Well it has been a few days since the last blog report. I have some time now in Bangkok so will do my best to update what has happened.

Since then quite a lot has happened. We traveled to Hong Kong which took about 13 hours by train and we left to see the Giant Buddha. However we arrived a bit to late as they said we could pay the 20 pounds to go up in the cable car but the Buddha would be shut - it took us a really long time to decide that one. One the night of the 16th we had our last group meal which was great as we sat outside in a street cafe. These were everywhere, the sounds and smells where fantastic and the few spots of rain we had did not dampen the spirits. We said farewell to Allen our guide who was awesome. He showed us some great places to eat, drink, eat, drink and of course eat. he did of course show us some fantastic places as well. It was quite sad to say goodbye to everyone as we had lived in each others pockets for so long.
It was a spectacular trip guys and I thank you all and hope to see you all again soon.

On the 17th a few of us headed to the Giant Buddha again but we did keep looking at the weather and wonder if we would actually see anything - it was extremely foggy!! As we started going up the cable car to the 900ish hill we suddenly hit the low cloud and you could barely see the cable car that was on the return journey. the soldiered on and reached the statue. It truly is enormous - so big in fact we could just about see the top of it - did i mention it was foggy!! We decided not to attempt to go to Victoria peak and the tram as it the view would not be great. Instead we headed for the harbour and Star Walk - full of Chinese actors and actresses hand prints - including Jackie Chan and a statue of Bruce Lee. However...... what was to happen next was very funny. There was a school party of about 7/8 year olds. They had to ask foreigners what they thought best depicted Hong Kong using images of food, places and people. The children came at us from all sides. They were very sweet as they introduced themselves and said which school they were from. They wanted photos with us as they needed to prove they had asked different people. It was great fun and a great experience.

18th Feb. I headed to Central Hong Kong to see the longest escalator – as recorded by the Guinness Book of Records. After a lot of searching, I finally found it as, although fairly cool……..I was at the bottom and had to walk all the way to the top before I could go down again which really sucked!!
I found the tram which takes you up to Victoria Peak which is about 600metres high and has a massive shopping centre on the top – What a Surprise!! The view was wicked – although a little foggy still. After a bit of a walk around I found a place to eat – a themed restaurant based on the movie Forrest Gump. Got a great photo of me eating some prawn things with a Bubba Gump drink.
In the evening missed meeting up with John, Carly, Elise, Alex and Josh to see the light show, which was quite spectacular. They have lazer lights and they change the lights on the buildings on the opposite island and set it to music.

19th Feb. My last day in China. I headed off on a ferry to the island of Lantua to find a beach called Cheung Sha. The bus ride was interesting – a few near misses of big cow like things. I got off at the wrong stop and had to walk a fair bit to find the beach. It was beautiful. Very peaceful and I just sat for a while looking at the scenery. Again, it was still a bit foggy, but I can imagine what is like in the sunshine. After walking a while on the beach and getting very hungry, I stumbled upon a windsurfing place and ate a much needed bag of crisps. I then found one of the restaurants recommended by the lonely planet called the Stoep and had one of the tastiest burgers I have had for a long time. It was time to head to my luxury room at the Marriott just near the airport. Won’t go into all the details – but lets just say…King Size bed, gym, swimming pool, sauna, steam room – hmmmmmm. And yes I am traveling!!

20th Feb- Arrived in Bangkok about midday and what a difference in temperature. China has been generally about 7 degrees C and Bangkok is about 31 degrees C!!!! I need another pair of shorts!! After a quick shower I headed for the main town to see what I could see. Would a few shopping malls and ate some very tasty pork ball things and some green fruit drink. The lady did tell me the fruit name but have completely forgotten – it was ok, but had a bit of a weird after taste. Got chatting to a French couple who gave me a very useful map of Bangkok. I just went for a walk and found on the Wat’s. It was an amazing place. It was full of these little stalls selling all sorts of food and drink. The temples were incredibly well carved and covered in gold and bright colours. I did have a bit of an accident coming down some steps though. Grabbed hold on one of the banisters and the pointed bit came away with my hand – oops!! Thankfully managed to keep hold of it – otherwise there could have been some smashed marble on the floor and me with a possibly big fine. I then went off to try and find a snake place but it was shut. I headed back to the train station and found another market to have a nose around. Getting home was a bit of a nightmare as I showed the piece of paper I had to a few taxi drivers and they all said they did not know where it was – not good. However a friendly policeman managed to explain to a driver and he got me back safely. Will spend a bit of time tomorrow to plan to go and see the place with the Bridge from WWII – most people know it as the bridge from the film Bridge over the River Kwai. Will let you know what happens. For now it is goodbye and I hope I have not bored you with all that has happened