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Published: June 14th 2017
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We must have been very tired; it's one o'clock in the afternoon when we finally stir. As we walk through reception we see a set of four steps covered in red carpet in front of the counter. Issy says that this is where four year old Chinese billionaires pay their bills.
We stroll along the attractive waterfront promenade in front of the hotel. There seem to be lots of things that you're not allowed to do here. We pass a very large sign saying "no swimming, no cycling, no smoking, no gambling, no littering, no dogs, no climbing over the railing, and no fishing". There are about twenty people fishing, and plenty of others walking their dogs and smoking. One of the fishermen has climbed over the railing, and is using the top of the "no fishing" sign as a tray for his bait. We spot a man swimming in the harbour just in front of the sign. I fear for his safety. The water looks very dirty and it's full of rubbish. We then see one of the fisherwomen throw a bag full of rubbish into the water. The only things we haven't seen are people cycling or gambling,
but I'm sure they must be here somewhere. I thought that the Chinese were a very obedient race. I also thought that Hong Kong was now part of Communist China, and that if you broke the law here they locked you up and threw away the key. I begin to wonder if maybe the waterfront promenade has seceded from the rest of the country.
It's four o'clock and we haven't had breakfast yet, let alone lunch. Most of the restaurants we pass seem to be closed. We find one that's open, sit down, and start eagerly browsing the menu. It's all in Chinese; we ask for an English version, but they don't have one. We trudge on hungrier than ever. Issy spies a Marks and Spencer, and says we should go in and get some takeaway. I tell her that takeaway wasn't quite what I had in mind, and she responds that in that case she has to buy me a tee shirt. I'm not at all sure that I follow the logic. I do however know that she doesn't like any of my clothes and is forever on the lookout for excuses to buy me others, so I suspect that looking for logic is probably a waste of time. I'm hustled into a fitting room to try on a tee shirt she likes. The sign on the door advises me that "trying on of underwear is no longer allowed due to hygiene issues". "No longer" allowed? I'm glad I wasn't here when it was. We give up on finding food in the street and go back to the hotel cafe. Our waitress' tag says that her name is "Man". At least I hope that's her name. If not, she's doing an excellent impersonation.
I decide to go for a swim. The hotel pool is on the roof, and the views of the harbour from here are spectacular. We have dinner at the Chinese restaurant in the hotel. The first item on the menu is deep fried pig intestines with pineapple. Issy says she won't be having this. She says that she doesn't like pineapple.
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Wow that pool is fantastic! Another good read, I'll miss your blogs Dave.