Hong Kong

Greetings from the East China Sea. "Who would'a thunk we'd 'ave ever been here. Today is overcast, dull, with a temperature in the low 60s. We see a lot of ship traffic passing us because we are on the main route between Singapore and Korea. Judging from the port in Hong Kong, there are many ships to come. We heard three stories about Hong Kong shipping: it is the biggest, the second biggest, and the third biggest port in the world but whatever it is, it was the biggest container port we have ever seen. We were in terminal four of at least six terminals and there were hundreds of cranes and containers as far as one could see. The port is in operation 24/7. The logistics of this port have to be mind boggling. There are streets upon streets of containers and the bus driver taking us into town got confused as to how to get out of the port. He had to turn around several times before we made it.

So, Hong Kong: We found it to be a fascinating city in a beautiful location with many islands and hills and great vegetation. We have never seen so many skyscrapers and thin, too. It's a wonder how they stand up. May Hong Kong never have an earthquake. They have done a wonderful job with the traffic, it is very heavy but moves well. Public transport is excellent with buses, trams, subways and ferries. There are lots of pedestrian walkways to take you over the streets so the traffic can flow more easily without pedestrian interference. To our amazement, such a large city was spotlessly clean. When the buses come into their terminal at the end of their run someone cleans them out with a broom. The subway aisle was as clean as a hospital corridor. You could not mistakenly wander onto the subway tracks because there was a glass barrier up to prevent any misadventures. When the train pulled into the station the doors of the glass barrier opened for passenger entry and exit. The first day, after having obtained some money at the bank and also after walking around in circles we finally got our bearings. We went up to the Peak, but couldn't see too well. There is a great view from the top but the day was too hazy for a good look. We were finally glad to find a Burger King so we could use their toilet and we had lunch there. We're sure that was not the smartest thing to do with all the nice restaurants around but we felt that was the right thing to do since we had used their facilities. We took a tour of the harbor on the Star Ferry and actually stayed in town long enough to see the lights of Hong Kong at night. We came home exhausted after walking for hours.

The next day we got up and got on the shuttle bus early because we were determined to go to Stanley Market. Stanley Market was an hours drive by bus from Central Hong Kong but located in a lovely bay. It was interesting for us to go around but we were hard pushed to spend the rest of our money because we didn't see anything that really struck our fancy. It was a nice lovely sunny day so the drive back on the bus was very pleasant. We retraced our steps and headed back to the ship because we had to leave at 3:00. Now we are at sea on a rest day and it's wonderful. We are getting caught up with things like Morag doing some ironing, going to the hairdresser, etcetera. We have been invited to the Chief Medical Officer's table for dinner tonight. That's about all the news. More from our next stop, Shanghai, tomorrow.