Hong Kong & Australia 2006 (1/6)
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2006 found us on a big trip to Hong Kong and Australia. I say "big" because we took 3 weeks instead of our normal 2 and we had a lot of flights getting from A to B to C etc. We had help with the booking this year in the form of Karen and team at Bon Voyage. Our itinerary was: |
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Because there are so many photos, each of the above is on a separate page - please click on the one you'd like to visit. This section is repeated on each page so it's easy to get from one to the other. |
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So ... Hong Kong first. We didn't get here until late on the Sunday afternoon so checked into the Marco Polo Gateway hotel then had a quick prowl round (dragging Jonathon past all the computer shops - so much temptation!) and into The Spice Market to enjoy their delicious buffet dinner. |
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Of course, no visit to Hong Kong is complete without a visit to see the harbour lights so off we went, cameras in hand. The lights are amazing and the harbour never seems to sleep, unlike us!! Despite getting plenty of sleep on the plane (the flat beds in business class are brilliant!) it was soon time to crawl into bed and get ready for tomorrow. |
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Day 2 and it's time to do the touristy thing and visit the Peak. We were staying on Kowloon so first stop Star Ferry to get us across to Hong Kong Island.
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Unfortunately for us it was a really hazy/cloudy day so the views across the harbour and from the Peak weren't as good as they could be - pretty spectacular all the same! |
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We didn't walk all the way up to the top - there's a tram that is very well used. It's been in service in one form or another since 1888 apparently. Some of the track is pretty steep. |
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There are plenty of rest areas when you're walking around Hong Kong - oases of calm from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We took advantage of one of these on the way to the tram. |
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Dinner (middle of day meal) was pretty interesting. We decided to eat while we were up at the Peak - there are loads of places to choose from so it took a while for us to wander round and decide. Having done so and secured a window seat to enjoy the panoramic views we ordered a chicken dish each. When the food arrived, Shirley's didn't look like chicken and we couldn't decide what it was - it was, of course, passed over to Jonathon! Having called the waiter (who brought the manager) the ostrich we'd been given was changed for the original order and it was chicken all round after all. |
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A bit more wandering, a continuing amazement at the bamboo scaffolding (it's too hot for metal so they say) and a quick open top bus trip back to the ferry in time to watch the lights come on around the harbour. Jonathon had time to go get his tripod so more stable photos today (he also had time to go into a camera shop and get some bits and pieces - still no money spent in computer shops though so not too painful).
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Day 3 - we left Hong Kong but not before a bit more exploring. |
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First stop Kowloon Park. It's a really nice park - plenty of space and different areas. A few lakes with (or without) fountains, an aviary, a childrens' play area, a sculpture walk, a Chinese garden and much more. |
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One of my favourite parts was the Bird Lake - loads of different bird species to see and the flamingoes were spectacular. |
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The Water Lily Pond was also lovely with its fountain and large lily leaves growing high from the water (different to the way we grow them). There were a couple of helpful instructions with this pond too. |
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There were a couple of the sculptures on the Sculpture Walk that caught my eye - the one of the left is called "Nothing" - it's a bronze by Lau Yau-Kuen, the middle and right is a cast bronze by Eva Drewett called "Growing Shell" |
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We spent the afternoon (or what we had of it before disappearing back to the airport) going round some of the more touristy shopping streets. By this, I think they mean the streets where you can get copies of designer bags, watches, shoes etc.
We went north by MTR to Mong Kok and wandered around Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Tung Choi Street. Despite the first specialising in electronics and the second being the Ladies Market we managed to keep our money in our pocket. We walked back to the hotel, again via Kowloon Park.
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En route, we visited the Jade Market but no photos of this. It was spectacular with the lights catching the jade, pearls and other materials being used to make up necklaces, earrings, ornaments and anything else sellable.
Not all Hong Kong shopping is like this. The shopping centre around our hotel was very new and shiny with lots of designer shops where you could spend your money without too much trouble.
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I don't know if you can tell from the photos above but it rained on Day 3. Mostly fine drizzly stuff but enough to get you wet, especially when it all joined together and became a proper shower. Both visits to the park involved getting wet! Looking over to the Peak the tops were covered in cloud so perhaps the weather up there yesterday wasn't too bad after all.
Our everlasting memories of Hong Kong are the noise, the smells and the fact that wherever you are somebody tries to sell you something. Whilst admiring the entrepreneurial spirit, it's all very "in your face" and can be irritating after a while. It seems you can buy anything there from top quality designer gear to very good copies "at a good price" not to mention live chickens and snakes from the food markets. On a more positive note, the green spaces are lovely and calm (and very necessary in such a frantic place) and the harbour lights are breathtaking.
Will we go back? Possibly not but then I've said that before and this is my third visit! Would we like to live there? Unlikely but perhaps it's different if you're there permanently.
After 3 days it was time to move on to Darwin where we started the Aussie part of the trip.
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