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Planning for this trip ended up being a little rushed to my liking as I wasn't entirely sure where in Asia I wanted to go and it was also dependent on whether I got a bonus at work so I had enough spending money for the trip. Usually I plan my trips well in advance but with decisions around selling my home and buying a new one I knew that I needed to get this trip in quickly. I was torn between Thailand and China as the two countries high on my list for Asia. I decided most people tend to go to Thailand so I thought I'd be different and go visit China. My haste decision planning not going in my favour as I find out that I need a visa for China; all the times I have travelled before the requirements have either been passport only or an ESTA which you can just complete yourself online. Obtaining a visa for China is not easy and requires completing many forms and going to the Chinese embassy in London; with time running out the only option I had was to use a professional immigration services to help obtain the visa and
myself to post all the required documentation that they ask for. My bad preparation cost me a lot as I ended up paying around 300 GBP more than I needed to if I had done it myself.
Luckily my visa arrived with a few days spare before I was due to leave for China via Hong Kong, what a relieve. Fiona wants to give me a good send off and so joins us as my dad takes me to the airport. I feel guilty that she cannot come with me, especially to do such a big adventure like this, but I am sure the time will come someday where we can do an adventure like this.
Day 1 After a 14 hour flight (my longest flight so far, as my previous was 13 hours from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt) I arrive in Hong Kong and I am warmly greeted by Elaine aka Por Por (see previous blog
Por Por adventures) and Winnie, who I haven't met before in person, only on Telepresence screens at work. I still work with Winnie and Elaine is an ex-work colleague who I consider a friend. It is so lovely to have such a
warm welcome and makes me feel at ease when arriving in a foreign country.
It seems that Elaine and Winnie already have arranged my itinerary, which is fine by me. They just ask me which sights I really want to see and then give their suggestions. You can really reap the benefits of travelling to a new location when you know the locals, I've always strongly believed this.
We first take a taxi to my hotel, check-in and then head back out taking the tramway for the "tram experience" these trams are not your usual standard trams but are rather narrow and have been running through the city since 1904.
We arrive at
Statue Square, right in the region's financial, political, historical and social heart. As I look up, I see towering buildings and modern skyscrapers surrounding the square. We head over to HSBC and rub the Lion statue's foot outside the main entrance for "good luck"
We next go into the nearby shopping mall where I am told to try these eclairs from
L'Eclair de Genie (French pasty chain) in a selection of different flavours. I must admit I am not really a fan of
chocolate eclairs but these eclairs are very nice and definitely worth trying.
Next we visit
Temple Street Night Market and this area is absolutely buzzing. There are so many people and it does have a rather hustle and bustle feel to the place. I think it is at this point it really hits me that I am in Asia when you see all the signs in Cantonese and lit up and the culture is completely different to anywhere else I have experienced. The smell of street food is making me hungry as we look around the market stalls. The market stools sell a variety of things and it is expected that you try and haggle on the price; having the girls with me is handy as they can tell me a good price to negotiate.
After a lovely dim sum dinner at
Din Tai Fung, we walk to the harbour front to admire the views and to get some photos of me with the impressive harbour front night time hazy views in the background.
Day 2
My first full day in Hong Kong and Elaine greets me outside my hotel and we travel by train to
Lantau Island. The train line stops at Lantau Island and to reach
Big Buddha there are several options but Elaine recommends going via the cable cart (
Kgong Ping 360) as you get nice views. The views are pretty spectacular as you see very tall apartments on one side and lots of trees and hills on another and the turquoise sea in the middle; Elaine points out this long bridge road built on the sea that has just finished being built which connects Hong Kong to Macau.
We can see the
Big Buddha statue standing tall amongst the trees as the cable cart gets closer. Once we get off the cable cart, we are surrounded by shops and restaurants as we head towards the
Big Buddha statue. The statue was completed back in 1993 and It is sited near the
Po Lin Monastery. The monastery symbolises the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and faith. It is a major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong and a very popular tourist attraction.
Po Lin Monastery was once a humble house built back in 1906 by three monks to worship the Buddha and is now a large and important temple.
As we reach the
Big Buddha statue, I am wowed by its size and I am completely fascinated as never experienced being in a country where Buddhism is predominately the main faith.
At the
Po Lin Monastery, Elaine points out a monk to me and says I should get a photo as not always common to see one walking around. Elaine also teaches me that you should light an incense stick and bow to the Buddha statue and so I practise to ensure I do not do anything disrespectful and want to embrace the culture here.
After a delicious lunch at
Po Lin Monastery and a look around the shops where we first arrived, Elaine suggests we take a bus down to
Tai O, a small fishing village on the same island. This picturesque village is such a different experience to the hustle and bustle of being on Hong Kong Island. The houses in this village are built on stilts above the sea and make canals for boats to travel through; it reminds me of Venice in some ways.
