Waiting for us at the station was the next guide and a small, cramped mini van which had barely enough leg room for a dwarf. On the 2 hour journey to the dinner stop, the guide insisted on playing really bad R&B, shitey, whiney karaoke music. I honestly do not know how the diver could concentrate with that blaring out… maybe I am just too old? After dinner we were squeezed back into the van and it was another 40 minutes of that music to put up with as well as lots of twisting and turning roads until we reached our guesthouse. The guesthouse was something very different indeed. It was a Fujian Tulou, basically a large mud round house with 4 or 5 floors in which the Hakka and Minnan ethnic minorities still live in, with each family occupying a floor. Some of those families offer rooms to guests and tourists so it was a pleasure to stay there. They even had WiFi.

The village is fairly quiet and remote with a few hotels and bars, and a river flowing through it. I couldn’t see much at night but we wondered down to a bar and had a few drinks where they made a really nice passion fruit cocktail with local plum liquor and whisky too. Somehow it tasted just like sherbet lemons.

Next morning after a decent lie-in we transferred to a different guest house where we had breakfast of steamed buns and scrambled eggs, orange juice and bizarrely Coca Cola. Then it was a short walk to another round house to sample about 10 varieties of tea. Some were really nice like the green tea, burdock tea and black tea, whilst others such as the Jasmin tea tasted like a pot-purri air freshener. The ground floors of these round houses tend to be small shops and family run businesses whilst the families live on one of the floors above. It was here that I realised why people looked at me oddly when I asked for coffee at breakfast as this region is famed for its tea growing. I also tried some variation on peanut butter sweets and also some sesame seed jelly which again were really nice.

After a quick walk around the UNESCO world heritage site village and taking in some of the views, it was back to the guest house for a little rest before a 20 minute walk to a quiet spot in the river where we could have a swim. There was a pool being filled with a natural waterfall surrounded by gentle rocks and forest. The water wasn’t crystal clear but it was clear enough and shallow enough in places to lay on the rocks and let the cool water flow over but equally deep enough in places that you could jump in of the rocks and not touch the bottom. It was a great way to spend the afternoon cooling off.

Before dinner, we got into the van and drove up the mountain to watch the sun set over the tea plantations. However a storm was imminent, and clouds with thunder and lightening blocked the view so it was really a wasted effort.

Next morning, the sky had cleared and it was a perfect day for a quick bike tour. Fortunately is was mostly downhill and there was a support van with us carrying water, etc. Stopped off at a nearby village and visited its temple and then carried on for another hour or so until we reached the biggest roundhouse in the region. Just time for a quick walk around and then press on to the village for an ice cream and to meet the van which would drive us back to the guesthouse.

The afternoon was free time to sit and relax before catching the night train to Guangzhou East where we would board a public bus to take us to Zhuhai, the border with Macau. It was a bit of a rush to get from the night train to the bus and we barely made it. Crossing the border was straight forward enough and I got the exit stamp in my passport.

In Macau, we dropped our bags off at one of the huge casinos and then explored a couple of them which seemed a hybrid of casino, shopping centres and hotel. Visited Galaxy and the Venetian both huge complexes.

Fortunately here in Macau the public transport is free, all paid for by the casinos so it was easy to get around. If I’m being honest I could have done without all the casino faff as super typhoon Mangkhut was about to hit Hong Kong and Macau. Lots of the building were preparing for the worst and applying tape to the windows. Only had a few hours here and in the old town but that was more than enough. At around tea time, we caught the hydrofoil ferry back to Kowloon and although they issued typhoon warnings and advised to expect a rough crossing, it was actually really fast and smooth. It only took an hour and there was plenty of space.

