Ten Days in Sydney - Trannys, HQ and Lots of Alcohol.

Okay, So this is another shortcut. Here it goes....

In Sydney I stayed at a Hostel called the Backpackers' HQ in King's Cross, Sydney. If you like nightlife, this is the place to stay. Most of the guys there are long-termers, so it's so safe and secure. HQ also had an activity organised every night, either a visit to a bar or the legendary Sausage Spectacular on a Friday night where, for a mere $3, you can get all you can eat sausages and all you can drink goon (box wine). It is a great laugh, and everyone got pretty drunk. There was a rumor that one swiss girl got so drunk that she couldn't see and had to get helped to bed. There were a few highlights of my time in Sydney that weren't alcohol related, but I'll get to the good parts first! I did have a few good nights out in Sydney, and here are the best bits. On nmy first night out we visited the Old Fitzroy theater. There was free pool, cheap food, and $3 beers. Need I say more? I ended the night by having to get Jo (one of the guys from the hostel, from england) To escort me to the nearest McDonald's, and then back to the hostel. Another place we frequented regularly was the World Bar. One memorable evening was the karaoke, with free drinks for the singers. I teamed up with a Swede and an Aussie and we completely ruined the Queen classic "We Are the Champions". And of course, the most memorable of all the nightlife in King's Cross has to be 'Tranny Bingo' at the King's Cross Hotel. They were taller than me! Some of the calls were very un traditional. 88 became two fat s**ts, and 1 is a skinny b***h. Right, not for the less alcoholic highlights. First there was manly beach, a ferry ride away from the city. It was quite nice, but it was too windy and cold to go swimming on the day we went. Next there was the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. This may seen strange, but they are a lot smaller than you think they are, and because you've seen them before, you don't really get that sense of 'wow'. But in my eyes, the best highlight was the trip to the Blue Mountains. We took a 4 hour walk though the valley, and the views and waterfalls were immense! There was a bit of a slip-up, where I accidentally put my foot straight down a hole which was full of water. My trousers got soaked right up to the knee. All I can say is, thank god no-one else did it, because they'd probably have ended up waist deep in water! Another highlight of the day was the 'adventure lunch'. we took our pies and salad out to a rock hanging out over the valley, with a 200ft drop on three sides, and no safety barries, nets or others. Now that puts a whole new meaning on 'al fresco'. So that's a quick summary of the best bits of Sydney, and you wouldn't have got much more anyway, because i was pretty drunk quite a lot of the time, and the rest is a bit blurry. So - to give a briefer do and don't. Do - go to the Blue mountains, and do stay at Backpackers' HQ. Don't - expect to be overly wowed by the Opera House or the Bridge and don't drinkk too much goon in one go. It's not good for you. Now this shall be the end on the 'Diaries' Blog for now. I'n now gonna go onto a Sub-blog, The Flying Scotsman's Travel Journal.

Day 18, 19 and 20 - Three Days, Three sets of wildlife.

Okay, so I;'m cutting a corner by sum,ming up 3 days in one post, but I need to get this finished. I am going to sum up the last days of Singapore in this post, and then Sydney in another. On day 18 I visited the Nght safari, which is right next to the zoo. I would have done both in one day, but I got up late, and by the time I got to the park it wouldn't have been worthwhile. I got into the park and took the tram tour aound. It was quite strange staring through the gloom at all of the nocturnal animals, with the lack of visible bars making it seem like the animals were roaming wild. Some of the more tame animals actually were roaming wild, coming up really close to the Tram. I then took a walk around the park on foot and saw all of the other animalw in the park. I also found out an interesting fact - did you know that girrafes only sleep for 3 hours of the day? On day 19 I got up a bit earlier and headed back out to the zoo. I took a tram around the zoo, and then I took a walk around the park. I saw some very interesting animals, such as the Lars Gibbon, which looked a bit like MJ. (It was black furred with a white face and hands). I then took a boat cruise around the lake to the other side of the zoo. Okay, so I know this blog is a bit dry, but the pics are pretty good to make up. I then headed to the sea life show and stood at the back while this sealion was doing it's thing. Then the guy asked for a volunteer. Here's a bit of advice - NEVER volunteer! I made the mistake of doing so and was asked to do one simple thing - Throw a frisbee for the sealion to catch. That should be easy. (Or so I thought). I took aim, got ready and - right into the big pole which was holding up the roof. Ok, try again - and right into the post again. Ok, one more go - guess where it went? Yep, right into the pole. So then the guy, who was in his element with a guy making himself look like a right idiot, and him being able to rib me senseless. So he led me right to the side of the tank. Right, one more go. Bingo. Sealion executes a perfect catch. Glad that's over. Or not. After the crowd had started to clear, the guy led all the vbolunteers up to the side of the tank. (Me, a Woman, and two kids), and we got to meet the sealion. I got a very whiskery kiss, which was documented on a picture on the camera of the zoo, meaning I had to then go and pay for it go get a copy. Oh well, it was worth it. After the show, I took an elephant ride.it was quite fun, sitting on the back of such a large beast, if not slightly unnerving due to the side to side motion of it gait. I then looked at more animals, of which there were too many to list. I was ther until closing time, and I'm still not sure if I saw them all. Day 20 was another trip to a wildlife park, this time the Jurong Bird Park. This was slightly  different, with the opportuniy to feed Lorys and Other birds whose names I can't remember, but which were very beutiful (you should see the pictures, which i will try to upload as soon as i reach a computer which will let me). I also took a ride on the monorail, which encircled the park. The other highlight of the day was seeing the feeding of the pelicans, the only opportunity to see them feed underwater in the world. It was really something to see. Okay, so that was pretty much Singapore. It was a wonderful city, much cleaner than Hong Kong, and less humid. I would definitely recommend this over Hong Kong, even if some of the laws do seem a bit imposing. The three top attractions for Singapore would definitely be: Sentosa, Zoos and the Singapore Flyer. Okay, so on the next post I'm gonna skip the flight (It was uneventful and so uninteresting) and go straight to a summary of Sydney. Sorry about the lateness of the postings, but I am gonna finally get up to date.

Day 17 – Tours, Tickets and an Unexpected Trip to Sentosa

I woke up late as usual on day 17, and decided to a bit more washing. I collected my kilt from the line and found that it has cleaned up reasonably well, and I put a new wash on. I went out to change some money and get something to eat. I then returned to sort out the washing and then I hung it out on the line. I decided to head into town and try to get on a tour. I got a bus (for a change), and enjoyed the ride into town. That was before I realised I didn’t know where I was going until I got into town. I looked around, the bus stop told me that I would be able to get to orchard road, but I was concerned and got off at the first place I recognised, Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, which was nowhere near Orchard Road. I decided to take the MRT the remaining distance, and got off at Orchard. I then stepped outside to try to find a tour bus, and was unsure quite where to find one. I headed to the bus stop opposite the MRT, because I had seen a tour bus pass that way the previous day. I waited, but none came, and I went to find some information. I didn’t find any, but instead inquired at a perfume stall and was told to stay at the stop, because one would come. I did, and some time later I was rewarded for my patience. I got on the tour bus and was informed that it was the last of the day tour buses, but I could get a Moonlight Adventure tour on a 24-hour ticket. I got on the tour bus and took the ride to the depot (tucked behind yet another shopping centre) and was told to wait for an hour, and that there was a food court inside where I could get something to eat. I had chicken noodle bowl (well, it was a staple food in Singapore, and I didn’t fancy the Fish Head Curry). I then headed out to the bus. I got on and was asked if I wanted a ticket to songs of the sea, and I said ‘no’. The tour guide assumed a befuddled expression before I explained that I had been before. He then told me that I would need an admission ticket to Sentosa then (yep, that place again). I headed upstairs and took a seat. I was glad I did, because the bus went past the Singapore Flyer, giving some great views. When we arrived at the bus park, we were all handed respective tickets, and told to be back at the bus for 8.20pm. I headed for the segways (what else?), and booked a ride. It was quite busy, but in the queue I got talking to this nice kiwi couple and their kids. (You know what I’m like with names by now), from Auckland. We waited until about 8pm, and then we got on the ride. The staff, who knew me by that time, asked if I wouldn’t mind staying at the back to keep an eye on those in front. Not a problem. The ride was enjoyable as ever, and upon return, I was offered a free ride. They didn’t need to ask me twice. I quickly gave my email to the kiwi couple and headed out again. All hope of returning to the bus were quickly forgotten. I joined the next segway group and off I went again. When the ride had finished, I thanked the staff and headed off to the luge for a couple of moonlight rides. When I got up the hill for the first ride, i bumped into a group of immature American guys who were rude, macho and obnoxious. They were convinced they could beat me down the hill, and I proved them wrong. I let them get in front, and then laughed at their expressions as I roared past them. I also laughed as one tried to slow down for the camera and got rear-ended by the guy behind him who was trying to pass me. I reached the bottom and raced for the chairlift, getting a good few cars ahead of them. When I reached the top, I asked the operator (who I had met on a previous day) to try to run them over with the lift (I was joking, of course). I then tore down to the start area and got away before they had left the lift. I was down the hill and onto the lift again before they were even halfway down the course again. I took my last ride and headed for the monorail to Harbour Front, hoping to return again to the Island of fun, but knowing that I was leaving until another trip to Singapore, if ever. When I got to Harbour Front I wondered if they had been looking for me on the bus, but I thought ‘nah, I didn’t go to the show’. I got the MRT back to the hostel, and headed off to bed.