Elaine tells me we need to take a boat trip which will drive around the canals and then
go out to sea for the chance of seeing the
Chinese White Dolphin also known as the
Pink Dolphin. The boat trip is pretty awesome because you get to look up at all the stilt buildings from sea view rather than looking down at the sea. Once out at sea, we sense the anticipation as to where we will see a dolphin and then you feel the excitement as a dolphin is spotted as it quickly jumps out of the sea and gone within seconds. I look over to the direction where a dolphin is spotted and can see its white fin sticking out; I try to take photos but realize it is moving too quickly and so I start to keep my video in one place, and then I manage to capture a very quick clip of it as it slowly goes back under the water... AMAZING!! Not quite as good as my experience in Wales where one jumped out in front of my boat but to see a white dolphin has to be a very rare experience. I learn that these dolphins are critically endangered and as they get older their skin goes more of a pink colour.
After a walk around the fishing village and seeing, well from my perspective, some unusual things being sold like hanging octopus meat, we were ready to take the bus back to the city.
On our way back to
Hong Kong Island, Elaine suggests we stop off at
Cheung Sha Beach. This beach is apparently one of Hong Kong's favourite beaches and over 3 kilometres long, it is one of the longest in the city. It got me thinking that Hong Kong is more than just a city. I thought Hong Kong was this huge city that was also classed as a country or "special territory" but to me now I can see it is a lot more than just some heavily built up city with these beautiful islands, beaches and stunning scenery; yes the city is heavily built up but there is so much rural area, too.
We stop off for a drink at
Lantana, an Italian restaurant, where I enjoy an ice cold Peroni; It is nice to stop for a moment and enjoy the views as sunset starts to slowly kick-in, and have a rest after what has been a full-on day trip.
We
meet up with Winnie at the
King's Lodge restaurant and order so much amazing food. Elaine and Winnie get me to ask for a Tsingtao beer in Cantonese, it is only a handful of words I know. I feel guilty that we don't eat all the food as it is so tasty but Elaine and Winnie assure me it is ok to leave food, as I know some cultures it can be insulting to leave leftover food.
I am pretty happy to see the
Jackie Chan statue and hand print with his autograph as we head towards the direction to grab a taxi for me to get back to my hotel.
Day 3
Winnie had already organised my itinerary and booked the day off work so she could accompany me. Her original suggested itinerary was a day trip to Macao but since the weather was appearing good in the morning, Winnie suggested we visit
The Peak first to try and get best view without too much haze. It will be quite a lot to fit in but Winnie felt it was doable.
Upon reaching the tram station to take us up to
The Peak, there is
a massive long queue. Winnie says we will lose a lot of time queuing up and best to grab a taxi to take us up the hill to the top of
The Peak. The taxi's in Hong Kong are very cheap and definitely worth taking the taxi up as you're at the top of the hill in next to no time and saves all that time queuing. I understand in the peak season it can be super busy with trying to take the tram.
The Peak is also known as Victoria Peak as well as Mount Austin but the locals call it
The Peak and given I am hanging out with locals it feels natural to reference it as
The Peak since my arrival.
The Peak is most probably the famous attraction here offering most spectacular views, along with cooler climes and quiet wooded walks.
We go inside the
Peak Tower, which is where the tram directly takes you. Inside the tower is a mall filled with shops, restaurants and escalators which we take to get to the sky terrace. Once on get to the sky terrace the views are incredible, despite the mist; Winnie says on a
clear day the views are really good. The last time I recall seeing similar views was when I went to New York in 2013, the buildings have this same narrow look yet they tower so high into the air.
Winnie suggests we take the tram back down as there will be no queue and I will get to experience the tram. Winnie is correct, there is no queue, and we quickly get onto the tram and enjoy the ride back down the hill, which literally takes around 10 minutes.
We then quickly head towards the
Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal to take the ferry over to Macau. Before boarding our ferry, we grab a quick lunch at Mcdonalds; yep, I am still doing my Mcdonalds count in how many different countries.
The ferry we board is a Jurbojet and takes us approximately 1 hour to get to Macau. I had never heard of Macau prior to Winnie suggesting we visit but it seems Macau has many similarities to Hong Kong as it was owned by Portugal until 1999 and was handed back to China in the same way Hong Kong was given back from the UK and
it is now classed as a special administrative region of China. We take a taxi to the centre of Macau from the ferry port and Winnie pays for the fare in Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) but the change given back is in Macau Pataca (MOP) and I learn that Chinese Yuan is also accepted in the special territories, too.
We arrive in the centre at
Senado Square, this square is an elongated triangular shaped square and is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The square is surrounded by shops, official buildings and churches with architecture that that has been influenced by the Portuguese. Winnie tells me that they make and sell Portuguese tarts at the stalls along the street and so I am tempted to buy one to try; they are very similar to what we call back home a custard tart but I think the difference is the Portuguese tart has cinnamon sprinkled on the top. I am also a huge Haagen-Dazs fan and so I am really curious to try the Green Tea flavour and I have to admit it tastes pretty good. Winnie also points out stalls selling flat meat, like giant flat squares of meat
jerk, which I watch them cut up using scissors; this is very popular Macanese product, I am told.
