Hong Kong

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We left Thailand on a very early flight to the city of Hong Kong. Landing was a bit surreal as the plane decends over the mountains and then touches down just shy if the water. It felt very low! Not quite German Wings mountain low but it was still a concern. Immediately the first thing you notice about Hong Kong is its similarities to London. The road signs are in English, the highway resembles the M25. The journey from the airport felt like heading into central London! Even the cold weather and misty fog resembled home. I started to believe I was actually on my way home in the taxi, however the journey only cost £9.96 and he offered me change! A London cabbie generally wants about £8000 and to sleep with your wife, so I was pleasantly surprised.

We checked into a hotel that was linked to a shopping centre, which is always useful for food! After being in Thailand I began to tear up at the sight of regular brands and familiar restaurant chains. We had brunch at this small boutique breakfast place and it was one of the best meals of the holiday. However excited I was for regular food, the downside was the prices. They weren't even London prices, way higher! I managed to bag myself a fresh pair of trainers which improved my look about 200%.

After freshening up we headed off to see the night time skyline at the Harbour front. The architecture of the buildings are sublime and all have huge strobe lights on top. They flash on and off parallel to the music over the speakers. It creates a fantastic light show across the bay. After the show we toured around a maze of shops which was basically a carbon copy of the west end. I'm not one for exploration shopping and I find it much easier at lakeside when I can move up and down in a linear fashion. I did however find an amazing place to eat. Yes, I found a pizza express! Overcome with joy that I can only imagine is paralleled by the birth of your first child, I ventured in for an amazing meal. I enjoyed it entering me as hot cheese dripped on my face, but I took it all like a winner. The meal did however end in a slight disappointment, the price. £56 for two basic meals. Double the price of the UK!

The next day saw us explore further into the usual tourist area's, starting with a trip via a tram to the top of Victoria peak. The incline of the tram was surreal as it moves up the mountain almost vertical. It was an insane but cool experience. The views from the top of the peak though are very underwhelming. The skyline was mostly shrouded in cloud and mist and the buildings weren't as impactful as other major cities. Unless you want expensive meals at the top, there's little else to do, so we headed down and walked around the city some more, stopping at the cathedral, which was a welcome change to all the temples that I had been dick slapped with for the last month.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the city, shops and places of interests using the metro system. Now the Chinese may be annoying in some cases, but you can't fault there efficiency, cleanliness and care for the area. The place is spotless. No graffiti, no litter, workers on a constant rota of maintenance. None of this is more evident than on the trains where the carriages are clinically clean.

We went to China town in China (ha) that evening and explored the markets. The prices were much higher and the items were slightly different but it was generally all the same crap. Everywhere was so cramped. The Chinese are all so small they fit into every gap. I won't even risk bending over. You do get a real sense of the culture here though with the hustle and bustle of the locals, the food and generally looking down the road and seeing huge illuminated shop signs hanging over the road. It's really cool. No idea what most of it said but I assume it's the numbers off the Chinese menu.

We decided to get up early and spend the next day at Ocean Park, a marine and wildlife amusement park. It was quite unique compared to other parks around the world, situated in the mountains, navigating around the place was challenging. To access the top of the summit we had to take a cable car which was awesome and terrifying at the same time. It was extremely high and boasted spectacular views across the harbour and city. Eventually at the top was a huge area which was home to some beautiful marine animals including penguins and some of the largest sharks I have ever seen. The aquariums are designed a lot different to others I've been too. It gives really food views from all angles. Perhaps one of the coolest exhibits at the park is the jellyfish Centre, the largest I've ever seen. They have multi coloured lights that give the jellyfish awesome illumination. They also have a large white screen that takes your picture, puts your face on a jellyfish and drops you into a tank. It was very clever. The rides were probably on par with Southend, but this park is more about the amazing animals. The biggest laugh of the day came from watching the Chinese scoot between viewing panels to chase the pandas as they move around their enclosure. All they care about is the picture instead of enjoying the animals. Naturally I took pictures of them.

That night we decided to visit the Happy Valley racecourse. A huge horse racing track in the middle of the city. The views were panoramic, the grandstand was huge and the racing was exciting. I'd never seen horse racing before and it was exciting the see especially under the lights of the city. At one £1 for entry, it was the cheapest thing in Hong Kong to do!

Hong Kong has been a fantastic city to visit. We ended up staying for six days as we couldn't decide where to go next and this is reminded us of so much of home. Loads of good sights, a great mix of western and Chinese culture and friendly, welcoming people. Its the sort of place I could see myself living if the opportunity ever presented itself. Overall the Chinese have grown on me. I find the culture efficient and effective albeit a bit cut throat although competition in a country with 1.5 billion people is huge. That's a hell of a lot of noodles to go around.

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