I'm Back!

Hi all, sorry for the delay in posts, but I have been suffering from technical diifculties (and drunkenness!) I am trying to keep up to date, but sydney will be condensed into highlights, as alcohol doesn't mix well with memory.

Day 16 - A German, A Merlion and One Big Wheel

Day 16 Began as usual. I woke up late (as ever) and headed out to the airport to change money, having decided that by this point I was getting stiffed on rates just as much in the city as I was there. I changed my money and headed to the Qantas desk in T1 to see if there was anyone present, and yet again finding no-one. What was up with these people? I headed back to the train station through T3, and found a very confused German woman being given very little help by the staff. Flying Scotsman to the rescue once again. Thank god she spoke English, because my rudimentary German wouldn’t have stood a chance. It turned out that the woman (her name since wiped from my memory (explanation coming up in Sydney)) was looking for a hostel and had been told that she would find one on Orchard Road. I decided to take her up there (well, I had no other plans). We took the train to Orchard station, and bode her farewell (I gave her my email address), and decided to explore, my attention being grabbed immediately by a collection of brightly coloured statues depicting shoppers, but mostly depicting many caricatures of Margaret Thatcher. I noted that many (most) of the shops stocked only items above my price range (or that of anyone who isn’t rich), and decided to take some shots of the architecture before heading back to the hostel to bid farewell to Fahin, who was leaving. I took some shots, and noticed a tour bus, and decided to come back another day for a tour. I took the train back to Kembangan. After saying farewell to Fahin I headed for some food (from the Hawker Centre at Tanjong Pagar) and then I headed up to Dhoby Ghaut to begin a colonial night walk as described in my guide book. I walked right through the city, past the National Museum of Singapore, through the grounds of the Singapore Management University and past the Philatelic Museum, Masonic Hall and Armenian Church. I then entered the parliamentary district, passing the Parliament itself and the Supreme Court as well as the statue marking the spot where Sir Stamford Raffles first landed, and then along the riverbank past the Asian Civilisations museum and the Fullerton Hotel, before slipping under the dual carriageway to end up at the Merlion Park. I got a great view of quite a lot of the waterfront, as well as the Singapore Flyer, which, upon discovered closed at 10pm. I looked at my watch, 9.15pm. I decided to find a way there, and found a bike taxi waiting by the bridge on the carriageway I had ducked under. Poor Guy. He was about a third of my weight, and really skinny and he kept getting caught at the lights. I reached the Flyer in just enough time to get a ride, and boarded the big wheel, which happens to be the biggest observation wheel in the world (30m bigger than the London Eye). Just my luck then that the batteries on my camera were running low. And where were my spares? In a hostel in Kembangan, that’s where. I tried to conserve batteries, taking as few duplicate shots as possible, and it just made it, conking out in the last couple of minutes of the 30-min ride. I then headed down and caught a bus to City Hall, followed by a train back to the hostel, which I found yet again empty.

Day 15 - Marina Bay, Marina Barrage and a Muslim called Samil

On Day 15 I woke up and decided to do some washing, so I washed my kilt, before leaving it to dry out on the line. I headed for the obligatory money change before deciding to go out to Marina Bay MRT to see what is there. The answer: not much. On exiting the MRT station, you are surrounded by construction sites, and you have to follow a series of laminated signs pointing to the 'Marina Barrage shuttle bus'. That sounded promising. The trip to Marina Barrage passed through more construction areas, and then we reached the barrage, which seemed to be a great feat of architecture, was based around a large, sweeping roof which you could walk up, since it was covered with grass and had a path. There were many people on the roof itself, flying kites. From the roof I saw a fountain area, which you could paddle in. I headed round the remaining sweep of the roof, and into the area, and soon I was paddling in the lovely, cool water of the fountain, and then I decided, what the heck! I took my shirt off, removed anything which could be water damaged from my pockets, and proceeded to get thoroughly soaked, which highly amused a small kid who had exactly the same intention. I then got talking to the boy's father, who was a native Singaporean Muslim called Samil, his son called Ahmed. We had a cvery interesting conversation, where I learned many facts about Singapore, especially about the educational system, which I strucured very similarly to that of England, and English is actually taught as afirst language to children, before Singaporean. We then got talking about Kembangan, and Sam told me that he lived in Bedok, nearby and that there was a large mall there with a hawker centre inside. He offered me a lift, and I gratefully accepted, and he took me to the mall, explaining that Singapore is smaller than you might think, and that the Merlion in Sentosa is not acutally the real Mrelion, the real one being much smaller and located in the CBD. He pointed out some of the sights on the way, and I thanked him when we arrived and he droppedm me off, having to head home. I headed into the mall and trawled the bookshop, looking for a 'bible' for Sydney and, after a lengthy search ended up with an alternative, so Sydney's adventures will be based on the bible of Frommer's, not on a Lonely Planet bible. Then I hit the food ourt, enjoying chicken rice (although the chicken was a bit dry) followed by (I couldn't help myself) Choclate Fondue, which had strawberries, banana, waffles, chcolate wafer bites and marshamallows, and rich choclate sauce. Bliss. I then headed for the aptly named 'Giant' hypermarket, where I found some books to read, Including one from the author of the book I had finished the previous evening (not included in the blog since reading is not exploration, and would seem quite boring and repetitive). I also found another book, and bought both for S$18, good value for books. I then headed back, to find that I had a new roommate, called Fahin from Sri Lanka. When I first reached the room, he apologised, but he was very tired, and so I took my book and headed to the downstairs cafe/bar to sit with a beer and read. After a beer I felt slightly peckish, and decided to brave some of the cuisine, only to find (to my delight), that they served sweet and sour pork. I ordered a small portion and it arrived, complete with fork. I sent the (bemused) waiter away to get chopsticks, and felt quite stisfied a while later when I finished the dish with a clan shirt. Well, as they say, when in Rome.. I then had another beer before retirting to the dorm, ti find Fahin was now awake and we sat and talked for a while about Sri Lanka and Scotland, and he told me that one day he wanted to move to the UK for work. After a while, pooped, I retired to my bed and slept.

Day 14 - Addicted

If you want to know where I went on day 14, the title is pretty self explanatory, but I'll give you a clue: I was there on days 12 and 13. Yep, Sentosa again, but not immediately. First, I headed to change some money (as always), and then I headed to an area of Singapore called Little India, which contained much of the Indian population of Singapore (no points for guessing that), but it also contained a shop called the Mustafa Centre. This is a HUGE department store, which sells everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! I had to go to the top floor to find menswear, and then I had to wade through Aisles of Trousers, Shirts, T'shirts, Pyjamas, Boxers, etc, until I found shorts. I then bought several pairs of very nice shorts at a very cheap price, which is good since I ripped my other pair in Hong Kong. I got two pairs of bermuda shorts, which have more pockets than I could ever have stuff to put in, and a pair of lightweight shorts, also with pockets. I then headed out to explore Little India, and also to find a shop which was called 'Indian Candys' (sic, no typo), which was in my bible (of Lonely Planet), although a traipse through LI turned up no result, but I did get a good picture of the Sri Veermakaliamman Temple (try saying that while drunk), as well as some of the colourful houses and shopfronts (will be on facebook as soon as I find a computer that works). I then found asmall food court hidden in one of the backstreets, and I had some duck noodles, of which the duck turned out to be more bone than meat, but it was really cheap, and it was food, so I didn't complain. I then decided to follow a recommendation from Joyce and Cheryl, and went back to the island of addiction, to see the 'Songs of the Sea' show. I discovered upon arrival that those with a ticket for the show got a S$3 discount on a Segway ride, so need I say more? On the ride I met a nice American couple, whose names I have since forgotten (I hope to get an email from them to remind me), and they were also going to the show, so we decided to sit together and watch. The special effects in the show were spectacular, a Pyromaniac's dream and the laser lights were enough to cause an epileptic fit (in a non-epileptic). Brilliant, but I felt the show was made very cheesy by the lipsyncing used by all of the actors, and the use of cartoon characters also made it seem a bit childish, as well as the plot (or lack thereof). The SFX were a saving grace, however, so it comes with a recommendation from me (especially if you have kids). I then said my goodbyes to the Americans, as they were headed back to Singapore island, and I headed back for (yet another) ride on the Segway, and the woman gave me another S$3 discount. My monetary funds then almost exhausted, I had one go on the luge before leaving for Singapore, vowing not to retrun tomorrow (but maybe to go again). I headed back to the hostel and found the room blissfully empty, and I got the room to myself for the night. Lovely.

