Last Day - Wednesday

It rained again so we went to Hong Kong Museum of History. Wednesday happens to be their free day. It is easy to find and absolutely fantastic and superb quality place to enjoy few hours. It does not have specific child orientated displays, but on the other hand you are in among the life in China from pre-historic stages till today.

There are ships and shops and houses to visit, Glo' "drove" a tram (a few large male wannabe drivers in the queue with her), we had a good look at Cantonese Opera and few other festivals, sedan chairs, weddings, baby carriers, costumes and rocks for daddy.

Another good place in the museum is their restaurant. We ate a super lunch of different noodle soups for around £10 for three. They have a colouring-in spot for the children nicely placed close to the shop (which I liked too).

Another child recommended place, the Science Museum is just across the yard, but I must say one museum a day is all we could take!

Still far too foggy to go to the Peak. So we had a nap instead and then a bus to the Airport Express. We had to buy tickets first but then we could offload all our hold luggage to BA desk at the rail station. I think next time we check the luggage in first thing in the morning and then have a day in Hong Kong.

Compared to China proper HK is dirty, people are not friendly unless they can get money from you, tea is disgusting (says daddy). There may be specific things I want to see in HK in the future, but as a holiday destination China wins every time.

One thing I like in HK is the airport bookshops. They may be hard to find but the selection of children's books is good and different from the city shops.

No internet

We were off to the HK train early on Tuesday morning. This time we did see the countryside in daylight and it was educating if nothing else.

Big overview made me think it was industrial all the way through but that is not the case. Every little bit of bankment and river side grows food for the people in the cities. Not rice, but many kinds of fruit trees and vegetables. Food grown in the shadow of heavy industry and irrigated from the heavily polluted waterways ...made me shiver.

HK was foggy. Our 5* hotel on HK island very unsatisfactory. Harbour Grand. Oh, it did look good but the service was appalling, the quality of rooms very poor and the "harbour view" available by perching on a window sill. NO Free Internet Either.

It rained and there was no point going to the Point, so we asked for the best book shop on the island and spent a good few hours choosing new books for Glo'. All of the books likely available cheaper here in the UK, but it is so important to vet them myself. My standards are pretty high and I want every book I buy to be an extension to her book collection, not a duplicate or poor quality item with very little long term value.

That sort of concluded the day. The clouds drifted away to show a reasonable sunset before the rain returned.

Monday Blog

All is well in the world, sales exist in China too!!!!

Today was the very necessary shopping day. Forecast was rain and thunder so a day indoors was just what we needed - problem being this turned out to be the only all day dry day we've seen.

Away we went to Beijing Lu where people have been shopping for the last 1000 years. When they were building the current setup they found old archaeology and in the middle of the pedestrianised street is large glass windows showing the old road and edges  of shops and houses. The modern shops are pretty good too. Very good quality and reasonable prices, sort of shopping in M&S at Asda prices. Naturally in Chinese style and Chinese sizes. But we did manage some brilliant buys and the first ever clothes shop for mum in China. Not even Beijing managed to produce a garment to fit me, but here I had a choice of three. Boutique prices, but still a lovely surprise and something I really liked. Bit disappointed with the book shops as they had nothing bi-lingual and no replicas of old propaganda posters which I was hunting for.

Later in the afternoon I started packing. It is like putting half dry washing into a bag. Even cardboard is soft and moist in the shop  packaging. The humidity is really high, nothing dries in the room and Glo's rain drenched socks from three days ago are still wet. Putting on damp clothes in the morning is no fun, but on the plus side I have not used our travel iron once as hanging clothes out for couple of hours sort of steams all the creases out.

This time we are looking out to a residential block of flats and people there hang their clothes out to the balcony and for good days they have strung out some extra long poles out of the balcony too. Lot of the cheaper clothes are man made materials and I keep wondering how dreadful they must feel against the skin. Fungus and mould grow very well, in Wuchuan even down the bedroom wall. It must be really difficult to keep the place clean. 

Everywhere you see an army of cleaners hard at work. China is in a way the cleanest place on earth, on the other hand they have the "squatty potty" system designed to drive any human insane. I can use it fine, I just do not like standing in the pee dangling my daughter over the hole. When we arrive to Hong Kong tomorrow I hope to leave the last one in the train....till the next trip.

Glo's picture from earlier town

Guard Cleaning In-Street Screen

Street