So back in Kowloon where my China adventure began and checked into the the same hostel as before. During the night you could hear the winds getting up but the worst of it was to hit the next day. I checked out of the hostel early and made it in time to a hotel, just 2 minutes walk away, but already the rain was lashing down and the winds were strong, blowing signs and trees over. Disaster struck as my umbrella I had borrowed from the hostel blew inside out and then was wrenched from my hands by the wind. Fortunately my room was ready before the scheduled check in time and was able to stay safe up on 17th floor, away from any flooding. However when the winds blew, the whole hotel began to sway and I could see the light fixtures and coat hangers swing too. Looking out of the window I could see various objects being blown around and tiles dropping onto car windscreens. Luckily the night before I had bought some provisions from a local shop so was quite happy.

The typhoon passed south of Hong Kong so we missed the worst of it. The following morning there were lots of trees down and mess everywhere but the clean up operation began almost immediately and life returned to normal.

I have done a complete circuit of China now, albeit spending a brief amount of time in each place, but it is a great place to visit and I would recommend it to anyone.

Really pleased I got to see the pandas, the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall but there is so much to see and do. Couple of advisories though, bring a roll on deodorant as any flammable spray ones or insect repellents are confiscated at the metro stations with airport style security and try and avoid August / September as it is so hot and humid. I really want to return, but perhaps in winter.

After about 40 mins of city traffic, the scenery started to change and become more green and rural with steep winding roads, bamboo forests, and the occasional house or business. Really surprised just how picturesque this area of China is. The roads became steeper and windier and it wasn’t long before we arrived at the Howoo Life Hostel in Moganshan. It was a sort of ‘eco lodge’ with lots of bamboo – the obvious material given the quantity around here but the beds were so comfortable, or maybe it just felt that way after a night train and two hour bus journey with no leg room. The good news is the lodge had prepared welcome cocktails for us which was really nice and unexpected. Had an early dinner and bizarrely they had a a big projector television so we watched a Harry Potter film.

Next day we collected our mountain bikes at the hostel and our guide lead the way.

Fortunately most of the cycling was downhill but after recent rains, it was wet, humid and as little muddy. We were meant to cycle to the blue lagoon but apparently they are building a luxury resort next to it so there was no access. Instead we cycled to a dam in the middle of the bamboo forest.

It was easy cycling on and off roads or concreted paths but really only took a few hours. Thankfully it didn’t take any longer as by the time we got back to the hostel the heavens opened and there was torrential rain, soon flowing down the roads like a mini river. We were meant to go hiking to the Moganshan Peak the next day but the rains hadn’t stopped so we elected to skip it and just spend time relaxing at the hostel over a good breakfast. Bonus they had western style toilets, not the Asian ‘squat’ ones.

Next we travelled by bus to Deqing where we caught the train to Shanghai. This wasn’t a bullet train but it was exceptionally comfortable, clean and prompt all with allocated seating too. The trains and infrastructure here will knock spots of the ones back home.

Arriving in Shanghai, transferred by metro to our hostel. A nice clean hostel with roof top bar, restaurant and all the facilities you’d expect including laundry and free WiFi. The dorm rooms were ok but the beds were rock hard. It was more comfortable camping next to the Great Wall than to spend a night on the dorm beds.

The good news is on Saturday nights there is a ‘Drunken Panda’ pub crawl around Shanghai arranged and what a coincidence, we arrived on a Saturday… A bus picked us up and took us to the first bar, The Gatsby, where all drinks for 1 hour are free, so we made sure we got our monies worth… 🙂 then the bus took us to a Brazilian bar where had a couple of caipirinhas and instead of bar stools, there were swings at the bar. Spent about another hour or so here and then the bus took us to the third bar in the French district which had lots of drinks flowing, then it was on to a club of some description. Don’t really remember much about that. But we got a taxi back to the hostel and tried to find some food. Ended up in a Szechwan style hot pot place that was open and cheap, but the food was gross. Finally got back in the dorm at around 05.00hrs. Found this quite pleasing as am travelling with quite a few younger people who couldn’t handle the pace. Pleased to see that at 41, I still can 🙂 but had a lazy day on the rock hard bed afterwards.

On the Monday walked to and around Yu Gardens which is a huge tourist attraction in Shanghai which used to be a private garden to quite a well-off family. I guess similar to the National Trust back home. There was a zig-zag bridge full of people taking selfies, plenty of water features, rock, trees and pavilions.

