Home Travel Diving Running		14th-20th September 2003 Here I am staying in Hong Kong and working on a major project for MCI. First time I have been here for 22 years, the place has grown a bit. We are based on the 78th floor of The Centre in Central, Hong Kong island. The views are spectacular although for the first 3 days monsoon rain lashed the building and black clouds raced across the harbour. Sunday 14 September; arriving at the new airport on Lantau island there is a fantastic drive into Hong Kong including the spectacular Tsing Ma bridge which takes you via Tsing Yi island to the mainland. After this the taxi follows a pretty effective expressway until you are in the middle of Kowloon where I am staying in Tsim Sha Tsui at the Sheraton (next door to the more famous Peninsular). Sunday 14 September: venturing out of the sanctuary of the hotel you meet Hong Kong full on in Nathan Road. This is real tourist country - every second step you get "copy watches? copy Rolex?". I avoid the temptations to buy a fake watch or an instantly made suit and instead take in the amazing hustle and bustle of commercial Hong Kong in full flow. Monday 15th September: MCI, where I am working, is on the 78th floor of "the Center", one of the tallest buildings on Honk Kong island. When Cindy and I arrive on Monday morning we nervously enter the express lift (floors 72 to 79) that rapidly accelerates us to high speed and whizzes us to the top of this amazing building. The views are amazing although the weather is disgusting and black clouds race across Hong Kong harbour as we are lashed with rain. Wednesday 16th September: after getting to work by taxi (bad traffic) and MTR (cool but unexciting) we decide that the best way to get from Kowloon to Central is by the ferry. HK$1.70 on the lower deck or HK$2.20 on the upper deck (about 20p) gets you a spectacular view of the harbour and is even air conditioned if you sit at the front on the top deck - still good news as it is baking in mid September (30ºC) Thursday 17th September: getting used to the walk to the ferry in the morning. First landmark is the Peninsula hotel - famous for marble lobby and a bar and restaurant at the top of its more recently added tower. Cindy and I had a very classy Chinese meal here on Saturday night although we were very weedy in our choices avoiding birds nests, shark fins, snow frogs and fish heads. Saturday 20th September: Working in the morning then off on a tour of the famous Hong Kong shopping sites. First stop Causeway Bay, widely recommended as the place to go. Everything from Prada to bargain basement. This is thermal shock therapy as you alternate between the baking streets and freezing aircon. I move on via Wan Chai to Admiralty where the swish Queensway Plaza puts the shops in New York to shame. I finish up, exhausted, back in Tsim Sha Tsui (more Rolex and suit salesmen) where the balance of small cheap shops and big brand malls is more manageable although the streets are more crowded. Hong Kong restaurants don't just have menus outside. Full mock ups of the meals inside are proudly displayed. Another site that you can't miss is the huge amount of building. Even the tallest skyscrapers are put up using bamboo scaffolding! "You wouldn't catch me up there" says Michael, but the scaffolders seem confident enough.