I finally got to see the skyline of Hong Kong because  the sun was shining.  Last time I was here was nearly 10 years ago and it was pea soup. I met with my friend Grace, she has lived here for a while and so we were playing at being tourists for the day. 

With our without the hat? 

This is the first hot weather I’ve had in months and it was great although I forgot to bring the factor 50, so I’m hoping that my neck hasn’t suffered too badly. 

We got the bus up to the Peak and it was great.  I’d been on the train before but the views from the bus as it wound it’s way up were stunning. There is a lot of development all over the hillside but you would need to own a bank to be able to afford to build.

I enjoyed my one day quick tour of Hong Kong and I got to ride on the top deck of a double decker bus which was good.  Very different to the ones I used to drive many years ago, more comfortable and with air con. 

When you cross into Hong Kong you can feel the difference right away. It’s definitely more civilised than China. The first thing that becomes apparent is that queues form when waiting for anything and no one tries to sneak in front of you. Even although Hong Kong is a busy bustling city it is quieter than many Chinese cities because you don’t here the cacophony of horns. The driving is civilised to the point where people will stop to let others out, it’s quite the contrast to mainland China. More people here speak English so it’s a lot easier for the tourist.  I entered on my UK passport and I was surprised to learn that I can stay up to 6 months without a visa. Mind you the bank balance couldn’t cope with that length of time. 

I returned to Shenzhen for the night and back to my digs. I’m knackered so it’s time for bed.