So it pains me to say that this is the final post for this trip, the end of which has come round far too quickly. Writing this from my living room, it seems like only a few days ago I was packing and wondering whether I would actually make use of many of the superfluous items added by my mum (including, if you can believe it, sandwich bags... I can confirm that in no situation did I ever think 'you know what I could really use right now? A sandwich bag...').
Anyway back to the important stuff, which is the last leg of our journey, and also the only one to take place outside the US. Leaving LA and flying to Hong Kong took around 30 hours in total, door to door. It was a fairly exhausting trip, and our choice of budget airline 'China Eastern' ensured that this was made worse by cramped conditions, bad food and limited entertainment. Things got marginally better at Shanghai airport, as we were able to stretch our legs and access the intranet (though not Facebook or YouTube), and I slept through the last flight into Hong Kong (so that was pretty good really).
The next morning, having slept for a few hours at the hostel, we went to meet Nicky, our mutual friend who lives in Hong Kong but studied Law at Exeter with us. Nicky gave us a brief tour of Causeway Bay, the area in which we were staying, and then took us to Wan Chai wet market. I especially liked the markets because they were full of butchers, fish mongers, bakeries and other stalls, all of which were packed with unusual sights and smells. The fish and meat stalls were very different too - most of the fish are still alive, swimming in tanks, or have been recently decapitated, with the heads still trying to take in water through their gills. You can also watch butchery of animal carcasses in the street, or choose to buy a cooked duck with the head still attached. The bakeries were my favourite however, because I'm greedy and nerdy when it comes to food, and felt I was obligated (by myself) to try several different types of breads and pastries (the pineapple buns were my favourite).
That afternoon we met some of Nicky's friends for dim sum, which really was so good - definitely not the tiny, greasy stuff you get in the UK. We had so many dishes I couldn't count, and every one had a distinct set of flavours and textures which made it so interesting for me. We were seated right by the kitchen too, so I had a few little peaks as to how the different dishes were prepared and cooked, and we even got to take a picture with one of the chefs (the poor guy obviously had no idea what was going on...).
For the rest of the afternoon we went to a mall to have a quick look around, and to visit the Apple store (so I could begin the long process of deciding whether to get an iPad mini or not). We then were taken to the Peak, which is a look out point on the side of a mountain were you can get a great view of central Hong Kong and the bay area. Later that evening we had planned to meet up with some of Nicky's other friends, but jet lag kicked in and we decided to get an early night.
On our second morning in Hong Kong Nicky very kindly took us to a breakfast buffet which served both English and Hong Kong-style food, so after a full English of sorts we tried congee, which is a rice-based porridge which can contain meat or veg (it was actually pretty tasty). Following breakfast we spent the rest of the day in Stanley, which is a short bus ride out of central Hong Kong. Stanley is a small area, right on the beach, with apartments by the water front, and also has a very busy market as well as shops and restaurants. We noticed there were a lot of European people in this area, and this reflected in the restaurants as there was a greater choice of western food here than we'd seen elsewhere (complete with a pizza express). One of Nicky's friends lives in Stanley, so we met up with him for a while, before heading back to central for some authentic Chinese food - including 'proper' sweet and sour chicken which puts our syrupy, fatty attempts in the UK to shame.
The next day we spent mostly looking around various different markets, including one of the biggest which is called 'Ladies Market'. Jack and I bought a few gifts, though not without a few problems along the way... We had both agreed beforehand that we would try to haggle, and had checked with a few people that this would be ok to do. What we didn't realise was that there is obviously an etiquette or a correct way of doing this, as is there a price below which you should not offer, as it is deemed rude or offensive. Unfortunately we broke both of these rules on a regular basis, and on one occasion I was ushered out of a stall for having the audacity to offer less than half of the price of one watch for two fake Rolexes...
On the final full day in Hong Kong I went to visit the famous big Buddha, which was on the top plateau of some mountains way out of the city. Having taken the metro to the relevant stop, I took a cable car from ground level to the top of the mountain. This trip was actually pretty terrifying, as not only was it really high, but also very windy - the cable cars themselves were quite rusty too, so there were some hairy moments when it felt like big gusts of wind would blow the car off of the cable...
Thankfully that didn't happen, and I spent the afternoon in the small village at the base of the Buddha, taking in the view and the surrounding area. There was also a Buddhist monastery, which I had a quick look around but was unfortunately at the time undergoing repairs.
Over the last two days we sought out some places to eat which did street food, and were not disappointed by what we found. For around £2 each, we had big bowls of noodles and broth with pork, chicken with fresh veg, and also some BBQ style pork with rice. For me, this was part of the trip I really enjoyed, as I think with somewhere which is so different to home it is important to expose yourself to as many different experiences as possible. I think we certainly did that, although shamefully the last thing I did in Hong Kong was to buy an iPad mini...
And now I'm back in the UK. The flight back was good (Malaysian Airlines is far better than China Eastern), although the five hour wait in Kuala Lumpur airport wasn't so great. I must admit it feels pretty crappy that the trip is over - I had such a great time - but one of the things I'll take from this is that it won't be the last time I take time to travel, either in Asia or America. And it really is worth taking the time to do it you know...
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