Hong Kong

see all photos »

Western and Chinese cultures clash spectacularly in Hong Kong. The city buzzes with activity from dusk till dawn - it never seems to sleep.

We stayed on the Kowloon side of the harbour in a place called Yau Mai Tei, a residential district, where you can wander around the markets and get a flavour of the lifestyle of the Chinese community. This was a good place to stay as it is on the flash MRT (metro) system that can whizz you across the city centre in a few minutes. All we had to do was decide what to do.

see all photos »

The first thing we noticed was the drop in temperature and humidity after South East Asia. For the first time in weeks we could wander around without being covered in sweat. The sun was still hot but it was a lot more comfortable.

One of the first things we did was to take the tram up to Victoria Peak for a birds eye view of the city. We had a good view, but the city was covered in a blanket of haze. This partly occurs naturally but the effect is exacerbated by man-made pollution. The city actually looks much more impressive at night. On our second evening we went down to the harbour to see 'The Festival of Lights', a rather cheesy but impressive light show that showed off the city's skyline.

see all photos »

The city has quite a few attractions and good shopping but we really enjoyed simply wandering around Hong Kong and Kowloon. There a few unguided walking tours that you can do where you can see all the sights at your own pace. We really enjoyed that.

Hong Kong was the launchpad of our China tour but we did return a week later on our return from Beijing. This time we treated ourselves to a posh hotel with a panoramic harbour view. When we arrived the receptionist told us that the room that we had booked was no longer available, but they had upgraded us to a suite instead. What a result! A great way to end our time in Hong Kong!