17 May Hong Kong to Auckland

Today was special, because I was on my way home. Of course I had to be a tourist first, but I had wondered about the joys of Hong Kong for some years, so was happy to delay my return with a stopover. I met Miss Rose, who was just as charming as everyone said she was, and who laid out a sumptuous feast of muesli (I ate the one with the least sugar, in case you were wondering), yoghurt (I took the one that I thought John didn’t want, and as soon as I opened it he swiped the mango one, so I know I got it right), fresh fruit, and a decent pot of coffee. Kate went early and John took me to town. I was worried when I saw that his car didn’t have a roof but fortunately it wasn’t raining. It was quite an old car with wood and leather and stuff inside, but just as good as a Toyota, Russell. Russell likes Toyotas for family reasons, but his boat isn’t a Toyota (maybe they don’t make boats), so he does buy other stuff. I checked my bags in town without even going to the hairypoirt, then followed John’s instructions on how to have a good time, which was to visit the peak, the tea ware museum, and the gardens. It was a tad hot (about 30 Celsius), so I was pleased the tram had good windows. I looked for snakes in the grass on the way up but didn’t see any, and marvelled at how clean everything was. Honkers is well organised, well cleaned, and well signposted. In fact as I stepped outside the airport check-in and looked around for a sign post, a local person of Oriental persuasion came up to me and asked if I wanted help. Fantastic – I felt very welcome in sunny Hong Kong, where all the locals had been on customer – tourism service training courses. There were signs everywhere telling me how to behave, but fortunately the requirements were more or less the same as in England. I had to mind the gap on the trains, not spit in drinking fountains (or anywhere else for that matter), not touch the birds in the aviary (that comes later, but I’ll tell you about it now for efficiency’s sake), not tempt people to commit crimes by letting my valuables peep out of my pocket or bag, not write on the walls nor climb the numbered slopes (more on that soon), nor stick my head out of the tram window. I felt very safe and protected. John explained to me that all the slopes are numbered in Hong Kong (imagine trying to do that at home!) so someone can keep an eye on them and make sure they aren’t losing their slopefulness. Also, I guess it means if a hill gets nicked, at least they know which one got stolen (‘has anyone seen slope no 3267 – it has gone from the drive to Repulse Bay – it was second on the left after lamp post 2387 (they are all numbered too - I guess Hong Kong must have been settled by Virgos at some stage). I got stuck at the first stall when I got off the tram, but didn’t buy anything, because as usual, I get bamboozled by the choice and opt out completely. I did quite like the jade lions and elephants but wasn’t sure who to give them to or where to put them, so I walked on past.

There were spectacular views from the top and it was an entertaining excursion going up and down the escalators to check out the views. I tried to do a walk up there but couldn’t find the one that John had recommended (there were only two that I could see, so I guess my karma wasn’t working, as I chose the wrong one). After the tram ride I visited the Hong Kong Bank and admired the Fu Dogs (lions) out front and took photos for future feng shui presentations. The HSBC was part of a feng shui war that was waged against the British and Americans – it was done by pointing the edges of the buildings at the consulate and embassy. Well the British and Americans have withdrawn from Hong Kong, so perhaps the war was successful. I walked around the aviary (not in the bank silly, in the park), the tea ware museum (the Chinese are very much into tea) and then pottered about the shopping mall until it was time to meet John for lunch. The shopping mall was expensive and mostly empty and reminded me of a duty free shopping centre but it was a lovely piece of architecture. I didn’t need any red shoes, silk shirts, perfumes, or a new handbag anyway. I met John at his office and admired his set of wigs (he’s into fantasy) and noted that he had plenty of reading material for quiet afternoons. He introduced me to some judges, which left me wondering if perhaps they had heard about my fantastic job as a juror a couple of years ago, and had asked John if he could casually walk me past them so they could meet me. I obliged of course, but made sure they didn’t photograph me. You can’t be too careful. John took me out for a lovely relaxing lunch and then to Kowloon, as he had to collect a watch from his favourite watch-maker there. As far as I was concerned I was going to China, and was very excited about that until he patiently explained about the border between China and Kowloon, gently taking me through the history of the area, and helping me come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to Beijing for the afternoon. My geography is appalling. Actually it was noticeably different to Hong Kong, with a bit of rubbish on the streets, aggressive street hawkers, junky shops, and less westerners. It was great. Some days I l love everything. I was interested to note that he used an Octopus card on the ferry and train (we went by boat and returned by train) –similar to the Oyster card in England. I guess if Auckland ever joins the club we’ll get Ostrich or Ovary cards, because all the seafood names will have gone by then.

I said my goodbyes quickly, which was just as well, as I was feeling sad to leave my beloved cousin and his wife, but we’llall turn up in the same place again soon, I am sure. He treated me to a wonderful introduction to Hong Kong, which I will always remember. I had never been terribly interested in visiting before, but he and Kate had been very persuasive, and others had said how much they enjoyed it, so I’m glad I went. I will linger longer next time.

I was intrigued to see many people wearing face masks. I assumed this was something to do with swine flu, but it might also have been because the locals find tourists funny and don't like to hurt their feelings by laughing openly. A face mask would hide that. I was also intrigued with the hotel room at the airport. Our hotels usually have several rooms and a bar, but this hotel had just one room, and not even a minibar that I could see. The Chinese are very strange.

Perhaps the highlight of my entire trip was being welcomed on to an Air New Zealand flight home, sipping Lindauer (my favourite tipple) and having two spare seats next to me in case I get tired. And to cap it all off, the stewardess went up and down the aisle saying ‘fush or chucken?’ How wonderful to feel at home even before being there. I slept, ate, and watched a great movie - Dean Spanley.

Though I felt grimey and tired when I got home, I admired the clear blue New Zealand sky and then had a cup of coffee with Rodney and talked about the way things are. It was Tuesday the 19th - as usual I had lost a day travelling but it was worth it overall.