Afterwards walked to the People’s Square and down one of the busiest shopping streets in the world, Nanjing Road. Oxford Street or 5th Avenue have nothing on this. Am really impressed with how nice Shanghai is and how modern the Chinese are. After what seemed hours, arrived at the Bund which is a sort of riverfront overlooking the high rise financial district of Shanghai. We managed to get to the Vue Bar in on the 33rd floor of a rather swanky business style hotel. It was weird walking through reception looking at the faces of the guests who all looked miserable, sitting several seats away from one another (maybe for business confidentiality reasons) transfixed by their phones or laptops. At least in a hostel environment you engage with other people. Up at the bar, we had great uninterrupted views of the night skyline and there was a hot tub too, plus entry included free drinks so the only thing I wanted out of the choices available, was champagne 🙂

Next day still in Shanghai discovered the secretive propaganda history museum in the basement of a block of flats which actually wasn’t all that good, especially the grumpy man who worked there.

Next visited TianZiFang, local artisan’s maze of lanes blending chique and traditional shops. There wasn’t anything I wanted to buy so just nosied around.

In the afternoon, took the metro to the Zhujiajiao Water Town. It only cost 16 Yuans return for a journey that was about an hour and half each way. The water town was like a little Venice I suppose with lots of waterways and canal-side shops and restaurants offering local Chinese delicacies some of which smelled nice, others not so. Got on a little boat and we were taken down stream and let of by a temple.

After a few hours of wandering around, time to head home as we had an early train to catch the next day.

The bus picked us up and we drove for about an hour or so outside of Beijing and stopped at a local farm for lunch where we stocked up on cold beer, drinks and collected our camping equipment, ready for the small, hour-long hike. It was quite gentle compared to the Moon Palace or the Dharma cave hikes. I was expecting it to be much harder going, but the long grasses and tree branches made it necessary to wear long trousers. It felt strange wearing long trousers again; the last time I wore them was in the Sahara Desert. About half way up a clearing revealed the view over what we had just trekked through.

I couldn’t believe how lush and green it was or how many mountains I could see or how high they were. The path was quite steep in places and I know we were carrying a daypack and lightweight camping equipment, but it certainly makes you think how hard it must have been several thousand years ago when they were building the wall, having to carry all the stones up this path.

It wasn’t long before we reached the top, a little terraced clearing next to the wall, very similar to the terraces on The Inca Trail. The wall itself at this point really didn’t look all that spectacular, quite a let down if am being honest. It was still about eight foot tall and made of big blocks, some cracked and crumbling, others intact. But then you look to the left and look to the right and it stretches as far as the eye can see, over the top of the mountains and beyond, with little turrets and gatehouses along the way.

The first thing we did, was set up the tents and then search for firewood in the woods which have now taken over most of the land by the wall.

We had to do this before it go too dark. Once that was done, there was time to go and explore the wall itself. Scrambled up to the nearest gatehouse which had several arches and no roof. The wind was surprisingly fierce up here and there was little shelter from the wind even in the gatehouses. At one point I was nearly blown off the wall and lost in the trees, but fortunately was able to maintain hold. The sun was getting low in the sky now, so decided to stay on the wall and watch it set and the colours changing across the hills and in the sky. It was something else and an experience not to be missed.

The fire was roaring by now and the beers flowing but by 20:30 the temperature had dropped dramatically and it’s such a long time since I felt cold like that, I had forgotten what it was like. Everyone decided to turn in for an early night and seek shelter in the tents as there was an early start planned again, this time to watch the sun rise at 05:30. It was a pretty restless night in a flapping tent which was more of a festival, ‘Argos special’, rather than a Northface expedition tent, but it did the job. I would hate to have been in that if it were raining. After little sleep, we woke up in time to see the sun peek above the mountains and feel the warmth hit us.

By 06:30, the camp was packed up and we began trekking down back to the farm to drop off the camping equipment and get the bus back to the hostel in Beijing.

