We had a great flight and we were full of beans. Nigel’s bag however had other plans and had decided to go on its own adventure.  We watched the carousel go round and round.  My bag was there but his just wasn’t. I left Nigel and went hooning to the other end of the bag claims to check the other Auckland flight carousel… nothing!  After a small panic and a very helpful lady who checked the name of every bag on the carousel whether they looked like ours or not, there was a special delivery!  Yay, reunited!  Naughty bag going off on its own for a tour of the incredibly vast Hong Kong airport!

Getting from the airport into town and onto the underground was incredibly efficient and really easy.  Public transport is amazeballs.  Double decker trams, buses and an incredible underground network.  Also we got to see the new bridge they are building to Macau.  That is going to be simply mind blowing.

I’d forgotten how incredibly interesting Asian cities can be.  It’s all in the little things.

The groups of old men playing board games surrounded by their mates watching on.  The exercise parks with hundreds of people doing Tai Chi, or randomly swinging their arms or legs with no apparent rationale and our personal favourite the dude who was doing the entire exercise route backwards (like walking quickly backwards… not sure why).  It’s the elderly being taken to lunch and cared for by their grandchildren.  The number of really really really old people who are out and about in the markets.  The smell of smoke and cars and fish and rotting somethings.  It all reminds me of when we lived in Taiwan or visited Beijing.

It’s all about food here too.  Markets everywhere with fresh meat, fish, frogs, crabs, squirty shellfish of some description and fruit and veges up the yinyang.  I don’t think I have been further than 10 metres from a Kumquat or some Bok choy since we got here.

I have never seen so many people driving Porsches and high end Mercedes.  The roads aren’t really conducive to high end power vehicles but people look pretty cool driving them I suppose.  The high rise apartments are something to behold.  Everywhere you look there are 40 story buildings.  Wow, I’d be investing in some fairly robust clothes pegs if I lived here to staple my undies onto the washing line as they hang out of the 34th floor balcony.

There are signs everywhere advising how to live in the community effectively.  “Please keep voices down in the park”, “Please help if you see someone in need”, “Please hold the handrail and don’t walk on the escalator”.  People are pretty courteous so the signage must help.  There are signs all over the place too about spreading germs.  Avian Flu I understand, Middle Eastern Respiratory Disease I have never heard of and Rabies? (Don’t feed the monkey in the monkey forest Jen).  We went to a fantastic place for lunch and after we were almost finished we noticed that EVERYONE apart from us was using boiling water to sterilise their chopsticks before they started eating… Oops (never stop learning).

Our evening of walking adventure ended at the fabulous Hotel Jen (where everything is named Jen).  Even the towels have Jen written on them.  Early night for us as we catch up to the timezone.  Last thing to do tonight?  Work out if you are supposed to peel Kumquats.  Hints tips and tricks on that one warmly received.