? Also when you get to Vietnam try to stop for a couple of nights in Delat, it's a gem.