Stressed out

Tuesday 12^th April 2011

MP3 track of the day: Return to sender – Elvis Presley

Weather: The day started cloudy with a crisp breeze; the colds soon lifted to present the sun and a lovely blue sky. The breeze, thankfully, remained.

I think the time was around 10pm when I decided that, as it was too early to go to sleep, I would use the internet to check my flight details. The hostels two communal PC's were both in operation with quite a queue of people waiting. To jump the queue I asked the receptionist if I could print off a map of Shanghai; he fired up a separate computer and, using the internet connection, I opened up my email account to find my map and an urgent email from 'Ctrip', my flight company. Before printing the map I opened the 'Ctrip' email to find the dreaded words:

“... You flight has been changed. Please phone us as soon as possible...”

I sat back in the chair horrified. Not only did I not know the details of the change but the only contact method was using the phone (I always use email). Just then the PC's internet connection terminated; I printed my map off but I couldn't open the email with 'Ctrip's' contact number. It was at this point that my 'worry-o-meter' started to sore; what if my flight was canceled? I would have to take the train to Shanghai however it would take over a day … plus the train only departs once every two days. This would mean that the train could leave at any time tomorrow – meaning that I would have to cancel a nights stay here – or it would leave the day after – making me late for my accommodation booking within Shanghai. I inquired at reception to see if they knew any details about the train schedule; the guy shrugged and said that he didn't know (which was becoming a standard answer for the staff here … this hostel really is terrible).

Once I'd finished printing my map the two communal PC's were still in demand. My PC wouldn't connect to the network so I could either, take a trip to McDonald's (at 11pm), or hang on here for an opening. Even though a sign clearly stated that 'if there was a queue please only spend fifteen minutes or less on the PC's' some French woman must have been on one machine for hours. I gave up and decided that, as I couldn't do anything tonight anyway, I would get up early in the morning to sort the issue out.

The only problem with the above solution was that I couldn't get to sleep; different scenarios kept running around in my head. Canceled flights, full trains and missing the F1 race were the usual topics. I decided that, as I couldn't get to sleep, I had to try and sort the problem out. I got up and headed back into the common room to find the French woman still on one of the PC's. Finally the other PC became free and so I jumped on it and opened up my email account. I also put another $10 of credit on my mobile and I rang the 'Ctrip' number, only to find the office closed until 7am tomorrow morning. I did a quick search, on 'Ctrip's' website to see if there were any flights, from Hong Kong to Shanghai, on the 13^th April. There were but not the time I'd opted for; the earliest flight was 7:05pm.

It was now 1am and, with little option, I went back to bed and tried to get to sleep.

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At 3am I woke with a start. My head was still calculating possible travel scenarios. I'd had a lovely day within Hong Kong and, even though I tried not to let this problem spoil it, I couldn't help it. Lying awake I decided that in the morning I would head to McDonald's, for 7am, to 'Skype' 'Ctrip' as the $10 I put on my mobile was used up within two minutes (calling China from Hong Kong is classed as a international call … stupid I know). I eventually went back to sleep around 4am, full of worry.

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6am came; I got up, had a shower, and headed into Hong Kong. Only having four hours sleep had taken it's tole and I was pretty tired as I arrived at McDonald's. I order an orange juice, sat down, and fired up my PC. It took quite a while to 'Skype' 'Ctrip' but eventually I got through (I was a little worried as McDonald's only gives you an hour's free internet at anyone time). The line was terrible, though I did managed to hear the dreaded words 'Your flight has been canceled'. Fortunately the lady offered me another flight – the one leaving at 7:05pm – which I gladly accepted. Once off 'Skype' I awaited a confirmation email to make sure that I had herd the woman correctly.

