Hong Kong thoughts

Well as we have now left HK and are on our way to Hanoi so before the sieve of memory fades I thought I'd  put down some impressions, ok for anyone who has been there for more than four days, and has had more interaction they may seem just  plain wrong, so be it. Any additions, corrections clarifications greatly appreciated.

1. Transport of all sorts seems to work with effortless ease. We made it through the airport and were moving on a bus into town in under an hour, all well signed and announced. We failed to get really lost at all, which is almost a shame as finding your way out of places can be almost as much fun as doing what you intended. We became habitués of the Star Ferry, which charges between 24p and 40p a crossing depending on the time of day and day of week ( not sure why Sundays are more expensive but we really didn't worry about it as it's a real bargain) The ferries out to the outer islands are just as cheap and we had a great day doing ferry/bus/cable car/tube off on Brent's recommendation to see the Big Buddha, and yes it's main feature is as advertised. I loved the friendliness of the street crossings. They make a gentle 30 beats ber min plock plock plock when on red, which changes to a faster 80 beat/min plick plick plick when it is time to move. The vernacular up to near the top of the peak was fun, as was the stroll to the summit. I couldn't understand why no one else seemed to complete the journey but as there seemed to be no one there trying to sell you anything this probably explained it.

2. Shopping. Hong Kong revolves around shopping, for those who think that London has shopping centres, Westfields and the like then, sorry, what London has is small little congregations of shops inside somewhere warm. Hong Kong has shopping centres, and as the whole of the pedestrian life of the town revolves around them this created a bit of an issue to me as a habitual avoider of such places. You cannot really get anywhere walking along the pavements, you are quickly diverted down subways while crossing the road, thus ending up in another mall. The only way into the tube is through the mall. The only way to the museum is through the mall, the only way to cross most of the roads is through the mall! How the place can support all the retail outlets of all sizes, types and specialisations is something of a mystery. Not only is it the main streets, but the side streets and the side, side, streets that are humming with not only shops but also shoppers. It was not until I realised that a significant number of the Chinese were also tourists that we began to understand how the place worked. Now we have left and been on a train out of the city for well over 3 hours and have not left suburbia that you get to grasp the size of the hinterland in which it operates.

Kerry, our ex flat mate now working as a nanny in Hong Kong made a very pertinent observation which I think captured a significant cultural difference:- the second European family arriving on a deserted beach would pitch themselves as far away from the first family as possible to give each other space. A Chinese family would assume the first family had found the best spot and consequently pitch themselves as close as possible.

Things that made us smile:-
1. It is easier to buy cold coffee in cans that it is to get hot coffee.
2. you can buy a cold can of mixed tea and coffee.
3. jellyfish is edible, just fairly tasteless with a texture of rubber bands – will not go down as a favourite.

While we are taking photos I don't think that this will be the place for Liza and I at.....

However pictures that amused us:-

A slope register! well how much classification do you need!

A deliberate mis-translation to lull us into a sense of our own superiority I think!

Have now safely arrived in Hanoi after an interesting 2 day train journey across China.