Monday 14 March Con't


Our hotel in HK is situated in an area that used to be a dockyard and has been redeveloped by Hutchison Whampoa, the same company which owns Felixstowe Dock.  They own the hotel we stayed in plus others in the area, also commercial buildings and shopping centres.  One of the shopping centres is very unusual because it's a huge ship shaped building.  Not sure if we took a photo of it but this is a photo I found on the web to show you.  It's quite amazing and hard to believe it's not a real ship.

At last the gloom is beginning to lift and it's a bit brighter outside so we are off to The Peak as it's our last chance to do it.  To get to Hong Kong Island, the Central Business District, we went on the famous Star Ferry and from there we caught a bus to the tram that takes people up to The Peak for the best views of the city.  The tram has been in operation since 1888, although fortunately it has been modernised since then.  It is a funicular railway and takes approximately 7 minutes, up extremely steep gradients, to reach the top.  The area at the top is much commercialised with lots of shops and restaurants.  There are some good look out areas and walks too but unfortunately there wasn't enough time for us to do the circular walk.

After returning to the city, we went into the Hong Kong Park which is only a few yards from the tram station.  It's a really lovely park.  It's built on hilly ground and there are several water features with waterfalls.  There's also an excellent aviary which is very large and has an elevated walkway that allows visitors to walk through the tree canopy.

My friend Jeanne recommended a tea shop in the park and as it was lunchtime by now, it was the perfect time to take a pit stop.  It was a real gem and very traditional.  The only drinks available were teas served the traditional way and the food was vegetarian dim sum.  The waiter recommended a selection for us and we enjoyed it very much although it must have been entertaining for the Chinese people to watch us trying to eat with chopsticks!  We would thoroughly recommend this tea house for lunch or dinner to anyone visiting the city.  Up until this, we had been rather reluctant to try the local Cantonese food and to our shame had been put off by menus offering dishes such as pig's lung, fish head and duck's feet (not sure what happens to the “better” bits).  So we were really pleased to find somewhere we were comfortable with and liked so much.

Then with a new interest in tea, we wandered through the nearby Museum of Teaware housed in an old converted colonial building.  The Chinese take their tea very seriously and there was loads of information about the history of tea and how the people in different areas of China made and drank their tea.  Upstairs was a very interesting exhibition of the winners of a competition for young potters to make a tea set and there were some very original ideas!

From there, using the high level walkways, we walked across the business centre to The Exchange Square, containing some of the newest and tallest buildings in the city.  It's quite like Canary Wharf here and there are some lovely little “parks” and open spaces with water features and sculptures, including a Henry Moore. 

There were still several places we hadn't got to, like Aberdeen with its floating restaurants, or the markets but it was a hot day and really we had had enough and needed to get back to the hotel to shower, change and have a bite to eat before leaving for the airport.

Hong Kong's airport used to be on Kowloon close to very high buildings but in 1998 it was moved to a very large and modern new airport Chek Lap Kok designed by Norman Forster.  Chek Lap Kok airport is situated on Lantau Island quite a distance from our Hotel.

On our drive to the airport the driver was very chatty.  He spoke to us about the economy, Hong Kong's status since it has been handed back to China (he can be openly critical of the Chinese Government while he is in HK but if he went to China and said the same things he would be arrested) and he knew of Felixstowe because of its connections with Hutchinson Wampoa.

While we were waiting for our flight and browsing in a bookshop, we noticed a book called “Inside Steve's Brain” it had a remarkably large number of pages.......can't think why!

We would like to say that we enjoyed our flight back to the UK  but it wouldn't be true.  It doesn't please us to have to say this but the quality of on board service, the seats, the food and just about everything else on the Quantas flight from Sydney to Hong Kong were so much better than our BA flight to London as to make any comparison pointless.

Tuesday 15 March,

Home sweet home!  Steve is asleep and snoring on the settee and I am dragging myself around trying to do a bit here and there, still not 100% with it but as we have only managed to grab the odd hour’s sleep here and there on the journey home it's not surprising.

