Fun, Festivities & Family in Hong Kong...

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We arrived in Hong Kong a while ago, on the 16th Dec, and were met at the airport by Zoe's cousin Rahim - very kindly he had agreed to let us stay in his flat until we checked into the hotel on christmas eve. We spent the next week relaxing (so good to stay in a home!), sleeping, and going out with Rahim & Izzy (another of Zoe's cousins). Got to know Hong Kong island itself quite well (Rahim lives there), and also spent some time in Kowloon & visiting the outlying islands of Lantau and Cheung Chau. Highlights included the cable car & Big Bhudda on Lantau (though the tacky xmas village near by was somewhat ironic!), Repulse Bay (nice beach) and getting lost walking around the peak whilst admiring the towering skyline of Victoria harbour. Also, the nightlife of Lan Kwai Fong was pretty impressive, as was the stamina of Rahim & Izzy for going out on a "school night"!

On Christmas eve, Rahim left for the UK, and we moved out of his flat and into our home for the next 2 weeks, the Wharney Guang Dong Hotel in Wan Chai (Hong Kong island). Very nice hotel, near to an MTR (underground) station, but also unfortunately close to numerous select establishments such as "Cockeye" and "The Pussy Bar"!! Still, livens up the evening stroll around town! Once in the hotel, we managed to totally unpack our bags for the first time since the elephant camp - heaven for us, but a nightmare for the poor maids. Feeling devoid of Christmas spirit, Zoe & I went out on our "work" xmas-do, and had the compulsory turkey dinner followed by a few drinks in Lan Kwai Fong; the Chinese here get quite into the Christmas thing, but only from a retail-orientated point of view (much like the UK?), and the bars were really packed on christmas eve.

We enjoyed the luxury of a lie-in on xmas morning, and then headed off for our christmas dinner; a picnic on Repulse Bay beach. Christmas day is a public holiday in Hong Kong, but most peole treat it like a "normal" holiday & go for strolls on the beach etc - we, on the other hand, donned the santa hats & cracked open the bubbly on the beach! This ensured us lots of funny looks, and even a few sneaky photos, but the picnic of roast pork, duck & fried rice, followed by christmas cake was a real contrast to the usual feast. Even braved a dip in the sea - first and probably last time - before heading back to the hotel for a customary nap followed by meeting up with Izzy & his girlfriend for some xmas drinks. We met up again on Boxing Day, and went out to Sai Kung - truely an oasis of calm away from the hustle & bustle of Hong Kong - for a beach-side stroll, followed by a few games of pool (killer). All in all, a real contrast of a Christmas, but we can't get over the twisted desire to replace the blue sky with a dull grey & a chill in the air (and family/friends of course!)

The 28th of December brought visitors (our first since Bangkok) when Zoe's mum & dad arrived from the UK & Shanghai respectively; Zoe's mum, Sue, fresh as a daisy following a free upgrade to business class on her overnight flight! Since then, we've spent time seeing more of Hong Kong/Kowloon, including seeing where Ken (Zoe's dad) used to live when he was little. We've really enjoyed the company, and managed to celebrate New Year's Eve in a posh hotel, the Shangrila, which was a good excuse to test-drive the tailor-made suit & dress from Vietnam. We've even managed to meet some of Ken's distant relatives, and of course went out for a meal with them; Hong Kong is a bit of a culinary delight to suit all tastes! Only a few more days here before we brave the unknown in China; looking forward to it, but a bit apprehensive about the language barrier (a BIG one!) & having to travel again after settling here...

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