The email took quite a while to come through but, eventually, I saw 'April 13^th Hong Kong to Shanghai 19:05. I relaxed a little however this flight was going to provide problems. Even though it meant that I had more time in Hong Kong I would be arriving, in Shanghai, at 9:20pm. I would be out of the airport around 10pm and, as the subways close at 11pm, I would have to ask the hostel for a pick-up … which was a little expensive. Not only that but there's a 'Maglev train', whisking travelers to and from the airport at 430kph, which I fancied trying; the train is suspended above a track, by the forces of magnetism, and it all sounded rather exciting. Now I'm arriving at 9:20pm the 'Maglev train' will be closed and so, to have a ride on it, I would have to make a special trip back to the airport. All-in-all things were now going to cost me a lot more, but at least I'll get to Shanghai.

I shutdown my PC, finished my orange juice, and ordered breakfast. Hopefully with my transport issues sorted I could now concentrate on my, rather shorter, day. Feeling rather stressed I decided to head to 'Victoria Park', located five minutes to the west of my accommodation. As my adrenaline started to ease I began to yawn more and more. Entering the park wasn't straight forward; first of all I had to cross a highway, which involved walking north quite a considerable distance. I then had to back-tracking south to one of the parks many entrances; the first entrance I found was closed. I could see people within the park and so I headed further south until I found a gate that was open. The park was a bit of a disappointment; the flower beds looked as though they were being replanted, there were no toy boats within the 'boat pool' and the park seemed smaller than the map showed it to be. It didn't take long to walk through most of the parks grounds; all around individual old Chinese people were doing their particular exercise routines. It seems as though the Hong Kong authorities approve of this as they have erected a huge TV, at one of the parks many entrances, playing a fitness video for old people. Most of the routines were a little odd; my favorite were the people who had chosen to either walk, or run, on the spot. Why they didn't walk, or run, around the park I do not know; not only would it give them more choice of views but they wouldn't look as stupid.

Once realising that I was about to head out of the park I sat down, got my 'Hong Kong' map out of my back pocket, and began to ponder. Being honest I wasn't in the mood to do any sightseeing today however, in the end, I decided to walk to the other end of town – to visit 'Man Mo Temple' – bypassing Hong Kong's racecourse. 'Happy Valley' racecourse was located next to a huge road junction and, as a result, it took quite a lot of effort reaching. After exiting the final tunnel I found the racecourse shut. I peaked through the deliveries gate before returning back into town. Once in town I decided to do a bit of shopping. Hong Kong's skyline had impressed me so much that I wanted a picture book showing it. After quiet a bit of searching I found a book store; I went in and immediately found their range of Hong Kong picture books; I flicked through each one before purchasing a A5 hardback book for £10. I left the store and continued my walk to the temple.

It was now noon; I was tired, hungry, thirsty and my feet hurt. I tried to find a place to eat that wasn't McDonald's or Subway. Try as I might I failed; feeling fed up I went into one of the many McDonald's however I made it a point to try something new. I have to say that their warm apple pie was rather tasty. Once finished I continued my walk to 'Man Mo temple', willing myself on up the last few steps. The temple was a bit of an anti-climax; it was a tiny building, with no grounds, and it had grotty blocks of flats surrounding it. Once inside things did improve and incense could be smelt almost immediately; looking up I saw many coils of incense burning from the roof. Moving further inside a small shrine could be seen. As the temple wasn't that big I soon left glad that I hadn't paid to enter.

It was only 1:30pm however I was completely shattered. I decided to make the long walk back to my accommodation stopping at the 'Peak Tram' ticket office. As the sky, over Hong Kong, was clear again I decided to take the tram up to the lookout later for some more night shots. I inquired into the times of the final trams and I was pleased to hear that the operation stopped around midnight. I thanked the person for their information and left, thinking that I'll be back for seven so I can take my photos and still get back, to my accommodation, for an early night.

The walk back to my accommodation seemed to take forever, each step becoming harder than the last. Once back I put my picture book within my main bag and picked up my PC. Being a little paranoid about my flight tomorrow I went back to McDonald's, ordered a coke, and checked my emails to make sure that nothing was wrong. All was fine. I headed back to my hostel and awaited nightfall.

