RAMBLES IN HONG KONG

I think it's fair to say that tonight, I am "cream-crackered" after a very long day out rambling in Hong Kong.

We started off by catching the ferry from Discovery Bay over to Hong Kong Island.  Again, I was very brave and went up onto the top deck, swaying a little as I went, but those I bumped into were very kind and smiled whenever I said "sorry".  

We arrived after half an hour and then made our way to Maxim's Palace at City Hall, where the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra perform - but sadly we are not here for long enough to go to a concert.  As I was about to take a photograph of Sandy and Mr. HCB, a very kind lady offered to take one of the three of us, which was great.

In Maxim's Palace, we had Yum cha, which in Cantonese Chinese literally means "drink tea". The phrase dim sum is sometimes used in place of yum cha; in Cantonese, dim sum refers to the range of small dishes, whereas yum cha refers to the entire meal.  Again, I surprised myself, because I drank at least four cups of jasmine tea - and I am not normally a tea drinker, but I quite enjoyed it.  I understand drinking tea with a meal - and without milk - is good for the digestion, so I am trying to do the right thing whilst here in Hong Kong.

We had some great food - and it was good that Sandy was able to speak to the ladies who brought it round on trolleys, because she was able to ensure we didn't have any dim sum with prawns, as I am allergic to them.  The lady on the left of the collage, had a beautiful smiling face, and was happy for me to take her photograph.  I am definitely going to have a go at cooking dim sum when we get home.  

We then "rambled" some more and went into St. John's Cathedral, which was built 170 years ago.  The stained glass windows were beautiful, and it was very peaceful, so we sat there quietly and then 1 o'clock struck, at which point, a Chaplain stood and said that there would be a short time of prayer - so we were able to join in with that, ending with the more modern version of The Lord's Prayer.  

We were on our way to The Peak, which is the highest point on Hong Kong Island - we were hoping to go up on the Peak Tram, but the queues were very long, so we decided instead to take a taxi - not quite as "hairy" as the ones in Vietnam, but still quite scary, with lots of bends in the road and of course, a very steep ascent.

However, when we got there and made our way to the top, the views were absolutely amazing - and you can see some of them in the collage.  It was quite clear and of course, everyone wanted a photograph with the skyscrapers in the background.  

I would also add that Sandy, who feels the cold, actually took her jacket off today!!  There was lots of teasing and banter between us and we all got on so well together, and we are so grateful to Sandy (and Martin, who unfortunately had to go to work, so couldn't come with us) for the time she spent with us, being a wonderful guide and sharing her knowledge of Hong Kong.  

Two guys asked her if she would take a photograph of them with the skyscrapers as the background, but it didn't turn out that well, so I looked and decided that it was over-exposed, so sorted out their camera for them - it turned out they were from Switzerland, near Zurich, so we said we had friends there too!

When I looked down from The Peak, I could see a guy on the scaffolding opposite - not bamboo, as it happens, but was pretty high up, so I couldn't resist taking a shot of him astride the scaffolding.  Rather him than me!

We were able to go down on the Peak Tram, and Sandy was very surprised to learn that neither Mr. HCB nor I had ever been on a tram - today we went on two!

When we started our "rambling" again, we went past HSBC and Mr. HCB put his hand into the lion's mouth, so another good shot - egged on by Sandy, of course.

There were so many lovely things that happened today that we will remember - the young man playing a Christian song and when we spoke to him, he said it was "The Lord Bless you and Keep You" - so we put some money in his hat to bless him!

On our way back to the ferry, we went through Hong Kong Park, where we saw a huge "rain" fountain - I was dared to go under it, but thought it probably wasn't a good idea, given that we have to be on our way to Singapore tomorrow - but as we walked by, a lady put up her umbrella, picked up the little child with her, who was probably a granddaughter, and calmly walked over the stones and under the fountain.  How good was that?  I showed her the photograph I had taken and she just smiled, bowed and said "thank you".  

The last place we visited was Lee Tung Avenue, which is known locally as "Wedding Street" because all manner of weddding paraphernalia can be purchased.  The red lanterns left over from Chinese New Year were still hanging there and Sandy said that they will be there for another couple of months - it did make the area look very attractive.  She told us that there is also a mall downstairs, where red Chinese wedding dresses can be bought - but I'm not thinking of "doing it all over again"!

Sandy and Martin have been wonderful hosts and we will be sorry to leave them - however, I will not miss her telling me that every time I move my left arm, it adds to my steps - personally, I think she is jealous that I have done almost 13,000 today!

Thank you again for your kind comments, stars and hearts - as I said, we are off to Singapore tomorrow - and the temperature there is much higher, so we will need to cover up and plaster on the sun lotion.  Get ready for take off!  M xx