Hong kong the final leg.

After a pleasant Swiss business class trip from Rome to Hong Kong. We arrived to what we found was typical Chinese organization. Our airport transfer indicated we should look for a man "in yellow". And there he was, he looked like a canary. He then ushered us to a corner and demanded we sit in the blue chairs. He then stuck a sticker on each of us and announced we would be picked up by an orange man. Dutifully, the orange man arrived and barked at us to "get in a circle and walk"! He did a great impression of a red cattle dog, making sure not to lose any of us. Sure enough, we ended up on a green bus!

Anyway, very efficiently we arrived at disney's Hollywood hotel on Lantau island....and were immediatley ordered to join the left queue for "check in", not the right queue for "catching bus" or the other queue for airport tranfers, or the other queue for inquiries, or the other queue to retrieve luggage etc etc.

There we were for a 3 day stint before the final journey home to the cold weather.

 

Upon wandering around the resort and listening to the excited screams of approx a thousand people under the age is twelve, we head for our room for a rest then bail, and find our way into the city for dinner and a walk around the Temple Street night market.

Hong kong is a bustling city that appears to never rest. The night market is similar to poppies lane in Bali, even some of the same merchandise. It is a vibrant noisy place to be and the restaurants have fabulous food.

Note to self, find recipe for clay pot with beef and egg!

On the first full day we did the big bus tour, all around the major highlights. Then followed this up with the night tour as well. Hong Kong is a really pretty place!

 

A sampan cruise

The front of the jumbo floating restaurant. A famous institution in hong kong. You get picked up and returned by sampan.

The back of the same restaurant.

The queue to go on the peak tram, we gave this a miss.

 

The trains were really good, spotlessly clean and regular.

 

Snails, wow! And they eat them.

 

On Sunday we ventured out to the races at Shatin. The grand stands and public areas are enormous. But nowhere as big as the Members facilities. Took the train, well 5 of them actually, but it wasn't as bad as it sounds. The public transport system is very efficient. Along with approx 40,000 others we watched a program of eleven races in a place so huge! The inside of the stands is like being inside the mcg. The atmosphere here is like no other race track we'd ever been to, it was non existent! Seriously it was like spending the day in a really big tab, no I take that back, at least there is some color at the tab. The punters here come along alone, not in groups like we know. No one gets dressed up at all. No color, no fancy dresses, no laughter-nothing. They are all very serious and don't even have a drink. So sad......Sadder, we could not back a winner to save ourselves.

 

We saw a horse drop dead in the gate, yes I had backed it, this held the card up by 15 mins but then they were straight back into it, very efficient. I wonder what was on the menu at the grandstand restaurant today?

 

The divet replacers were all women.

It is monsoon season so the rain came and went on a regular timetable just like the trains. When the rain arrives, it buckets down.

The winning post....for one of the TWO tracks they use during the day. They have a dirt and a grass track and use them alternatively for races all day.

The indoor parade ring.

The Mickey mouse trains!

Our last day was spent by the pool at the resort, we lucked out and got a day when the monsoon did not make an appearance. Sunshine and beautiful.

 

Our trip I think has been a successful one. We have had a ball. We are already planning, well thinking anyway, of the next European destinations...we will however, keep you all informed.

Greg and i hope you have enjoyed the blog over the past eight weeks and to you our faithful readers we say thank you, for your messages and support, we hope to see everyone really soon some can bore you with more photos and the many stories that through lack of time or pure exhaustion prevented us publishing.

Love to all, and to all a good night........

Cath and Greg xoxo

 

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Arrivedirrci Roma

Well, we left Villa Rota in the throws of their wedding preparations, thought they would be changing the tablecloths but we thought wrong, these people are really quite strange in some of the things they do that they find acceptable and the things that are intolerable. But I am sure the place will look amazing.

 

 

I really think they enjoyed having us there over the last couple of days. Perhaps it gave them a chance to show the place off to someone new, or perhaps it just gave them something to do? Anyway, they went out of their way to do everything and anything for us. I think we made some new friends. Alfonzo, Mina and Raffaele all said their good byes and Raffaele presented us with his family's own lemoncello (much better then the stuff the Villa stocks - so he tells us!

The drive to Rome was unevenvtful and much to my surprise we got here quite easily. Although, no one can tell me the italians drive better then in Australia. Trucks will drive on the centre line of two lanes, drivers will stay to the left lane (remember, they should stick to the right over here) simply because they dont want to move over to allow merging traffic, no matter how far off that event may be! They will see a situation arising and actually speed up to cut you off. Then they take pleasure in blasting the other driver. And some simply cannot drive!

We had ample time and took a leisurely drive to the airport, found the hire car place and dropped off the car. And they couldnt spot the new scratches and dents in amongst all the old scratches and dents! So, all good.

 

I am, not sure about Gregory, ssooooo over rudeness! I'm not talking about the people you meet in your accommodation or most of those in the service industry, it's pretty much other tourists and by other tourists, I mean, Germans, Italians, Spanish, English, American and dare I say Australians. Americans are by far the loudest although some we have met are very conscious of their reputation, and try to be more understated. Depending on where you are I.e what country, the English tourists can be quite obnoxious. The Dutch like their German counterparts are by far the most arrogant and demanding. The holidaying italians are just downright rude but we are in their country, so se la vie. The rudest tourists are by far the germans. They feel it is their god given right to be rude, demanding, loud, obnoxious and arrogant. Some Australians need to have a good look at themselves, not great ambassadors for our beautiful country.

