I have been to Hong Kong before on a very quick educational trip with plenty of hotel inspections crammed into our itinerary and practically no free time to us but it still left quite an impression with me. The Harbour is simply spectacular and in my opinion even more impressive than my local stomping ground – Sydney Harbour.

So when the opportunity arose and I was offered a ticket to Hong Kong flying Cathay Pacific to trial their product I jumped at it. This was going to be my opportunity to have a good look at the city and get to know it much better. Unfortunately it was going to be another short trip leaving Thursday night and returning on the Sunday morning flight. However I was determined to cram in as much as possible into my brief visit.

After a busy day at the office I was lucky enough to get a lift to the airport and was quite early for check in. Clutching my economy class boarding pass I went through security without any delay (partly thanks to the fact I had packed all the liquids in my hand luggage into the standard plastic bag provided by Reho Travel, the newest security measure imposed on travellers to keep terrorists at bay) The terminal was eerily empty. CX138, which departs at 21.55, must be one of the last flights leaving on the day and I felt a bit lost without the usual crowds bustling through the airport. But a few drinks at the bar with my colleague Vaughan, who arrived a few minutes later proudly showing off his business class boarding pass, mellowed me right down.  Once it was time for boarding we went over to the gate and my dream came true. I was handed a new boarding pass – business class after all! This is a rare treat and I was determined to make the most of it.

Service was impeccable and the staff very professional and friendly. I was addressed by my name and looked after. I found the seat comfortable and the entertainment system easy to use. The video screen was of a good size and the selection of movies, shows, games etc extensive. Since it was quite late at night already most passengers just wanted to go to sleep. Nothing was further from my mind!! I looked forward to the meal service and selected a movie. Despite the good service I found the meal a disappointment. My Asian style dish was over cooked and not very tasty. However the cheese platter for dessert made up for it and I enjoyed the chocolates and Bailey’s after. Finally I was ready to go to sleep. I extended my seat all the way and found it quite comfortable despite it not being a flat bed. However it’s not the same as sleeping in your own bed at home, that’s for sure!

Far too soon the cabin lights came on and breakfast was served shortly after. Now I almost regretted having spent so much time using the facilities. Almost!! After a good stretch and a cup of coffee I watched the sun coming up on the horizon and filled out my immigration card. Hong Kong, here I come! We landed right on time just after 5am local time. When walked off the airplane I got the first blast of hot humid air, a taste of things to come.

The airport was almost deserted. I could have changed some money but luckily had some cash on me already to pay for the Airport Express Link ticket. HKD90.00 (approx AUD15.00) will get you a one-way trip into town. It’s a very easy and convenient way to reach the city and runs every 12 minutes. I got off at the second stop in Kowloon 20 minutes later and then had the free government hotel shuttle bus all to myself. Most of the mayor hotels are accessible that way.

It was about 7am when I arrived at my hotel, the Harbour Plaza Metropolis and my room was not quite ready yet. Darn!! This hotel has about 560 rooms and is very popular and great value. If you are after a good standard 4 star hotel in Kowloon I can highly recommend it. I liked the lovely pool, the yummy breakfast and spacious rooms. Since they are situated in Hung Hom they operate a regular shuttle service into the heart of Kowloon but you can almost walk it anyway. I decided to have a second breakfast; After all it was my duty test the product. By the time I was finished and rolled out of the restaurant my room was ready for me.

After a quick shower and change I jumped on the shuttle bus and went straight to the Star ferry Pier to purchase a Half day Hopping pass, which would allow me to cruise around the Harbour and get of wherever I liked. I could of course have just bought a ticket across to Hong Kong Island for HKD3.20 and commute with everyone else but did not realize this at the time- typical tourist!! I got off at Central and boarded the double decker bus waiting there which took me to Garden Road and the Peak tram. This ride is an institution and great fun to be on. Once you get to the top it becomes scary. The building we arrived at had at least a million shops (give or take one or two) selling tourist gimmicks at inflated prices, an Asian version of Madame Toussauds, a few restaurants and if you make it to the top – a brilliant view. Unfortunately the clouds were quite low and the sights disappeared behind a wall of fog every so often. But I got a glimpse and was happy. Eventually I made my way back down and rejoined the cruise. It’s fun to watch what goes on in the harbour, it’s always busy. Once I got off I checked out he Avenue of stars, found the handprints of Jet Li & admired the statue of Bruce Lee. Hollywood, eat your heart out.

At his point I was starting to run out of energy and the lack of sleep the night before started to show. So I made my way back to the hotel, had a swim at the pool, chilled a little and then treated myself to the very lovely buffet. They had shark fin soup and a chocolate fountain. What else can a girl ask for? After the meal I got a glimpse of the laser show in the harbour but did not have the energy to go back into town. I had booked a full day tour for the next day (pick up at 8am) and with the 2-hour time difference from Australia I had only one choice – bed. I floated away into dream world on a super comfy bed, pure bliss.

The alarm went of at 6.30am the next morning and I started on a whirlwind day, which took me to Lantau Island by bus and ferry, a quaint fishing village with a huge selection of those dried products, which could be anything at all and are mostly fish related. After all, the saying goes that in Cantonese cuisine people eat everything with legs, unless it’s a chair. After that experience we made our way to the Po Lin Monastery and the giant Buddha dominating the landscape next to it. It’s the tallest, outdoor seated bronze Buddha in the world and quite impressive. Not as much as the financial savvy of the local monks, who are making a fortune by selling special allocations to worshippers, who hope for better luck in the next life. The vegetarian lunch was beautiful and I enjoyed a stroll through the monastery. It is always amazing to observe a different culture in action and I personally adore the Asian life style. Ngong Ping 360 is an amazing 5.7 km cable car journey traveling between Ngong Ping on Lantau Island and Tung Chung Town Centre (next to he international airport). It takes about 25 minutes and on a clear day you can see for miles. I wasn’t quite lucky enough for that but at least it did not rain the whole time I was in Hong Kong until I had to leave anyway.

I got back to the hotel around 5pm and pretty much left straight away with a mission in mind – shopping. After all, isn’t that what Hong Kong is supposed to be about?
To cut a long story short – I got defeated!! After walking around for hours and checking out the night markets 3 times I still ended up with nothing. Maybe I am not a true shopper at heart? I must work on that!! After a yummy dinner in some obscure little restaurant I went back to the hotel and set he alarm again for 5.30 the nest morning. My flight was leaving at 9am and I wanted to be at the airport at least 90 minutes prior to departure.

All went well! I got my free shuttle bus to the train station in Kowloon, where Cathay Pacific has a check in counter where I got rid of my bags in exchange for my boarding pass. Another smooth ride on the train to the airport and there it was - a coffee shop with real cappuccino. God, I enjoyed that cup of coffee.

My flight back seemed to take a lot longer. It always feels like that on daytime flights. I watched quite a few movies, read my book and even enjoyed my food this time around. The funny thing was that I was traveling in economy class and expected it to be a lot less comfortable. But it was all good. There in flight entertainment service is very extensive and the personal screens do make a difference. Of course there is less room compared to business class but the flight wasn’t very full and I could spread myself.

When we touched down for landing in Sydney it already started to feel like a far away dream. One thing is certain; I’ll be back to Hong Kong one day. I might even manage to cross the border into China. Now, wouldn’t that be fun??