Hong Kong Island, Kowloon & Macau

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The Airport Express train took us from HK airport straight to HK central. I (Tim) couldn't get over how humid it was but that's to be expected this time of year...fortunately everything has aircon! Andys mum, Debbie picked us up from the station and we went back to her place which has wicked views of one of the bays. Had a particularly good meal that night on the floating restaurant 'Jumbo' which has the added benefit of keeping all its fish and seafood living on the bottom deck.
Next day we went back to look around HK central properly, the skyscrapers and gardens/parks are cool. The walkways which connect the major buildings are useful as you can basically see the district in the comfort of aircon. After sorting out some money etc we headed to Wan Chai for some food and drink, both of which were consumed in high quantities which resulted in a wicked night with live music, cigars and an expensive taxi home. Licking our financial wounds, the next day we headed to Kowloon. If I have my geography right Kowloon is on the mainland. The ferry across highlighted the difference between rich and poor in Hong Kong as you can see both the glamorous business centre (were Ferrari's etc arnt uncommon) and the crowded tower blocks of everyday people. Kowloon itself seemed to be one huge market, where different roads offer different goods. The highlight for me being the tropical and marine fish shops, where thousands of varieties of aqaurium fish can be bought. We took the MDR (tube) back during rush hour, safe to say it was busy.
Our flight to Bangkok was from neighbouring Macau. Andy was particularly excited by this leg of our trip as we stopped of at the Venetian hotel/casino. This place is nothing short of a joke, with many a high rolling HK business man spending his monthly pay packet on a spot of roulette or blackjack. Perhaps the best way to explain the excessivness of this place is to say that it has a full Venice style (indoors of course) canal, complete with the singing guys steering the boats, a fake sky and a full range of designer shops. Ive also been told six times more money is spent gambling in Macau than Vegas.
Macau to Bangkok was a funny flight as an overly friendly Thai guy who was travelling with his family thought the plane, runway, shuttle bus, customs and just about anywhere were perfect photo opportunies; he must have a hundered pictures of me, andy and his family.
Bangkok to follow...x

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