 

Ok off the soapbox now, I know we still have Hong Kong to go, but our European trip has been wonderful.

Greg has been a most entertaining and amicable travel companion. We are still married for the time being and other than his trying to dispose of at least one of my legs in istanbul ( I look at this as a form of forced weight loss), we have not had any arguments, a couple of uncomfortable silences, but on the most part that's about it. I suppose after 29 years of marriage we get one another most of the time.

Throughout Italy, Croatia, Greece, Malta and Turkey religious themes abound. Clearly all these countries are very passionate about their beliefs. From the magnificent blue mosque, to the largest bascilllica in the world - St Peters in Rome we have seen some wonderful expressions of different faiths. None however compare to this one below,

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Pompeii a city ruined

We left Positano for the short drive to Pompeii, around a spectacular coast on better or at least wider road than on the way in from Salerno. The drive was beautiful and then we came into Pompeii. Dirty, seedy and no soul, surely Vesuvius could not have done all this.

 

We drove around and around looking for ancient Pompeii, a sign pointing us in the right direction would be helpful. Then we changed tack and started looking for some accommodation, although the books we'd read said not to bother staying here.

We literally stumbled upon villa rota, and what a pleasant surprise, this is a paradise in the middle of a sewer.

 

But still we don't get this place......it is used for weddings and conferences. Clearly, it's on 6 hectares of immaculately groomed grounds, the buildings are in an ancient pompeii theme, our room has an enormous jacuzzi in the middle of it, clearly set up for romantic interludes. Canopied tables adorn the grounds and tables clothed in cream and orange make the setting idyllic for a wedding. Sensational! But, you knew it was coming didn't you. In this place that is so hot and dry they put the sprinklers on over night, all night, so we find ourselves sitting at a rather damp table eating a breakfast of freshly brewed black tea, fresh coffee and just this minute out of the oven croissants. Oh and meringues (wtf). On six hectares, we are the only two here? ...... Apart from the six gardeners, the receptionist, a butler and 3 chefs?

 

 

So we climbed mount Vesuvius, easy as....... That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Fantastic view from up there and quite an experience. Photo 4 above has Vesuvius in the background, now 1300m then 3000 m.

Yes we got taken some of the way by bus/truck we still had a 30 min climb on foot pretty much straight up.

 

Last night we were served dinner outside on a beautifully laid table next to a pond. A dinner of antipasti, carpaccio of pork, ravioli, fish and beef, dessert of fruit and chocolate and not chocolate mousse. Prosecco and red wine and the obligatory lemoncello. Water? With or without gas? Red wine? With or without gas?

 

 

 

After a mixed nights sleep, all windows and doors open so the mozzies came to visit, we had breakfast as discussed earlier, you know the one with the meringues. We set off on our second attempt at seeing ancient Pompeii. We were successful in locating the right spot this time. ( Greg actually asked for directions)

After a full mornings viewing of things so much older than us, we had lunch while listening to the 3rd state of origin game on 2gb. Then attempted to get back. Stupidly, Greg asked for directions again, unfortunately he was not specific enough. We ended up at the top of the other peak of mount Vesuvius, and had to find our way back to our paradise through the shithole of new Pompeii.

A sun dial

A pedestrian crossing.

Our very funny guide.

A real body encased in plaster.

The famous sitting man holding his nose to protect himself from the sulphurous gas.

The bread oven, that still had bread in it when excavated.

the half man half goat, you cannot fulfill life unless you are on the vino or having sex...or both?

Look closely

 

After the mozzie episode of the previous night and the obvious language barrier, we decided to take things into our own hands and buy some bug spray. We found a little corner store and proceeded to purchase some beers, water and some bug spray. Well, we got the beer and water ok, but trying to find, then explain insect spray or,repellant. They wanted to sell us body moisturizer and deodorant. How do these things equate to us making buzz buzz sounds and hand signals that to us were obviously mosquitoes.? We finally got across mozzie spray only reverting to calling it aerogard, once. However, once back in the car, we discovered it was a bug bomb not spray, so back to the shop I go. Trying to explain that we bought the wrong one and could I change it was a challenge in itself? They looked at the price of the bomb and the price of the correct can of spray and finally agreed. I received some change and went to put the second can back, I got yelled at non, non! In broken English they told me I must take 2. Ok, looking a bit bewildered I returned to the car only to see Greg, in stitches when he saw 2 cans in my hand.

 

 

We came "home" to our paradise for another jacuzzi then dinner out in the garden at our special table.

Found this in our foyer Donna, Beam me up.......

 

Tonight's menu consisted of moneybags filled with ricotta, mushrooms and ham. A BBQ marinated beef. A bottle of prosecco and another bottle of red. Lemoncello, espresso and a sambucca type(not for Greg) liqueur.mwe did ask for only 2 courses.

 

So tomorrow we are off to Rome's fumicino airport for the first leg of the trip home. Sei la ve. (sic)

 

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