Bong! Hong Kong

I am on Hong Kong island, staying in a quaint little flat overlooking the green hills behind the city and the South China Sea. The views are amazing, steep hills scattered with apartment blocks stacked up higgledy-piggledy. There is a big dog here called Blue, and the live-in Filipino housekeeper, Elvie, who makes me green tea and cooks me dinner. I am becoming a dog person, I kid myself, and I decide that I would like to keep Blue. It dawns on me, however, that perhaps it’s because he is so big he seems like a pretend dog, and he has this amazing fur that is curly and neat and doesn't come off, so the house isn't full of annoying dog hair.

My 12 hour flight was fairly terrible, as for some reason I was placed right in the middle of all the babies and young children, and barely a moment went by when I wasn't being kicked in the back by the child behind me, a baby was not crying and a toddler was not yelping at its parent.

I am met at the airport by Elvie and force myself to stay awake until the evening, which is difficult as I've now missed two nights sleep (the night before I left my nerves got the better of me). So after dinner Elvie drops me off into town, and I jump on the Star Ferry which crosses from the north of Hong Kong Island up to the mainland, giving a great view of the famous city shoreline. The incredible buildings of the city appear garish at night, and make me feel a little nauseous after looking at them for some time. Then again, I am on a boat. Yet each building seems to be in competition with the others as to which can be brightest and most colourful and/or tacky. The waste of energy makes them appear grotesque.

After catching the boat back, I plan to get on a bus, as instructed by Elvie, which will take me near to the flat. Naturally I get the wrong bus, realise after about 5 minutes and jump off, by which point I have gone some distance in the wrong direction. Me, a young Londoner, frequent user of public transport - I am determined not to be beaten. A cab is out of the question. I decide to try and find my way back to where I started, using where I imagine the sea is as a guide, and soon discover that there are parts of Hong Kong not meant for pedestrians, where its all fenced off or there are no pavements. Eventually, I find the right bus stop. Sweaty and exhausted I take the correct bus and immediately fall asleep, beaten by the jetlag. I awake to find myself in familiar territory, and decide I had better get off, going on the basis that if I recognise it, I must be pretty near the flat. Another half an hour's walk up a winding hill road proves me very wrong. Two solid hours to get home... I'll get a taxi next time.