Hong Kong

I am the massive metropolis that is Hong Kong city! It is bloody huge. Not just area-wise but it's so very high up. It's also rather expensive, more so than Beijing. We've been here a few days now and have been around the islands, visited the (wait for the title) worlds largest, outside, seated, bronze statue of Buddha. It was very large and we even did the wisdom path... ooooh. It was an awesome day out though, mostly due to how we got there. We went on a long cable car ride over two mountain peaks where you can also see Hong Kong airport (on its own island as well) and you are as high as the planes taking off and landing! Cable car there and cable car back wasn't too expensive and they had a sort of vegetarian food thing going on at the top. It was really really good though it did mean two Indian meals in a row for us!

Food-wise, it's a lot harder here in Hong Kong than it has been in the rest of China. You really have to look hard for some cheap eats, and even then it's not particularly cheap. It is good fun though and although we are staying in the cheap, rubbish hostel, we are enjoying ourselves. We decided to get our visas sorted out here too. We heard that some places might be tightening up so we gave the embassies a little visit. Laos said we're cool to drop in and pay on the border. However Vietnam wanted HK$500 for theirs! Oh well, it will most assuredly be worth it!

Today we got a chance to view the best vantage point of Hong Kong. You take a tram which is absolutely ridiculous. It goes up the side of the mountain at a very acute angle that makes you feel you're going up a roller coaster. At the top you go through a load of escalators to the view point which is absolutely incredible. There was a fair amount of mist but for me that only added to the awesome night time view of the city and its lights. As we have found a few times it is very easy to get lost in Hong Kong, and at times it's also easy to forget you are even in China. It is very much like you have entered a completely different country (especially what with the whole customs and border crossing nonsense you go through to get in), everyone drives on the left, and no-one ever jaywalks!

All in all Hong Kong is great fun and there's so much more I'd like to see. We are going to another island tomorrow (for Briony's birthday!!!) for seafood lunch, but it feels we have missed out a lot. However, if we stay any longer I'm afraid I'll blow my entire budget here! I'm looking forward to Yangshuo and the rice terraces there too. Oh, and it was Mothers Day in China yesterday, so happy Mothers Day... again!!