As it’s still early, we’re unable to check into the hostel, so before we get there, we stop off and visit the Olympic Park and the ‘birds nest stadium’. Sadly we weren’t able to get inside the stadium but the grounds are pretty impressive.

Back to the hostel for a shower and change then it’s off to see Tiananmen Square, made famous by the student protests in 1989 when the government decided to send in the military tanks to remove the protesters. However most Chinese citizens know this area as the seat of Chinese government, nothing much about the 1989 protests. Unfortunately due to a trade conference today, security was extra tight and we weren’t able to access the square itself. Opposite though, was the Forbidden City which shows the portrait of Chairman Mao.

There are 4 gates to go through before you get to the palace. It’s the largest palatial complex in the world and has seen 24 Chinese Emperors. It is so vast and has so many rooms, that if a child were born and spent one night in each room, by the time it had slept in each room once, it would be 27 years old.

Clearly we didn’t have enough time to explore the whole thing but the buildings were well preserved and the gardens in Jingshan Park are so manicured. It was a great opportunity to climb to the top for a birds eye view over the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square.

In the evening Suzy took us to a local restaurant for Beijing duck, like crispy duck pancakes we’re used to in Chinese restaurants back home. It felt really special as we had a private room to ourselves and it only cost 65 Yuans (about £6).

Next morning had a quick explore in the historic district of Nanluo which was just one stop on the metro (3 Yuans / 30p) has narrow streets, lots of shops selling handicrafts as well as having a few bars and cafes. Again, it was enjoyable to wonder around at leisure, unhindered. Afterwards and 5 stops on the metro, only 5 Yuans, visited the Temple of Heaven, the largest complex of Heaven worship in the world and where ancient sacrifices were made to ensure a bountiful harvest.

Now catching another night train to Hangzhou and then heading to Moganshan mountain, famed for its bamboo forests.

Here I got to cycle on top of the 13 km long city walls which date back to the Ming Dynasty in 14th Century. The wall is about 10 m wide and is the start of the Silk Route. In places the wall had been repaired so it was smooth, flat cycling, but in other places it was quite bumpy.

I started cycling at about 17.30 from the East Gate and cycled in an anti clockwise direction. It took about an hour and half to reach the South Gate which has one of the best views over Xi’an at sunset. Even though it was busy, it wasn’t overly crowded.

After the sun had set, the group headed to the Muslim quarter and wondered through the markets, that were very similar in style to the medinas in Morocco but without the smell or harassment from the stall holders. It was a pleasure to walk through at leisure and browse. Once through the market we went to a restaurant for a group meal which was really nice. However having had a large breakfast at the hostel and a big lunch earlier in the day, I really wasn’t that hungry which was a great shame as the food was absolutely fantastic. On the way back to the hostel, we stopped by the bell tower which is in a roundabout all lit up beautifully, certainly more impressive than the Arc de Triumph.

Next morning was a massive China highlight, visiting the Terracotta Warriors. A bonus was meeting Yang Xi An, the farmer who discovered them back in 1974 when he was digging a well. Our guide told us that the farmer actually found them originally in 1968 but being superstitious, buried them once again before notifying officials.

There are large 3 pits you can walk around and a museum, but perhaps the most impressive is Pit 1. The warriors are representing the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. Each warrior has individual features, colours, clothes, weapons etc., and no two are the same. It’s estimated there are more than 7000 warriors here, but most remain buried still. The pits are about 7 m deep and the warriors are approx. 8 ft tall. Similar to the pandas, people are jostling for position to take photos but it’s difficult to get close due to the barriers in place.

We leave Xi’an the next day by public bus and head to Shaolin, famed for Kung Fu, and get to visit the Shaolin Temple. The journey felt really long, with locals noisily playing on their phones and trying to capture photos of us. It was a relief to finally arrive. The temple itself was a little disappointing, maybe I had built up a different mental picture through the movies, but still enjoyable. The first evening by the hostel, there was a show put on by the ‘Kung Fu Kids’, local children aged from 3 – 17 who practice Kung fu 6 hours per day and then English, Maths and Science.

