Asia at last

Stella’s and Paul’s neighbours from below I have to thank for introducing me to the current hit list of Techno music in Hong Kong and having spent a restless night on what felt like their loud speakers but was in fact my bed, I decided to leave the Giant Buddha statutes for another day and to sleep a bit longer.

Flora is working and I’m on my own again and look what I have done (but can you really blame me? It looks so delicious)



After having splurged in calories, I hopped on a bus to a small fishing village recommended by Flora. Neither did she mention that the mountain road the bus took was under construction, not that it was that narrow to begin with, nor that it was that steep. On top of all that, the bus driver obviously enjoyed speeding while I kept busyly praying. When I finally arrived, I was already numb from all the adrenalin rushing through my veins.

But it was worth it: in view of the fishing houses I finally believed that I am in Asia.



Taking a small but fast tour boat, I was rewarded for testing my sea fitness by watching white dolphins.



If you take a close look at the cliff you can see a face (*look at the part left of the hole*)



While I took a stroll over the market, I tried fresh egg waffles which were delicious and passed on the chunks of dried shark hanging in the store next door.



On my return (another nerve racking bus trip), Stella cooked for us and her family a Chinese fondue, which was naturally delicious and then, Flora and I celebrated our last night in Hong Kong.

Hallo! Hi! Salut! Ni hao!

Welcome in China.

When I met Flora about 3 weeks ago in Hong Kong I was sure that the greatest adventure of my life was about to begin (and guess what, I was right!). But see and read for yourself.

The plane of Air China Airlines was just about to leave it's parking position at the Charles de Gaulle Airport when the commotion started: the heart of an elderly Chinese woman chose that exact moment to act up. Soon, all doors were thrown open and doctors started to invade the plane.

No, don't worry. She survived. But as we left Paris 2 hours late, I started to worry about my connection in Beijing for which I now only had less than an hour left (in the end, my luggage and I made it just in time). The flight went over quickly and uneventfully with the single exception of a pillow fight with my Australian neighbour who had the guts to point out that he was now ready to settle down and quit living like a student. That was fine enough with me except for the look he shot me which was clearly saying: and so should you. The Problem: he had just turned 24! Naturally, I hit him with my pillow. Repeatedly.

First thing I did on my arrival in Hong Kong was getting rid of my coat and sweater: 30 °C and 70 % humidity made me rather feel like I was swimming in lukewarm water than walking while taking in the sensations of my first night in Hong Kong. And as to sensations, this amazing city has a lot to offer.

Before dinner, Flora and I went to see a fortune teller. How exciting!

The sheer variety of dishes made it difficult to choose dinner but then it helped a lot to check out the main meat ingredience: so "light fried frogg" was off the list.

Island Feeling

Flora took a day off so we could 1^st: have lunch with our hosts, Stella and Paul who do not speak a word of English but converse fluently in French.

And 2^nd: enjoy some island feeling. Oh little Island in the sun… (okay, anyone under the age of 50 might not know this old Harry Belafonte song), but what can I say, it was great! The sun didn’t shine but apart from that, it was perfect.

We rent bikes and went on an island tour.

When we found one of the small beaches we considered briefly to go swimming but decided that it was too cold (ah, this time I have no valid excuse as the water was as warm as the Baltic Sea ever gets even in summer, but still…)

As my old flip flops did not make it to Hong Kong I decided that buying a new pair would be a good idea. Yes, I know, Ariane warned me more times than I can count but somehow I was still hoping that I could squeeze my size 41 feet into ladies shoes. As the saying goes: Hope is last to die. Now I’m the proud owner of a pair of men’s flip flops on which all characters of the “Sesame Street” are printed.

Good morning!

After what like felt no more than a couple hours of sleep I got started to enjoy the first day in Hong Kong on my own.

To make it easier to get accustomed to the food habits of my new home country, I chose something traditional for breakfast:


Slowly, I made my way to the river to meet Flora and once again I found myself standing in awe before the spectacular skyline of Hong Kong.


Taking the ferry, I kept asking myself: how it must have been like, if I had crossed the river a hundred years ago?

I was supposed to meet Flora in the lounge of the "Central Plaza", the skyscraper where her law firm had its offices. Well, have a look at the following picture and you can imagine just how incredible that place is.

Woah, I’m flying. The view from the Sky Lounge of the 46^th storey of the “Central Plaza” is nothing else but magnificent. Hey, I’m a bird!

Afterwards, we met Julie, une française, and together we headed for the race track. Although, it took us ages to figure out how to fill in the betting sheet and of course, we didn’t win a penny it was fun (and all of us received gift vouchers from a local hair stylist which is exactly the kind of gift vouchers one expects to receive at the races.)

After a short ride on one of Hong Kong’s cute little trams, we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant where we enjoyed a Japanese barbecue and the luxurious sensation of having our own cook.

Finally, Flora and I couldn’t resist Hong Kong’s night life which was good, as I still suffered from jet lag (I know, it’s only an excuse for partying but it’s a good one.)