HONG KONG

Conversion Rage $AUS1 = HK$5.8

We're here!

And we're about to leave to go to South Africa in a couple of hours so i'm madly trying to write about Hong Kong before we go.

The airport is amazing. Even the toilets are big enough to fit a luggage trolley with our backpacks!

And by the way, we're doing great with our packs. Mine is pretty light compared to Greg's but it's still a shock to be carrying it around. But we're doing OK, so far!

It's beautiful weather. We couldn't have asked for better weather. We arrived at 5.30 Friday night and caught at shuttle bus ($HK280) to our accomodation, Ramada Hong Kong, which is rather wonderful. Budget. But excellent. $HK 1,200 incl breakfast for two nights with late check out. Breakfast was included and was a buffet breakfast which was YUMMY. The tomatoes are amazingly red and juicy and sweet. Just beautiful.

Fresh coffee. Yum. Black and strong. For the last two mornings we've been having the healthiest of breakfasts. Boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and an assortment of everything healthy. We've survived all day on that one breakfast and one other meal.

THE BED WAS HARD! But, when you're as tired as we were it didn't matter. On Friday night we could have slept on the floor! (and the bed was so hard it felt like we were!)

We were raring to go on Saturday morning. Up early and out and about. First thing we did was to master the MTR which is fantastic. The biggest bus station i've ever seen that's for sure! And we've gotten to know it quite well.

We spend a lot of the morning navigating our way and ending up at Victoria Peak after walking a LOT. And because we were on foot we saw everything. The shops here are amazing - the biggest names everywhere. Even Marks and Spencer. I felt like we were in Paris or London or something, with different faces. :-) The weather was so clear at the top of Victoria Peak we got a great shot at the top. That was after we had to buy batteries for camera!

On the way out of the Peak we saw a huge banner at the train station for a Harbour Cruise and Dinner and we thought why not. So off we went to book. ANd it was fabulous. And such a clear night to be on the harbour. We drank a bottle of wine $HK352 which cost as much as the harbour cruise and dinner for one! Hmm...but anyway, it was worth it!

Us at Victoria Peak




Without that bottle of wine, we wouldn't have made it back to our hotel. We decided to walk home, back to the hotel. Well. After going the wrong way (who said women can't read maps! hehe) we ended up walking more than 10km's home! Our feet were in agony, but we trudged on, and made it, with the will of the gods (at midnight, pack on board!)

This morning we had our breakfast even though we felt like sleeping in..but it was included in the accomodation so we had to go down and have it..our plan being to stick to our $100 a day budget, like it or not. Yesterday we didn't stick to it, but today we know we will because the flight out tonight is at midnight and we don't have to pay for accomodation.

We spent $A10 on transport today. The rest we walked. So i think we're going to be able to stick to this budget...

(Dinner = McDonalds!)

Which is how we're sticking to the budget....luxury one night, pauper the next!!!!

Now here we are..

Sitting in the business centre at the Ramada writing in this blog (which is going to cost $HK150) and transport to the airport is $HK80.

It adds up.................

But, we're going to do this. Like it or not.

Talk to you from South Africa!

BLAST OFF

Hi Everyone,

Here we are in Hong Kong! We arrived after a totally mad panic trying to get here. In the end...we didn't sleep one wink the night before we left (Thursday night) even though mum had the bed all set up for us at her place.

Annie came over during the day, Friday, and painted her butt off! She was so, so helpful..and we couldn't have gotten here without her. She cleaned the doors with a special secret recipe the cleaners had as well as mopping the floors!

Rob, "The Mover" came over with his trailor and moved 'stuff' that we were unable fit in the removal truck when they came over.

Andy turned up at the last hour and helped with rubbish. Now what we would have done without these last minute 'angels' we don't know and don't even want to start thinking about...we were, yes, in chaos. Really, it started the week before but Yvonne and Bob came to the rescue then...

And of course..Mum. She's just been there all along helping us in her beautifully quiet way. She gracefully lent us her car..then politely asked if she could use her own car during the last two weeks and each time rang to say she'd organised someone else to take her to places. We just cant thank her enough. Definitely a beautiful woman who we love.

AND...Greg completed the sale of his "Bloody Boat" with just 3 hours to spare!!

We ended up getting our international licences on the last day..at exactly 3 minutes to 5! I rang Caz to ask her when the RAC closed about an hour beforehand..and she thankfully said, it didn't close till 5pm....you'd think i'd know that wouldn't you?

We were at the building and didn't even have time to pop up and say seeyas to everyone in CE...but the thought was there! We had to madly dash back to get the ute back to the ute hire place and to pay the cleaners that had been there all day.

Cost $800 for cleaners and window cleaners. That's how BIG the place is! I tell you, we didn't realise how big it was until it was empty and all our 'stuff' didn't fit into storage!!

We toiled...cleaned, sorted, packed, delegated and carried on till 5.30am when we arrived at Mum's house. She woke up and gave us toast and tea and Greg ploughed on as he was meeting Rob, and a full trailor at the storage with another load of stuff he piled into mum's car. The storage closed at 7pm the previous night so they had to wait to the next morning to unload, in the dark!

We then got going to the airport, after hearing from Alena (Where are you Dad??") where Angie and Rhys were waiting. We then spotted Bob and Yvonne and went upstairs where Alena was waiting with Aiden and Kate. (First time meeting the gorgeous Kate!)

What a sad farewell....

I couldn't look at mum in the end.....

OK enough said.

We then walked throught he departure gates..and we were OFF. Off on our adventure of a lifetime. A year away. A year of travelling seeing wonderful places.

We were excited.

:-)