Hong Kong

On May 5th we left Beijing for Hong Kong where we were meeting my mum and dad for 2 weeks. We were more than ready to leave that's for sure! Beijing had some fantastic sights to see and some great food to be eaten (if you could find it) but it was hard work and wasn't what i would call a holiday. of course the case would have been different if you went with lots of money, stayed in a nice hotel and went on private tours, or had your own private chauffeur and tour guide as one family we met did! Anyway we didn't so lets just end that daydream there!

So Hong Kong - FANTASTIC! And contrary to what many people think, a great place to go for a proper holiday, as opposed to just a stop over or short city break. It has everything you could want and much more, all rolled into one little package! HK is made up of lots of islands (which i have to admit i didn't know until i got there!) - HK Island, Kowloon and the New Territories which are attached to mainland China and a shed load (don't ask me how many) of other ones! We all stayed at the Eaton Hotel on the Kowloon side but were back and forwards to HK Island all the time, for example when we went to Victoria Peak, to the races and to catch the ferry to some of the other islands.

The races was a great night out. the race course is right in the middle of HK Island and as such the stands go up almost vertically to save space! The atmosphere there is fantastic, the food is cheep and the beer comes in pitchers! :) I stuck to my $10 bets (about 60p) knowing that i never win - and i didn't (even though i put everything on to place!). Dad splashed out on $100 bets and was up about 250 quid at the end of the night!

We did a couple of day trips to some of the other islands. On Lantau we rode what must surely be the worlds longest cable car (and found out 3 days later that it has only just reopened after being closed for 6months after one of the cars fell off!!!), visited a giant Buddha and plonked our arses down on a beach for a few hours. We went to Cheung Chau island on the day of the Bun Festival. This is when they celebrate men with nice buns! the top 100 get oiled up and everyone lines up to slap them, grab them, wobble them, cover them in maple syrup..... no wait sorry that wasn't it, what am i thinking, its the day when everyone buys 'lucky buns', there is a huge parade around the island and at midnight a race to climb a tower covered in buns, the man reaching the top one first receiving the most luck for his family.

Another island we visited was Macau which is not actually part of HK. It is the only place in China where gambling has been made legal and as such is covered in casinos including, like in Las Vegas, a Sands and a Wynn! We spent the day looking around the very European looking town centre and the evening dicing with death on the roulette! typically i lost everything! my life savings, the flat in Gateshead, my brother... well i could have! but i decided to play it safe and only put one pound fifty in! and it wasn't even my money, it was mums!

Most of the rest of the holiday was spent trawling the markets, lazing around the hotel roof top pool and eating our way through the huge array of Chinese and seafood restaurants!

I have no doubt that i will be going back to HK. It has everything. Lovely friendly people, brilliant shopping, great food (and it isnt hard to find it!), beautiful weather and lovely islands with really nice beaches. You really could live a very nice life here...

P.S. i only had 2 ice creams in HK! I'm doing well!

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