Kowloon City

With Hong Kong being one of the most expensive places in the world, let alone on our trip, we struggled a bit to figure out what we could do for cheap or free while staying out of our dungeon accommodation as much as possible.

We started each day with breakfast at a nearby fast food joint, for £6 each which had an odd medley of things to eat. On our first day, we booked a free walking tour, which was really good and helped ground us in the location and understand it better. Highlights included going on the world's longest outdoor covered escalator system, the Central–Mid-Levels Escalator, and the Chinese temple, where we were instructed on how to pray and ask the gods questions. We also tried a local egg tart dessert that tasted mostly like egg.

We then did some much-needed shopping for shorts, as we were now going to be in less modestly dressed countries. For dinner that evening, we went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered the local specialty, Won Ton noodle soup. We then went off for an evening walk and realized we were right by the shore facing the city lights. We walked along the huge boardwalk until we got tired and went to bed.

Every night that we slept there, our sleep was worse and worse. That night night, I woke up feeling like something was crawling on me; the night before, something from the roof dripped on my head. I woke up that night literally saying to myself, "One more night, it's only one more night." As we were in a bed just a tiny bit bigger than a single, when I awoke, James woke up too and turned to me and said, "That was a shit night's sleep, but it's okay because that was our last night." I was like, "Wait, no, we have one more night." Turns out James couldn't sleep that night either and was so fed up he booked a hotel near the airport that had a pool and breakfast included. I literally could have cried with happiness.

Our only urgent task for that day was to post some of our warm clothing and souvenirs back home, so we quickly did that, packed, and then, as our check-in wasn't until 2 pm, we got a celebratory ice cream and went to the art gallery on the waterfront. We then went off to the hotel and checked in. It was expensive, but after suffering through the past few nights, it felt very well deserved. The room was pretty incredible by normal standards, with a floor-to-ceiling wall overlooking the green hills. We donned our swimsuits and, even though it was on the verge of raining, we went to the pool and hung out there until closing at 5 pm. We then wandered around the shopping mall that the building was attached to and got some dinner, then returned to our room just to soak it all up.

Breakfast the next morning was delicious, and we then packed and headed to the airport to catch our flight. Hong Kong, you were beautiful and fun but in a different way than we've experienced so far. Maybe we'll return one day when our budget is bigger.Læs mere

Due to ongoing disruption of the MTR system and an inclement weather forecast, featuring thunder and monsoon rain, the planned Hong Kong Disneyland excursion was postponed until today. Instead of Disneyland we got all intellectual and hands on at the very impressive Hong Kong Science Museum. Time well spent.

Luckily for us by this morning most of the MTR system was back in action, apart from a few stations which were too damaged to be safely opened. None of the closed stations were on the route I was taking from Tsim Sha Tsui to Lai King, then Tung Chung and finally onwards to the Disneyland Resort.. This meant I could use my Octopus card instead ponying up the $600HK taxis would have stung me. Score bonus points for the tightarse that I am.

Arriving at the park in time for rope drop, which unlike the US Disney parks was at the leisurely hour of 10:30am it was already 32 degrees, so shade was highly sought after unless you fancy seeing photos of a shallow Celtic puddle on the ground. (that would have been me after more than ten minutes in this relentless tropical sun!)
Although I was at the park for rope drop it was the least populated park opening I've ever seen, which was great news for wait times. Basically there were no wait times, you could just walk straight on to any ride. It was a dream run. There had to be an upside to the strife and chaos which had disrupted lives and schedules throughout Hong Kong! In no time Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine train had been ridden twice, Mystic Manor, Fairy Tale Forest, Jungle Cruise, Space Mountain, It's a small world (for the air conditioning of course!) The Iron Man tech showcase, Ant Man and the Wasp Nano Battle had all been tested and approved by this Disney veteran.

Along the way, and in between rides, every Disney store had also been thoroughly investigated and I even found time to squeeze in some fine Disney vittles at the Starliner Diner.

It was a surreal experience having so much space at a Disney park, I almost miss the crowds for some of the atmosphere they generate, almost. So in a mere five hours the resort had been conquered, then it was back on the MTR a final fast retail splurge at Citygate Outlets before riding the 45 minutes back to Kowloon.

Now it's my last chance to enjoy the room's view of the junks, cruise ships and barges as they ply the harbour and the technicolour light show from the skycrapers on Hong Kong island.

I'm ready to be impressed by Cathay Pacific's Business class on tomorrow night's return flight to NZ. It's already scored more points than Air New Zealand because they'll be flying us in an A350-900, my favourite ride. See you next time from Aotearoa.Læs mere