Day 13 - A Return Visit to Sentosa

On day 13 I awoke at 12pm, again, and I decided to abandon my initial plan of a trip to the 'Army Open House', which In had heard about on the radio, instead deciding on a return visit to Sentosa island. I headed out first to the airport to change money before taking the train to Harbour Front. On reaching Harbour Font, I decided to take the Sentosa Express monorail instead of the cable car. I was pleased when I reached the station, tucked away on the top floor of a shopping mall, as the tickets only cost S$3. The ride to Sentosa was short, but informative, and took me to my first intended port of call, the eco tours hut. I asked to book the eco adventure tour, and I was told that I could, but the next available tour was at 5pm. I told her that it would be no problem, and booked the package of Eco Adventure + Fun Ride, taking the Fun Ride immediately. After my short ride, I took the beach tram from the Monorail station down to the other end of the beach. and on arrival saw a group of monkeys sitting on a ledge. I reached for my camera, but when I went to take the picture, they had disbanded. Typical. I walked up to the snack stands instead, to get some food. I purchased a chicken burger and chips, and sat down in the picnic table seating area, only to find that I was not alone in my meal, being joined by too friendly (and hungry) peacocks, who had no trouble in helping me eat my lunch. I sensed a photo opportunity, and placed a chip on the opposite side of the table, only to have the peacock leap onto the bench and grab the chip. Several chips later I had quite a few pictures, which will be uploaded as soon as I am able to find a capable computer. I then headed to the underwater world ticket desk, and upon seeing the prices, swiftly headed away from the underwater world ticket desk. Well, I'm not made of money. I then strolled back along the beach and had (just one) ride on the Luge. After this, it was almost time for my ride, so I headed to the 7 eleven and purchased a giant slurpee and sat down to enjoy, and after that it was time. The Eco Adventure was even more fun than the Fun Ride, due to both and extended length of trip and the opportunity to mess about on a beach with a Segway, resulting in one of the other riders, a kid from China, falling off several times. If my camera had been recording, I could have been 250 pounds richer, but sadly it wasn't. Following the fun ride I decided to head into town for some food and, after a wander round the VivoCity mall at Harbour Front, found a cheap restaurant to have some food. I then headed back to the hostel, intending to head out again, but instead deciding to update my blog, and eventually I fell victim to tiredness and decided not to bother going out again. Eventually my room mates returned, and they told me they were checking out the following morning. We swapped contact details, and then I went to bed.

Day 12 - Sentosa - Skyrides, Segways and a Luge

On day 12 I awoke at around 12pm, and I decided to head to Sentosa, an island connected to Singapore by a cable car and a monorail. I took the MRT to Outram Park, and then changed to the NEL to Harbour Front. Here I took a walk to the Cable car station and purchased a return cable car ticket, which cost S$20. The cable car provided some brilliant views of Hong Kong, and I enjoyed the trip, before arriving in Sentosa. The cable car deposited me at the top of Mount Imbiah, and right next to the Tiger Sky Tower. I headed for the reason I had first come to Sentosa. The Luge and Skyride. I queued up, intending to buy an 8 ride pass for S$44, but when I reached the counter I was told that it was a family pass (with at least one person under 16 using it). Instead, I purchased a 1 hour unlimited ride pass, and headed straight for the Luge. I don't know quite how to describe the luge, so I won't bother. Instead, here's a link to their website. The hour went quite quickly, especially as it took some time to return to the top by the Skyride. I managed to take about 5 rides, although I didn't get the Skyride back up in time. No big loss, because I wanted to explore the beach anyway. I took a short walk, and found a bicycle rental shop, which was quite reasonably priced, so I took a nice bike ride along the beach, and then, after a few circuits up and down the island, I returned the bike, as I had a new objective. On my last circuit, I had met group riding past on Segways, and I had asked where the tours were. I took the beach tram up to the beach station (the beach tram was actually a road train). There I walked around the corner and found the GoGreen Eco tours hut, and (I booked a fun ride (it was my last S$10)), and it was really fun. I was a bit shaky at first, but I soon got the hang of it. The fun ride lasted a short while, and I would have liked another go, but I needed my money to get back to Singapore and to get some food. I caught the Skyride back to the top of the hill, and then the cable car back, before heading to Harbour Front Station. It was then that I noticed the sign, next to those that said the obvious, 'No Smoking', 'No Eating or Drinking', and 'No Flammable Liquids or Gases', which said 'No Durians'. How odd, I would have to ask someone at some point. I too the train back to Outram Park, and then another train to Tanjong Pagar, and the hawker centre where I had the same as day 11, with the addition of some fried Wonton. It was quite nice. I then headed back to the Hostel to update my blog again, and to await the arrival of my room mates. My room mates turned out to be Joyce and Sheryl from Malaysia, and a Japanese guy (whose name I'm afraid escapes me). I showed them my card trick (if you've seen it you'll now how effective it is. (I'll try to put it on YouTube or something), and then we had a chat about Singapore, Scotland, Malaysia and how we came to be here. It turned out that Joyce and Sheryl were at an expo to do with improving workskills, and the Japanese guy was working at the expo. I then went to bed (it was quite late) and slept.

Day 11 - Hong Kong to Singapore

My alarm clock woke me up, as planned, at 4am on the morning of day 11. I got dressed quickly and got my bags together, placing them out in the hall whilst I donned my kilt for the trip. I then checked the whole room (it didn't take long) to ensure that nothing would be left behind. Then I left the keys on the bed and locked the door behind me. Time to go. I dragged my bags (as quietly as I could) past one of the guys that worked at the hostel, Ajibike. I then headed for the lift, and waited as it took its sweet time, as ever, to go up and then decide to come down. The lift would be one thing of Hong Kong which I wouldn't miss. When I was finally at the bus stop, I was witing for the night bus to the airport, and a taxi pulled up. He wouldn't accept that I wanted to get the bus, and kept trying to offer me a ride to the airport. After an exchange of words which are unrepeatable ina public blog, he finally left. I waited for about 15 minutes for the bus, and I was glad when it came, as it was air conditioned (it was quite humid even  at that time in the morning). I placed my large bags in the luggage rack provided, and found seat. Just a bit further down the road, someone else got on, airport bound, and she wanted to pay cash, but couldn't find the right change. Flying Scotsman to the rescue! I moved down to the front of the bus anb found some loose change. Well, I wouldn't be needing it. Once she was paid, she sat down and we got talking. Rachael was from Edinburgh, and she was going to the airport to fly back on the 0830 flight. We chatted about our travels as we travelled to the airport and, when we arrived, we were trying to decide which was the point to get off. I was anxious at trying my tactic of waiting to see where everyone else got off, but was saved by someone who could obviously see our struggle, and told us when we were at the terminal. We found trolleys for our bags, and headed to the departures area. We split, promising to meet up again after check in, and the Scotsman headed off to try his charms on another unsuspecting check-in girl. It worked again, and I got another exit row seat. Brilliant! I also got away with having one bag just over 23kg, but she said it would be okay because the average was under the limit. Then I headed off to find Rachael, and found her at the BA check-in desk. We headed though to the security check, and I prepared to be frisked, as the kilt's buckles always set off the alarm. The search actually turned out quite funny, since the woman wielding the metal detector wand turned out to be five-foot nothing. She had to stand on tip-toes. Once we had been proven not to be terrorists, we heaed to find some food. Rachael said she was not hungry, and went to starbucks, and I headed upstairs to find some sustenance, which came in the form of a scrmbled-egg sausage tray with tomato soup (curious combination) and tea. I took this downstairs only to find that Rachael had dissapeared. I remembered her flight was gate 40-something, so I headed to the other end of the terminal, which had a bad effect on the condition of my as yet uneated breakfast, as the lid in the tea turned out to be ever-so-slightly loose, allowing tea to spill out onto the tray. Thankfully, the tray survived the trip, and I reached gate 41 to find Rachael not there. So I headed back to the other end of the concourse for one last check. upon reching there, I found that Rachael had been sitting on the side of the concourse opposite Stabucks and, of course, I hadn't been looking that way. I settled down to eat my (not slightly tea-flavoured) breakfast, which was actually not bad. The soup, although an unusual addition, brought something new to the table. I didn't actually drink the tea, though, as i realised that i hadn't asked for milk. I also had a slight mishap involving scrambled egg and kilt, which resulted in a quick rush to the toilet to prevent staining, which seemed to be successful. After breakfast had been consumed, Rachael's flight was getting close to boarding, so we grabbed our bags, and I decided to show her the easier way to get from one side of the termianl to the other. A purpose-built underground railway. Nifty, eh? We reached Rachael's gate, and by the time we had exchanged email addresses, she had to board. Then I headed off to gate 29 for my turn, which came quite soon after, as we were told to start queuing just as I arrived, and so I ended up second in line to board. This changed when th guy infron was taking forever to find his boarding card, resulting in me being first on the plane. Upon boarding, I was accosted by a few of the stuardesses and one, named Cherry (I kid you not), asked for a photo, as she had never met someone so tall, and she had never met someone in a kilt. I also got aked if I knew how to play the bagapipes, which seems to be the second question, after, 'is that a kilt?'I was then seated, and I took off my kilt (the buckles add too much width for me to reach the tv controls when I'm in the seat). I awaited my seating partners, and was joined by a fashionista, who looked as if she had trodden on something quite nasty, and her escort, who lookead as if he had fallen out of the gay tree and hit every branch on the way down (a purple jacket, ripped jeans and crocodile-skin pointy-toed boots will do that for a guy). Thankfully, they didn't seem to speak english, so I got peace to watch Star Trek (for the third time). The flight was uneventful, the food ok, though unmemorable, since I can't recall what I had (I think it was chicken noodles, though I;m not sure). Upon arrival inChangi airport I had to queue for quite a while for immigration, but once at the desk it was fine (there was only one form, and no health check). Baggage ollection was next, followed by custons, where the guy asked me if there was anything I wasn't sure about declaring. I remembered the gravy granules (thanks, Auntie Julie and Auntie Lisa), but I was told they would be fine, and my bags were x-rayed before I was free to go (I suppose he thought I looked a bit suspicious in a kilt). I then carried my bags outside, past taxi, all offering business, and up the escalator to the skytrain, which I s quite a piece of engineering (look it up in wikipedia). I was taken by the skytrain to terminal 3, where I could catch the MRT. I took the lift down to the MRT platform, and then the train to Tanah Merah Interchange, where I crossed the platform to take another train to Kembangan as dictated by the instructions sent from the hostel. I then exited the station, only to find no reference to which way to go, and I decided to give in and take a taxi. The taxi journey took 3minutes, and cost S$5. Then I headed for the hostel, which turned out to be up 3 flights of stairs, with not a lift in sight. I was just about dead when I reached the top, and then I had to a self check in, which was a simple process involving a safe code and some money. I then entered the room and dumped my stuff before having a shower and a change. I then put my dirty clothing (left over from Hong Kong) into the washing machine, and went to get some grub. I had intended to eat down in the cafe downstairs, but the menu turned out to consist entirely of fish (fishballs, fish skin or fish head curry). I consulted the Singapore version of the bible of Lonely planet, and headed off into the MRT system to Tanjong Pagar, and to a Hawker Center which I was told was within walking distance of the MRT. It was, but I had gine in the wrong direction. After a panicky moment, I consulted the pull-out map and righted myself, and then I set off for some food. I had a look around the stalls, eventually finding one I liked the look of, and had Wonton Noodle Soup accompanied by pineaplle drink. It was lovely. I then headed back into the MRT and too a train to Raffles Place, to explore, and found a beautiful, twinklingly lit river which will be returned to with a camera. Then, yawning, I decided to head back to the hostel and do a bit of blogging before turning infor the night. My dorm buddies arrived around midnight, and after a quick 'hi' I was sound asleep.

