Hong Kong

We arrived in Hong Kong late and had to get the bus into Kowloon in order to get to our airbnb. This was relatively easy and soon we were checked in and decided to try and find some food before heading to bed. This was a little harder but we soon found a place that had a sort of English menu and we had a small dinner before heading to bed. I think the brief taster gave Rich a bit of an indication of what Hong Kong was like without scaring him

The following day we went to China Travel service to discuss our Visas for China and decided to let them do all the hard work for us so we left our passports there and got told to pick them up on Thursday. We explored the local area a bit more and went to a couple of markets to do some shopping and eat some more local food. Whilst at the market Rich spotted Jermaine Jackson, and while we were not 100% sure to begin with (as no one else seemed to recognise him) we looked online later and it did say that he is currently in Hong Kong. We also found a nice dim sum restaurant for lunch which meant Rich got his first proper taste of dim sum here.

Now we had a few days clear, since we have to wait for our visas to be processed, we started planning the rest of asia, especially Japan as we needed to book accommodation as it was fast filling up. We also did a couple of trips around Hond Kong including going on the mid level elevators, which is a series of elevators to take you up Hong Kong island past all the shops as it is quite steep, we went to Hong Kong Botanical gardens and zoo, which was a free zoo in the centre of Hong Kong Island. We also went to Victoria peak which is the higest point on the island and we watched the sun go down and the buildings light up. We also we to see the big budda on Lantau island, went to the monastery there and went to a nunnery in Kawloon.

I did also try and head to one of my old haunts, Murphy's pub only to find out it shut down late last year which was very disappointing but we have done lots of exploring and I think Rich is a little more prepared for china now. The people of Hong Kong do try to be helpful and usually have some English skills/menu which helps but I don't think China will be the same

We picked up our visas yesterday (much to my relief) and we are off to Beijing today

Me in the morning (Rich)

View from the gardens

Big Ass Buddha

The view that the big ass buddha gets

The Ass of the Big Ass Buddha

Us with our heads in the clouds

A Bridge we were not allowed to cross

Not sure whether this was a threat or a cry for help!

One of many buddha statutes

Temple of 10,000 Buddhas and yes there was 10,000 in there

Wheres Wally - I mean Catherine

From the Peak - I could crop the random people out but if I did that chances are there would be no photo left!

From the Peak - HK

Bonsai

Rich Again in the afternoon

Someone should tell him that those machines give you skin cancer

Koh Lanta

To get to Koh Lanta we had to catch two ferries and go via the Phi phi islands, which was nice to see but we were glad we werent staying there as it was full of young tourists.

So we eventually arrived at Koh Lanta after a couple of hours at sea and bargained with some taxi drivers to take us in a tuk tuk to our hotel. The tuk tuks over here are a bit more traditional and are basically a moped with a side car.

When we arrived at our hotel we checked in and went for a bit of an explore, the beach was over the road and there were some nice cafes up the road where we ate dinner and had a nice drink.

The following day we headed out on a boat trip to four islands where we could snorkel and see some nice scenery. The first stop was a really good snorkeling stop where we saw a Murray eel, nemo and some sea urchins among many of the fish, then we headed to emerald cave where we had to swim through a cave to get to a open cove where mangroves were growing and there was a nice beach. After this we carried on to the next snorkeling area where we saw more fish including some puffer fish, more nemos and lots of parrot fish. The final stop was on an island where there is one resort and some lovely peaceful beaches. The tide was a little low for snorkeling so we just relaxed on the beach and had a little explore of the island before heading back home

The following day we walked to the local animal sanctuary where they look after cats and dogs. we got to play with lots of cats and a couple of dogs there and learn about how they help manage the animal populations and the work they have been doing.  Then due to the heat we decided we needed a swim so we crossed the road and went for a nice dip in the ocean. After that we decided to head to a beach nearer the main town where there was the possibility of snorkeling of the beach so we hailed a tuk tuk and headed there. Once there we hired a kayak and paddled out to sea a little so that we could try and snorkel but unfortunately the sea was a little murky that day but we did managed to find a couple of nice beaches and see some amazing birds while out at sea. After that we headed into town for a bit of a look around before heading back home. We wanted to head out to a nice restaurant which was a couple of villages away and decided rather than get another tuk tuk there and back that we should just bite the bullet and hire a moped as the roads are not that busy on the island. As Rich has no balance it was decided that I should drive so off we headed, after a false start, in the direction of the restaurant. We made it there, despite google maps not working, and had a drink ( I think Rich needed it to calm his nerves) had dinner and then headed home again (after another false start). I think I did well but Im not sure Rich thought the same!

The following day, as we still had the moped we decided to head to long beach for a bit of R&R then we followed that by headed back to the animal sanctuary to walk a dog, which was rather scary as we got chased by three local dogs twice! After that we headed to a restaurant which funds the animal sanctuary where they claimed to have the best mojito on the island and it was pretty good. After that we headed home and returned the moped in one piece,  which i think was an accomplishment considering I had never driven one before and there were only a couple of false starts.

The following day we had to leave the island as we were heading to our next destination of Hong Kong

Another day in the warm sea

Lizard spotting

Cave Swimming (A bit warmer than NZ)

The view from the open cove

Chilling in the cove (Along with the rest of the world)

Cat spotted a rare rich fish whilst snorkelling

Big Ass Crab

Cat artistically getting in the way of my photo

Drinking a Banana milkshake like a boss!

