Chad Is Everywhere

I had visited Hong Kong before on a stopover from Europe on the way home. That time was a quick stay in part to see friends, and to then also get a taste of the city without committing to a long stop. This trip with the goal of getting up into China it made sense to revisit Hong Kong, and then also get a chance to see friends I had short changed last time. I enjoyed Hong Kong the first time as it's a great mix of East meets West culture and food. Unfortunately for me it wasn't all fine blue sky. This was hot and humid end of typhoon season Hong Kong. Not that I minded to much. It had been so long since I had seen rain in Brisbane. And my lagging winter cough needed the humidity to help it disappear. So my time here in Hong Kong was partly exploring the tourist zones I had missed, and then exploring the taste buds. I managed to fit in some Michelin rated noodles restaurant, and visit some great Dim Sum catching up with friends during the stay. Initial plans to go into th...

Tayla. Tayla. That was the cry of the desperate immigrants as I emerged onto Nathan Road. It seemed that Tayla must have been lost for quite some time. For those looking for any lead were getting delirious in their search. Tayla, Tayla they repeated. Yet they didn't really go into much details on what Tayla looked like. Was he or she tall, short, fat, skinny? Blue jeans, black shirt, face mask? I wasn't sure, and they didn't tell me. What I found unusual was they only wanted me to look at their business card with the details. Who has cards for when their friend goes missing. I couldn't help. Their search was doomed to failure. It was easier than normal to move on in Hong Kong. Seems the locals had taken it into their own hands to remove many of the street side barriers. There were visibly less road blocks to my movement. Where you could see missing barriers meant that there had been a protest at some time. So basically the whole of Hong Kong was now barrier free. ...

The last stop of my recent overseas trip was a stopover in Hong Kong on the way back. You see I had friends there to visit. This alone made it the perfect city I had not seen before to stopover in Asia at. And then it just got better. My former flatmate in China decided she could make a side trip for a stopover to say hello too! Awesome I thought. I had just 48 hours in Hong Kong. Enough time to see some places without getting into much trouble. Heck my biggest trouble was booking the wrong hotel dates before I even left the country. I gave my friends a free stay-cation (travel term for going nowhere). Anyway the replacement hotel happened to just be the same hotel my university course had discussed in a lecture, The Eaton Hotel. It was right smack bang in the middle of Nathan Road. Unfortunately for me why it came up into the search was that it was actually undergoing renovations at the exact time I had arrived. I mean I didn't get any noise on the 18th floor, and the glass ...

Okay. So those who know me, know I've made many a mistake, and had many a problem in traveling before. Missed my connecting flight in Frankfurt. (I'm still sorry Darren) I've been lost in NY. Had my camera die on the first day transiting in Auckland. Had my nose broken in Hawaii.(Jason. Where ever you are I'm still grateful for your support after. Mum I still remember calling you from the emergency room in Hawaii!) Lost my phone in Bangkok. (still thank the Refill Now Hostel for their help after) Been chased by trannies in Chang Mai. Been left stranded in a bus terminal at night in Mobile, Alabama. (still not happy with you Greyhound. Or as I called you, My Dog Stumpy) Mugged in Phnom Penh, (Thanks Brett for being there in Singapore after) Locked out of my hotel at 1am in Val Cenis skiing (Mick, still one of my best ever trips. Thank you) Ended up with DVT after a flight from Vietnam, and Sprained my ankle skiing in Austria. (thanks for helping a...