Day 10 - Ferries, Roulette and Really Crappy Music

Day 10 was the day which I spent in Macau. I got up early for once (about 8.30) and headed across to Hong Kong Island via the Star Ferry, before walking to the HK-Macau ferry port (discovered day 8). When I got to the ticket counter, the man there was very confusing (and didn't quite have a complete grasp of English) and so after a few minutes of confused discussion I purchased a return ticket, and headed briskly through to the security area, where a few forms were filled in before passing through security, at which point I examined my return ticket, which said 'return 10.30pm'. Not good. Not good at all, as I would be getting up at 4am the following morning to go to Singapore. I decided that there was little I could do at that point, and so I resolved to instead relax and sort it out in Macau. I boarded the boat to find that I had fortunately been given a seat in the front row, which had some legroom, and I relaxed as much as I could in the not overly comfortable or roomy, and non-reclining economy class seat. I watched the television screen which was on the wall facing me, and I was surprised at what I saw. It was a U.S. (obviously) television show called 'Man vs Beast', and it proved to be compelling viewing. First, there was an obstacle course race between a Navy SEAL and a Chimpanzee, in which the SEAL won and the chimpanzee, upon crossing the finish line, stood up straight with its hands on its hips and pulled a funny face in a way only chimps can. Next came a race between an Asian Elephant and 44 little people (i.e. dwarfs), whilst pulling a DC-10 Jet plane. It was hard to tell who was humiliated the most, the elephant who won, or the dwarfs, who lost. The cabin crew then came around with forms to fill in pre arrival, for entry into Macau, and these seemed identical to those from Hong Kong, apart from the change in the name of the country at the top of the form. After just over one hour of travelling, we arrive in Macau and disembarked to pass through customs. This time, thankfully, I didn't have a blocked nose, and even if I did I wouldn't have said anything. They took everyone's temperature, anyway, by using an ifra-red detector beam. I then headed out into the main concourse area, and was handed a map by a man standing in the concourse and, mistakenly contriving that he was someone from tourist information, I asked for directions to the ticket office, which he led me to. There, I was told by a helpful official that I would be able to catch any boat before 10.30pm, by passing through to the gate and announcing myself as a 'standby' passenger. I then turned to head out from the terminal, and was approached by Mr Tourist Information, who turned out to be a tout, trying to sell a tour by private car of Macau, for only HK$600. Sod that. I managed o fob him off by telling him that I din't have very much money, which was almost true, and I headed out to explore Macau. I passed into a network of overpasses and raised walkways, and within about 15 minutes I was pretty well lost. It was then that I remembered the map that I had been given, and I managed to direct myself to an unassuming building which announced itself as 'centro des activites touristes', and so i headed inside to be confronted with, instead of a tourist information bureau, the Macau Grand Prix museum, and Wine Museum. I was about to reach for my wallet and asses the damage, when I discovered that the GP museum was free. Result! A tour discovered that the Macau GP was a Formula 3 race, and so that explained why I hadn't heard of it. Such a shame, because the museum was very nice, with testimonies to some of the prominent individuals in the race's past, which included Ayrton Senna, as well as a collection of race cars, including Michael Schumacher's F3 car which, predictably, he has won in on several occasions. There was also a free simulator, which was fun, it not a bit cramped, before I departed, and discovered a very reasonably priced gift shop. It's at this point I'll explain that the currency of Macau is the Macanese Pocarat, but, since that exchange rate is almost 1:1 with Hong Kong, HK$ are accepted everywhere. I bought a very nice jacket for $150, and a keyring featuring the circuit, and a pen. All for about 15 quid. Bargain. Then I finally headed out and went in search of food. After wandering past several manky looking restaurants, I found some salvation and, for once, it wasn't a McDonald's. It was a small grocery shop, and I had some crisps and some little sweet crackers, a grape fanta (which is really nice) and a bottle of water. I headed out to a small park I had passed earlier, and ate and watched with amazement as the locals got fit on some outdoor exercise machines which had looked like play equipment when I had passed previously. I then decided to hit a casino, and found one not too far away called the sands casino. Upon entry, there was an escalator upstairs, to the gaming floor, and some truly dreadful music, including someone singing a really terrible interpretation of Ray Quinn's swing version of the ABBA classic, Waterloo. I was then passed though a security point, with a metal detector arch, and I headed for the cashier's desk.  I adopted wise tactics of damage limitation, and changed only HK$200 into chips (about 20 pound). After some time spent searching, I discovered that there were not Texas Hold'em Poker tables, so instead I found a seat at a HK$25 roulette table, and changed my cash chips into purple-ish coloured game chips, which were each worth HK$25 (can you see why it's called HK$25 roulette?). I then began to place bets on the theory that, it I placed them on corners I would get more spread, and if I placed on the same spaces each time I would eventually win something. So I did just that, covering my luck numbers such as 21, 8, 18, 2 and 22. The first $200 didn't last long, and at this point I had discovered why I had gotten a look of astonishment when I had bought chips at the counter. You can buy them at the tables. Before I could help myself, I was $500 down, with only $100 left in chips. I placed the same bets one last time, but somehow seemed compelled to move the chip on the corner, covering  17, 18, 20 and 21, to the middle, between 18 and 21. This paid off, as the ball landed on 18, giving me 17 chips back, instead of the 8 I would have gotten if I hadn't moved. I came to my senses quickly and cashed out before I foolishly lost any more money. I was waylaid on the way to the desk by the slot machines, which turned out to be armless bandits, as it was all electronic ans push-button. I fed a $10 note into one, and I lost it all, so, feeling a bit luckier, I headed to another with another $10 note, and got $11.90 back. Then I finally headed to the cashier's desk to change my chips for $411.90, Down over $200 dollars from when I came in. I headed out back t the Museum, where I had noted previously a bus to Taipa, on the other island of Macau.This was in the form of a small minibus, similar to those in Hong Kong, but it had 2 doors, one at each end, and it was more like a Turkish Dolmus, as people were packed in like sardines. I was lucky to have a seat by the window, and I watched (and took pictures) as we passed over one of the three bridges to the islands, which was strange in the way that it rose up quite high at one point to allow the passage of ferries, before returning to a level, which made it seem almost like a roller coaster (it was quite steep). The bus then arrived in Taipa, and I stayed on to determine when to get off, by the technique of waiting to see where everyone else got off. Not helpful, because the bus turned out to  be a circular, and When I did get off I had already passed the town centre. I wandered through the streets in what I thought was the right direction, until I eventually found a compromise in my favourite non-Asian restaurant. Yep, that's right. McDonald's (I do apologise for repetitiveness, but I have little self-control in terms of McDonald's). I really should charge them for advertising in this blog. A little while later, feeling much fuller and much refreshed, I took a short stroll through the adjacent park, and realised that instead of being given HK$ in change, I had been given Pocarats. I decided to take a taxi back to the ferry port, in the hope of catching the 6 o'clock ferry. I spent a while finding one, before finally succeeding. The taxi stopped, and the door swung open automatically (posh, eh?). I clambered in and spent a short while debating with the driver over the meaning of ferry terminal, before finally showing him the ticket. I turns out that there are two terminals, one on Taipa, and one on Macau. The ride took me over the second of the two bridges, and This one had two humps. It really was like a roller coaster, and it had good views. i reached the terminal and the driver told me it was HK$45. I gave him 50 Pocarats and told him to keep the change. Can't say fairer then that. I caught the 6.30 ferry and in the lounge I discovered a $5 massage chair, which was quite pleasant at times and quite painful at others. It didn't last long, and just after it finished it's cycle we were told that we could board. Upon boarding, I noticed a sign, advertising an upgrade to super class for only $99. It was worth every penny, with comfy, reclining seats, a window seat, legroom, and sound on the telly, allowing me to hear what the commentator said on the race between the dwarfs and the elephant. Lush. On arrival in Hong Kong, I headed back towards the IFC mall, and was drawn in by the attraction of the cinema, again. I purchased a ticket to see Pelham 123, and I discovered the miracle of at-seat service, in which you order, say, chicken strips and chips with apple juice (I wonder who ordered that?) and it gets delivered to you when you are sitting in your seat watching the movie, which was a very good film, which I recommend. (Like day 9, I refuse to give any spoilers). I then returned, by MRT to Chungking Mansions, and I decided to get an early(ish) night because I had to get up at 4am to catch a plane. Upon opening the phone, however, to set the alarm, I discovered that it's temperamental signal had allowed 12 missed calls and several messages to arrive, from mum and dad, telling me to call them because they were worried about me. Drat. I put on some clothes and headed to an internet cafe, where I called them and told them that I was still alive. They told me that their concern was because they hadn't been called in 3 days, and I hadn't updated my blog. I then finally headed to bed, and slept.

