Hong Kong Part 1

---

We arrived in Hong Kong after a lovely bus journey, which even stopped half way at a nice hotel for a full Chinese meal, probably our most authentic meal as we sat at a table with the other passengers all of whom were Chinese. Not bad for 13euro!

On arrival in the city we got the subway to Nathan Road where we had booked a hostel in Mirador Mansions. We managed to locate our hostel which was one of many situated in the building. We were then informed that they didn't have any room for us, despite the fact we had a booking. So they offered us a private double bed room instead of the dorm room we booked, too tired to argue we agreed. We were then led by a Chinese girl back down to the groundfloor and out of the building. We continued to follow her down the street and then into another famous building called Chungking Mansions. We got the elevator to the 16th floor and then had to take the stairs to the 17th floor. We were eventually shown into the smallest bedroom we have ever seen. (see picture below). Chungking Mansions is comprised of hostels/guesthouses, shops, indian restaurants and god knows what else. The building is occupied by backpackers, some dodgy looking Indians and African "entrepreneurs".

Our guidebook actually recommended going for an Indian meal in Chungking Mansions, so we did that our first evening, and it was probably the most authentic Indian either of us has ever had. Afterwards we walked down to the harbour and got our first glimpse at the spectacular Hong Kong skyline. We then took the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island for quick wander before heading to bed.

The next day we headed to the Science Museum, where we ended up spending over 3 hours playing with all the interactive exhibitions (ahem designed for kids). After a quick stop for lunch we explored Kowloon Park, a beautiful park right in the centre of the city with everything from astro turf football pitches to water fountains to an aviary.

That night we decided to go for a few beers. We ended up in a quiet bar, which was decorated for Halloween and all the staff were dressed up. After a few drinks we agreed to their offer of a free face painting. It was funny while we in there, but we got a few strange looks when we visited another bar afterwards! (See the scars below)

After a bit of lie in the next morning, we headed over to catch the Victoria Peak Tram. The tram carried us to a height of 396 metres, and travels up a ridiculously steep track, reaching an incline of 27 degrees at its steepest point! Once we reached the top we took a series of esclators to the top of Peak Tower which gives fantastic views of the city.

After descending from the peak we took a wander through the city centre and noticed there were an incredible amount of Filipino women everywhere. Apparently Sunday is the traditional day off for the tens of thousands of Filipino house maids in Hong Kong, and they all meet for picnics etc... in the local parks. But they weren't just in the park (where there was some sort of Bizarre Filipino Maid Beauty Pagent on), they were packed on every footpath, street corner and bridge we came across.

That evening we took the Mid-Level Escaltors up through Hong Kong Island. They are a series of escalators (the longest in the world) that run up to the hills on the island. There are 20 escalators in total and they cover a distance of 800m to a height of 135 metres. The escaltors run downwards in the morning and are used by thousands to get to work, in the evening they are reversed and run up the hills for people returning home!

After returning to Kowloon from Hong Kong we relaxed that evening with a trip to the cinema. We also made a quick decision to head to Macau for two nights.

Next Stop Macau...

---