Hong Kong

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We made it! QF029 eventually touched down at Hong Kong International airport around 5.50am local time. The pre-booked emergency exit seats were well worthwhile, making it a most comfortable (and roomy) flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne. I was initially terrified at spotting a mother with a young baby sitting accross from me, but to my relief, that was one well behaved and quiet baby! The flight ran relatively smoothly, with the exception of a lightning bolt striking right next to the wing, terrifying Natalie and the nearby air hostess!
We managed a couple hours of half sleep/ rest on the flight. Upon arrival, we purchased a 3 day HK Rail Pass, and jumped on the MTR to Kowloon station. Now I know you're all well familiar with my sincere love of Metro Trains.

The very fact that the Hong Kong MTR Rail is run by the same company as Metro Trains is utterly baffling. The rail network here is FANTASTIC! Trains run every 5-8 minutes, the network grid is clear and gets you wherever you need to be quickly.
We arrived at Kowloon station, and ambled onto a random shuttle bus under vague guidance... it sorta bundled us, free of charge to apparently within walking distance of our hotel, and before we knew it, we were there.
Arrival @ Hotel Panorama by Rhombus. We were greeted, dropped our bags off and ventured off to Lantau Island for the day by MTR.
What a great first day Natalie and I had. We jumped on a cable car, that took about 20-25 minutes, and climbed high over the rocky mountains of the Island, towards Ngong Ping. Here we signed up for a tour. This included first, a trip to Tai O Fishing village by bus. This village was a great first taste of alternate culture for Natalie. Houses on the water on stilts, temples, and just about everything you can imagine that lives under the sea, ready for immediate consumption for half a dollar .. sea cucumbers, starfish, even sting ray. It was there!

Next stop was the Po Lin Monastery. This was a giant buddhist temple on the mountain top. Very impressive. We stopped here for lunch, and some authentic chinese cuisine. We tried it, but we didnt really love it. The final stop on the island was the giant Tian Tan Buddha! This is the worlds largest bronze buddha statue. It was impressive, well that is, what we could see of it. By this time, a mist had descended upon the mountain top. We took what pictures we could and ventured back to the hotel to check in.
After initial negotiation with the room, we took a break, before heading to 'happy hour'. This is an awesome concept. A cafe near the top floors of the hotel, breaktaking views, free alcohol, a great place to watch the light show with views of Victoria harbour. There was snack food included, but then we headed around the corner for a meal at a the Biergarten German Resteraunt. That was it! What a great first day :)

Points to note: At this stage, my phone isnt working. International roaming hasnt connected for some reason. Ive emailed Telstra this morning, hoping to get that sorted.
Its our second day today! I've already got 150+ photos.. haha. I'll upload some either tonight or tomorrow morning. We've gotta get a move on and get to Disneyland.
Finally, just thinking, its quite unlikely i'll be able to update this on a frequent basis for this trip, especially after we leave Hong Kong in a couple days.
I'll do it, it just might take quite some time/ big delays, esp in uploading photos, as this can take some time. Internet cafes seem scarse here, im typing this from behind reception/ business centre at the hotel. Well, thats it for now! Disneyland time!Read more