Day 9 - And relax...

On day 9 I didn't wake up until about 1pm. I think it was the 8.5% proof cider that did it. Especially since I had two bottles of the stuff. Still, it was quite nice. I decided to do what I didn't get the chance to do yesterday, so after a long shower and some food, I decided first to catch up with George and say bye before he headed off to Shenzhen. I managed to catch him, and I bid him farewell. Then I headed up to the swimming pool (I had rinsed out my swimming stuff from day 8 to remove the sand), and spent several hours in the pool relaxing and working off the stresses of the week. I also headed down to an arcade that George had told me about, which turned out to contain a very loud (and addictive) car racing game, and a very addictive (and very loud) drumming game. What with that and grabbing some grub, that was the afternoon gone, and in the evening I decided to re-do the peak (day 3) to get some pictures. However, little did I know that instead, on the ferry I would meet Illie and Nick, from Rochester. we got chatting, and instead of the peak we headed up to a bar at the top off the IFC, which did provide quite a good view of the light display, but the lights proved too hard to photograph (the attempts are on facebook), so instead we decided to just watch the wonderful display of dancing light. I can tell you, it really was something. I then split with Illie and Nick (who had to go back to Happy Valley, where they were staying with Illie's parents), and the IFC palace cinema caught my eye, as did a certain film, whose title begins with the word Inglorious (I can't give you the full name because this blog may end up on Mr Hood's whiteboard). I tell you. the seats in the theatre were amazing, really comfy, like armchairs, and with proper armrests and none of that stupid fold-up nonsense. And, for this? Only HK$85, which is very reasonable. The film was also very good (no details so I don't ruin it for those who haven't seen it). After the film I realised how late it was, and decided to run down to the MTR, which I managed to catch (well, it was past midnight, and that trains don't run all night). Then it was off to bed, back at Chungking.

Day 8 - Beaches, Boats and much too-short shorts

On day 8 I woke up late, around 11.30, and so I decided to see if I could find out where George had gone to, and I again found him in the internet bar after half an hour of fruitless searching. I didn't stop, just said hi quickly and found out that his great escape had taken him to the room next door to the one he was in previously, with no upgrade in size. He told me that he would be leaving for Shenzhen the following day, but that he couldn't have a get together until later, so I decided to head off for some lunch, followed by swimming. I had lunch, and discovered that I still had about half an hour before the 1pm session started, so I sat in the air conditioned centre and waited. And waited. And waited, until about 1.15pm I decided to find out why the session hadn't begun yet. That was when I saw the sign which I had missed before, informing the public that, on a Tuesday, 'Kowloon Park Swimming Pool will be closed between 10am and 5pm for cleaning and sterilisation, and will re-open as normal at 6pm'. Oh, well. Time for plan B then. I gathered my collected gubbins and headed off for star ferry. When I arrived at Hong Kong ferry terminal, I walked along until I found the boat I wanted. The ferry to Lamma Island, more specifically to Yung Shue Wan. The boat took about 45mins to get to Lamma, and then i realised that George was pretty much right in a previous conversation, where he had told me that Lamma had no cars. It didn't. It just had bicycles and small, motorised carts for carrying goods. I followed the marked out route through the small village (it was quite well signposted) and on the way, I saw such sights as the Man Kee restaurant, and a small ice-cream shop which displayed caricatures of celebrities, such as Barack Obama and Michael Jackson (when he was black). The woman inside seemed amazed as I photographed these works (on facebook), and I was astounded when she told me that she had done them herself. I was impressed, and that was what convinced me to buy an ice cream (quite nice, actually). Well, she did put a lot of effort into them! After leaving Yung Shue Wan, the path headed through dense woodland (rainforest or jungle, I'm not sure), and up and down a few hills, giving brilliant views. Eventually the path trailed into Hung Shing Yeh, and I had arrived at the reason I had decided to come to Lamma. Hung Shing Yeh beach. I changed out of my basketball top and shorts and into my swimming shorts, which, as you can guess from the title, were very short. After the quick change routine behind a palm tree, I found a spot for my towel and headed out into the surf. The water was lovely and warm, and free from rubbish, although it wasn't the clearest. That was slightly disconcerting, as on a peninsular just to the left of (and well within view of) the beach was Lamma power station. I swam about, relaxing and quite enjoying myself for the best part of three hours before finally deciding to think about heading back. I collected my stuff and headed for the changing rooms (which I hadn't seen to begin with). Upon arrival in the changing room, I found an empty cubicle and started to change, noticing when I did that in my haste to leave Tsim Sha Tsui I had forgotten to pack boxers. That left me to decide to put on the shorts I had come down in, but go commando (it may seem disgusting, but it happens to us all at some stage). That was when I noticed the huge ripped hole in the back of my shorts which i had travelled in. Plan B then, obviously (and lucky I noticed, too). I decided to put my basketball top on, but leave on my swimming stuff, and hope that they would dry on the walk up to Sok Kwu Wan.Now let me just give you the image here, so that you fully appreciate it. The shorts are so short that they could possibly classify a 1/4 lengths, and the (Yao Ming) basketball top is actually long for me. So long in fact that viewed from the right perspective, I'm pretty sure that it looked like I was just wearing the top and nothing else. So, my head hung in embarrassment, I headed off to Sok Kwu Wan, to catch a ferry back to the mainland (as recommended by the bible of Lonely Planet). The walk was longer than the one to the beach, and more hill, which was quite strenuous, but did give some lovely views of the island of Lamma. I arrived, eventually, in Sok Kwu Wan at about 7pm, very tired and hungry, and drenched in sweat. That was when, on closer inspection, I realised that every single one of the restaurants in the village sold nothing but seafood, and that the next ferry to central wasn't for another hour at least. I did note, however, that there was a ferry headed for Aberdeen advertised. Well, when I say a ferry it was more a simple boat, with open sides and no air conditioning. I hopped aboard, in the hope that I would reach Aberdeen to find some way to return to central. The ride on the boat took about an hour, and so during the course of the journey, night fell. And it started to rain. That worried me, because i was scantily clad in very summery, very short (not of my choosing) clothing. Thankfully, the rain was only momentary, and was gone by the time we arrived in Aberdeen. Upon arrival, I headed for the nearest bus stop, and upon studying the timetables, I found absolutely no hint of a bus to the central terminus. Thankfully, just as I was beginning to lose hope altogether, the beautiful glow of an approaching buses display said 'Admiralty MTR'. Salvation. I clambered aboard and, after much rummaging, extricated my wallet from the trashed shorts. After reaching the haven that was Admiralty, I headed for the overhead walkway to Star Ferry, and therefore to TST, home. On the way I was becoming increasingly self-conscious of the looks I was getting, and this merely quickened my pace to the point where I took a wrong turn, and instead of heading for Star Ferry, I headed for HK-Macau Ferry. I realised my mistake after only a short while, an upon retracing my steps, I realised which way I had to go to get back on track. Right through the heart of IFC mall, full of hugely expensive designer outlets and those with more money (and taste) than sense who choose to shop there. If Usain Bolt had been there I'm not sure he would have been able to match my pace through the IFC. I reached the star ferry in record time, and headed back for the relative salvation of Tsim Sha Tsui, to a McDonald's, a cider, and, last, but not least, bed.

