On the way to meet Ann-Marie, Pat was amused by the use of the trademark transposed to the chinese on advert on the tube.
The HK tube system is as impressive as in Singapore - fast, quiet, there is wifi and mobile phones work. By comparison the tube to Heathrow is an embarrassment.
This tasteful but extravagant decoration was in one of the shopping centres that we walked through.
Having met Ann Marie our first stop was Stanley market. We took a bus across the island and so saw more of the coastline and 'countryside' than we might have done otherwise.
Stanley market was a mix of clothes, knick knacks, souvenirs, art, etc. Ann-Marie has her favourite shops and bought something there and Pat found a linen shop and got some lovely clothes at a good price. John spotted a painting and we spent some time in the shop working out where it would go. We decided on the terrace room and so it will soon be en route to France.
Purchases done, we ate lunch at Lucy's on the waterfront
and then took a taxi back to Hong Kong and to the bottom of the cable tram up to Victoria Peak.
The taxi driver stopped when he could to let us take photos
A cemetery built into the hillside
The cable car is very steep and was crowded.
It was strange to see buildings at 45 degrees
We were lucky to have good weather for the views from the top although apparently there is nearly always some smog that comes from China. The red barges with cranes transport, containers or materials for land reclamation projects.
Below was what the Australians would call the CBD (Central Business Centre) of Hong Kong.
We walked from the cable car back to the pier for Ann-Marie to catch her ferry back to Discovery Bay, including an accidental trip through the five star HK Mandarin Hotel.
We wanted to take photos of Hong Kong at night, but it wasn't yet dark enough, so we took the ferry to Kowloon where we hoped to get a better view. Clearly this is the thing to do because we were not alone and it was difficult to find a clear spot by the waterfront.
This is what they were after, the point where the lights are visible but there is also a little light in the sky so that mountains and clouds are visible.
The harbour tour junk was still sailing around with red sails.
We stayed in Kowloon to eat. John had spotted a Pizza Express in a shopping centre by the cruise ship dock. On our way, we passed through shop after shop of high end children's wear: Gucci, Dior, etc, etc
Christmas decorations by Disney World were in full swing on the sea front, with Toy Story as the theme. People young and old were lining up to be photographed with their favorite character.
Pat and John on tour