Hong Kong - Arrival

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Wakey wakey rise and shine, 5am start today as we head for Shanghai airport in our hotel taxi, much safer than travelling in a local taxi. At least our driver sticks to the speed limit, even though driving on the wrong side of the road! The airport is badly organised, the information monitor instructs us that we need to go to D area to check in. There we discover that it’s in fact E area. We check in and head to passport control; there we are asked for our departure cards, what departure cards are you talking about? I ask. We’re crudely indicated to a desk to fill these out. Why can’t they tell you these things when you check in, or put up a notice board? “Cretins”, is what I think to myself. We go through to security. By the way, lighters are not allowed. It’s a good thing I didn’t bring my gold Dupont! LOL. Imagine having to leave that behind! We finally board our Hong Kong Airlines flight, on time I might add, but surprise, surprise, we spend 1 hour and 20 minutes just sitting in our cramped seats before we take off. As I write this, I have a lady next to me coughing her guts out the whole journey. "Diseased rat", I think to myself. It’s a good thing B and me are wearing our surgical masks. B was smart enough to buy these when we were in Japan and they’ve definitely come in handy. B was a bit embarrassed to wear it to begin with, but personally I couldn’t give a monkeys! I feel safer wearing it...
We made it to Hong Kong! My first impression, I love the place! We checked into our hotel located in the Kowloon area and have gone for our first walk to get a feel of the place. It’s buzzing with people, the street markets have just about everything you can imagine and more. The stalls are incredibly vibrant in colours and smells and some are full of tropical fruits that we’ve never seen before, with unusual shapes and sizes. Hong Kong has the Asian feel that makes it great and the people are much nicer than in Shanghai. You can see the British influence on the place, the street signs are in both English and Chinese, there is order, and it feels more civilised. B and I have taken an instant liking to this city. We look forward to further exploring and getting to know it more intimately. Watch this space!
M & B

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