goodbye rainy Hong Kong, till we meet again

Once again our alarm clock went off at about 7.30 AM, but just like yesterday the both of us where not in a hurry to get out of bed. Who could blame us … one look outside the window said enough really! It was raining cats and dogs, so we wisely decided to snooze a little bit longer, but after more than an hour of just lying there, we felt the moment was right to go and discover another part of this amazing city.

Not that the rain gods were a big help cuz after we had yet again a more than delicious breakfast and managed to check out without a problem, we went outside and guess what … it was raining!!! No surprise really, but I was already thankful that it was only a light drizzle.

Instead of walking all the way towards Central Pier like yesterday, today we wisely took the subway and within minutes we arrived at our destination.

As we are walking towards the exit, there is a monotone voice warning us for the slip hazard and just as I was thinking what the heck is she talking about, reality hit us in the face! It looked like a real flood outside and although we brought umbrellas with us, they are just plain useless.

Luckily we had a few ponchos as well and although we looked a bit stupid in them, they turned out to be our best bet of the day.

In a hurry we walk or should I say run towards the Central Pier to take shelter from the heavy rain. It seems that our coach is waiting for us and to our surprise we even notice a few familiar faces. It looks like those Norwegian guys we met yesterday are also in the mood for another bus trip, as well as the two English speaking ladies we met earlier.

So it looks like we are all going to take the green line towards Stanley market and Aberdeen!

We first cross a few sights we saw yesterday already but as soon as we leave the city centre behind us, we can go and explore new horizons. Southwards it is!

First stop of the day is Ocean Park and although it looks alluring, it is still raining outside, so the smart thing to do is just give this one a miss … it makes for a good choice to come back some day.

Next up is Stanley market and since the weather has changed for the better, we all get out and have a look at what this place has to offer. It is but a short walk to the small centre of this town and although some streets look a bit abandoned, we easily find the market and like all the markets we have seen before, here you have a nice selection of touristy things only this time without the hassle of bargaining over prices.

Tania is a bit tempted to buy a small trolley but she is a bit reluctant when it comes to carrying the thing around a whole day so … it seems that it will be for some other day.

As we are walking towards the end of the covered market, we discover the small bay of Stanley, but sadly enough the rain clouds are also back, so the best thing for us to do at this moment is to move on.

We walk for a while on the boulevard of the place crossing a few small restaurants at the waterfront and at the end of it, we even notice a very modern shopping mall.

It is still a bit early for lunch, but a cup of coffee is something entirely different. As we are walking inside a Mc Café, we also notice something sweet and since we both have fond memories of those Australian lamingtons, we both go for one. Sadly enough the taste is not the same like half a year ago, but hey … at least we can say we gave it a try!

Getting out of the shopping mall is a bit more difficult, but after a bit of searching we do find a way out as well and in a slow pace we walk back towards the bus stop. Funny enough we even see those Norwegian guys again as well as the two ladies and with the six of us, we drive towards Aberdeen.

We all have a voucher for a Sampan ride and as soon as we all get out, we only have to wait for a few minutes before our boat arrives.

Our boat’s lady doesn’t speak one word of English, but with a few hand gestures we all understand one other and as soon as we leave for a trip around the harbour we get to know each other a bit better as well. It seems that one of the English speaking ladies is from Australia and met her friend many decades ago and still they travel from time to time together. It is so nice to see that me and Tania aren’t a dying breed!

As we are boating around the many local fishing boats, we have quite a good look at the skyscrapers, but sadly enough also of the many dark clouds hovering above us. It looks like we aren’t going to keep this one dry and just as I was thinking that, the rain came pouring down.

The rain gods really have it in for us because it is even getting worse and we all have to hide inside close to the boat’s lady. My gosh, I have never seen so much rain … it looks more like a flood than anything else but luckily we can wait inside the boat till our bus arrives and then it is on our way again to the centre of the city!

Driving along the coastline is supposed to be fun, but not when it is raining and certainly not when you have a driver who thinks he is the next Michael Schumacher.

On the other hand you have to hand it to him, he makes sure we are back in no time and a wonder even occurs when the rain is almost gone. This is a good a sign as ever to take the ferry across, not my favourite transportation but hey ... it brings us to Kowloon, so I am not really complaining.

Once back on solid ground we are disappointed again with the weather … rain comes pouring down again and we hide out at one of the local shopping malls. It is already way in the afternoon now and as we both are getting hungry, we resort to a place called “Spaghetti House” which serves all kinds of Italian dishes which aren’t that bad at all.

We both want to go and look up the Avenue of Stars again. Last night we visited it by dark, but I hope to get a nice picture of the infamous Bruce Lee statue by day, but once again, the minute we walk out of the door, it starts to rain … for crying out loud, when is it finally going to end????

Luckily I have my umbrella with me because I don’t want to put on another poncho, but after walking a few minutes, there is no way out … my umbrella is lost because of the wind and it is time for my next poncho … it’s quite funny cuz I already lost track of time on how many I used today! I am sure it is going to be some sort of a record!

As good as it gets we walked down the entire boulevard in the rain hoping to catch the next bus and tour at the Golden Arches. Once again we have to wait quite a long time, it seems to take forever, but praise the Lord, about an hour later, it finally arrives.

Our last tour is going to be the Kowloon tour, but it seems that just like yesterday we are stuck in traffic. It takes forever to get somewhere and at a given point we just gave up and got out of the bus and walked back towards the ferry for our ride back to Hong Kong Island.

Back on the main island, we are now in the final stage of our holiday. We only have a few hours left and because we want to do a bit of shopping or should  I say window shopping in my case, we walk back towards the Wan Chai area.

As we are walking, we realise that time is just too short to walk all the way back, so instead we take the subway towards Wan Chai.

Thinking this is a smart move, we go above ground again only to be utterly disappointed when it turns out we went out at a wrong area. Instead of the shops we wanted, the only thing we notice are bathroom stores and stores for household equipment. Not exactly the thing we need at the moment.
Since we don’t have much time again to wander through the many districts of Hong Kong, the only thing left for us to do, is go back towards our hotel but not before we have one last visit to the Golden Arches.

Because we don’t have time for an elaborate meal this is just what we need and while Tania goes for a chicken wrap, I myself go for the infamous Ceasar Salade. Both still a bit hungry, we go for the ice cream as well which we finish along the way towards the hotel.

When we arrive back at the hotel we have about half an hour left which is just fine to change our clothes and by the time we got all our things sorted, it is time to leave rainy Hong Kong behind us … in a way I am glad, but on the other hand I am a bit sad as well … this can only be seen as a good sign and I am sure that one day I will be back. After all, there are still many districts that need to be explored.

Our transfer bus is quite on time and to my surprise we are the first ones on the bus. I only hope that we don’t have to wait too long for the other passengers and a few minutes later, my worst nightmare turns out to be reality. It seems we have to wait for one more person, but he takes his time, that’s for sure. After a few minutes of waiting, the driver leaves us both alone and goes in search for the missing person … my god, I hope he arrives soon cuz otherwise we are going to miss our flight!

Almost half an hour later, he shows up … the both of us give the guy a dirty look and then we can finally go on the move again towards the airport where we arrive about yet another half an hour later.

Check-in goes rather smoothly and before we even know it we are through customs and have still a bit of time on our hands. If we only knew, we could easily have eaten here. Oh well, nothing we can do about it now, instead we go for one last drink.

We both opt for the mango frappe, but boy it is really freezing … a few brain freezes later, we have one last stroll towards the gate, ready to fly home!