three persons on a plane

Ho-omeward Bound
We rather rashly decided that we would stay in HK, wringing out the last vestiges of our holiday until the last minute. Our flight was not due out until 11.25pm so what to do for the last moments. I suspect the boys would have liked to spend the day in bed but of course that was not an option. We had our MRT passes and I was determined we would get our money’s worth. There were many options but No 10 on the hotel magazines best HK attractions list caught my fancy, a visit to the Golden Buddha. This trip would satisfy my desire to use the MRT to its fullest extent, give us an exhilarating 25 minute ride on a cable car and a bit of a cultural experience, what more could a tourist want?
On arrival at the underground station, disaster, I, of all people couldn’t find my Octopus card and was forced to buy another ticket, although this was only a matter of £1.50, oh the ignominy and the abuse rained down on me from my very smug travelling companions. Well the ride there was long enough to satisfy my miserly desire to get the most bang for my buck. The Ngong Ping 360 (cable car) was easy to find and tickets purchased (the few extra dollars for the glass bottomed version of the cabin was worth every penny, when we saw the look on Chris’s face when he got in!) My husband tried to put the guilt trip on me for bringing him on such a journey as old age seems to be bringing on vertigo in him, in my defence it was explained to him at the outset that this day trip did involve a cable car ride. Fortunately there were others in the car and I think the magnificence of the journey assuaged his fears.
On reaching the ‘village’ at the top we found somewhat to our disappointment that the whole thing was more of a theme park and not an ancient monastery, statue and village. HK was the only stop on our tour that I had not done extensive research on beforehand, thinking that I would do this in Oz but as most of our time had been filled with doing and sleeping, there just didn’t seem to be a minute for fact-finding. Oh well fail to prepare – prepare to fail. The size of the Buddha was impressive and after grabbing some snap and failing to entice the boys into any of the themed attractions or souvenir shops in the village, our early departure was rewarded by getting the cabin down to ourselves.
Back at the hotel we occupied our rooms until the last possible moment, 6pm (latest checkout available) and camped out in the lobby again, taking tea, for the last two hours before it was time to head out to the Airport. Hong Kong had been cheaper than we expected so we had some serious airport shopping to do.
Our previous flights had all been with Qantas and although they had been economy they had not prepared us for BA economy. I swear they had shaved off a few more millimetres of space in an already small seat area. The inflight entertainment was vastly inferior as you could not choose to watch what you watched when you wanted it, just what they were showing at the time and the food….. They did not dish out snack packs in case you got the nibbles in the night and no refreshing ice cream as you woke. The Three persons in a Plane had decided to go for it big time on the sleep aids so we took 2 at the outset and we all managed some sleep, some of us more than others so I might be maligning the BA service. By the time we were awake again the toilets were disgusting, sticky with wee on the floor so I had to squeeze my poor swollen feet into my shoes, I felt it my duty on exit to inform everyone else in the queue that they might also be advised to do the same!
Back on Terra Firma our adventure complete we managed to use excellent public transport to the end. We caught the first tube of the day on the Piccadilly line change to the Victoria line and emerge at Brixton Station bright and early for only £5 each. We slightly miscalculated when we thought we might get a taxi from the station back to Mary and Gareth’s. Who would have known that there was little call for taxi’s at Brixton station at 6.30 in the morning! The buses were running and as they were our only option and it was a fairly short journey to upper Tulse Hill we hopped on. I had taken the precaution of transferring English money back into my purse and thought I would have enough change I had well over a fiver, another miscalculation I am afraid. Although I had £20 notes it was change only and the change I had was short! Laurence tried to slip a Aussie $2 bit passed the bus driver but he was obviously more awake than we were and spotted it instantly. With four cases and various shopping bags – HK airport coming back to haunt us - the situation was feeling rather uncomfortable. We had enough for two fairs so I paid for the boys to head off on the bus leaving me to top up my oyster card at the station kiosk. How different the place felt, no baggage and nobody to organise and no crowds 6.30am in London was liberating. I slipped back into the station bought a coffee and a paper topped up the card and waited for the next bus. Walking down the road to Mary’s was another unexpected experience, traffic noise was minimal, the sun was shining, the birds were singing and the blossom was coming out on the trees. Yes we have had a great adventure but I am also happy to be back.

Monday
Having completed two long haul night flights, we all felt that sleeping did not appear to be an option for us, so before hopping the Perth - Hong Kong red eye we decided to see if we could find some pharmaceuticals to help us. The chemist in Perth seemed very helpful and after a bit of a quizzing about my other medication, pills were duly procured. Lorna approved the brand as she had had some experience with the same stuff. The recommended dose was 1-2 tabs, Lorna said that 1/3 of a tablet gave her 6 hours sleep, the chemist suggested trying one, then if that didn’t work take another; so many conflicting bits of advice. We decided to go with 1 and see what happened! Nothing, nix, nada, no sleep but we were only doing 7.45 hours flight this time, we couldn’t take any more so we arrived in HK in the same sleep deprived state that we had arrived in Singapore and Sydney. The journey from the airport was a piece of cake by now, even though we had to negotiate two changes on the MRT. Hotel achieved only to find room not available.
