We left Melbourne. at 11.00 pm on Sunday night feeling very sorry for the people who were delayed on a flght to Auckland. They were mostly business people who would have been looking forward to a sleep before starting work there on Monday morning. Their flight, scheduled to leave at 7.30 pm, was now not going to leave until almost 2.00 am. That would get them to Auckland just in time to go straight from the airport to the office. Starting the working week without sleep is not much fun!
We arrived in Hong Kong a few minutes ahead of schedule and caught the aiport express train into town at Hong Kong station. We had to wait just a few minutes for the hotel shuttle bus and we were at our hotel in Wan Chai just after 6.00 am.
After a shower, we went for a stroll through the streets toward Central and caught the Star Ferry across to Kowloon. I still think that this is the best public transport rides ever. For only $A 45 cents you get twenty minutes on one of busiest harbours in the world with the exciting backdrop of a mass of high rise buildings and steep hills.
We didn’t want buy anything on this stopover as we would have to carry it for the rest of our trip and back through Hong Kong on our way home. I was very dissapointed to find that there was nothing really new or different in the electronics stores since our previous visit here in December.
Monday was a bit of a non event. Jill had a migraine so we stayed in our hotel room until 2.00 pm when we had to check out so that she could have a chance to sleep it off. By then she was wellenough to catch the ferry back across the harbour to Kowloon and we couold do most of that sitting down rather than having to stand. One thing that you notice about Hong Kong when you are not feeling well is that ther are very few (if any) seats in public places and shopping centres. There is not much to except to keep walking and you can only buy so many cups of coffee to be able sit for a little while.
In the evening, we checked in at the downtown railway station and trained it back to the airport. We had a customary look through all the airport shops and then headed to the Qantas Club to wait for the plane.
It was raining when we left and a first level Typhoon warning had been issued. We are probably leaving Hong Kong at the right time.
What a bummer – to have a migraine so soon….mind you, I’m sure the crowds in HK could give anyone a migraine. I have just returned from a few days of autumnal beauty in Bright with Anna. Deciding what to see in St.Petersburg is the current dilemna.