January 2018

Birmingham Airport

Not everyone enjoys long haul flights to get to the other side of the planet…but for me it’s part of the adventure. Having a good book to read also helps to pass long waits at hub airports like Dubai. This year I got as far as Auckland New Zealand taking in Hong Kong, Hanoi in Vietnam and one of my favourite destination…Melbourne Australia.

Hong Kong

This was my first visit to Kong Kong. I arrived just before the New Year…which no doubt explains why the YHA was fully booked. The expensive hotel room I found as an alternative was not at all what I expected; my accomodation comprised a small, cramped room…the tiniest shower room with no hot water in the wash basin. Almost the entire wall facing the door was window overlooking the harbour…unfortunately, this particular harbour was a container port that operated 24 hours every day of the week.  The noise was constant!

Thankfully, I quickly got the hang of Hong Kong’s excellent public transport system. It was a pleasant surprise to find that that the Octopus Card which covers all forms of public transport had a Senior Citizen option to which older tourists were entitled; it offered a huge discount on the standard fares. Great! This was much appreciated because Hong Kong is quite an expensive place to visit…and the British Pound doesn’t go as far as it used to do.

Having watched the New Year fireworks in the far distance and booked at the YHA for the end of the Hong Kong visit…I zoomed off to Northern Vietnam (separate post)

On my return, I bumped into Ian from Stafford and his Taiwan friend at the Maritime Museum on Central Pier. The weather had changed so the sensible thing to do in Hong Kong on a rainy day is to visit one of its many museums and art galleries. Tuesday, it seems is the one day when they all close…apart from the Maritime Museum, which stoically opens every day of the week. They had a fabulous silverware exhibition as well as their fascinating permanent collection.

Hong Kong is a unique Island City…I hardly had time to do more than scratch the surface. When time and funds permit…I shall return to explore some of its hidden treasures.