Just before night fell I walked, with my camera and tri-pod, to the 'Peak Tram' departure point. I arrived around 7pm to join a small queue; given that the harbor light show was going to start in an hours time I had expected more people than there were. I purchased a return tram ticket, plus access to the 'Sky Lookout', for sixty Hong Kong dollars (£5). On the tram I'd managed to get a window seat however, due to the darkness, the view wasn't that great. The best bit about looking out of the window was seeing the many tower blocks standing at strange angles; this was of course an optical illusion as it was the tram that was at a peculiar angle. Just as we were about to dock I looked up, onto the 'Sky Lookout', to find that there weren't that many people on it. I'd already eyed a good photo spot and so, once the doors opened, I raced out and up the many escalators to the lookout.

My photo position was still vacant as I came up the last escalator; I put my bag down to claim my territory before erecting my tripod and getting myself set up. The view was good; only a little cloud was in the sky allowing for a, almost, perfect view. The only downside was that I thought, from this position, I would be able to see traffic moving - like millions of ants - below. Alas the many skyscrapers hid all bar a couple of cars and so I got on with targeting buildings instead of highways. I moved along the viewing platform, photographing as I went. It was coming up to 8pm and, as the light show was due to start, I departed the platform to avoid the crowds. I stepped out of the complex to see if I could find another good photographing spot on top of 'The Peak'. There weren't any. I purchased a bar of chocolate before heading back down 'The Peak'. I had been at the top, of 'The Peak', for just under an hour.

Once back in the city I walked like a mad man, trying to get back to my accommodation as fast as humanly possible. I crossed roads while the traffic lights were on green, I squeezed myself through gaps that, if I was just a little fatter, I wouldn't have fit through. I looked at my watch as I came around the final corner, I had managed to shave twenty minutes of my best time.

Then I hit a crowd.

Some Asian star was singing on a small stage right in the middle of the road. It took forever to pass the large crowds, adding a good five minutes onto my time. Once back I repacked my bags for my flight (I'm quite excited about flying … it's been a while), went on the internet and had a shower. I was ready for bed by 10pm and boy wasn't I glad. I hadn't achieved a lot today – and for that I'm a little gutted – however I have been very tired. Luckily I don't have to check-out of my accommodation until midday tomorrow. This will allow me to leave my luggage, within my dorm, as I go for some breakfast; that's if I wake up in time for breakfast.

So I've been in China for a week and what a mixed week it's been. I've liked both the Chinese cities I visited for two completely different reasons. Nanning was lovely and laid back, but had little to keep me entertained; Hong Kong was the opposite. Transport seems like it will become my biggest headache. As English isn't spoken much – and the fact that flights get canceled – I do believe it's going to take me a lot longer to reach destinations. Once the F1 race is out of the way this shouldn't be a problem as I have all the time in the world. Food has been the biggest disappointment; not only do the Chinese eat with their mouth open (making a right racket) but trying to find Chinese restaurants has become a bit of an issue. Food is cheap and I did notice that Walmart, in Nanning, sold large 'pot noodles' for 40p. Speaking of money; considering I haven't been watching the pounds (and the fact that I've purchased a memory card, a memory stick and I've visited the most expensive city within China) I'm surprised to find that I'm under my £30 per day budget (however only just, £29.80). Next week will be expensive with a flight and and F1 ticket however, after that, I hope to get my budget down below the £30 mark.

So tomorrow I head for Shanghai … I hope. As I have most of the day in Hong Kong I plan to take a bus out of the city to see one of the smaller places on the island. However before that, a long restful sleep will be needed.

Toodle Pip!

Panoramic views of Hong Kong

Monday 11^th April 2011

MP3 track of the day: We built this city –Starship

Weather: The skies were blue and the temperature were hot. I haven't sweat this much since Ho Chi Minh City.

Yet again I found myself waking up to the sound of plastic bags rustling. During all my travels I haven't known so much rustling, so early in the morning, within one country. The culprits this time were two Irish friends getting ready for a flight to Australia. My watch read 7:30am and so I turned over and rested my eyes for another thirty minutes. Having had a shower last night I got ready pretty quickly. The common room was deserted apart from the receptionist. I needed a map printing off showing my accommodation within Shanghai; I thought I would use the printer while it was quiet. Sadly it wasn't working and the receptionist was less than helpful. After ten minutes I gave up and headed out.

