Hong Kong

We arrived here on Friday evening after a flight of almost nine hours from Sydney. The two airports were a great contrast. At Sydney we had to queue for an hour and a half to check in! Once we arrived in Hong Kong we were through immigration and had picked up our luggage in less than half an hour.

Hong Kong is a spectacular looking city because it is concentrated in such a small area and has a huge number of tall buildings (which I love). However, it seems permanently gridlocked by a mixture of taxis and prestige cars. We're staying in Kowloon (the mainland) at a very luxurious hotel called the Harbour Plaza and have a "Harbour Club" room which means we get extra privileges - private club dining room on the nineteenth floor, complimentary afternoon tea with delicate little sandwiches and cakes, etc. We thought we'd finish our holiday in style. The view from our room overlooks part of the harbour and we can watch the sunrise over Hong Kong Island.

There is a curious mixture of retail cultures in the city - massive designer stores and shining shopping malls alongside very cheap little cafes and shops. Lots of neon signs in Chinese mixed with "Merry Christmas" greetings in English.

Yesterday we took the Peak Tram, a funicular railway which transported us to the top of Victoria Peak from where we had spectacular views over the city. In the evening we went down to the ferry quay to watch the sound and light show which takes place each evening at 8pm and seems to involve almost all the buildings in the city. Spectacular.

One more day left. Back in Lowestoft on Tuesday.

PS Sue and I being back in the northern hemisphere seems to have had a marginal effect Pete. Charlton managed a draw!

PPS The South China Morning Post made a home win for Wednesday against Norwich its hot betting tip of the day and suggested a stake of $200. I'm considering an overseas subscription!