It was very impressive and hurt just watching it. At the Shaolin Temple there was another more professional show put on and the auditorium felt like it was a hidden thing, as if we shouldn’t have been there. But highly impressive and with audience participation, much to the amusement of everyone.

Following the show, we hiked up to the Dharma Cave, about 2 miles from the temple, but this is the small cave where the creator of Kung Fu stayed for 9 years before being allowed into the temple. Saw plenty of golden orb spiders on the way up and the view from the top would have been really impressive but it was little cloudy, but that didn’t prevent the heat.

It was back to the hostel after a long, hot day for a shower and change of clothes before heading to the train station to board the night sleeper train to Beijing. The cost of the ticket was about 164 Yuans, that’s about £15-£18 and you get a flat bed. The journey wasn’t too bad and arrived in Beijing at about 06.20hrs…

We got to the station after a 90 minute private bus ride and checked in. The tickets are linked to your identification, whether you are a local or a foreigner, and the seat is assigned. It’s similar to booking an airline seat but for some reason, feel like all movements are somehow being monitored. All credit to the Chinese, their rail infrastructure is fantastic. It’s clean, prompt, comfortable, spacious and unlike the trains back home, it even smells clean. Just an observation I hadn’t really noticed before, but there is no graffiti anywhere, hardly any litter, no dog shit or any chewing gum marks on the pavements. Has to be said on the face of it, communism has a lot of plus points. At the station, they prevent passengers accessing the platform until the train is in there, I guess as these are bullet trains that travel in excess of 240 km per hour it may be a safety thing.

After the 7 hr train journey, we arrived in Chengdu and checked in to Mrs Panda’s hostel. I was expecting it to be excessively Panda themed and Chengdu to be quite a rural setting but I was wrong on both counts. Chengdu turns out to be about the 5th or 6th largest city in China; a heaving metropolis but it’s famed for the Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and to be honest, it was one of the things I wanted to see in China above anything else. The hostel wasn’t all that but it was clean-ish, served cold beer but had a nice feel to it. The food in Chengdu was a lot cheaper than we had been paying in Yangshuo so now it felt like we were being ripped off previously without knowing. There was a little roadside restaurant next to the hostel that served excellent, tasty Chinese meal with beer for next to nothing, say less than 30 Yuans (£3.40) . I am now becoming quite proficient with chopsticks having lost my Spork in Yangshuo…

Next day it was off to see the pandas 🙂 and lots of anticipation in seeing them. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like pandas, and if they don’t, probably don’t want to know them anyway. Sadly there are only about 1800 pandas left in the world due to poaching, hunting, loss of habitat and them not being able to successfully breed in the wild or even in captivity. This centre has about 180 pandas and has an almost 100% success rate in breeding the pandas. In Chinese, panda means bear (pan) and cat (da) and they had red pandas and giant pandas too. It was much larger than I was expecting and the grounds in between the enclosures were full of thick bamboo, used only as a reserve if the normal supply of bamboo runs out. In the first couple of enclosures there was not much to see, but you definitely knew you could see the pandas in the next one judging by the number of people crowding around, all with their cameras held in the air. I had to jostle for position to try to take photos. Decorum and etiquette go out of the window here as three or four pandas are play fighting with each other and knocking one off a tree stump who rolled around on the ground, making the crowd laugh and go ‘ahhhhh’.

I managed to get a few photos of the pandas without the back of peoples heads in the way and then moved on to the next enclosure for more of the same.

Later on was able to get into the nursery section where the pandas range from 3 weeks to 3 months old. There was one little panda, just 3 weeks old, in an incubator behind a glass screen to keep people away. It was virtually impossible to get a good photo through the glass.

Back at the hostel in Chengdu, we go for a walk around People’s Park which was really picturesque and where lots of older Chinese people come to dance in the evening. It had a bit old a school disco feel to it with some people standing around the edge waiting for a partner to ask them. There were all sorts of music playing form traditional Chinese to a sort of modern ministry of sound. There were also some tea houses here and monuments to fallen soldiers in the wars gone by.

