Hot Hong Kong

The sun was shining as we came into land and the view was amazing, although there did seem to be a lot of building work going on around the airport.

The first thing I did when I arrived at the hotel, was head for the Lobby Bar for a coffee. But the air-con was a bit fierce and I was cold. There were tables and chairs outside under an awning to keep off the rain, and as I stepped through the door my glasses instantly steamed up.

“Bet you’re used to that where you come from,” said a voice from the next table. I removed my glasses so I could see. There were two Kiwis who lived in Queensland. They’d already had three beers each and were ordering their fourth. But they were quite entertaining and we had an enjoyable banter for the next hour or so. They weren’t staying at the hotel but had discovered they have a happy hour every evening.

I explored the city around the hotel. Nearby was the Jade Market. It was full of stalls selling jewellery and ornaments made of jade coloured stone. I bought some ear-rings and a Chinese dragon. Then I thought I’d trundle along Nathan Road to the harbour. I passed a temple with a tree filled square in front. There was a scruffy man with no legs in a wheelchair begging for money. And lots of random people sitting about smoking. Business men walked through the square on their way to somewhere else.

After a while I stopped. I felt sure I should have reached the harbour by now. I looked at the name of the next street, then I looked at the map. I had gone twice the distance I needed to in the wrong direction. But I saw lots of Hong Kong life. And I had seen more wheelchairs in one morning than I had seen in five weeks in Australia. I even came across a shop selling them. It had a step to get in the entrance.