Hong Kong

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For those nurturing rose tinted ideas about travel I should tell you that we are able to find our way back to the hotel here by sole reference to sense of smell, and I’m not talking rose lilies and violets here. Above the general layer of exhaust fumes in this incredibly crowded city there seems to be a decaying fish theme going on in town, and that’s one of the better odours! We arrived here from Bahrain after an overnight flight which was pleasant bordering on psychotic. It’s not a fun experience being cramped upright into a space barely bigger than a coffin for more than seven hours when most normal people, even taking into account the rigours of jetlag, would be tucked up in bed. The flight attendant who spilled orange juice on C’s knee nearly paid for it with his life. The very late finish to the last night celebrations in Bahrain didn’t help matters, though in this respect you might argue that the subsequent difficulties were at least partially self inflicted.

I’m not sure that I would really recommend Hong Kong to anyone, other than as an interesting stopover on the way to something better. Like all major cities, I suppose, our hotel room is about the size of the kitchenette area of the Bahrain room, though on the plus side the doors have proved to be more predictably located. We have spent most of our time here wandering around markets and fighting off people on the street who seem most anxious to procure for us suits and handbags, though where exactly their shops are I have never been able to tell. Some of the side street stores are ‘interesting’. Did you know that dead squids are orange? As world travellers we are of course duty bound to sample all aspects of cultural life we visit and I can happily report that the McDonald’s over the road from the hotel is a firm favourite with the locals. It is our regular breakfast stop and not once have we seen anyone not of Chinese origin. Well, if you see some of the food available from the street vendors here you’d be bolting for the nearest burger outlet too.

Tomorrow (11th) is our last day in Hong Kong. We’re planning to escape the city and take the ‘peak tram’ so that we can get a panoramic view of, well, the city. I’m hoping the odours and fumes don’t reach some of the highest peaks, but I’m not holding my breath. Well, actually, I am generally holding my breath, but you know what I mean. Next stop Singapore, with a short interlude in Kuala Lumpur.

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