Wednesday 12th

Today we decided to have a quieter day. We are staying very close to the Headquarters of Aqua One, the aquarium manufacturers. So as we have spent a fortune on their products, we decided to try and find them!

We walked the length of Sha Tsui Road, looking for number 26-38. Eventually we came to "The Thriving Industrial Centre", which comprised 32 floors of offices and businesses. We got in the lift with all the workers, teehee, and went up to the 3rd floor.



And there was Kong Aquarium Products, a very unassuming looking office space, with tens of aquariums stacked up outside. A very worried looking girl came out to see what we wanted, so we quickly went on our way. I'd have loved some photos, but we were on security cameras all the time, so that may have looked suspicious and we may not have been allowed to leave!

Upon out return to our hotel this afternoon, I got all the laundry done (and ironed, Laura!) then we went out wandering again. The Christmas lights are all beginning to be put up on the buildings, so it's getting even more colourful.


Here is the start of the Christmas display at Ocean Terminal.


We're having an earlier night tonight, as we are getting up early to go to Ocean Park tomorrow.

Tuesday 11th

Today, we started with a long lie-in, much needed after the amount of walking we have been doing!

This afternoon, we went back to Discovery Bay to see N_M's mum and dad before they left. As we got off the bus, they met us to suggest a trip to Peng Chau, 4km and a short ferry ride away. So we raced through to the ferry pier to get the local boat.


15 minutes later we arrived at Peng Chau - the name literally translates to a "small flat island", but in reality it is pretty steep and hilly! This is a very interesting little island which has been inhabited since Neolithic times, because it has a plentiful fresh water supply.



In the Qing Dynasty of the early 1800's, there were 11 limekiln factories which employed hundreds of people.


During the 1960's, with the decline of the limekiln industry, the biggest match making factory in south east Asia opened in Peng Chau. More than 2000 people worked there! The whole island is less than 1km square, so that is some feat! Having visited today, it is very difficult to work out how they can have all got there to work, apart from on small sampans and boats!


The island has also been a thriving fishing village for more than 200 years. There is a market on the water front, together with many small shops. The residents enjoy a peaceful existence with no cars, and the company of over 50 types of birds and hundreds of different insects. The Chinese white dolphin frequently appears in the waters around the island, but we weren't lucky enough to see one today.


This was a really interesting visit, and we were sorry to have to leave and head back to the mainland.



There we said goodbye to the parents, who are now on a flight back to England.

We took the MTR back into Mongkok and went to the Steamed Milk Company for our dinner. I have been waiting for 13 months for this visit - how I love that place!! I had a delicious egg sandwich followed by a cold chocolate steamed milk pudding, and N_M had his usual noodles with spam and egg!


As a very special gift, I am taking home a Steamed Milk mug and key ring!

And now it's time for bed, so we will say goodnight for now.

Monday 10th November

Well it's quite a bit cooler today then it has been. We had a quiet morning, and went to the local bakers downstairs to buy rolls and buns for lunch.

Then we set off to meet N_M's mum and dad to take a trip up "The Peak", which at 552m above sea level, is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island.

We went up on the Peak Tram, a funicular railway which was first opened in 1888 to take visitors up to a hotel there.

The Peak Tram 1888

The Peak Tram today

The Peak is full of trees that have been there for many, many years. Here is an Indian Rubber tree, with some people underneath so you can see the vastness of it!

The path around the Peak Tower is about 2 miles round, and one gets fantastic views of the whole of Hong Kong. Last year when we were here it was very hazy and the views were limited, but today was about the clearest it could have been.



The sun set while we were on the mountain, so the photos now show Hong Kong full of lights.


We came back down on the tram, and made our way on the Star Ferry back to the Kowloon side for dinner. N_M's parents are going home tomorrow, so this was our last night with them. We haven't laughed as much for ages, as we did with them today. Bon Voyage B&G!

Our first weekend

The weather for the past two days has been extremely hot and humid, very unusual for November. It was 30.5 degrees when we landed, and equally as hot yesterday. N_M's parents are here still on their holiday, so yesterday we went across to Discovery Bay.

We had a walk along the beach, I had a paddle in the warm water, and we collected shells and pieces of washed up coral for our marine tanks. We then went and looked around the flat they have spent the last month in, which was very nice, and we all met up with N_M's brother and sister-in-law for a meal.


Today we went outside and discovered the weather had cooled down a lot. We had to wear long sleeves to go into town for a look around, before meeting up with the family again. We shopped at the Ocean terminal, well window shopped anyway, as the majority of the shops are designer - Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and a Vivienne Westwood store just like the Trafford Centre! After a very tasty pizza we went to watch the Symphony of Lights Show at the waterside. It's very impressive, especially in the current financial climate, as the electricity bills must be enormous!

We are here!

We arrived safely on Friday, after a fabulous flight with Swiss. Neither of us had flown with them before, but we were very impressed. The food was decidedly yummy, with lots of cheese based products and Swiss chocolate! The in-flight entertainment was also good; we both played "Who wants to be a Millionaire" and both got as far as £500,000. If only the winnings had popped out of the seat in front.... :)


The hotel hasn't changed at all and they have put us in the same room as last year, so it feels like a real home from home.

Further Travels 2008!

Well, here we are again. More than a whole year has gone by since our previous trip, and unfortunately all the blogging passwords had expired, so a whole new blog has had to begin.

Our previous adventure is detailed at http://travelsofanightpanda.blogspot.com

We're just setting out on a new Hong Kong adventure. Further posts will follow at the weekend dear readers! Watch this space.......