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| BULLET TRAIN IN GUANGZHOU |
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| WATERFALL IN KOWLOON PARK |
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| JUNK IN VICTORIA HARBOUR |
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| A FOGGY VIEW OF FROM SKY TERRACE 428 |
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| ANNE, NAOMI & RUBI IN MONG KOK |
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| CHEUNG CHAU HARBOUR |
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| FOOD AGAIN - CHEUNG CHAU |
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| EVENING IN HONG KONG FROM FERRY |
Wednesday 6th, and our taxi driver picked us up at 6.30am to take us to Guilin North Railway Station where we would be catching the bullet train to Guangzhou. The highest speed we noted during our 2-hour rail journey was 248 km/hr, shown on a display panel at the end of our carriage. The train was really smooth and as we watched the countryside pass us by through the window, it didn't seem that fast.
We arrived at Guangzhou South Railway Station on time, but our onward journey to Hong Kong departed from Guangzhou East, which involved roughly and hour on the Metro. We eventually arrived to a warm, humid Kowloon at about 5.00pm.
Our room in Tai An Guest House was on the 14th floor of the Alhambra Building in Kowloon. It was basic, and there wouldn't have been room to swing a mouse, let alone cat. However, it was as good as we could expect given that we weren't paying much.
In the evening Rubi went off for a reunion with some of her primary school friends and teachers. I spent a couple of hours exploring the Temple Street night market. With our Guest House in the heart of Kowloon there was plenty going on.
On Thursday we took a walk along Nathan Road, the main thoroughfare through Kowloon, down to Victoria Harbour. Then, crossing the water to Hong Kong Island on the ferry, we took a ride on the rickety Peak Tram, a funicular that hauled us up the steep slope to Sky Terrace 428, the number referring to the altitude of this viewpoint in metres. Unfortunately, the fog prevented us from getting the clear view shown in the brochures, but the experience was fun.
We returned to Mong Kok on the Metro to meet Naomi, Rubi's daughter who had arrived in Hong Kong from the UK that day, and Rubi's sister-in-law Anne. We shared a Korean meal in a nearby restaurant and then Naomi came back to our tiny Guest House room for the night. Our bedtime preparations were possible provided only one of us moved at a time!
In the morning we headed to the Hong Kong Immigration Office so that Naomi could update her ID card. Having sorted that, we continued on the Metro to Ma On Shan to see Rubi's mother. She lives in a small flat on the 35th floor of a high-rise residential development in Ma On Shan. Nearby is a huge shopping and commercial complex called Sunshine City. We walked there to eat in a huge and very smart restaurant called Ho Yin (which means 'Royal Banquet').
Later, Rubi, Naomi and I walked the steep path leading to the Ma On Shan mountain, after which the residential area is named. There were only a few hours of daylight left so we couldn't walk for long, but we still managed to climb up to about 500m before turning back. Unfortunately the views were somewhat limited because the hill is largely tree covered.
Although there was a shower of rain on the way down, temperatures were still in the high 20's so we all needed a shower when we got back to Rubi's Mum's flat.
Saturday's itinerary involved a family visit to the Buddhist cemetery where Rubi's Dad's ashes are kept. All three of Rubi's brother's were present along with her Mum and niece. A great many other people were milling around paying respects to their own departed relatives. There was a ritual burning of a bag of 'gifts' (actually paper clothes, money, food, shoes, etc.) for the use of Rubi's Dad in the afterlife.
The family lunch followed, after which Rubi's second brother Jockey, his wife Anne, their daughter Jean plus Naomi, Rubi and I all took the Metro to the ferry port at Central on Hong Kong Island to cross over to the tiny island of Cheung Chau, just a short distance to the south west. Rubi and I took a walk around the shore-line, passing through the Cheung Po Tsai Cave, which a Hong Kong pirate once used to hide the spoils of his trade, before climbing to the view point that would have given us a great view of the surroundings had it not been so foggy.
We all reassembled at the harbourside to enjoy the inevitable seafood meal before catching the ferry back to Central. Another brief ferry crossing to Kowloon followed by a short bus ride brought us back to our digs again, tired and stuffed with food.