Day 7 - Aimless wanderings...

On day 7, the fist thing I intended to do was head to Lok Fu, but even the best laid plans go to waste, and instead, after finding George, I spent most of the morning 'helping' him to pack (i.e. standing chatting), as he planned to leave his hostel, or, as he put it 'escape'. He was either going to find a new hostel, or head to China to meet his (Russian) girlfriend, Tanya. I caught the bus (discovered day 6) from outside Chungking, and relaxed and enjoyed the trip through the urban sprawl, arriving at Lok Fu after about an hour. I then consulted the Bible (i.e. guidebook), and spent a good 10 or 15 minutes looking to find some bearings, before giving up and deciding to ask one of the security guards at the mall. He gave the nod and head shake which said, quite clearly, "I don't speak English". He then headed off, in pursuit of an anglophone, and eventually found a teller in the bank who spoke English enough to tell me that she didn't have a scooby. Useful, very useful. So I decided to admit defeat and head somewhere else, although that didn't cause me to lose faith in the Bible, after all, it's not the Bible's fault that Hong Kong has a lack of street signs pointing to the walled city. I headed into the MTR at Lok Fu, and decided to indulge my curiosity and head out to see what was at a station called, ambiguously, "LOHAS park". On the way out of the MTR station, I went into the 7 eleven and bought a lunch, intending to eat it in the park. That would have been lovely, apart from the fact that LOHAS stands for 'Lifestyle Of Health And Sustainbility', which is Hong Kong beauracracy's way of saying 'High Rise'. And they had't even finished building it, so there wasn't even much to see, or seat at which to have lunch. I decided to yet again admit defeat, and head instead for Hong Kong island, where I managed to end up on the (aptly named) 'Island Line' of the MTR, which travels along the north coast of Hong Kong island. I decided to get off at Shau Kei Wan, as I remembered (also from day 6) that it was one of the tram termini (I know, posh words today, eh?). When I got out of the MTR, i found a bus depot, but the thought of any transport was sidelined, as I saw a small park to one side with, wait for it, PICNIC TABLES!!! I sat down at one, and, started to tuck into my lunch amid coughing from the fumes from the buses going past every nanosecond. This, however, was bearable, as I was joined for lunch my several small and fearless birds (finches, I believe) who decided to gather round to pick up anything I should drop (or decide to feed them). I chose the latter, and  both the birds and I dined on turkey and shrimp paste sandwiches (actually quite nice) and crisps. I then headed off to find the trams, and upon another consultation with the great (yet lonely) god of planet I discovered that I could take the longest possible journey on the tram system by catching a tram to Western Market, and then onward to Kennedy town. It was a while down the line to Western Market that the tiredness hit me, and I decided to yet again relent and head back to the hostel, where I sat for a while before heading out for some traditional fayre (which was elusive, so I  gave up and went to Mickey's). I then decided on a nice, quiet night in (after a quick visit ti the internet cafe, where I discovered that George had left me a message telling me that he was still in Hong Kong). Then it was off to bed, with a vodka limonata (left over from day 3) and I slept.

Day 6 - Burgers, Buses and 10,000 Buddhas

To round off day five, I went back to the hostel via the juice bar and had a strawberry and advocado smoothie (it's actually quite nice). I slept very well that night, and I awoke at 4am, turned over, and slept till after 10. Brilliant! When I awoke, I had a quick shower and headed out to breakfast, which was a coconut cream bun and a chicken teriyaki sandwich, with soybean milk. I then went to see if George was up, which he was, and I helped his sort out his laundry before he packed (he's moving hostel). We then headed out to grab a quick smoothie from the bar, and then we split, with me heading back to Chungking to try to find a laundrette, which I did, and it was closed on Sundays, so laundry will have to wait until tomorrow (at least I tried, mum!). My next port of call was the shopping arcade next door to chungking, to try to get my bracelet (from day 5) adjusted, as it was too tight. There I discovered a small shop called the shellfish shop, run a a little old chinese lady, who adjusted the bracelet for me and only charged me HK$20. She did such a good job that I gave her 25. I then decided to head out to visit Sai Kung, as recommended by Jenny the air hostess (see day 1). I caught the MRT to Choi Hung, and then the minibus 1A to Sai Kung. When I got there, I was surprised at the contrast from Tsim Sha Tsui. Here, there was a contrast between the quiet, village like feel of the main promenade, overlooking a small but busy harbour full of little fishing vessels, and the bustling motorway further inland. The street was full of seafood restaurants, but I was put off by the way in which live seafood was sitting in tanks next to the diners, to be picked. I therefore wandered further down the street to a little restaurant called the camden town, which was offering a Burger and soft drink for $30. That did nicely, and was followed by some fries. One of the people at the restaurant working was a little girl, about 10, who was obviously helping out with her mum, and helped by bringing out drinks and ketchup. I was suckered in, and ended up giving her a $5 tip (I know, but she was 10 and working, surely that shows initiative). I then headed off to the bus stop to get a bus to Sha Tin station. The bus I got onto said Sha Tin town centre, not Sha Tin station, so I was keeping lookout to see where to get off, when the bus flew past a sign for the MRT network. Panicking, I pushed the button and watched as the bus moved further and further down a dual carriageway away from the station. When it finally stopped, I got off the bus only to discover that it had been another MTR station, not Sha Tina, and that I would have to wait for another bus. When I got to Sha Tin, I headed for the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. To get there, I ahd to wind my way throught backstreets and around the gridlock until I finally reached teh path leading up to the monastery. The path consisted of over 400 steps, thought with the haet at that time of day, it might well have been 10'000. At one point I decided to pause for a moment, and grabbed hold of the shiny, red handrail. Not a good idea. With a sinking feeling, I removed my hand quickly from the railing, ad looked around for a sign, and found one, written completely in Chinese, which said "油漆未乾". I knew instantly what it meant, as i looked down at the palm of my hand, which was now bright red. The sign obviously said "wet paint". I headed up the remaining steps as quickly as I could, hoping that if I ever reached the top there would be a toilet, and somwhere to get water. I did reach the top, some while later, and stagered into the small restaurant and, panting heavily, asked for some water. The lady charged (a reasonable) $10 for the bottle of water, and directed me to a small toilet, and after several minutes of frantic scrubbing te red was gone. Thank Buddha for that. I then headed out to the temple, and saw the 12'800 (approx) small statues of Buddha which adorned the walls. Yet again I was surprised at how peaceful it was, after passing through the gridlock in the city below. I spent a while wandering, and taking photos befor heading back down the hillside, and I found the walk downward much easier than the walk up, especially as I had bought another bottle of water for the purpose. As I walked, one of the people walking up the hill paused for a moment, and guess what he leaned hi back onto? Yes, he had a bright red line right along the back of his top. I didn't have the heart to tell him, so I jst had to keep in the laughter until he was out of earshot. When I had returned to Sha Tin, I caught the KCR to Kowloon Ting, and then the MTR to Lok Fu. There I had intended to go to the Kowloon walled city, but discovered that there was no bus, and after to trip to the monastery, my feet wouldn't have coped with the walk, so insted I caught a bus to Star Ferry, and enjoyed the ride through the streets of Kowloon, even passing by Chungking Mansions. When I arrived at the terminal, I hopped on the ferry across to Hong Kong before walking over to my newly discovered favourite Japanese restaurant, Yoshinoya. After a Sumo Beef bowl, with miso soup, jelly and a fruit punch (I avoided eatng the Kimchi (spicy cabbage from day 5)), I headed back onto the streets of Hong Kong to look for a tram stop. I found one, an boarded the first tram, which was headed for Western Market. For the first part of that journey, I had to stand due to a lack of avilable seating, and, after banging my head several times off the roof, I found the best spot for standing, halfway up the staircase. When the tram eventually emptied, I grabbed the nearest available seat and sat down, looking out the window. The ride was quite enjoyable, but a little bit juddery (I put it down to the age of the tram and the busy roads). When we reached Western Market (I presumed it was, since everyone got off), I disembarked to find myself in the middle of generis Hong Kong shopping and so, not quite in the mood for shopping, I hopped onto a tram headed for Happy Valley. With a name like that, it had to be good, right? I was pleased to find the upstairs front seat available, and sat down and got out my camera to get some pictures of the journey. We rattled through the streets of Hong Kong, quite literally, and many of the pictures I took (on  Facebook) turned out quite blurry. When we reached happy valley, there was no major discernable difference from western market, and so I decided to call time on the visiting of new places for the day, and got a tram back towards Central, where I caught a train back to Tsim Sha Tsui, and so to the internet Cafe. Stay Tuned, folks!