After a bit of walking through the busy streets we end up at the ruins of
St Paul's Church that was built by the Portuguese. Most of this church was made of wood and so only the granite block part of the church stands today having survived a typhoon and subsequent fires.
Once back in the taxi, we pass the famous
Macau Tower, as we head to
The House of Dancing Water show. This breath-taking show is staged in a purpose-built dancing water theatre and is the biggest water show around the world. The stage pool holds a record-breaking 3.7 million gallons of water, which is equivalent to 5 Olympic-sized swimming pools. I've never seen anything like it, with the storyline having so many stunts and special effects.
After the show, Winnie wants me to see the
Golden Reel at
Studio City but by the time we reach there it is closed. The
Golden Reel, which is a Ferris wheel shaped like a number 8 offers elevated views of Macau and is very impressive at night. Macau is China's
version of Vegas for sure.
We get the Jurbojet back to Hong Kong and it is getting very late but we've not eaten food yet and Elaine is happy to meet up with us for a late night feast so once we return we go to
Hancham Korean BBQ restaurant. This is only my second time of eating Korean food and I am happy to have the opportunity to try it again.
Day 4
My last full day in Hong Kong and I have some alone time so I decide to visit
Stanley, a coastal town and popular tourist attraction, which was once an important part of Hong Kong's history as a British colonial before the administration office moved into the East District. I go to the bus terminal in
Central and look out for the number 6, which goes directly to
Stanley.
I sit at the very front of the double checker bus as we drive through the busy roads of the city centre, admiring the tall skyscrapers. The roads are bendy as we travel along the coastal line and the buildings start to fade away with more green making their appearance. The transition from
metropolis to rural happens so quickly, as I enjoy the stunning views of the coastal line.
Once we arrive in
Stanley, I get my camera out and enjoy taking shots of the beautiful
Stanley Bay as I look down on it from the hill after being dropped off by the bus. I walk down the hill and find myself at the
Tai Wong Temple, a really small Buddhist temple, which you can just about bend your knee in (probably not designed for tall foreigners like myself); across from the small temple is the
Stanley Plaza Square and the
Stanley Tin Hau Temple, which is much bigger.
All the walking around is making me thirsty and I noticed a Costa Coffee selling Green Tea Frappacinos and so I give it ago and it is extremely refreshing and tasty. Green tea flavour seems to be very popular here and I can understand why, but for some reason its not so easy to get this flavour back home.
Next I decide to visit
Stanley Market, as I want to try and find some souvenirs. The market sells goods ranging from fabrics to gardening to household tools to tourist souvenirs; there
is a variety of items for sale. These stalls you can haggle on the price and so I pick up many bargains to take gifts back for Fiona, her children and my immediate family.
Around lunchtime I head back on the bus and meet up with Elaine at
Central for some lunch as we head over towards the harbour front for delicious Dim Sum food at
City Hall Maxim's Palace. I am told this place is very popular and I can see why as we enter the large hall packed with many people sat at round oval tables which is decked with beautiful large chandeliers and massive glass windows that overlook the harbour front. I think this is my favourite restaurant so far as waiters/waitresses come around with trolleys offering many different types of Dim Sum, whether sweet or savour.
With the weather being nice and sunny, Elaine suggests we visit
The Peak again for good views and photos and, despite the haze, the views are much clearer than the day before when I visited with Winnie. Elaine says we should visit again this evening for night time views as should be quite good given not too much
haze today.
Next we head to the
Ritz Carlton Hotel and visit the
Ozone Bar, which is on the 118th floor of this luxury hotel and is the worlds tallest bar. This bar offers impressive views of Hong Kong whilst serving us alcoholic beverages at an altitude of 480 meters. Elaine said its amazing to watch a sunset here but we are due to meet work colleagues at
Hard Rock Cafe so unfortunately we only get to see it slightly getting dark; perhaps one day I can come back and watch a proper sunset and chill at this rather luxurious and impressive bar.
We head over to
Hard Rock Cafe where Elaine and I are greeted by current and some ex work colleagues, who I have never met before in person but have spoken with/seen via Telepresence screens at work. It is so lovely to meet them in person and for us to catch-up in person in a non-work environment.
it's starting to get late but Elaine says I must see
The Peak at night time so we visit again and the views are spectacular. Elaine says if we had made it up a bit earlier it
would have been more spectacular but many rooms in the tall buildings have now turned off their lights.
We finally finish our night at the
Tsui Wah Restaurant for a very late dinner and cuppa tea (with milk) followed by a quick visit to
Time Square. Elaine and Winnie have really looked after me and made me feel welcomed, and I feel they've taken me to some pretty good restaurants. I've absolutely loved my experience in Hong Kong and hope one day I can return given it's an international location and good stop-off place for catching a connecting flight.
Next stop; Shanghai
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Visited 
Home and Away
Bob Carlsen
That was good you had friends in Hong Kong...
who developed the perfect itinerary!