Whilst eating breakfast I planned my day. First of all I would visit the HSBC, and the Bank of China, buildings before heading to 'Hong Kong Park' and, as the day seemed to be bright, I'd take a ride on the tramway that would whisk me up to the top of 'The Peak'; a 552m high mountain that looms over Hong Kong. That would do for a start. I cleared my rubbish away and headed west towards the center of Hong Kong. As I walked I got very hot; thousands of people seemed to be walking just where I wanted to be. Add to that the fact that a couple of times the pavement, in front of me, just ended my walk became rather stressful. Once in the center the crowds seemed to disappear and walking, once more, became a pleasant past time. I stopped opposite the HSBC building (HSBC stands for 'Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Company') which was built in 1985. According to traditional feng shui beliefs, the center of power (the Government House) should be accessible in a straight line from the main point of arrival (the ferry terminal). As the HSBC building was built straight between the two it was designed so that most of it was raised off the ground, thus allowing that all important straight line. I took a couple of photos of the building before walking below it, stopping in the middle to look straight up. The floor, of the HSBC building, was made out of glass and you could see all the way to the top; It was extremely impressive. At this point I was pretty thirsty; I stopped at McDonald's, again, for an orange juice before proceeding to the Bank of China, which also follows the principles of feng shui. The banks threatening knife-like tower can be seen as a lighting conductor, drawing good luck down from the sky (not sure if I would count being struck by lighting 'good luck'). My guidebook stated that tourists were allowed up to the forty-third floor, during work hours, however I had set my sights higher.

My next port of call was Hong Kong's main park. Built on the side of a hill the space allocated had been used well, however overall it wasn't that impressive. I walked quickly along the tree-lined paths past the many small gardens, and the Olympic stand, until I reached the 'Edward Youde' aviary. I could see a huge net rising far into the sky; inside there seemed to be a wooden walkway and birds could be herd, and just about seen, flying from one branch to another. I climbed a set of stairs, by-passing a big group of school children (a school outing … nooooo), before reaching the entrance to the aviary. I was surprised to find the attraction free of charge; after reading the notice board I proceeded through a small entrance, pushing my way through two curtains made of small plastic hoops. I was surprised to find that, even though the aviary looked like a rainforest, the humidity was similar to that of its surroundings. I did what I had been instructed to do on the notice board, I walked quietly and slowly. The birds seemed quite tame; they grabbed food, from branches located close to the walkways, with no hesitant moves … they even sat around for a while which I was very grateful for. I snapped away conscious of the school group that was about to enter the aviary behind me. The aviary wasn't that big and I soon exited through another two plastic curtains. Even though the aviary hadn't been that big I thoroughly enjoyed it; the aviary, however, was large enough to allow the birds to fly freely.

I quickly made my way around the park and exited through the west gate. I crossed the road and into the 'Peak Tram' ticket office. There were also sorts of deals I could purchase which included a ticket to Hong Kong's 'Madam Tussauds' museum for 20% less than advertised; why I would want to visit 'Madam Tussauds' I do not know. I purchased a normal 'one-way' ticket as I planned to walk back down 'The Peak'. As I went through the ticket barrier a tram was about to set off; looking through the window all the seats were taken. As the trams were every eight minutes I decided to wait for the next one as I wanted to sit down and enjoy the view. Soon enough the tram departed and then another appeared. I was glad that I had waited; the train climbs 386 meters in eight minutes meaning that it feels as though you are traveling vertically. The view wasn't that spectacular and before I knew it we had stopped. We were let out within a shopping center; I walked past many souvenir shops until I found myself within a lobby area. In front of me were more shops but, to my right, was an escalator heading upwards to even more shops and the 'Sky lookout' . I headed up the escalator, by-passing the shops, and up another three escalators until I reached a ticket booth. Thinking back; when I was at the 'Peak Tram' ticket office they did have a combined ticket which included the 'Sky Lookout'. As I hadn't opted for that ticket I had to paid a further thirty Hong Kong dollars (£2.50) to be allowed up the final escalator and onto the lookout platform. As I was traveling up the final escalator I realised that, purchasing the two tickets separately cost me an additional four Hong Kong dollars (30p) … I'll get over it.