First things first, my stick has made it all the way to Tattingstone!  It was the first piece of our luggage on the conveyor belt in baggage reclaim at Heathrow.  I am amazed and delighted it has made it all that way and through all those airports.  In fact I realise now that I probably shouldn't have removed it from the beach in Coromandel all those weeks ago in the first place.  While we were away we looked at lots of souvenirs to bring home and did buy one or two things, but that stick is very special to me and as good as any expensive item as a reminder of a truly wonderful experience.

On the drive back home from Heathrow I have to say that as it got light about the time we got to Colchester, I couldn’t help but notice how much litter there was on the side of the A12 in Essex and Suffolk.  In all the countries we've just been to, there's been nothing like that at all!

I've phoned both my mum and Clare but they are both out and I texted Paul who replied to say he thought we weren't back until next week! 

Doing this blog has been much easier and much more fun than we ever expected it to be.  It's been great knowing that friends and family were reading it and keeping in touch with us while we were the other side of the world.  So thank you all for that!

Thanks too to all of our friends and family who gave us tips and advice before we left on where to go and what to do in the various places we visited.  Those tips made a big difference to us and were a great help.  Sadly we didn't manage to do them all.  Often time just ran out on us or there was something else that we fancied doing.

So this is the end of what has been the most incredible trip of our lives (so far!).  We sincerely hope it won't be the last time we go off travelling like that as we've had such a good time and have had some wonderful experiences and memories.  Meeting up with friends and family the other side of the world has to be a highlight.  Seeing all those beautiful places in New Zealand and Australia, visiting cities we had previously only ever seen in books and on TV, enjoying good weather, good food and even better wine and on top of all that, meeting and making friends with lots of different people along the way.

Sadly during the six weeks we were away the world has changed dramatically.  Dramatic political changes in the Middle East, the earthquake in Christchurch which touched on our own journey and now, far worse, the devastating situation in Japan which is a frightening reminder of the force of nature.  Luckily for us Tattingstone looks much the same as when we left except that spring is arriving and the daffodils are out, there's blossom on the trees and the birds are singing.  It is a bit foggy but I won't spoil the idyllic picture by mentioning that! 

And … Steve's still snoring!

Jane and Steve signing off on Tuesday, 15 March

Footnote – Since writing the above, we’ve now talked on the phone to both our mums and Clare.  Clare's school friend, Jo, who is working in Tokyo is now on her way to Australia for a holiday - she was going there anyway in the Easter holidays but because of the earthquake, the school where she teaches closed a week early so she’s extending her trip by a week. 

Monday 14 March

Its the morning of our last day in HK.  We have to check out of our hotel soon and then go sightseeing before coming back later in the day to get our luggage and go to the airport for a really late/overnight flight home - arriving 5am at Heathrow!

So this will be the last bit of blog until we finish it off at home with today's highlights and excitements.  Visibility is still murky this morning although possibly not as bad as the other days. We can see the buildings across the bay. People out doing tai chi again – Steve thinks it would look good in Chedworth!!

Sunday 13 March

It's still foggy today, in fact it's worse than yesterday. Steve has just been reading an article in the “Sunday Morning Post” which says that clear views of the harbour are becoming a rarity. The article closes by saying “It (a clear view of the harbour) doesn't happen often, so we should cherish these brief interludes in the slow poisoning by pollution of us all, if only to remember that it needn't be this way.” So, it looks unlikely that the visibility will improve sufficiently to make a trip up the Peak worthwhile.

The Sun rises over Victoria Harbour in fog

Something else we have noticed is that most of the hotel staff have English first names. I'm sure one of our friends who have lived in HK could explain the reason for this, but it baffles us.

We've had a busy day today. First we visited the Museum of History, which covers Hong Kong's history from the beginnings of time through to the handover of the colony to China. The museum has been built since the handover but it appears to give an accurate portrayal of events. We particularly liked the re-created scenes of streetlife, festivals and boat people and also the information on the opium wars – even though it didn't make good reading for us as Brits! It was a real gem of a museum especially as it cost less than a £1 each.