Afterwards, our guide took us to a local restaurant to experience a traditional Szechwan Hot Pot. It was very similar to a fondu in style, with a big square pot of boiling spiced oil in the middle of the table into which various meats, vegetables and tofu were placed. The oil was kept boiling from a burner underneath. Trouble is that with excessively long chop sticks, it was impossible to fish out much to eat before it disintegrated. No wonder the Chinese are so slim.

Next day we visited the Tibetan district which was a really nice area to walk around, plenty of shops selling all sorts and lots of places to eat or drink. The park grounds were incredibly tranquil even though they were full of people. Here we suddenly became acutely aware that we had sort of become a tourist attraction ourselves, with lots of people taking our pictures – some discreetly whilst others were quite blatant and pushing their camera phones into your face.

Transferred from Nathan Hotel in Kowloon to the Yes Inn Hostel at Yu Mai Tai, also Kowloon but only a 5 min walk away. Even so, the humidity at this time in Hong Kong was more than enough to make it uncomfortable. Walking up Nathan Road with my backpack and daypack on, had a huge smile on my face in anticipation of the imminent adventures and I for the first time on this walkabout, felt like I was ‘really travelling’, not just on a holiday or tour.

Eventually I found the hostel and checked in to a 4-bed dormitory. It was clean with a private bathroom but it was small, like most hostels in Hong Kong. I was the first to check in to the room and assumed the others would be on the same tour as me in China, but that was not the case. The beds were small, less than 6ft which meant my feet overhung the end. Being in the dorm brought back memories of travelling 10 years ago which were good and I wondered if it will still have the same vibe, especially after staying in such nice private hotel rooms which I had sort of become used to. It was quite a peaceful night’s sleep, so think I will be able to cope.

Next morning it was an early start to meet the rest of the group in the reception of the hostel, surprised to see only about 5 people. Turns out we would be meeting more later as the trip evolves. Alfred, the local tour leader in Hong Kong is nearing retirement but took us on a little tour to Victoria Peak, up and down The Peak Tram (again for me) and then back to the hostel. If I had of known it was just a short trip, could have squeezed in a couple more hours of sleep.

We left Hong Kong via a series of endless metro / underground trains changing 3 or 4 times to catch the overland train to the border with China at Shenzhen. Immigration took a little while but eventually we got through and caught the bullet train to Guilin, about 3 hours, and then we had a private bus to take us to Yangshuo.

Yangshuo is amazing, if a bit ‘touristy’ but I have never seen anywhere like that, the scenery was amazing. Definitely looks like a landscape from a sci-fi film or game, with thousands of large rock pinnacles in excess of several hundred meters all covered in dense vegetation. Some had small temples at the top, others radio or phone transmitters.

The roads were busy but in an orderly way, nothing like Egypt but perhaps more dangerous because of the electric mopeds which whizzed past almost silently. Arriving after dark, all the shops, stalls and restaurants were lit up with bright coloured lights, people out in the streets in search of dinner or attending one of the many bars with either a resident singer or karaoke on offer, blasting out music at full volume. Virtually impossible here to find somewhere for a quiet drink and a chat. We checked into the hostel that was tucked down a small alley, hidden away near the top of town, aptly named The Hidden House. Again, mixed dorm with an ensuite so all was good.

