Goodbye Osaka, hello Hong Kong!

Got up at 5:00am and busied the boys into readiness for the flight. Checked the rooms, checked again and left for the shuttle which we were reliably informed, you needn't book. With that in mind, we had spent pretty much our last yen only to discover the tickets were 1500 yen each. We made a mad scramble, searching out what little money the boys were carrying and I enlisted the aide of the hotel staff who left their desks and ran with me into the subway to find an ATM (find someone in Australia who'd do that!).

White gloved bus driver. Everyone wears gloves in the service industry (as well as cooks who also wear white masks)

We got on board and made it in time to the airport, ate and drank then said fair well to Osaka and flew the three hours to Hong Kong.
What an amazing place to fly into.
After deciphering the bus system, we found our man who led us with a small cardboard sign, through the massive terminal to a bus.
The trip was all craggy hills and blue waters dotted with waiting ocean liners until we rounded a corner and glimpsed Hong Kong for the first time. It is truly massive.

On the bus.

As we neared, the clinical vista of crystal towers grunged up a bit and then a bit further till the bus plunged us into the heart of the place. Man! Culture shock. After the clean restraint of Japan, Hong Kong was an assault to the eye, ear and nose.We were deposited at our hotel and checked in with adjoining rooms and I got busy photographing the cramped, dilapidated structures that so many called their homes. Bamboo poles of washing hanging from tiny windows, crazy electrics strung about, buildings of layered, rusting iron, and the whole place steaming with food preparation and peppered with mangy cats.

We walked a narrow street market after a sleep and found little of worth. The knock offs were pretty obvious and looked ready to fail the moment they were purchased. Sharon found a piece of hand stitched art she liked and Chris bought a small gift for a friend back home. We walked through a pungent food market of cleaved durains, fish heads, boiled chicken and entrails before turning back to the hotel for a more identifiable dinner. Perhaps tomorrow we'll feel a little more adventurous but I think we were all a bit tired from the trip and keen for a little home comfort.

Did someone say hygiene?

They still do the bamboo scaffolding too! This one particularly took my eye.

No need to rush tomorrow. Sharon and I are showing symptoms of a cold that Chris has been dealing with for the past few days so some rest is welcome.