Revisiting Hong Kong

 The jet-setting continued during a 5 day break from school, which was thanks to Vietnamese Kings' Commemoration Day, Liberation Day and Labour Day.

So, it was off to Hong Kong to catch up with good friends and to re-visit some of the old haunts. It was all so different, of course, after 18 years. I had not even flown in to the new airport, so the trip to Sai Kung took in new bridges and areas completely. And, I must note that on my return to Saigon I truly noticed how little infrastructure there is here.

I was quite disoriented when I first ventured in to Central and Kowloon too - the land reclamation had of course changed the lay of the land, but some of the expected shops and restaurants were just not there. Luckily, there was one old faithful, Chung King Mansions.

I enjoyed visiting a couple of the places that I had lived and was most interested to see that St George's School, where I first taught  has gone completely and has been replaced with two other schools and a bus terminal!

There were a lot of nice little shops and boutiques to discover on my walk from Admiralty to Causeway Bay and a brunch in the gentrifying area of Western allowed a snoop at the trendy shops and cafes there too.

A trip out into the New Territories was also fascinating as it has developed so much and from the lookout on Route Twisk, we could see the old air force base of Sek Kong and through the pollution haze across to Shenzhen.

I must note that on the whole, the city seemed to be much cleaner and there weren't many of the pungent smells that I remembered. The air quality was a little concerning, however, so I thoroughly enjoyed my Saturday morning walk when there was blue sky and the view of the rugged mountains to enjoy.

An afternoon sail out from Hebe Haven was also  a great way to enjoy the water and the views of the rugged islands. We just won't talk about the unexpected added adventures that made it a later afternoon than we had planned.

Naturally, I loved seeing my friends from both school and netball and it was great to catch up on all that is happening in their lives. As always, with good friends, it is great to know that nothing changes - it is always easy.

So, until next time, keep smiling and thanks again for having me, Flickie!