I arrived in Hong Kong late on saturday night - scared and lost in this big bright city! Following my lonely planet i headed to its budget recommendation - Chungking Mansions! If it hadnt been so late i think i would have gone else where but i was tired and needed to get off the busy streets. Chungking is this huge crumbling tower block crammed full of shops, curry houses, cafes, and endless hostels and guest houses! It was crazy - i've never seen anything to hectic and seemed to be run by and full on immigrants working in the city! My room was the size of the bed, with nothing else and no window -probably a good thing considering the views! Anyway, Chungking grew on me and i ended up staying there for the whole time - i made friends with the hostel staff and every person i met in the lift wanted a ten minute conversation with me so I felt quite welcomed!

Hong Kong is such a busy modern city - i was overwhelmed by the bright lights, huge skyscrapers and fast pace and spent a lot of my time wondering around the streets taking it all in. Hong Kong was very western and easy to navigate - everything was in english and most people spoke it very well. I probably spent too much of my time in starbucks and coffee houses, waiting for my china visa and trying to plan my china trip, but i loved watching the world go by and you end up meeting lots of people in those places - it was there i met Gary, another backpacker and together we visited some on Hong Kongs famous sights. A highlight for me was viewing the skyline from 550m high Victoria Peak!

Hong Kong was fun, but expensive and stressful - it would be a great if you had lots of money to spend in the endless shopping malls but not a baackpacker-friendly place . In the end i was ready to leave and get into China proper!