Day 1: Hong Kong

Up early and on the road by 0730 hrs. After a smooth ride to Heathrow airport, we checked in and located some where to grab our last full English Breakfast. 2 sausages, 2 eggs, beans, mushrooms and hash browns later, we plodded over to our departure gate.

The plane was packed and I had a Manchester lad sat next to me. We decided the best way to get through the 12hr flight was to consume lots of whiskey whilst playing chess on the on board entertainment. Too many whiskeys later we were told by the stewardess that they would not serve us another drink for another whole hour. It was getting pretty late so we all decided to get some sleep.

A measly 1 hour later we were all awake and waiting for breakfast. Another meal polished off in swift style we disembarked the plane and breezed through customs. To our relief our bags eventually turned up and we ventured out into Hong Kong airport. Everything was clearly marked and we made it by bus into town with ease. Unfortunately the hotel would not let us check in until noon so Al and I just vegged on the couch as we were both feeling so tired and ruff.

Finally, a room became available and we were escorted there. When they opened the room door I instantly noticed there was no windows and that it was tiny. We had decided to upgrade to a private en suite facility but we really should have not bothered. The shower is directly above the toilet and I definitely intend to do both at the same time later.

It was 11.30am local time, but that meant we had already been up for over 24 hours. We decided we should try and stay awake as long as possible so went into Kowloon and scoped out the sights. The highlight for me was finding a shop dedicated to Jackie Chan merchandise, although the Hong Kong skyline was incredible. We walked along the promenade that passes the avenue of stars. It was an acknowledgement to the film industry over the 70 years for producing such greats as Bruce lee and Jackie.

With aching feet’s, we decided to do a harbour tour by boat for an hour. As interesting as it was we could barely keep our eyes open. In fact, you could have had Pamela Anderson (or kerry katona - what ever floats your boat) pole dancing in front of me and I still would not have been able to keep my eyes alert.

Thoroughly exhausted we went back to the shoe box of a room and tucked our selves up for a mammoth 14hr sleep. Yeah baby………..

I would like to point out that unlike our previous blogs we will not be able to update this blog so frequently. We shall endeavour to update it at every opportunity but I cant promise finding a WiFi spot in the rural villages of China!