Parks, markets, malls, restaurants

We are still in Hong Kong and we are still loving it here. Hong Kong is a world away from any of the big cities in South East Asia; there are pavements and traffic lights and seat belts and more forms of public transport in HK city than in most countries. Actually HK is like a country which has had the excess space sucked out of it like a vacuum bag, it has all of the people, buildings, buses, trams, parks, markets, bars, malls and restaurants but without all of the wasted space in between. And we love it! 

Think this is my favourite skyscraper. 

Matt and Gary enjoy the view.

Since our last blog post we have spent a lot of time in and on those buses, trams, trains, markets, bars, malls and parks. We have eaten many meals ( I didn't know so many animals were edible, thanks Gary). We have taken a lot of photographs. We have been to a mall that spirals down like a galaxy and ones filled with boutiques of unique clothes and imported Japanese toys. We have seen the uber rich playground malls with imported super model shop assistants and the geeky dens where the air con is a wall of computer fans wired together.

Spiral Galaxy.

We have seen tourist markets filled with boring knock offs and dodgy paintings, produce markets with live fish and vegetables that look like black hair and flower markets that smell like a spring field.

Vegetarians worst nightmare? 

Hong Kong's parks, which are landscaped to within an inch of their lives are a fantastic way to relax after a busy day/ large meal. We spent a lazy Sunday afternoon walking around the beautiful Zoological gardens, ice creams in hand and enjoying the summer like weather. 

Terrapins enjoy the sun.

Pinkest flamingos ever? 

One of the most memorable experiences for me is the peak tram which rises steeply above the skyline like a scene out of Inception, as our tram climbed the peak the humongous skyscrapers seemed to jut out of the earth at a 45 degree angle. Without a doubt, the Hong Kong city scape is my personal favourite, it is so beautiful and has to be seen to be truly appreciated. That many people living in one place means an awful lot of twinkly lights come night time. 

One of the reasons we have enjoyed Hong Kong so much is the fact that Gary and his family have been here, during our stay they have shown us amazing sights and taken us to unexpected restaurants that we just wouldn't have  experienced if it wasn't for them. It has definitely made an unforgettable experience even more special. 

Here are a few more pictures of our time in HK, told you we took ALOT!! 

Enjoying the beach.

Beautiful bamboo.

Just to show you how foggy it was!

Amazing graffiti in Kowloon. 

Matt didn't like this picture but I do! HK never stands still! 

Tackiest Valentines decorations ever?? 

Enjoying the star ferry. 

The Junk!

Our time here has flew by, I cannot believe that we are in February already. Tomorrow we will be in Tokyo, the penultimate country on our trip, where oh where does the time go?? 

Chiang Mai and Matt's Birthday

I think that sleeper buses should be renamed Zombie Buses because that is how I always feel when I get off. It took 14 hours, which was tough, especially for Mom and Dad who had just got off a 14 hour flight from the UK, and was made worse by the fact that it was a backpacker bus. I ignored my own rule of always going to the bus station and bought the bus tickets from a travel agent. We weren’t too badly over charged (we paid less than half the price of some people on the bus) but we did end up on a backpacker filled bus where somehow it was decided that the best way to pass the time was to get drunk rather than sleep.

Sign in Chaing Mai

Lesson learnt we arrived in Chiang Mai to our free guesthouse pickup; it never gets old having your name on a board. Our rooms were not ready so we checked out the morning market and had a sleep by the pool, very weird for me, as I never sleep in the day. After a nice shower we wandered into Chiang Mai’s walled old town, drank coffee, enjoyed the atmosphere and checked out a bit of the architecture. In the evening we went to one of the night markets and sampled a massive range of dishes.

Good Morning Chiang Mai

Enjoying the night market

The next day was my 28^th birthday, what a way to spend your birthday I’m not going to forget this one. First up was breakfast with very unexpected presents and cards from England! It was nice to get the messages all the way from home and a few new clothes without holes in never goes down too bad either, thank you so much to everyone who sent a message; paper or electronic. With a new t-shirt on next up we went to the beautiful and peaceful Wat Phra Singh where we spent a few hours learning and reflecting. After the mental relaxation of the temple I got another birthday present of a Thai massage to relax my body.

For Aimee's Mom!

In the town they were in the process of removing the Loy Kratong
decorations from last week. 

 We finished up the day with a delicious meal at Whole Earth Restaurant. A huge selection of veggie dishes and a table on the balcony of a teak house, what more could a birthday meal ask for? What a way to cap off a great day…

Whole Earth restaurant. 

Except that was not quite it, Aimee had one more surprise up her sleeve. We were all off on a night safari. The tuk-tuk that we took to get there was a bit surreal, the driver insisted on singing Happy Birthday to me while driving on the wrong side of a four lane highway.  I think late at night mom still has flashbacks of it now!

Feet on solid ground we waved good-bye to our kamikaze tuk-tuk driver and made our way up to the entrance of the night safari. This was a really fun experience, the animals seemed to be well looked after and in suitable enclosures. The cooler temperatures and nocturnal habitat of the animals meant that a lot of them active. 

Cheeky deer

Now we know where Matt gets it from!

Collective Ahhhhhh