Leaving Hanoi and saying goodbye to Vietnam was a sad experience. We'd loved our time there and the people we'd met had been so friendly, welcoming and fun. We were slightly worried that compared to Vietnam, HK would be a faceless metropolis and we'd be just another couple of tourists walking around. The prospect of walking down a road without constantly being asked to buy stuff was, however, something we were very much looking forward to.
HK is an incredible city. At it's heart is the harbour and along the water's edge are huge skyscrapers belonging to the world's finance companies. Between these are nestled some of the world's most expensive hotels. Suites in these hotels can cost the same as a small car per night and are very much the last word in luxury. Our hotel was the first word in cheap. Situated 10 floors up, down a winding corridor, and home to the hardest bed in the world. The pillow could have easily doubled as a road hump during the day, if anyone would have been strong enough to lift it in the first place. And the bathroom was tiny. The showerhead was over the toilet, and right next to the sink meaning whomever went to the bathroom second in the morning found the whole room and more importantly the toilet paper, completely soaked.
However, hard beds and wet toilet paper are not the current focus of Hong Kongers attention. Instead attempting to avoid Swine flu seems to take up all their time. Every door handle is sanitised hourly and every other person wears a facemask, giving the city the feels of a cross between an operating studio and a wild west town. Everytime Leanne or I coughed everyone looked at us and frowned. I sneezed once in a restaurant and upon opening my eyes saw people-shaped holes in the walls as they'd fled. This is clearly an exaggeration to make the point. Most people left through the door!!!!!
So first day in HK and we leave our hotel and have walked maybe 3 feet before the offers start flying at us. "Hey meester, fake rolex", "Wanna buy a suit", "Hash-heesh", "Hey you, lucky guy, good price on....". It was incessant. It was worse than Vietnam!!!!
We saw the weather forecast was poor for the coming days, and so we took the opportunity to head up Victoria Peak. This is served by a funicular tram railway and is the highest point near the city and gives excellent views of the harbour. We took a few photos had some food and then the clouds rolled in and we could've been anywhere. We got the tram down and then the rain started. 4 days later it stopped.
That night we saw the evening light show. This is a 20min long show where the city is the star. Loud music blares out and all the skyscrapers fire up their lights in time. It's really incredible (see photo at start).
Over the next few days we went to the history museum to read about the colonial days, we went to a few temples and a few bars, and we visited the night markets. We went to see the noonday gun which was so loud Leanne nearly fell over, and I screamed like a little girl. All of these trips we did in waterproofs!!! Hong Kong is a fun but expensive place. It would probably be better if we'd gone there with a load more money, and if it hadn't rained so much. Oh and if the showerhead was somehow separated from the toilet roll.

So that's it.

We're now back. 4 months has passed so quickly but when we look back to LA, and Fiji it seems like years ago. We've been very lucky to have seen so many places, to have met so many great people and to have enjoyed the hospitality of friends, relatives and strangers. It's time now to catch up with all you lot and for job hunting. We hope you've enjoyed these updates. If you go travelling or on holiday to any of these places please let us know and we'll give you any tips we can. We hope that you enjoy the same fun, safe and unforgettable time that we have had.
Oh, and if you buy a suit, please keep an eye on it!!!!