Day Five - Giant Buddhas, Buses, Ferries and Chopsticks

I awoke at 6.30am. SUCCESS (Well, it's a bit perfect, but it's good enough). I decided to give the poor receptionist some rest and stayed in bed and read my Top Gear magazine until half eight. I then headed out to see if George was up, but hoi hotel was all locked up, so I decided to get breakfast, which was
NOT from McDonald's (OMG!!!) I had a coconut cream bun and a chicken teriyaki sandwich, with a chocolate milk and a malted soyabean drink. I found that the soybean milk was actually very nice, and I tasted (honestly) like Kellogg's All Bran. Perfect for breakfast. I then headed back to my hotel and continued to read my magazine until George came and knocked on the door. We then headed out to go to Lantau, to se the Big Buddha. George suggested that beforehand we should try this really good juice bar, and he was right, it was lovely. I had three different Juices to try, and they were all pretty good (even if they don't all sound appetising). They were strawberry, star fruit and avocado. We then spent quite awhile looking for a post box for my many postcards, and we eventually managed to get directions to the post office (opposite the Sheraton hotel, no less), and I thankfully got rid of them all. We then caught the MTR into Hong Kong, and when we arrived headed for the ferry terminal. On the ferry to Mai Wo (Lantau), we played chess (tie, 1 game each). We headed out to catch the bus up to Ngong Ping, home of the Po Lin  Temple and the Big Buddha. we arrived, and headed into Ngong Ping village, slightly disconcerted at the apparent lack of Buddha. We headed to a small shop just before the village for some shopping. Goerge got some sun specs and I got a proper hat. When we then headed into the village proper (It's all been built and set out properly to look nice, a little bit like sterling mills), we asked a woman in the shop where the Buddha was. She looked at us like a pair of absolute dunces (a fair judgement), and pointed to the hill in the directly opposite direction than we were facing. Believe me, if you see the pictures, you'll see exactly how hard it is to miss. We retreated in shame to the 7 eleven for lunch (chicken teriyaki sandwiches and crisps) befor heading off, this time in the right direction.When we arrived at the Big Buddha, we realised, that it wasn't just big, it was BIG! And it made a great photo (see my facebook). We also visited the little gift shop inside, and I departed with a crystal etched buddha, a tiger's eye brecelet and a patron saint of the goat necklace, and a wallet feeling HK$200 lighter (well, it's only 20 pounds). We then headed for the Po Lin monastery. this was a lovely, peaceful place, with incense burning and just the gentle flow of life. There was one strange thing, though. The size of the incense sticks. They ranged from reasonable to HUGE (as in 3 feet high and 2 inches in diameter). It seems, alas, that the amount of zen in buddhism that can be gined in incense can be measured in the size of your wallet. How unfortunate. We then headed back to the bus, and at the stop were surveyed by a guy about the bus comapany. i don't think he was happy ehwn we complained about everytning from the lack of direction to the bus signs, to the leather seats, the exact fare system and a grumpy bus driver. Upon arrival back in Hong Kong, we saw the Open top bus again, and decided to return to the peak (I needed to take photos) and got there only to see the length of the queue for the tram. We then headed straight back on the return bus to central, and decided to get some grub. We saw Yoshinoya, a Japanese resturant, and headed there. It was surprisingly delicious and filling, all except part of my meal which seemed to be cabbage in hot sauce, which we both decided not to eat. We then decided to leave, and I decided that I like the chopsticks, which were porcelain and obviously meant to be returned. Noink! We then decided to call it a night and headed for the star ferry, which brought us back to Tsim Sha Tsui, and this internet Cafe, where this blog ends. Stay Tuned!

Day Four - Tiredness, Red Bull and Squash

Ok, so for a recap, when I left the last blog it was about 4am and we'd arrived at an internet cafe. We stayed there until well after 7 am, and then decided to go to our respective accommodation to freshen up before re-convining for breakfast (guess where). When we had had breakfast, we got some red bull and headed back to the internet cafe, and that is where we stayed for several hours, with me finally emerging about 4pm for some food, and to get some swimming clothes and more Red Bull (Ok, I know it's boring, but we were tired from being up all night and trying to beat jet lag, live with it!). When I went for food, I was considering McDonalds, but decided to refrain, so I went into pizza hut (just to look and see what there was). Bad idea when tired. When I reached the restaurant (it was downstairs, in the basement) I was quickly whisked to a table, and befor I could protest some free water appeared. Drat! I had just fallen into there trap, now I had to order something! I that vain, I examined the menu and decided to go for the less expensive but slightly interesting option. What was simply described as chocolate pizza. That was probably not the best decision, as the chocolate pizza contained not only chocolate, but also cheese. I'm not kidding, but since it cost me HK$30, I had to eat it. I ate as quickly as possible, and then got out as quick as I could. When I was finally free from their trap, and feeling a bit less well, I headed back to the safety of the cafe. There I satyed for a couple more hours, just while George got his week's work finished, and we headed out to the swimming pool. When we arrived, we discovered thet we would have to wait an hour and a half before the next session of swimming would begin, so we searched for something to do in the meantime, and we found that squash was available. Imagine this. Two very tired guys trying to play squash in bare feet. Jollity prevailed, as did much laughter. We then headed for the pool, and were told that only the outside pool was open. I'm glad, because the outside pools were brilliant, with some waterfalls, and heated water. It actually managed to keep us awake for the next couple of hours, and then we decided to call it a night (at 8pm, how boring!), so that's it for this blog, stay tuned!

Day Three - Wetlands, Trams and an Aussie called George

Okay, so when we left the story I had wokenup at 12 midnight. First port of call? McDonalds of course, for some good quality nutrition, with all the important food groups of Big Mac, Fries and Fizzy pop. This was then followed by several hours of movies and, at about 8.30, I set off.I walked down to East Tsim Sha Tsui station, and caught the KCr west rail train to Tin Shui Wai, followed by the Light Rail to Wetland Park. The wetland park was quite astonishing. There, just a stones throw away from a huge cluster of housing blocks (think Gorbals x 2), was a strip of pure, untouched wetland, complete with sound effects (crickets). Surprisingly, however, there were very few animals. I only managed to get a pic of a small, yet pretty bird, and a bright red dragonfly, though in one of the bird hides I did manage to see what I believe was an Egret. I walked all around the park, although by this time I was starting to feel a bit tired (again) and so I headed back to the Hostel, for a couple of hours nap, and I overslept (slightly), because the phone didn't go off and so I woke up at five instead of 3. I then headed off to find a noodle bar, and I had chicken and duck noodles, which were nice, apart from the drink I ordered. When I saw lemon iced tea on the menu, I expected lemon flavoured ice tea (think liptons). What I actually got was a very cold cup of (stewed) tea with a slice of lemon. Not the nicest (I drank as much as I could). Mind you, the whole meal was less than 2 pound, so not too bad. Later, having showered and changed, I headed out to find a bar, and when I found one I ordered a malibu and lemonade. The drink was nice, but when the bill came back as $70 (7 pound) I decided to move on and not have another. I headed out and caught a bus to the star ferry terminal, Followed by the star ferry across to hong kong island. The view from the ferry was amazing, with all of the lights of the buildings, especially the HSBC tower shining beautifully in the night, and reflecting in the waters of the harbour. Shame I didn't have my camera. When I arrived I found an open top bus headed for the peak tram, and ready to depart. I hopped aboard and was dazzled by the ground view of some of the buildings, including the HSBC tower. It was such a moment that made me realise how wonderful this city really is. The paek tram was also a brilliant ride. When I reached the top, several escalators took me up to the viewing platform, with a 360 degree view of the city. I will have to go back for a picture, I just have to. I also picked up some postcards, and I found a nice bar at the top of the peak, ordered a Mai Tai and started to fill them out. I then caught the return peak tram, followed by the bus and subway, back to Tsim Sha Tsui. I then decided to head to an internet cafe, and I checked my email and found that my NZ Visa had come through. By the time I had finished at the internet cafe (It was now 2am, so technically day 4 but I'm continuing anyway), There were three folk in the Internet Cafe, which closed at 2. I then got talking to the other two guys in the cafe, and one of them was George, an Australian who hasn't been in Australia for at least 4 years, having lived in Russia and China, as well as Turkey. We headed out, and went to McDonalds for some food. Then we decided to go and get a drink, and we headed to the nearest 7 eleven. I had a vodka and energy drink, and a lemon vodka alcopop. George also had a vodka and enrgy drink, and a beer. We wandered about Tsim Sha Tsui for a short while, and then George decided we should go to the toilet (at Mc Donalds). We wandered in, used the loo and then sat down and, without buying any food, sat for over an hour just drinking and chatting. The satff didn't care, so we just sat. We then headed for another Internet Cafe, a 24 hour one, and we sat up on the PCs, me writing the previous blog and phoning people. The rest is yet to come, so stay tuned for another episode of "Diaries f the Flying Scotsman".