Phuket

Phuket

Im back now that I am almost recovered from the sore throat and cough that Rich gave me. We landed in Phuket and I decided to get the minibus from the airport, rather than a private taxi. That was a mistake as it took a couple of hours to get to the hotel rather than the normal time of around 45 mins. Once we arrived at the hotel (our first hotel in the whole trip) we couldn’t find a way in, the door was locked and there was no reception. Worried we would be sleeping on the beach we went into two next door places and finally managed to get someone to call the manager who came to let us in. As we were both dying we decided to book another night at the hotel so that we could just relax a little. We basically checked in then headed out to find some food for the evening. This gave us the opportunity to explore a little, although we were tired so we didn’t last long. In the first restaurant we found we were seated by a very nice ladyboy and ordered some pad-thai as I think that was all we could handle. 

The following day we only ventured out of the room for food, the rest of the time we slept, drank lots of water and did some admin but by the end of the day we were feeling a little better so we decided to go out and book a boat trip for the next day. 

The boat trip went to 4 islands where we were taken by guides on canoes into two caves and out to openings within the rocks. These were beautiful and often had mangroves growing within. We also spotted some interesting wildlife including bats and walking fish. On the trip we also went to James Bond Island, where one of the James bond films took place, and while it was nice it was so touristy that ruined it a little. There were stalls selling tat and there was so many people there that it was difficult to move. The final island was a small fairly deserted island where we were able to swim in the warm ocean for an hour before heading back to Phuket

Today we are heading out to Koh Lanta which is a quieter island where we can snorkel and relax for a couple more days. 

Us going into the first cave

Inside the first cave

The Mangrove within the cave

Speeding through the cave by kayak

High cliffs around and within caves

Hong island area and cave

A beach with piranha rock at the second cave

James Bond Island

another view from james Bond island

another beach and rocks at the caves

Singapore

I don't get to write many of the blogs but as we are both recovering from some kind of bug and I am the first to recover.

Bali was crazy and now we are in Thailand I think back and think Bali was really nuts. Singapore however is Asia (Western style). Very calm, very ordered and really just like any other major city however it did have its charm.

We had a very nice room in an apartment very close to the centre of all the action. We decided to go to Singapore Zoo that evening and partake in the night Safari. A good event with more wildlife then you could shake a stick at and some of the 'wild' animals seemed awfully well trained as they walked out to greet us on cue as the tram went past. In all honesty we were shattered from the flight and would have liked to have stayed longer. Going to sleep tired in a room with no windows is a sure fire way of waking up at 11am and looking at your watch thinking it must be mistaken.

The next day we did something I had been looking forward to for a long time and now I’m addicted. Real Life Room Escapes! I don’t know whether you have ever played these on your phone but you tend to press on the screen trying to find objects and clues on how to escape a room that you are locked in. This is taken to a new level when you’re locked in for real. We were given an hour to escape and a few helpful clues before the door was locked. You find yourself frantically searching like a headless chicken before relaxing into it. All in all we got stuck a lot and were helped out a few times. Some of the puzzles are really difficult and you need to be in a certain mind set to solve them. We went back a second time and did a different escape room with our friend Lauren who we met up with while we were in Singapore and thanks to her we did a little better.

The rest of the day we jam packed in the sights with the botanic gardens, gardens by the bay and the Marina sands hotel. We made our way to the top of the observation deck and watched the sun go down. The city doesn’t fail to impress with its high risers which are a sight to see in the dark.

On our 3rd day I officially died struck down with man flu I was gutted. Surviving Bali with only a slight stomach upset I thought I got away unscathed but a tickling throat followed by hot and cold sweats meant Catherine had to look after me (As usual). I braved the outside world to eat in Chinatown (We had some free vouchers given to us by a stranger and I’m not one to turn down free food even when ill). We also ticked of the bucket list and had a Singapore Sling in Raffles. A really cool bar where Catherine enjoyed the peanuts where they encourage you to litter the shells on the floor which is bizarre considering how strict Singapore is for such activities. We spent the rest of the night with Lauren and Owen who have moved out here. They took us for a nice Indian and to an awesome cocktail bar where they don't have a drinks menu but instead make all their cocktails purely from the criteria you set. These were lovely and you could spend hours watching them make countless cocktails throughout the night.

On our final day we did the 2nd room escape before making our way back to Changi airport to arrive in Singapore. Turns out you can mosey on up 45 minutes before your departure time to check in with Tiger air so I feel pretty stupid for running especially as I was close to collapsing at that point.

Now in Phuket we have a lovely hotel and we booked an extra night here just so we could both spend the day recovering as Cat caught whatever I had just before we left Singapore. On the bright side I feel full of energy now (Sorry Cat).

We are off to James Bond Island and some others tomorrow on a canoe trip. I'm sure there will be plenty of photos. I will leave it to the next blog to talk about Phuket in general as it’s a very interesting place to say the least.

Flowers at the botanic gardens

Bonsi tree  at the botanic garden

Gardens by the bay as seen from Marina sands observation deck

more views accross Singapore from the observation deck

A cool plant in Gardens by the bay

Another cool plant at gardens by the bay

Singapore sling and monkey nuts, what more can a girl want

our room escape picture

A selfie in front of a fake flowerr at botanic gardens

A sefie on the observation deck

China town

Gardens by the bay tree top walkwith view of Marina sands

singapore flyer

observation deck veiw as the sun was setting

same veiw as above but while the sun was going down