We have finally discovered that Steve's lactose intolerance can actually have advantages! Susanne had recommended that we go for afternoon tea at the Peninsular Hotel, a grand hotel with strong British traditions. So yesterday we went to enquire about whether they could do a dairy free afternoon tea for Steve and they said yes, provided they were given 24 hours notice. So we booked for today. Normally, people who are not staying at the hotel can't book for afternoon tea and have to wait in a queue. However, because Steve's afternoon tea had to be prepared specially we were allowed to book. So we turned up at 2pm and smugly walked past the very long queue that had already built up, to be escorted straight to our table. To say that Steve was impressed with the dairy free cakes that had been prepared for him would be a gross understatement, he was in seventh heaven!

Afternoon Tea at the Peninsular Hotel

Just as we were leaving the hotel we saw yet another bride and groom having their photos taken. Both were dressed entirely in white, the bride in a long flowing dress and the groom in a tail suit. The only thing that spoilt the image was that the groom was wearing white plimsolls! As we left the hotel we followed this couple and their photographer as they headed down a busy street and through a subway (the bride holding her train aloft) to reach “1880 Heritage” another popular place for wedding photographs.

After our leisurely afternoon tea we walked over to the “Star Ferry “ pier and caught one of the ferries for a harbour trip. A nice relaxing way to let our meal go down. When we got back to dry land again it was after 5pm and the area around the pier was manic so we decided to catch the free bus back to our hotel for a rest.

Tomorrow we leave HK at 11.30pm for London, so our next and final blog will be from home.

First post from Hong Kong

Just paid to log on to the net from our hotel and the commands came up in Cantonese.  As we are not great experts in picture writing a certain amount of guessing has been involved its amazing that we have got this far!

Friday, 11 March

We had to be up early in time to finish packing and leave for the airport at 0900 for our 9 hour flight to Hong Kong.

The flight was relatively uneventful and didn't even seem that long (we must be becoming seasoned travellers!).

When we arrived in HK there were very long queues for customs and the baggage reclaim area was vast and there was no sign of the Special Baggage reclaim for my stick. I asked one assistant but she obviously didn't understand as she directed me to the ladies toilet!! Then I saw a huge mass of suitcases and so I went up to the assistant there and he said “Ah, Mrs Kirk”!!!

Then we had a panicky moment or two in the arrivals area because we had a transfer booked from the airport to our hotel in Kowloon but couldn't see anyone holding up a KIRK sign. The arrivals area was huge and very busy and eventually we realised that there were two exits from the baggage reclaim hall and our pick-up was waiting near the other exit!

It was then that we first heard the dreadful news about the earthquake in Japan. We had noticed a small group of cameramen and TV crews waiting at arrivals. We asked someone and they told us about the earthquake and tsunami and that the reporters were waiting to interview people arriving back in Hong Kong from Japan. We were then concerned about Clare's friend Jo who is teaching in Tokyo but Clare texted us later to say Jo was alright but had camped out all night with the schoolchildren.

Our driver was really nice and he spoke some English so Jane asked him to point out any places of interest on the journey from Lantau Island to Kowloon. He took it all very seriously and made a huge effort to tell us about everything on the way.

The Hotel we are staying in “Harbour Grand Kowloon” is very large and has a grand entrance lobby. It is right on the quayside and our room looks out across the water to Hong Kong Island. Even having lived on the Thames we have never seen such an array of ships and boats before! There is everything from tugs to ferries to junks.

Saturday 12 March

Looking out of our bedroom window first thing this morning was rather interesting and a bit different. Down on the promenade outside were up to a dozen people all doing their various versions of Tai Chi the elegant exercise routines! More surprisingly there have also been swimmers in the Victoria Bay (rather them than us)!

Unfortunately it has been rather hazy ever since we arrived. At first we thought it was smog but it doesn't smell and on the news it was said to be as a result of a monsoon in China. It makes all the tall buildings look very eerie and a bit surreal. While it is like this there isn't much point us going to The Peak for the views or even taking a harbour boat trip.

The hotel has a shuttle bus to the ferry terminal at Kowloon about 15 minutes drive away. This is the same area as the Walk of Stars which I have to say is much nicer setting than the one in LA! There is also an art gallery and a cultural centre. We spent an hour or so in the art gallery and really liked some of the early pottery and paintings and calligraphy. One gallery showed a collection amassed by a Hong Kong collector on the merit of the artists' good character – in the West that would rule out many of our greatest painters!