The following morning we had a Chinese cookery class and the chef / teacher from Cloud 9 restaurant met us at the hostel early and took us to the local market, just 5 mins walk away to collect the ingredients. One of the first things we see is a little stall with water filled buckets on the floor selling live eels, frogs, snails etc and the smell was pretty bad. We got passed that and were in the vegetable market selling all sorts, from the usual things like potatoes and carrots, to things I have never seen and cannot pronounce. Continuing through the market, ended up in the meat section which brought back memories from the medina in Fes. I managed a few minutes in there with the chicken feet, pigs’ heads and ears, and cats and dogs (already dead) being butchered. Once again, it was the vile smell that got the better of me and a few of the others too, so we agreed to meet at the entrance before heading to the restaurant to cook what we had bought. We cooked 4 dishes each, steamed pork dumplings, fried noodles with vegetables, an aubergine dish and a local variation on chicken with cashew nuts, and then we got to eat what we cooked for lunch. The dumplings were fantastic, as were the noodles but I wasn’t overly keen on the aubergine dish and I overdid the chicken with soy sauce so it was a bit salty. In the afternoon, we were meant to go kayaking on the Yulong river (dragon river) but after such a huge and heavy lunch, it was nearly impossible to move, so just headed back to the hostel and had a nap.

In the evening we hit some of the local bars and ended up as this one place which had a snake drink, basically a large jar of an unknown spirit on the bar which was pickling 3 or 4 dead snakes inside. It was only 15 Yuans and tasted more like white spirit. Not to be repeated…

Next day began with a cycle ride, after the event of selecting a bike which fitted me, had working brakes, two wheels and air in the tyres, oh and a basket on the front. It was only a gentle, flat 7 km ride, nothing taxing but the first couple of kilometres were through Chinese traffic followed by a more rural route to the Yulong river.

The scenery was beautiful and I kept wanting to stop and take photos but every time I did, I lost sight of the group and had to peddle fast to catch up again. Here our bikes were loaded onto a truck and we were loaded onto bamboo rafts where we were floated down the river over a few gentle rapids. It was a perfect way to relax and watch the world go by.

After about an hour, we met our bikes again and cycled another 1km to a lunch spot before we had a hike up to the moon palace. The hike started off gentle but soon became very steep, rising over 300m over 1/2 mile. The humidity was so oppressive in the bamboo and jungle but we managed to press on and were rewarded with a view from the natural archway called the moon palace. Thankfully there were little old ladies there selling water and cans of coke. One old dear took pity on me and was fanning me to try and cool me down but I had a couple of bottles of water mixed them with 3 electrolytes to replace all the fluid I had just sweated out. But after about 10 mins, was ready to head down again and the walk down was so much easier than the way up. At the bottom my legs were shaking uncontrollably but that soon disappeared.

Short break, then cycled another 1 km to the Gold Water Caves. These have been formed over thousands of years and all the stalactites are lit with multi coloured lights. It all looked a bit cheap as we walked about 30 mins through them. The best part though, was the mud baths and hot springs inside the mountain. Was able to have a quick shower before getting in the mud, sounds silly, but it was so refreshing. The mud obviously, was cold and muddy. Think it was only about 2 ft deep but it squidged between your toes and was so viscous that as you lay down on it, it supports your weight, similar I imagine to laying on a big bowl of custard, very ‘turdy’. It was nearly impossible to submerge in the mud, but nevertheless I got completely covered and it got everywhere… Another quick shower, well, quite a lengthy shower as the mud stuck and clung and took a while to hose off before we got into the hot springs. It was so nice to lay in the dark cave with natural hot springs and let all the aches and pains from the hike soak away.

After immigration there is another security checkpoint and here I have a lighter in my hand luggage confiscated. Seems odd they confiscate it here, when I have flown London to Marrakech, Casablanca to Cairo, Cairo to Sharm and Sharm to Cairo with it in my hand luggage without any issues. Personally I just think the fat sweaty oaf at security wanted to smoke and needed a light. If I had known, I would have put it in my hold luggage, but it’s only a lighter so no big issue.

The business class lounge was shared by several airlines and was not Etihad specific, but it wasn’t that impressive. I was beginning to regret booking it but at least it kept the riff raff away. Once on board however, I knew I made the right choice. Big comfy seat, plenty of leg room, decent in flight entertainment and good food, including ice cream.

