Hong Kong

Wednesday and Thursday, 8 and 9 November 2006

We spend two days in Hong Kong. "Spend" is the operative word: we go through more money in these two days than we did in the previous two weeks in China. Hostels are pretty bad value here, costing upwards of US$20. Alot of them are in the ambitiously-named Chungking Mansions. The "Mansions" are in a nasty-looking tenement building which looks as if it needs to be exorcised by a few hundred energetic cardinals armed with a fire engine of holy water. We stay instead in the comfortable Park Lane Hotel, which makes a bit of a dent in the pocket.

Despite the expense, Hong Kong was a great city to experience. You can still see the British influence: the car registration plates, street signs and double deckers buses are the same as the ones you'd see in London. What makes the city though is the spectacular skyline of Hong Kong Island. We take a tram up to the top of Victoria peak for a view. During the day it's a bit hazy so we can't see much. At night though it's better and we take a Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui on the mainland across to the Island. From the boat we get a great panorama of the lit-up skyscrapers.

After one hectic day of sightseeing, we "take" afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel. It's all very Hyacinth Bucket: the cucumber sandwiches, cut into neat triangles, are tiny and the waiters have never heard of jumbo breakfast rolls!

For more photos, click here.