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Published: October 21st 2012
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Day 22 Our last sleeper train arrived in Shenzen at around 10am and after a short bus ride and immigration we arrived in Hong Kong just before lunch. We were looking forward to HK and after literally throwing our bags into the hotel room we ventured out to find lunch and explore.
We ordered some noodle soup and sweet and sour pork near to the hotel, which was delicious. After lunch, we navigated our way through the busy city streets and weren't disappointed by the hustle and bustle. Even the side streets were jam packed with market stalls with neon signs hanging from every possible space. It was really impressive and instantly had a good feel about it.
Off the main road, which was full of designer shops and expensive boutiques, we found Kowloon Park, which had an outdoor swimming pool, some huge cartoon characters, a pretty lake with flamingos in it and an aviary, as well as peaceful gardens and the usual locals practicing kung fu and tai chi. Inside the park you could easily forget you were in the middle of a busy city and it was nice to walk around and relax.
As the
group tour only catered for one night in Hong Kong, in the evening we had our final dinner together before strolling to the waterfront to take in the views. We had thought Shanghai was impressive but this really was amazing and the view of the skyscrapers all lit up was definitely something to remember. We had hoped to see the famous skyline light show but this had been cancelled due to a ferry crash with many fatalities off another of the islands a few days previous. We had a long, and quite emotional(!) goodbye with our tour guide, Ricky, as well as our fellow travelers, whom we had gotten to know very well over the past three weeks. After this, and taking far too many photos of the stunning skyline, we headed to a nearby bar for a night cap. On the way back we strolled through the still busy streets and passed through Jorden night market which was full of 'fake' goods and the usual tat, but was still nice to see!
Day 23 As the group tour finished yesterday, we now had to fend for ourselves and actually make decisions about where to go, how to
get there, and more importantly what to eat! We set off early and went to see Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden, which were pretty central but once again, when we got inside, we found them to be really peaceful and were really nice to look around and potter through with several gardens and scenic water features.
In complete contrast we then headed by tube to Mong Kok, which was home to the famous Ladies Market and various other shopping streets specialising in sports wear and electricals. It was manic with vendors trying to sell all kinds of things from iphones to dodgy souvenirs but it was worth seeing just to soak up the atmosphere. An hour or so was definitely enough though and after a dim sum lunch we headed back to check into our hostel for the evening.
After a quick turn around we took the local ferry from the harbour over to Hong Kong Island where we picked up a tram through the mountains to Victoria Peak. At the top, we got to see the skyline we had seen the night before from the other side of the water and had an absolutely incredible
360 degree view of the city, both agreeing it was the best city skyline we had ever seen.
After taking the tube back down, we took a detour through Lan Kwai Fong, which is the area best known for the nightlife in Hong Kong. It was loud and quite raucous and definitely not the place for a quite drink, but we found a pizza place to grab some food and a beer and enjoyed people watching before heading back. It reminded us both of 'Boozed Up Brits Abroad' with a lot of western people getting drunk and was definitely very different to mainland China.
Day 24 We went back down to the harbour this morning and saw the skyline in the daylight before we boarded another ferry over to Hong Kong Island to meet Leen & Brego from the group to travel over to Macou. We got the main ferry to Macou without any problems and were all excited to see 'the Vegas of Asia', especially as we were also celebrating Brego's birthday, so had treated ourselves to a nice hotel with a pool! After a relax in the hotel, which had pretty good views of
the casinos all lit up across the river, and a few bottles of champers, we headed out to our first casino of the night, the Venetian. An exact copy of the Venetian in Vegas, the reception area was very grand, and it also had a canal running through one part with gondolas that you could ride in! We spent some time looking round and checking out all of the tables but decided the stakes were too high here for us to gamble and went for dinner instead!
We had a really nice meal before heading to see the other casinos. The MGM was equally impressive. This had a butterfly theme and the reception area had a huge ball in the middle full of butterflies and a grand castle at the end, which made the place feel like something from a Tim Burton film. We had a bit of a gamble here and in a couple of other casinos, but with no luck. The casinos, though very grand and impressive, were very much about gambling, and felt less fun than expected, so we soon headed to the bar street where the very friendly locals (one of which seemed very keen
on holding hands with Mark and Brego...) bought us 6 litres of beer and a shisha before we managed to escape!
Day 25 After rolling in around 3:30 this morning we got a few hours kip and dragged ourselves up for breakfast followed by a very nice dip in the pool. In the afternoon we headed for a wander round the old town centre, including a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral ruins and the fort, picking up a free lunch from the numerous samples of cured meat along the way. We then headed back on the ferry to Hong Kong Island, and took the mid-ways escalator up to the trendy, European, SoHo area for a quiet drink.
Day 26 Today was our last day before our flight to Vietnam. We met Conner and Dee at the ferry port to head to Lantau Island to see the giant bronze buddha via an impressive 30-minute chair lift ride up the mountain. The statue was very impressive in size but the site was modern, with less historical stuff than we expected.
After a Maccies for lunch we headed to the airport and, without any glitches, we said goodbye
to China, and boarded our plane to Vietnam. We had both had a brilliant time here, seem some amazing sights, and had some eye-opening experiences. Although we were sorry to leave, we couldn't wait to move on to Vietnam, and were particularly looking forward to some quality beach time!
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