29 April - Hong Kong

We are now in the last few days of our holiday, and the toughest issue each day is deciding a program for the day - there is so much to see and do here. We decided today to visit Victoria Peak in the afternoon if the visibility was OK. John took Rosa and Sandra shopping while I chased down a few of the recommended camera stores here in Hong Kong to see if there were any bargains to be had. There weren't, most gear here is more expensive than in Australia even though they do not apply any sales tax. Sometimes you need to travel to find out how well off you are. We regrouped early in the afternoon and decided to defer the Peak visit to tomorrow. Instead we visited the wonderful Kowloon Park. It is an oasis of peace and beauty in the middle of the incredible hustle and bustle which is Hong Kong. The park is home to a large number of Greater Flamingoes and these are absolutely fabulous birds to watch. I'll go back tomorrow with a telephoto lens to get some better photos.

After our visit we carried on to Temple Street which turns into an incredible night market every day at 4pm, and continues until 10 pm.

This area, located about 1 km from our hotel is much more the authentic Hong Kong/Kowloon experience, far away from the endless expensive international brand name shops which I find quite boring. This market is for the locals and the occasional tourist and it features everything imaginable at quite competitive prices. 

By the time we had wandered up and down the market a few times it was time for a drink and we sat down in an open air local restaurant to enjoy a couple of large bottles of the local beer.

While food and alcohol is incredibly expensive in the more fashionable part of town, when you venture into the areas where the locals live and eat and drink prices are a lot more reasonable. Here, drinks for 4 came to HK$60 which is about AUD12. The local beer here which comes in large bottles is terrific. After all our wandering we decided to use the MTR (Subway) to get back to our hotel.

So altogether a busy, tiring but very enjoyable day. Hopefully we can do the Peak tomorrow.