HK

Hong Kong

My first nite I wandered round and grabbed some food and also checked out the scenery.

Yesterday, I wandered round Kowloon - didn't really do much but find a couple of net places and read the paper. There is nothing to see here. I spoke to a girl in my room and she was even more bored than me, she is taking a job today as a movie extra. Yesterday morning the whole Mirador Mansions were swarming with cops - I was asked for my papers, I only had my ozzie ID, so I claimed I was an ozzie (i couldn't be bugged to walk upstairs).   People stare at me in the street as I have bushy blonde hair, its quite funny, I stare back and if they ask me where I am from, Sweden is my response. The toliets here are interesting as well - long drops!

Today, I went up Victoria peak and had some gr8 views of the city. Wandered around the island for a while checking out the mkts - the meat and fish were yuch. They keep the fish in tanks, bring them out after the cutomer selects them bash them on the head!   Just been to a swanky restaurant and for $30 I had a western typr beef noodle dog thing, nice though! Today, being the 25th is my 1yr ann of leaving home...how things have changed!

Off to Macau in the morning via the Kowloon ferry for a few days. Escaping the flu which has most people worried (apart from backpackers, are we stupiad?) Then its back here b4 my flight to Shanghai on Sat.

26th - Caught the ferry across to macau. The ferry terminal was loaded full of Chinese on their hols! After driving around in a cab for ages, I found a nice guesthouse with private room, dbl bed and balcony for 5 quid a nite. Macau seemed nice and had loads of colonial buildings. Macau was founded by the Portugese in the 1600's, but given back in 1999. It now has special status like HK. The penisula is full of forts and numerous colonial buildings and churchs. Checked out the museam of Macau, which was particulary good and had flushing toliets (almost worth the fees!)

27th - Went to the Monte fort and rode the cannons that were pointing towards the UK, and checked out the the ruins of St Pauls. A massive fire devastated the church, but left the facade in tact. this is now the symbol of macau. Its easier here to get by, as some folk speak Portugese and I know a bit from Brasil (plus its v similiar to spanish!) Checked out the Churchs here, which were equally as tacky as they are in S America with images of jesus - alive, dying, dead and then a ghost...

Went to my Filopino chinese place last nite and then read up on Mongolia (who said travelling is easy?)

28th - Macau - Today after checking out the Mariatime museam (with the Scottish commentator, who i swear is form Glasgow) I went across the rd to the first building in Macau. A temple dedicated to the sea god who saved some sailors from a storm in the early 1600's. There were millions of chinks there, all with loads of insence. There was some sacred rocks - and buckets with turtles in, that people threw money in ? Strange ? Put me in water and throw money at me (to have a wash!)   Everybody here has a scooter and a mobile fone and just drive around all day.

Off in the am back to Hk where I will head straight on the airport bus, hoping to avoid the flu which is closing down most of HK.. I will just sit at the airport till my flight. Looking forward to the rubgy on Sunday nite - should be full of x-pats! I am off to Nanjing on Tues, the old capital of China.

29th - Headed from Macau to HK (where I noticed that folks were wearing masks more). Caught the bus to the airport with loads of Nigerians buying cheap electronics. Caught an early flight into Shanghai ( I was going to travel S China for a while, but SARS is most prevalent there) and tried to find a hostel. There was no cheap accom was available for tonite and that there was no train from the airport. I struggled onto a bus. The ride into town was on gleaming new roads with apartment and office blocks lining the rd. Arrived into town and drove around with a cab trying to find a bed for a while. Found the YMCA, and after I sang the song, I had some brekkie at 8pm and watched the France/Wales Rubgy game.