At Abu Dhabi, have about 2hrs before the next flight leaves so just enough time to check into the business class lounge and have a drink, all gratis (well, paid for up front in the price). This lounge looks like what airlines advertise as business class, proper a la carte menu, snacks, free bar, WiFi, massages, showers, WiFi, comfy seating, and a whole load more. This was great. Sadly only had limited time as needed to get to the gate as the pane was boarding. Abu Dhabi is a surprisingly large airport. Boarding the plane the air stewardesses are greeting all the passengers and directing them towards the back of the plane but when it was my turn I turned left into business class, with oversized seats that convert to flat beds, large screen infotainment screens per seat, welcome drinks, hot towels, amenity kits, blanket, pillows, etc. and minimum of 3 windows per outer isle seat! It was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, not the Airbus A380 I was hoping for, but still exceptionally comfortable.

Had an aperitif then a 3 course dinner which was so much better than the food in economy, plus had proper cutler, glasssware etc.

Flying over India at night, above the clouds, I saw spectacular lightning which must have lasted about an hour lighting up the night sky. Was grateful we were flying above it and not through it. It was getting late so positioned the seat into sleep mode and actually had a good few hours sleep.

When I woke up, we had about an hour and half before we were scheduled to land in Hong Kong so just enough time for breakfast and a freshen up before landing.

So it’s the first time I’ve been to Hong Kong, wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Collected my bag and then bought an Octopus card (the same thing as an Oyster card in London) and got the underground to Central and then to Jordan station. My hotel was about a 5 min walk from the underground station but what I hadn’t taken into account was the volume of people and the humidity. It took a little longer to walk than 5 mins but not much more and by the time I reached my hotel (Nathan Hotel on Nathan Road) I was already drenched and could not wait to check in. Very nice lady on reception upgraded my room to one on 11th floor and it is really, really nice. I think because of the jet lag and time difference, despite having a decent sleep on the airplane, I was so tired that I showered and then went to sleep. When I woke up, it was 11.30am (Hong Kong time / 04.30 UK time) and it was overcast and raining. I haven’t seen or felt rain since May!

So the first day I wanted to go to Hong Kong Island but it’s actually raining quite hard and Victoria Peak is shrouded in cloud, so thought I’ve give that a miss and explore locally (Kowloon) instead. Kowloon Park is just a short walk from the hotel, covers 13 acres, has a lake and an aviary. It also has the Hong Kong heritage museum so I called in there to keep out of the rain, but also to escape the humidity.

I was feeling a bit peculiar, probably because of dehydration and not having eaten anything in a day, so needed to find some food. The smells as you walk passed some of the restaurants are fabulous, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, hot meat, and some are utterly stomach churning, usually the drains. But I find somewhere and have some beef noodles with pepper. Thought it best to avoid the ‘black eggs’ or the ‘pork bag’ just in case.

Soon I find myself down on the waterfront where the Star Ferry departs to Hong Kong island. Here there are plenty of shops, designer stores, shopping malls etc. and then I find ‘Garden of the Stars’ which is similar to Hollywood’s walk of fame where they have hand prints of some of China’s famous movie stars. Obviously there is a statue of Bruce Lee.

Next day try and get up early to head over to Hong Kong island. Caught the metro from Jordan to Central and then it was a short walk to The Peak Tram which takes just under 10mins to cover the 0.8mile distance, rising to nearly 400m above sea level.

Frustratingly had to queue for over an hour to get the ticket but I would have sooner done that, than walked it. Once at the top the ticket also granted access to the Sky Terrace where you can get great views, weather permitting, over Hong Kong Bay.

Later in the afternoon, I did something I always enjoy doing when I visit somewhere that has them, is go on one of those hop on, hop off, open topped tour buses that deliver an audio commentary in various language options as you go. The ticket covered 3 routes and includes return Star Ferry crossings, so I did the green route yesterday which covered areas such as Aberdeen and Stanley on Hong Kong island and then caught the ferry back to Kowloon at sunset.

Today I did the red route which covered the business and shopping districts and the blue route which was around the waterfront and Kowloon.

Am feeling pretty hungry right now so about to head out and see what the dinner options are. The hotel has a wide ranging menu but I just don’t fancy ‘poached loofah’ or ‘goose gizzards’.