The view was fantastic. The platform was a rectangle shape with the entrance and exit escalators situated within the middle. The edges of the platform were crowded full of asian people posing for photos. The person taking the photo was positioned quite far back meaning that I had to wait, quite a few times, for people to complete taking their 'souvenir shot'. I muscled my way through and I soon found a spot, along the edge, of the platform. The platform was located directly behind Hong Kong's central district and it looked spectacular. I took many photos of Hong Kong's skyline before moving to the rear of the platform which was far less crowded. I glanced down and looked upon the other side of the island. People don't realise that there are quite a few cities on Hong Kong island and, currently, I was overlooking Aberdeen. Another surprising fact about Hong Kong is that it's very green; a huge canopy of trees, as far as the eye could see, covered the slopes of the inner mountain region of Hong Kong, with human development left to be built along the small shorelines. I could have spent ages up here if it wasn't for two related problems. Firstly it was boiling hot and secondly the Hong Kong government had installed an aluminum rail all the way around the platform. Not only did the sun make this rail too hot to touch but it also projected the sun back into your face, blinding you. The view had been worth all the effort, but now it was time to go down.

Once down the many escalators I found myself out of the shopping center. I was still on top of the peak. I purchased a bottle of water, a 'Milky Way dark' (never heard of them before but they were nice, and cheap) before finding myself a seat in the sun; I read my guidebook which stated that, to get to the top of the peak, there was a road you I walk up to a less crowded platform. I closed my book and headed off. My guidebook stated that it was a twenty minute walk to the summit. The walk was all up hill and, even though there was quite a lot of trees covering the footpath, it was still very hot. To make matters worse the footpath wasn't always clear cut and I often found myself back-tracking off private property. Once at the summit I was presented with a large rectangle platform with a white roof. The only other people up here were a son and his elderly mother plus another son and his middle-aged farther. The viewing platform faced away from the city of Hong Kong and down onto the other side of the island. The view was lovely but the real advantage was the peace and quite. I wondered around the grounds, trying to find a 'circuit walk' my guidebook talked about, but with little success. I therefore decided to head back down into the chaos. Instead of following the footpath I decided to walk through a park, located to the side of the viewing platform, that I thought lead all the way down to the 'sky lookout'. Actually it didn't and I soon found myself with little option other than heading back onto the footpath that I had walked up.

I was soon back at the 'Sky lookout'. I found 'Old Peak Road', which my guidebook stated lead all the way down into the city. The time was 1pm and so I decided to follow said road as I was starting to get hungry. The road was almost vertical and for most of the walk I was using all of my strength to keep myself from falling over; I was certainly glad that I'd taken the tram up. As I carefully walked down the slope, towards town, an elderly Asian gentleman came running past me heading up the hill. It wouldn't have been so bad if, ten minutes later, he then ran past me back down the hill. Soon skyscrapers were looming above me once more, also the faint sound of traffic could be herd below. Before entering the turmoil of downtown Hong Kong I'd, accidentally, ended up within Hong Kong's Zoological, and Botanical, gardens. As both were free I had a quick look around. The animals caged here included many more varieties of birds, including flamingos and golden peacocks. They were fascinating to watch however their inclosures were a lot smaller than the aviary; I found quite a few animals walking the perimeters of their pens. I moved onto the botanical gardens which didn't consist of much. There was a nice water fountain which had trees all around and huge modern skyscrapers as a background but, as the school group from the aviary were already located here, I moved on.

