Blogs from Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, Asia - page 108

Since ML is working, I am touring around by myself...so I'm not in the pictures. ... read more

I spend the afternoon wandering around the city, hopping on and off the open trams which lumber around the city at $2 (18p) a time. The trams are an excellent vantage point to see the city - it’s like walking but you’re higher up and less likely to bump into things if you don’t look where you’re going. As before, the buildings are dizzily tall and festooned with laundry, advertisements and immense bamboo scaffolds. The roads are dug up in a random, impromptu style and taxis, buses and trams abound everywhere. Not even in that British tram haven of Blackpool would you find a tram-jam eight vehicles long. To be honest, we’d struggle to make that many buses arrive at once, but that’s probably only because buses can overtake each other.... read more

I’ve been making myself giddy looking up at all the tall buildings in the sky (there’s more building than sky most of the time) and wandered past some seedy looking bars with aggressive touts who didn’t seem beyond manhandling me to secure my custom. Happy now I’ve found Crunchy Nut Cornflakes (but no milk, bowl or spoon as yet), I’m heading back to turn in. I’m ashamed to say that dinner was McDonalds but following so little sleep in so long, an average speed of over 300mph in that time and heat to smelt the balls from that brass monkey, I couldn’t face any further thought. I will do better tomorrow, but I just want a guaranteed night without bowel problems to further disturb me. Its odd, walking around outdoors in April in just a T-shirt. ... read more

We step from the MTR station onto the street and I stop to catch breath, my senses assaulted by the scene. I can see high-rise buildings festooned in a little paint and a lot of clothes hanging from every balcony. From every direction gaily-painted advertisements beg for my attention and I can smell an odd mixture of the fragrant, the exotic, the spicy, and drains. The sound of traffic and shouting is nearly drowned out by raucous birdsong. Meanwhile, I suddenly realise what 25°C and 80% humidity feels like. Its like being hot normally, so you sweat, but since you’re still the driest thing in the vicinity the moisture from the air has been condensing on you from the very beginning. It feels like a wet slap with a warm and slippery fish, but the slap ... read more

Attached are two photos Here are the gaiters that we have glued, sewed and silicone'd to our shoes...hopefully to keep all of the sand out... SAND IS BAD Second is a photo of all of the stuff I am packing for 7 days. ... read more