The cultural centre building is very controversial for it's architecture. Having just been in Sydney where the Opera House is one of the world's most iconic modern buildings, Hong Kong would appear to have missed a golden opportunity. The building is windowless which given it's waterfront location is rather odd as it could have had one of the most dynamic views in the world.

We also went into “Harbour City” HK's largest shopping mall but we got confused because it was vast (an understatement) and very crowded. Steve said it made Bluewater look like a corner shop! Note for Steve Stevens – it even has a Brooks Brothers!!

In the evening we watched the Symphony of Light sound and light show which takes place nightly at 8pm across Victoria Harbour. It's a spectacular show of lasers and flashing lights set to music on some of the buildings along the waterfront on Hong Kong island and Kowloon.

Throughout the day we came across several wedding groups. In all but one case, the bride and groom were wearing typical Western wedding clothes with the brides in very, very over the top white wedding dresses. In one pretty little square only yards from the busy streets there were 3 different groups all posing for their official photographs. We actually saw one bride and groom plus photographer crossing a busy road at the traffic lights which made a very odd sight!

Something that has amused us in a nice way is the level of hygiene and cleanliness in most public places. As soon as we arrived at the airport we noticed a lot of people wearing face masks. In the art gallery there were signs saying that the toilets and public areas were disinfected 8 times daily! It is common to see hand disinfectant dispensers. This is all because of outbreaks of bird flu and SARS back in 2003 which other than the obvious health implications to the residents of Hong Kong, drove tourists away. 

Update from Sydney

Sorry we haven't been posting since we left Melbourne, we've been quite busy in Sydney, but we're almost up to date with our blog now!

Sunday, 6 March

After a sad farewell to Rod and Suzanne and trying to master the new self-service baggage check in at Melbourne Airport, our flight to Sydney was nice and short – 1hr 15mins. We even got drinks and sandwiches on the plane, much to our surprise. Unfortunately it took us almost as long to get from the airport to our apartment in the city centre as it had from Melbourne to Sydney by plane. Not because it is far, but because we took an airport to hotel shuttle service which waited so long to fill up with customers that the driver was given a parking ticket and then he dropped us off last!

Note – my stick, or should I say, driftwood, is still with us but it was a bit touch and go at Melbourne airport!

In the evening we went out for a walk around Circular Quay and checked out all the different ferries across the bay. It was here we had our first view of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The Opera House is an absolutely stunning building and took our breath away when we first glimpsed it through some trees.

Later, Steve watched a TV programme called “The Footie” that showed a brawl in a match between Wycombe Wanderers and Macclesfield! Not really what we expected to see and we couldn't resist texting Deborah to tell her the Wanderers were now infamous the other side of the world - but not for their footballing skills!

Monday, 7 March

We're really enjoying being in Sydney and today we had a relaxing time looking around some of the areas which are within walking distance of where we are staying.

First we went to The Rocks, about 10 minutes walk from our apartment. It's Sydney's oldest area and so has an interesting history. It has a really laid back feel with lots of street cafés and harbourside areas. Part of it is built under the ramp for the Sydney Harbour Bridge and from a distance you can see groups of people high up on the top level of the bridge … which they pay to do!! Walking along the quayside there are terrific views of the Bridge and the Opera House across the bay. Steve is trying to outdo Rod's pelican photo's by taking endless pictures of the Opera House and bridge!

Not far from our apartment in the opposite direction from the harbour is Queen Victoria Building shopping arcade. In our guidebook there is a quote that Pierre Cardin said it was “the most beautiful shopping centre in the world” and I'm inclined to agree with him. It was built in 1898 but fell into decline and was almost demolished and redeveloped during the 1960s and 70s. Fortunately it has been restored to it's former splendour. It is very large and has elegant Victorian fronted shops and cafés on four levels. There are beautiful stained glass windows, patterned floor tiles, a central glass dome and all the best features of the period. There are also two most elaborate clocks. One chimes on the hour like Big Ben, has buglers appearing from each of the four corners and then shows a series of tableaux depicting some British historical scenes including King Canute, Harold being shot by an arrow in the eye at the Battle of Hastings, Henry VIII with all his wives together (!) and King Charles being separated from his head!

