Kong Kong

Last Day

Spent the last day in HK visiting a couple of museums and am I glad we did. What wonderful and interactive museums they are. I absolutely loved the experience. Very educational and a lot of fun.

Decided to do some last minute shopping. Went down to the harbour and saw a light display and went into lots of shops. Got to the stage where we were all shopped out so went back to the hotel and spent our last night reminiscing about our holiday.

Flying time
About 9-10 hours.

Food
Very cheap and good.

Toilets
Mostly western style but still a few of the old style hole in the ground and they are awful because they are very smelly and not too clean.

Travel
Train travel would have to be the best in the world. A very easy system and trains come every 2-5 minutes. It is worth visiting HK just to see it in action. Lots of buses, rams and taxis.

Streets
HK is surprisingly clean. Smoking is not aloud outside so there are not cigarette butts everywhere.
The traffic is extremely heavy but for some reason keeps moving. It is rare to hear a car horn.
Night time is lit up like a Christmas tree. Neon signs everywhere.

Shops
Open between 10.00am and 11.00am, close at 11.00pm.

Hong Kong

Day 5
We decided to have a day at the HK races. It is small compared to our race tracks but they have been able to fit in everything that is needed.  Had a couple of bets but didn't do any good. It was a very nice day that gave us yet another unique experience.

After the races went to a place called Times Square. It wasn't anything exceptional but we still had a look around.

Day 6
The 4 of us went for a day trip to Macau. We took a turbo jet boat across and once again had to go through customs.  Once outside plenty of courtesy buses to take you to whatever casino your little heart desires. We went to the Venetian Casino and had a very nice lunch. Had a look around the casino then decided to visit the one across the street called the Galaxy Casino. Both casinos were very big need a compass to get around, but as in Las Vegas, they have absolutely everything in them.

Day 7
Headed for the big Buddha. Decided to take the cable car, it is about 5km long. It is amazing how much vacant land there is for a place that has so many people. Once at the top we entered a little village that had novelty shops, eating and gift shops.  Headed towards the Buddha and came across some life size statuettes, what a sight.  Further down we came to the temple that is still used by Buddhist Monks. A very cool place indeed.

Had to go up over 200 steps to get to the Buddha, a bit of a strain on the knees and lungs. It was well worth the trek up. You can go inside the Buddha and have a look around, purchase some goodies or just take in the amazement of it all. The trip down was a lot easier.

Was back we went to the Men's Market. I couldn't tell much of a difference with the ladies market but still we had a bit of a look before heading back to the hotel.

Hong Kong

Day 3 (continued)
Once back at Kowloon we decided to visit the Ladies Market. What a treasure of a place it is. I didn't know it but I can barter, Chris and Loretta got me to barter for them also. I had great fun doing it.

We got lots of good bargains. Walked around for another couple of hours then we decided we were all exhausted so back to the hotel. Got there about 10.30pm, a very long day.

Day 4
Went for a walk to Kowloon Park and what a beautiful park it is. There are lots of birds and many water features. It is such a calming place. There is a McDonalds in the park that sells ice-cream and cold drinks. It is the smallest Maccas I have ever seen..

Went back to the hotel and had a foot massage at the shop next door. After that the 4 of us decided to have a night at one of their many wonderful little pubs. We were able to order snacks all night which definitely helped to soak up the alcohol. It was a really fun time.

Day 5
Had a tour guide trip to China. What a fascinating journey. We walked to our local train station and met the guide, then got onto a train that takes us into China. Even though HK is part of China, we still had to show our passports and have a visa to cross over. Once in China we met our new guide Mark and what a laugh he was. He has learnt a lot of Aussie slang and had a very good understanding of Australia.

We visited the "Petrified Trees Garden" (trees so old they have turned into rock). It is impossible to describe the wonder of these gardens. It is one of those places that should be put on your 'bucket list."

Visited a silk factory, had a lovely lunch at a hotel and visited the bonsai gardens. On the way back we visited the Market shops, the 4 of us had our personal guide Leo and thank goodness we had him. The place is so big we would have wondered around for hours without finding the shops we really wanted to see.