Back in town I found it extremely difficult to find any other restaurant other than McDonald's. The shops seemed to follow a similar layout with a McDonald's, a clothes shop, another clothes shop, a shoe shop, a bank, a gadget shop followed by another McDonald's. This theme seemed to continue down every street and I wondered if it was ever going to end. Eventually I found a Subway; it wasn't what I was looking for however it was better than another McDonald's meal. I sat down, eating my foot-long sandwich, watching local people as they walked by. I noticed that a lot of them did indeed have the 'golden M's' products making me wonder just how much of the stuff was consumed, within Hong Kong, every day. As I finished my coke I planned for the afternoon. I had seen Hong Kong's skyline from the back, now I would take a ferry, across to Kowloon, to see it from the front. Then I would take a ferry back to 'Causeway Bay' where I would have a quick walk around the convention center, to admire the Golden Bauhinia, before taking a photo of the 'Noon Day Gun'. I finished my drink, picked up my stuff, and headed off.

Once at the ferry terminal I found everything well sign posted. It cost two dollars and fifty sense (25p) to make the ten minute crossing to Kowloon. I went to a coin machine, pressed adult (as I am one … I think), and inputted the required amount. I received a plastic coin and I put said coin into a turn-style machine, which then allowed me through and into the ferries waiting area. I could have boarded the ferry for less money however that would have meant that I would had to sit on the bottom deck. I opted for the top deck so I would get the best view of the harbor. Once the ferry docked I raced onto it to claim a window seat. I got my camera out of my bag and waited for the off, which wasn't very long away. All the way through the journey I snapped away, mainly focusing on Hong Kong's convention center. All to soon we docked at Kowloon's pier where I disembarked and headed to a viewing platform, which looked back at Hong Kong's skyline. The sun provided a haze, making the view not as clear as I would have liked, however it was still impressive. The only downside were all the cranes along the harbor front, working on a huge land reclamation project (for more gardens and a highway I believe). I didn't stay long and I soon found myself on another ferry heading back, not to the center, but to 'Wan Chai' which was a port closer to my accommodation. Once on the ferry I left my camera within my bag and just took in the view. I decided that at 7pm I would take the ferry back across to Kowloon to see Hong Kong's skyline at night.

Once docked I checked the times of the latest departure; the last boat back was 10:50pm ... good. I walked towards Hong Kong's convention center; I had viewed the center when I was on the ferry and so I ignored it, mainly concentrating on the 'Golden Bauhinia Statue'. This statue, which was in the shape of the flower that was present on the flag of Hong Kong, was built for the hand over of Hong Kong – from the British back to the Chinese – on the 1^st June 1997. In fact the convention center, just behind the statue, was used for the 'handing over' ceremony. The statue wasn't that impressive and, given that the place was full of Chinese tourists, I headed off quickly to my final attraction for the day.

The 'Noon Day Gun' was located just to the west of the exhibition center however I had to walk across two pedestrian foot bridges, and through one tunnel, to reach it. Once there it was all a bit of an anti-climax. A blue cover was wrapped around the gun leaving only it's outline; a few old cannons lay on the floor. There was a plaque detailing the history of the 'gun at noon' and that it was a Hong Kong tradition, dating back many years. However the outing wasn't worth the additional walking effort; I returned to my hostel to await night fall.

Once dark I headed back to the ferry terminal and crossed the waters once more. The lights, on the skyscrapers, were already on and a sharp surge of excitement went through my body. I headed for the viewing platform that I was standing on only a few hours previously. There were thousands of tourists all around the edges and so I opted for the lower deck. I found a small space, between a Belgium couple and an Australian one, to erect my tri-pod. I did ask the Belgium couple for permission before setting my camera up and they were more than happy with me standing next to them. I reassured them that I would only be five minutes to which they looked slightly confused. 'But what about the light show?' they said. What light show was my reply; they then began to explain that at 8pm, which was in three minutes, some of Hong Kong's skyscrapers perform a light show with flashing lights and green laser beams streaming out across the bay. They had been to Hong Kong five times before and so they began to tell me about things to do within the city. Once the clock chimed 8pm music started blaring and the selected skyscrapers lit up. It was quite amusing how the skyscrapers were introduced like bands playing at a gig would be (with said building flashing it's lights in response). Once this was done the buildings did their stuff to the beat of the music playing all around the harbor. The Belgian couple told me that this was the biggest light show within the world and, yes it was worth seeing, but Hong Kong's harbor was stunning without it. After the ten minute show I headed back to the ferry conscious of the time. Part of me was glad to get back onto the ferry as I knew that I wouldn't be stranded in Kowloon. I got back to my hostel around 9pm where I put my camera away, read my book, and went to sleep.