From there we walked on to the Chinese Garden of Friendship … which sadly was closed! So we walked to Darling Harbour through the wonderfully named Tumbalong Park. The main feature of the park is a lovely water feature which tumbles down to Darling Harbour through imaginatively created fountains and rapids.

Darling Harbour is a very lively likeable modern waterfront area with lots of restaurants and bars.

And now for the bit you people in the UK won't want to read and will make you feel as sick as a parrot (and we've seen a few of them today!) - it's been a beautiful day with blue skies and a temperature to match of about 25C. It was still warm enough this evening to eat outside but interestingly the waiter apologised to us because the sun was in our eyes!! Worse, the forecast is for a high of 27C and clear blue skies tomorrow.

We are now back at the apartment watching some TV. In Australia there as in the UK cookery competition programmes are very popular. One, Kitchen Rules, is similar to the one where couples compete to run a restaurant but the one we are watching now is quite quite different and the clue is in the name – Conviction Kitchen!! Yes, you guessed!

Tuesday, 8 March

Today we did one of Sydney's “must-do” outings by taking the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. The route goes close to the Harbour Bridge and around the Opera House and through the waters of Port Jackson before arriving in Manly on the bay side. From here you can walk in about 10 minutes to the other side of the peninsular where there is a surfing beach. This was what we imagined a typical Australian beach to be like – a long sandy bay with lots of surf, bronzed surfers riding the waves and big hunky lifeguards! Actually the only lifeguard we saw was quite short and the surfers were mostly schoolchildren at a surfing school!! However, it was a very hot day and there were lots of people on the beach and in the water.

We walked around the bay and then on a coastal path to Shelly Cove. On the way we noticed a light aircraft sky writing and as we watched, the words “Miss u Baby” gradually appeared. Don't suppose we will ever know who it was aimed at or why!!

Shelly Cove is a marine conservation area and there were a lot of people snorkelling and scuba diving in the much calmer waters of this small bay. The bay also had a number of signs advising of the heavy fines that would result if anyone tried to remove any of the protected lizards that live in the area. We were fortunate enough to see two of them quite by chance when we sat down to rest on a bench close to some shady trees. Before leaving the bay we climbed up to a viewing point above the bay that looked out to sea. On the way back we had to pass under some low growing and trees and suddenly realised that there were several large spiders hanging just a few inches above our heads one of which came down and landed on Jane, so we beat a hasty retreat!

Wednesday, 9 March

We wanted to see some of the countryside around Sydney, so today we caught a train from Central Station to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Katoomba is only 36 miles from Sydney but it takes 2 hours by train to reach it, which makes Ipswich to London seem rather quick! On the other hand the return fare worked out at about £7.50! Here they have double decker trains, which is a good way of packing more people in to a smaller space, its a pity we can't have them on commuter lines in the UK. Katoomba, when we got there, proved to be a fairly uninspiring place. The best thing about it being the slightly off beat café where we had lunch. However, the view from Echo Point, 1 or 2 km from Katoomba, was quite spectacular. You can see close by, rock formations called the Three Sisters and then look for miles over what could best be described as a large canyon filled with mostly virgin forest. At the lookout point we got talking to a young couple from Poole who we kept bumping into for the rest of that day and the next day back in Sydney!

We caught a bus back to the railway station that should have allowed us 5 minutes to get the next train, but the driver waited to pick up a large group of Germans who sauntered slowly across to get on board only to get off at the next stop and so as a result we arrived at the station just in time to see the train pulling out, as there is only one train an hour we were not amused! While we waited for the next train Steve saw a Cookaburra (the largest member of the Kingfisher family) so that was some compensation! The train winds down from the mountains to the plain below and we caught occasional sightings of the tall buildings in Sydney, sometimes on the left of the train and sometimes on the right. As we neared the bottom of the mountain at a place quaintly named Emu Plains we saw a wild wallaby sitting close to the track.

