DAY 32 - Hong Kong (Day One) 29/06/2005
We caught our shuttle transfer to the Holiday Inn in Kowloon.
Our first views were of pleasant bush-covered hills from the new airport, until we passed though those hills and saw the multiple high-rise apartments, boat crowded 
waters and miserable smoggy air. Because of the cost of running a car in Hong Kong there is very little traffic, except buses, trucks and vans. Apparently they do have heavy traffic problems for two one-hour periods a day. We managed to experience one of those times and the affects of a monsoon rain on the traffic; long waits.
We had some breakfast at the Hotel, in fact Roger only had a coffee because he was too tight to pay for more. Even then Roger had to whip out and get some more Hong Kong dollars to pay for his coffee. The weather was extremely hot and not pleasant enough for those born in the middle of winter in North Canterbury to enjoy. We exchanged some more cash and had a very quick look around the shopping area, constantly badgered by shop assistants on the foot path wanting us to buy a genuine $25 Rolex or to get a suit made.
We went back to the hotel and booked an afternoon mini bus trip around Hong Kong Island. The bus took us up to the Victoria Peak look out, the Aberdeen fishing village, Stanley markets and of course the compulsory jewellery factory. For the duration of the trip the guide gave us an informative commentary of life in Hong Kong.
We didn't buy anything at the Stanley markets or the jewellery shop; I never inherited my mother's shopping ability. Our only purchase was an ice cream at Victoria Peak and Stanley markets which cost HK$50 each which seemed like a lot of money. Stanley market was exciting only because a little white girl was kidnapped while we were there and because the Australians on our bus got ripped off by not shopping around and bargaining.
Even thou
gh we had had our Hepatitis A shots we still weren't prepared to risk eating the local market type foods so we dined on food we considered safe. The closest thing we could find was McDonalds, however they don’t do kiwi burgers so we settled for a black-bean beef wrap.