It had been a long and tiring day. However I had enjoyed it thoroughly; I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my final day in Hong Kong, there were so many options. Just to the west there's a large park; there's a museum 6km out of the city center, which is supposed to be worth going to and there are the other cities on the island to visit. I think I'll have to decide tomorrow, see what I feel like.

Toodle Pip!

Arrived in Hong Kong

Sunday 10^th April 2011

MP3 track of the day: This is the world that we live in – The Killers

Weather: The morning fog lifted to produce a lovely day. For the first time in weeks there were fluffy white clouds dotted within a baby blue sky. It was also hot.

I was gently woken up by the ticket inspector; the time was just after midnight and we had a short stop. I walked quickly to the restroom before heading back to the coach. I didn't know how long the break was scheduled for and I didn't want the coach to drive off without me.

*********

I had been told that I would arrive, within Hong Kong, at around 10am. I had therefore concluded that I would be able to sleep until 9am before leisurely packing my stuff. I had completely forgotten about immigration.

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I'd slept beautifully and unfortunately I was, once more, woken up by the ticket inspector. It wasn't 9am, oh no … it was 6am. Not completely awake I 'panic packed' as I wasn't sure what was going on but, looking at the people around me, I knew that I would be departing the coach soon. As it happened I was ready before the coach stopped. The American couple waited for me and took me through Chinese immigration. On the way the American guy asked if I had a departure card. I hadn't. Luckily he had spare forms and so he gave me a set. It did make me think though; when I'd entered China, at 2am four days ago, I'd forgotten to ask about a departure card. Thinking about it more I hadn't even filled in an arrival card. I shrugged, it was 2am in the morning when I entered China and so, understandably, I wasn't thinking to my full capacity.

The Chinese immigration went fine though, without the American couple, I would have gotten lost many times over. As I left immigration a Chinese lady told be to head to the left whereas the American couple told me to stay with them. The Chinese lady, having herd that I wanted to go to 'Wan Chi', on Hong Kong island, had given me directions to a shuttle pick-up point, which would have cost me more money. The American couple explained this and said that the coach, I had already paid for, would pick me up from the point where we were standing ... in an hour or so. We chatted the time away until a coach pulled up.

It was a normal seater coach, with leather seats, but little leg room. I wasn't on the coach long before I reached Hong Kong Immigration. Still half asleep I followed the Americans through immigration and back onto the coach. The coach then started it's long journey through the 'new territories', 'Kowloon' and finally onto Hong Kong Island itself. As I looked out of the window I saw the buildings get progressively better the nearer I got to Hong Kong Island. This was a good thing as the buildings on the outer islands were, lets say, not at their best. Huge white towers that had turned black with years of dirt; windows were smashed and I did truly wonder if I was in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The American couple departed the coach before I. I opened my guidebook and tried to look-up the road names with little success. As we drove, quite quickly, down Hong Kong's highways I came to realise that Hong Kong is very big. I also realised that vehicles drove on the left and the road laws were similar to the UK, but more importantly, they were followed (unlike mainland China). I was eventually dropped off in 'Wan Chi' – kind of the middle of Hong Kong. With the sea to my left, and the city to my right, I knew that I had to head straight to reach 'Causeway Bay', where my hostel was located. Once there it took me a while to find my hostel. There weren't any signs and, in the end, I had to ask someone for directions. Luckily he knew the address and I followed his instructions, cursing the fact that the hostel hadn't put any directions on 'hostelworld'.