Saturday, 5 March

Today we woke to beautiful blue skies, disproving our rapidly developing theory that every day in Melbourne is wet and grey!  So Steve dusted off his shorts and we packed our buckets and spades and headed for the seaside.  Actually we went to St Kilda and Rickett's Point which are both on Port Philip bay! 

St Kilda is a lively place with a very attractive pier and boardwalk and a beautiful sandy beach with distant views of the skyscrapers in Melbourne's CBD.  At last Jane saw the skateboarders and in-line skaters she had expected from day one in Melbourne!  We walked up the pier and had a drink in the handily placed pretty café at the end.  A few years ago a fire on the pier burnt down the Victorian café but fortunately the original plans were found and it has been rebuilt exactly the same.

Rickett's Point on the other hand is much quieter with a marine conservation area.  Both of our friends, Rod and Suzie were brought up close to these areas of Melbourne.  Suzie in nearby Brighton and she didn't believe her Dad when he told her that Brighton in England had a stony beach.   Rod used to like going to Rickett's Point as a child to visit relatives.  So this is an area that has played an important part in both their lives.  We went to the Rickett's Point Tea House for lunch, an old haunt of Rod and Suzie's, and then went for a lovely walk along the beach and Rod took lots of pelican photos while Steve took photos of Rod taking pictures of.......!

Rickett's Point is particularly picturesque with shallow waters and rock pools and is well known for being an artistic centre much favoured by the famous Victorian Heidelberg school of painters who used to camp there and paint in the impressionist style.

It's our last day in Melbourne and although there's much more we haven't seen and done, we feel very fortunate to have had a “well rounded” week with a little bit of everything from city sights, culture, wildlife, good food and wine but most of all good friends and family!

See you 2moz in Sydney!

Wednesday to Friday

Wednesday, 2 March

I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that late in the evening we hooked up with Clare and Ben for a skype.  It was after 10pm here and 11am there so unfortunately little Ben was a bit tired and ready for his morning nap!

Today we went into the City on our own and finally got to visit the Ian Potter Gallery and enjoyed looking at the Australian art.  It was a surprise to us that there are so many good artists from Australia and we haven't heard of any of them in the UK! 

Before leaving the city we had a walk around the war memorial shrine and then the Botanical Gardens.  The gardens were lovely with some stunning flower beds, some of which have recently been redesigned to take account of the drier weather and droughts that they have had in Victoria in recent years (ha, ha!).

We took the tram home.  Rod and Suzanne live within minutes of the No 3 tramline and less than 10 minutes from a railway station, both with direct and frequent services to and from the city.

In the evening Rod and Suzanne invited their friends, Jennifer and Brian, round and we had a really nice evening and a particularly good meal ending with a glass of Rod's kumquat brandy! 

Thursday, 3 March

Rod and Suzanne drove us out to the Yarra Valley today to go to the Healesville sanctuary, a nature reserve for native Australian wildlife.  It was wonderful to be able to walk around and get really close to animals we have never seen before and where they are, as much as possible, in their natural environment.  Amongst other things, we saw emus, koalas, kangaroos and platypus and also a male Lyre bird in full mating display.  Rod had never seen a lyre bird display and Suzanne had only seen it once, so we felt we were particularly lucky.  The koalas were absolutely gorgeous, so cute and because we were so close to them we took some really good photos.  There was another animal similar to a hedgehog, called a echidna.  One of the nature wardens told us their names and one of them was called Steve!!  Very prickly little things!!

Friday, 4 March

Today we went back to the Yarra Valley but this time to the TarraWarra winery for a tasting and lunch.  The food was very nice and beautifully presented.  In the bush fire a couple of years ago the vineyard had lost it's red grapes and so they had to source their red grapes from TumbaRumba in the Snowy Mountains, NSW and it had made rather a nice Pinot Noir.

There was also an art gallery and the present exhibition is of a very well known Australian artist called Brett Whiteley, 1939-1992.  Although he is very well known in Australia for his modern abstract art we hadn't heard of him before although we discovered that he had lived in London for several years and the Tate has bought at least one of his paintings.   Suzanne's favourite painting was a self portrait entitled “The Artist after Three Bottles of Wine” - sadly he died young, say no more!!