HONG KONG

28 February 2006

Hong Kong here we come! Our first long haul. 9hrs 15mins I think. Cathay Pacific were wonderful. Even gave us US$25 each to spend on our next flight at the in flight store because there was some ‘problem’ and there were only 3 movies to choose from instead of 20! No complaints from us !

At Hong Kong Airport we were met by Glory. A lovely chap who would make sure we got to our hotel safely and who would be taking us on our city tour the next day. We stayed at the Majestic Hotel. Prime location, safe and very nice. Cannot speak highly enough of the service here which was easily the best of any hotel I’ve stayed at (which admittedly is pretty limited).

For our three days in Hong Kong we had no agenda other than to pick up a camera and handycam, see the sights; explore the markets and just soak up a bit of the asian culture.

Mez's Highlights:
Chinese fast food store, like McD’s but with asain food. Tastes good too!

The markets with the salespeople calling “here missy missy” “good price for you” then you take a little interest, they offer you a bag for 200HKD you umm and ahh a bit then they bring the price down to 150HKD. You decided you’re not interested and start to walk away and then they’re ready to sell it to you for 100HKD.

Our tour of Hong Kong with the lovely Glory. He was great tour guide, full of all sorts of information and a great help for directing us to a reputable electric store where we could look at buying our cameras without being taken for a ride (my biggest fear was of getting ripped off)

Going to Ocean Park with it’s spectacular gondola/ cable car ride with great views. The roller coaster rides and simply the fact it was a fun and sunny day. Downside to this was paying too much money for a portrait of the two of us. We should have protested. It was no where near the quality of the ones he had pinned up and to top it off it looks absolutely NOTHING like us!

Ryan's Highlights:
What’s important in life: the people, the people, the people, so says a maori proverb that anyone who knows Caro will know… The Chinese are just such an impressive people, so respectful, so polite, so playful, so clean.

We had some great encounters with locals who didn’t speak any English but would playfully take the piss out of me (never Mez) for eating with chopsticks the wrong way, and for sitting on the train when Mez was standing (she got up off my knee!!)

Mostly good stuff at reasonable prices, and the whole time you felt wealthy because the notes are so big!!

Cleanliness – they clean anything and everything – even the handrails in council parks! Which also means high employment people to clean such things are employed to do so as are people to greet you at any restaurant (including McDonalds) and other people who seem to stand around and do not a hell of a lot, but be at customers beck and call if needed… awesome service.

We managed to achieve our goals in Hong Kong which was just to make a couple of key purchases (A canon S2IS digital camera, and Sony DCR HC96E mini DV Camcorder for the techno-buffs and gear freaks). Both of which are very fun little toys that will help us capture memories for the next few years…

The other goal was really to experience the culture of the place – and I felt we did that pretty well, a wide variety of foods (mainly Japanese and traditional Chinese cuisine, including some fab yum cha…) Went to a great and well worth it revolving restaurant up on the 62nd floor of a high rise – bill came to $750HKD!!!