Eventually I pulled up to an apartment block; looking at the address I had written down, I wanted the third floor. I pressed the button for the third floor but no reply was given. Fortunately it didn't take long until a rather attractive European lady opened the door. Once on the third floor I made my way to the hostel where, due to the fact it was 9am, I had to wait a while before my bed was ready. I sat down within the common room and chatted to an Hungarian. He seemed to be working over here and he had a piece of text, in English, that he wanted checking for mistakes. As I was having problems connecting to the internet I had a look, surprised to see a very high level of English. The words he had used were very complex – some even I didn't understand – however, due to the amount of complex words used in each sentence, the meaning was diluted. I recommend only a few changes and it didn't take long. Once this was done I went back to reception and was shown to my dorm.

Well I've stayed in worse. I'm not sure if it was the pokey dorm, the fact that there were four doors to unlock - to get to said dorm - or the fact that the bathroom looked a little grotty but I was already looking forward to my flight to Shanghai. I quickly dumped my bags within my room, locked them up, and headed out into the wider world. The clouds were clearing to produce a lovely blue sky. Not wanting to waste this opportunity I decided to head towards the center of town with my camera. First of all though I went into a local bar to ask whether they were showing the F1 race today. It took a little while to explain what Formula One was but, in the end, I got a nervous 'yes'. I then left heading towards the city.

Causeway bay, which was where I'm located, wasn't that great; the buildings were old and lacked thought (basically they were the standard tower blocks that take minutes to erect). However, in the distance, the city center of Hong Kong could be seen and what a pretty sight it was. As I walked towards the many towers that faced me I stopped occasionally to take the odd photo. Hong Kong doesn't seem especially 'pedestrian friendly' as I had to make many walking de-tours (crossing pedestrian bridges, back tracking and getting lost) to make it to the city center. When I arrived it was worth the hassle. Every building seemed to be a architectural master piece with the old blending well with the new. My camera was becoming red hot as around every corner loomed another beautiful skyscraper. Even with the huge crowds of people I was thoroughly enjoying myself and the time passed quickly.

I stopped for a quick bite before continuing to the riverfront. Located there was a tower that was used in the film 'Batman: The Dark Night'. It was very impressive, and very tall. At this point it was around 2:30pm; I decided to head back to the bar I had found previously. Due to the sheer amount of people and the complicated maze of pedestrian bridges and footpaths (that don't seem to connect together) it took almost an hour to arrive. Once through the bar doors I peered onto the TV's hoping the race hadn't started. It hadn't, but neither were they going to show it. Instead they had some film on and so, quite annoyed and a little sweaty, I headed out to another bar my hostel receptionist had recommended.

“... Malaysian GP here 4pm!...” A board outside the pub stated. I hadn't missed it; In getting there I'd had a run in with a policewoman (who wasn't happy with me, crossing the street, with no 'green man' ... even when there was no traffic on the road. See how things have changed since a week ago) but it had been worth it. I sat down, coke in hand, and nursed it through the entire race. Well it wasn't the outcome I hoped for; it seemed Hamilton destroyed his tires a lot quicker than other drivers ...it would be interesting to find out if he was nursing any sort of problem.

I left the pub around 5:30pm and headed back to my hostel. The internet still wasn't working and so I headed, yet again, to 'McDonalds' to check my flight details, upload this blog and enjoy a hot chocolate and a cheesecake (they were both rather nice). Yes indeedly it seems that Hong Kong's internet laws are not as strict as the mainland; I still need to find a 'work around' before I get to Shanghai.

So this marks the end of my first day here in Hong Kong; tomorrow, if the weathers good, I'm going to take the train up 'The Peak' to get a great panoramic view of the city … only if the weathers good.

So the outskirts of Hong Kong are a little grotty, it's extremely busy and trying to get anywhere, on foot, is a little difficult. Yet the architecture is incredible and that makes up for all of Hong Kong's faults. So far, I love this city!

Toodle Pip!

P.S. I seem to have lost a camera memory card. Midway through this afternoon I had filled a card and I went to get another out of my bag. I had the one I bought in Nanning but I should have had another spare. I've searched my bag but nothing; fortunately it was an empty card (which makes me wonder if I had actually purchased it in the first place) and, with a spare USB memory stick, I've transferred a cards worth of photos onto that.

P.P.S There are loads of places that you can purchase cake! Also my favorite Belgium chocolate shop has a store here … happy days.