Day Two - Sleepless Nights, Theme Parks and Giant Pandas

I didn't sleep a wink that first night. I suppose it was a combination of nerves, excitement and Jet Lag. I finally gave up trying to sleep at 4am, and I headed out for something to eat. On my way otu, I found the rceptionist sleeping, on the floor, by the door (and you thought my room was bad), and I had to quickly and quietly step past. Not surprisingly, the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui were dead at 4am, but this actually made it quite peaceful, as my previous exploration of Tsim Sha Tsui had been accompanied by offers of cheap suits and Fake Watches. I wandered for a short time, before discovering one of the few restaurants that were open. A 24 hour branch of everyone's favourite mutinational conglomerate fast food outlet - Mc Donald's. Annoyingly, I had arrived a few minutes too late to have a Big Mac, and just in time to hear a drunk canadian bloke complaining about the lack of Big Macs. This was beacuse, at 4am, McDonald's starts serving breakfast. This comprises of many of the usual suspects, such as McMuffins, but also includes bowlsof pasta with veg and sausage patties floating in them, and ethe Fillet o' Fish (for breakfast!?!). I decided to settle for hotcakes (pancakes), and thse came accompanied not only by syrup and butter, but also by a sausage patty. I decided to eat the sausage patty first, and then the hotcakes. Bliss. I headed back to the hotel room and, still unable to sleep, I sat and watched some movies on my ipod. The following morning, at about 8.30, I headed downstairs and changed some traveller's cheques before heading out to catch the MTR to central. I had initially intended on getting a ferry across to lantau, or catching the star ferry, but I found that I would have to wait. After consulting with the all-holy guide book, I then decided to catch the no.6 minibus to Ocean Park. I shouldexplain at this part that there are two different types of buses in Hong Kong. There are the convenbtional buses, which carry many passengers, and then there are minibuses, which are limited to 16. I took the latter and found that it was quite a comfortable trip to Ocean Park, travelling around the mountains and getting some great views along the way. When I arrived at Ocean Pary, I found that I was very fortunate. Tickets into the theme park were usually priced at HK$208, but, as I was born in the month of August, I was entitled to half price. Brill. When I got into the park, I found that the sheer size of the park was incredible. Where I had entered, there were some animal houses, and a ride called the ocean express. I expected some sort of underwater submarine simulator. What I had found was a funicular which provided an alternative route to the other part of the park (The normal route is the cable car, but more on that later).When I arrived at the top of the hill, I looked and found a sign pointing to the Bay View restaurant and Terrce Cafe. Great, some food! Alas, it was not to be, as both were closed until 11am, and it was only 10am. Thankfully, when I rounded the other side, there were some food shacks, one of which promised fried chicken, sausage and french fries, and juice. Sadly, the guy informed me that the grilled chicken  was not available, so I had to settle for spare ribs with a sausage and fries, and some dodgy tasting coke. I then headed for the rides, which included a loop the llop roller coaster, a log flume, a space wheel (a strange, hard to describe spinning thing, the same as the enterprise at alton towers). These were brilliant, but I was a wee bit disappointed to find the runaway mine train was closed for maintenance. When I went on the Dragon (loop the loop coaster), I had to sit right at the front, as it was the only place for my legs to fit in properly, but this wasn't a problem, as the ride officials were very helpful. I also went on the log flume, but I was alarmed to find no facilities for leaving things which you don't want to get wet (such as a digital camera) but there were signs advising that plastic bags were available. Just before getting into the ride, I asked for a bag, and was given a bag which was far too small, but before I could object, I was ushered into the boat and set off. With a bit of quick thinking, I recalled that I had packed my trusty packaway mac, and so I quickly took it out of its pouch and wrapped it around my camera bag, and my guide book (which I had managed to fit in the plastic bag). This meant that, whilst my trousers and legs were completely soaked, my camera remained dry (thankfully). I then went on the space wheel, which I was a bit apprehensive about, but which actually turned out to be brilliant. The cable car back to the main entrance was also brilliant, with amazing views (photos will be added to facebook when I can (this computer's too slow)). I then headed to the Panda House, and I managed to take some brilliant photos of a Giant Panda. I then headed for the Amazing Asian Animal House, and got some pictures of Red Pandas, and another giant panda. I then decided to head back to the hostel for a quick shower and then some food. On the bus back (a proper bus to Admiralty), I dozed off for a minute, and got a slight shock when I awoke to find that we had arrived. When I got back to my room, I sat down on the bed for a moment......  When I woke up, it was 12 midnight!!!!

Day One (part two) - The night market

I know this is late, but I didn't get to an Internet Cafe until today.

After my last update, I took the MTR up to Yau Ma Tei and visited the night market. It was a strange, with loads an endless row of stalls selling a huge amount of things, ranging from bronze buddhas and fans to knock-off formula one t-shirts and fake leather belts and watches. When I had walked through the main bulk of these stalls, I rached a small squre, surrounded by booths of fortune tellers, using all kinds of unorthodox methods of fortune telling, including shaking stones inside a tortoise shell, looking at palms and tarot. After walking through all of this, I finally arrived at Jordan MTR, and decided to retire to my hotel room and get some sleep.

Day One - Welcome to Hong Kong!

When I arrived at London Heathrow Airport at 6.50 pm yesterday I was rushed through to the terminal transfer, to get to terminal 3. Upon arrival at the terminal I was pleasantly surprised when the woman at the Cathay Pacific desk had no problem upgrading me to an exit row seat, before offering me the chance to switch to an earlier flight, but without an exit row seat. I decided not to bother and headed off to a nearby bar and had a breakfast.I then headed for the quieter part of the airport - next to the special assistance area.Whilst there, I struck up a rappor with the nice ladies that were working there, and they kindly allowed me to take a shortcut to my gate down the back way. When I reached the plane, the exit row seat's legroom was enourmous, and the two people sitting next to me were also brilliant. There was Chris, from Swindon, who is going to live in Taipei for 2 years, and Steve, from London, who is touring China. We enjoyed quite a few hours chatting, and laughing at Steve's attempts to chat up the hostess, Jenny, which involved buying her choccies from the in flight duty free. When I finally arrived in Hong Kong I had to go through the health control point, and I honestly answered the questionnaire by admitting that I had a blocked nose. BAD MISTAKE! I was escorted to one side, given a face mask and then taken downstairs to the medical check area, where I was seated and given a card with the number 78 on it. I was sitting there, sweating and expecting to be deported at any moment. When I was finally called into a booth I had a chinese woman with a full face mask stick a probe into each of my ears in turn. It turned out that she was merely measuring my temperature, and when it came back as normal, she stamped my sheet and sent me back out to passport control, where I was finally allowed into the country. I was one of the last to collect my bags, and I watched as they came round, solitary, on the conveyor belt before I grabbed them. I then haded for the nearest payphone, and after $10 and several failed attempts, concluded that it wasn't working. When I did find a phone that worked, I got intouch with the hostel and was told to get the bus from the airport. Being naive, I decided to get the Airport Express train instead, and ended up getting off at Kowloon, having to get on a free hotel shuttle bus and attempt to fit all of my luggageonto the bus. This was difficult, as there was little luggage space, and so I had to place my bags on the seat, and they treatened to crush me to death every time the bus veered left, at crasy speeds for such busy roads. When I finally got off, I still had to drag my bags 2 blocks to the Chun King Mansions, before battling my way through a maze of hawkers and people trying to sell me a hotel room. When I arrived at the right block, I was met by the owner and escorted up to my room, a 3m by 3m cell which boasts air con, a fan, a tv, a bed and a toilet/shower room. Quite well equipped for such a small room, and cheap and clean, so not too bad. And so I have arrived in Hong Kong thus far!

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Another Pre-Flight Update

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Another Pre-Flight Update

Another Pre-Flight Update

Oh!, what a week it's been! Wednesday was a bit of a shambles, as I sadly Failed my test (too eager at a junction), and the Thursday was hectic with preparations for Friday (When I got mightily drunk), and Saturday (All-day hangover). Today was also mad, with last-minute visa applications, packing, more packing and running around trying to find stuff (for packing). I would also like to use this blog to thank My good friend Maggie for the wonderful cake which she baked for my 18th (It was shaped like a highland glen, to remind me of home), and also to than all that came to my party and for all of the lovely presents, especially the watch with the saltire from Linda, Alan, Stevie and Alannah (A.K.A Loony). This blog is also to say farewell to all befor I head off on my big adventure, I will miss all of you, and will be thinking of you, always. I would also like to apologise for any typos, as I've been out with my parents for a lovely curry, and I had a few (I'm sitting drinking one as I type). This will bge the last post before Hong Kong.

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Only 8 Days To Go...

Diaries of the Flying Scotsman: Only 8 Days To Go...

Only 8 Days To Go...

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts on this site. Here's the story so far...
for almost a year now I have been planning my gap year, a trip around the world. The plan really got off the ground this February, when I got accepted with deferred entry into Edinburgh Uni. That's when things started to happen, and the trip of a lifetime began to take shape. The route of my trip is as follows...
Edinburgh-London-Hong Kong-Singapore-Sydney-New Zealand-Honolulu-Dallas-Tornto-London-Edinburgh. I will be setting off just over a week, on the 24th of August, and I have decided to keep this blog so that I have a record of my trip for years to come.
So far, most of my plans have been made, and I have organised Tickets, Hostels, and an Australian Visa, but I am still missing a New Zealand Visa (which I can't get until I'm 18, and I don't turn 18 until the 21st of August), and a Driving License (my test is on Wednesday). There is one good point so far, though. I finished up at work yesterday! Woo Hoo!