Geo: -27.4898, 153.223It was supposed to be a surprise but we are thinking that Denise - the super sleuth - had sniffed out the possibilities and was aware that something was brewing. With threats of an early arrival, Von, Cheryl, Kate and Shiralee's meticulous planning was momentarily thrown into disarray. But thanks to "an unscheduled yet timely, blowout" by sweat (sic) Emily, the guest of honour was 30 minutes late!With 60 guests hiding in all the nooks and crannies, the birthday girl was welcomed with the obligatory cry of "surprise" accompanied by a cascade of balloons and a shower of cash as she was ushered in to the gambling hall and saloon by our very own " Miss Roulette."With screams and hugs, the party animals were unleashed. Elvis was in the house....two of them actually! The ... read more

Geo: 22.33, 114.18Home again, home again jiggedy jig.....but let's not get ahead of ourselves. There were still a few shopping hours till departure. The shopping potential was determined by the the available space in the suitcase.I used the sit, bounce and zip method to create just a little bit more space after putting all the heavy stuff in Mac's bag. I have to confess I did this little swaparoo when he was in the shower! He will never know until he picks it up.So with wallet in hand and a level of determination intensified by an imminent departure we hit Nathan Road again. But with no particular goal in mind it once again meant aimless rambling. Into nooks and crannies, in venues that are literally holes in the wall, or conveniently located pieces of bitumen with ... read more

Geo: 22.33, 114.18A group tour. Our fist one! So we were down to the lobby quick smart and joined tour guide Alex, photographer Ping and driver Bob and thirteen other Honk Kong explorers for our half day "Hong Kong Island Tour."First stop was Victoria Peak via the famous vernacular tram. The usual Asia crush had our group of 15 tourers on board and we trundled up the hill in the German built tram system. In colonial times, this ascent would have been completed in a sedan car....glad we were rattling up in the tram because I have resisted any human carried vehicle for the entire tour! We were expecting sweeping, majestic views of Victoria Harbour and the skyline of the island of Hong Kong. What we got was rain and a mist/fog/cloud/smog layer that was so ... read more

Geo: 31.23, 121.47The crush of people continues on the Labour Day Holidays and although we thought we had already experienced lots of people in the shopping mall it wasn't until we were cheek to jowl with the other half of the Chinese population in the Yu Gardens and in the Old Town Shopping Market that we really got to appreciate "the crush" of humanity. Our early morning visit started with a look around Xintiandi Old Town and ‘Shikumen' houses which date back to the 1860's (not so old for China...but old for the story of Shanghai) and demonstrate the architectural influence of the Jewish and British bankers. They have been carefully restored to create a snapshot of the old Shanghai and are now a very elite restaurant precinct. We walked another block to observe the outside ... read more

Geo: 24.4783, 118.17Not going to rate this adventure as one of my "favs" in China but maybe the weather was responsible for a dampened enthusiasm. The visibility at some times during the day was down to 20 metres ....so Xiamen and the surrounding landscape zoomed by shrouded in a perpetual fog of mystery.We left the Days Inn at 8.30 am under an umbrella in heavy rain and returned to Xiamen at 5.15 pm under an umbrella shrouded in mist and rain. Our goal was to reach the mountains of south western Fujian to see the cluster of tulous which is the home of the Hakka.Some of these round, oval and square structures were built in the 12th century and they stand as a distinctive fortress in the region. Built over four or five storeys high with ... read more