Sumpi jumpa Bali, Néih hóu Hong Kong!

So after a hop, skip and a jump across to Singapore for a night of bunk-bed loveliness, we landed safely in the hustle, bustle and and downright craziness of downtown Kowloon. The stereotypes were well and truly answered right from the get-go with ultra-modern technology and short-sharp answers from all manner of people that kept everything completely to the point. We'd already booked our accommodation over the internet for Hong Kong a couple of months ago and although we were warned about the size of Hong Kong hotel rooms, nothing, I mean absolutely nothing could have prepared us for the size of our room. Sometimes people can exaggerate by exclaiming they could touch the walls with both hands, well I could...with ease. Not only that but they are windowless, which kind of gives you the impression you are living in a rather large tiled wardrobe. But, you know what, I really like it. Much like anything we've experienced in Hong Kong over the past two and a half days, it takes a bit of getting used to but once you adapt to your surroundings, it is seriously impressive. The room is ultra clean, has a powerful shower, a flatscreen tv on the wall and air con. Not bad for the location, which really is in the centre of all the action.

After pretty much a full day of flying, waiting in and transiting to and from airports we pretty much went straight to sleep on our first night but not before we got our first taste of Chungking Mansions, the building that houses our guesthouse. Not knowing the history behind this block was probably a little bit of a godsend as I think if we knew, Shell would have never even thought about stepping in through the 'lobby' downstairs. In essence, the block is huge and is placed at the bottom of Nathan Road (the main thoroughfare) and has a history of complete depravity, unclaimed dead bodies, triad controlled and extortion are just some of the things it has been famous for in the past but it has now, apparently, cleaned up its act. To walk through it to find your elevator is a challenge in itself. As me and Shell bombarded our way through the throngs of African and Asian groups of men we got our first taste of the welcome as a grubby bloke with a mask told me to' fuck off' whilst waving the jacks. I said hello and moved swiftly on...

Our first full day was spent in awe looking at the throngs of people all gathered in Hong Kong for Chinese National Day.It was just our luck that the whole time we have in Hong Kong will coincide with Chinese National Day, which is what it is called. In reality, China National Day actually extends for seven days, being that any travel anywhere is seriously doubtful, so we have booked an extra day! Not the worst place to have to spend an extra day!

Despite the crowds, our first day was spent climbing the outside elevator, that elevates you all the way up through Hong Kong Island, across the water from Kowloon. It is another exceptional feat of engineering (and indulgence) that Hong Kong commuters, and tourists, get to ride an elevator non-stop for a mile through some of the most impressive skyscrapers in the world. You can get off at any point but we decided to go to the top and then walk down to the Peak Tram terminus, to take us to the top of the hills to take in that most-famous of views from the top of the city skyline. When we got there, the queues were massive, snaking back upon itself and up the road. We decided, quite foolishly really, to return tomorrow. In the meantime we got our first taste of Dim Sum, the famous Hong Kong filled dumplings. They were astonishingly beautiful. We opted for the steamed pork variety. We would have more!

From there we took a tram into Causeway Bay, got off, spent five minutes feeling bewildered and bemused at the sea of people (sea does not do it justice) all buying stuff. Everyone in Hong Kong spends their time buying stuff, millions of them. Once back on the meticulous MTR, we got off at Tsim Sha Tsui, our local stop and headed back to our room to calm down before the onslaught of the nights light show and National Day firework celebration. To call it a firework 'display' has got to be one of the most criminal understatements you are ever likely to come across. True to form, for the pathologically patriotic Chinese, the fireworks were as if the world were ending. Basically every firework was in comparison to that last big one they save for the end on Bonfire Night. Despite the hoards of people and lack of chivalry, something which is hard to get used to, we had a blast, literally, and headed back to our room with noodles in hand to get over the days exploits.

The next day we woke early in readiness for a full day exploring Hong Kong Island, the opposite side to Kowloon and home to the Gotham City-esque skyline. As our rooms are windowless we had no idea of the weather and as we got outside we were punished with solid wind and rain. After three weeks of almost constant sunshine it comes as a bit of a shock but it's still 29 degrees! To be fair to Hong Kong, it's as if they have built a replica of their city underground, with all mass transit systems, walkways and malls beneath your feet. So as it was raining we made good use of all these amenities and got all the way to the Peak Tram, a good way, before even contending with any rain. Once we had queued for an hour and paid the fare and up we went to the top of Victoria Peak to take in surely one of the worlds best and most famous views. Its says everything about it that even on a day which was wet and quite windy, it was still beautiful. We met loads of people at the top and we all helped each other take photos of each other. Even two English old girls carrying, remarkably, Marks and Spencer bags!

From there we walked for about three hours, all over Hong Kong island. We really took in all of the amazing sights, smells and sounds that this part of town had to offer and we both agreed that we have never ever ever seen so many mall and shops in our lives. Every space, both underground and overground for maybe fourteen floors is filled with designer shops. Maybe if you'd put the X Factor on in the background I could quite possibly have been in my own very personal hell.

From the borderline purgatory of shoppers delight to the ultimate experience of Temple Street Night Market. After a quick skype session to Kyla and Graham (Skype is amazing-we miss our friends and family like mad) we headed out to the market in hope of an authentic Hong Kong experience. We wouldn't be disappointed. Apart from the multitude of stalls selling cack, there was a few selling remarkable items and if we had both more money and indeed a home then we would really splurge and buy some great items. The most amazing thing about the market was the food. The abundance of it, the plethora of canteens, the atmosphere and the smell was unbelievable. It's probably the highlight of my trip so far and you could see Shell was getting slightly worried about how excited I actually was. But hey, this is it, this is what all that saving was for. For experiences such as this.
Much love, Tommo xxx