Tuesday
Having had the same experience in Sydney we knew that a wander around was probably not a good idea so we decided to head for the pool, it was pleasantly warm and the sun was breaking through the clouds. We got towels and lockers and made it to the poolside on top of the hotel, 21st floor and fantastic views of HK Island. Thinking we had scored one for the Holdricks we all slapped on the old sun screen and promptly fell asleep. Half an hour later the cloud/fog/smog blew in with an icy blast of wind. There we were in our swimmers, all creamed up and expecting a couple of hours of R&R thwarted yet again. We tried the pool which was refreshing and warmer than the poolside terrace but we couldn’t stay there for 2-3 hrs. A hot shower in the spa helped and we headed back down to the reception area lounge. By this time I was starting to feel very drowsy as though I was walking through treacle, everything ….. Seemed….. Very………. Far……..away …… I think the sleeping aids were kicking in, we tried to play cards to keep us awake but apparently this was frowned on in the lobby so we sat there like three zombies with one two or all of us nodding of at one time or another. What a sight we must have been! I can report that during the course of our three days here it seems that this is a fairly common occurrence so I don’t feel so bad about it now.
After some negotiation we finally got into our rooms which were large and comfortable and had a great view of HK Island. SLEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. Hunger woke us up in the evening but being too zonked to battle with serious food procurement we gave ourselves to the siren call of a local well known fast food emporium.
Wednesday
Morning and we awoke fresh as daisies hopped on the hotel bus to downtown HK. The first thing on the list was the Star Ferry, iconic it may have been but in Chris’s eyes still a boat and it was a bit choppy. Fortunately the trip was not long enough to do any serious damage to his equilibrium. The 15c bus took us to the next notch on our HK bed; the tram to the Peak. As the weather continued to be cloudy the views from the top could have been clearer but were still impressive. After some serious tat was bought in the mall below, we headed for the bus down. I think it can be said that this was the bus ride of our lives. The boys were sitting in the front seats on the top of a double decker (next to the nutter but thereby hangs another tale ‘there is always one but why do they always sit next to me’ Chris Holdrick). The driver was taking no prisoners and was definitely late for his Tea. I have ridden on some precarious Greek roads in coaches but never before on the top deck. We’re thinking of nominating Lewis Hamilton down in the driving cab for an award, and the boys were looking for a change of underwear. I sensibly sat one seat behind close enough to appreciate the fun but not so close that I might be reacquainted with my breakfast.
Once normality had been restored we had a wander round some of the old street vending stalls, fascinating but we couldn’t persuade L to eat there so we hopped onto the MTR and headed to the next thing on the HK list ….. The cheapest Michelin starred restaurant in the world ……..
Tim Ho Wan sure was an experience. Having built up our expectations I would like to report with gushing enthusiasm about our foray into true Chinese delicacies. Well it was like the Curates egg -good in parts. The BBQ pork buns were a treat, delicious in every way and the deep fried dumplings passed muster. I pride myself on having a fairly wide repertoire when it comes to food that I can enjoy but I could not cope with the chicken’s feet, although the black bean sauce that they were served in was tasty. The beef with rice and egg was passable once the fried egg was removed from the top (not my taste but Chris ate it and said it was ok) The chicken with mushroom came with one recognisable mushroom which I ate and can confirm it tasted like mushroom it was also accompanied by what looked like tripe although I assume it was some sort of fungus - gelatinous – and avoided after the first nibble. The (what they called vermicelli dishes) were edible but only tasted of soy sauce really, the steamed Prawn dumplings were good and the prawn and pork dumplings were also fine although I did find that a bit of an odd combination, again I put that down to my uneducated palate; when the ‘pudding’ came A jelly creation which I was given to believe contained elderflowers (one of my favourite flavours) I found it hugely disappointing, just cold and rather tasteless. There were a few other things that I would have liked to try - a rice dish that came wrapped in a leaf, the steamed vegetable dish and a cake dish that I could not see on the menu (not sure if it was in the ‘pudding’ section but people around us seemed to be eating it with the savoury stuff). There was a bit of a theme running through the meat - fatty and sinewy. All in all it was an experience we will never repeat, if it hadn’t been for all the hype we would never have set foot in what was obviously a totally authentic local eating establishment and for that reason alone I am glad we went. The area around the place was equally surprising with shop windows full of guns and lively markets going on; a small piece of authenticity in a sea of intercontinental hotels and shopping centres.
We returned to the hotel with an hour to spare before it was time to head out to the avenue of stars, to watch the symphony of lights and music which occurs every evening at 8pm. The light show can be seen from all over the waterfront but it is only at the avenue of stars where you get the true theatre of the spectacle, with commentary and music. There was a crowd down there when we arrived and secured our place not quite knowing what to expect. There were boatloads of people on the water in ferries adorned with lights for the occasion. The buildings lit up and the lasers flashed, the whole event was close but no cigar; it was definitely worth the effort of getting down there but…. Am I just being picky? It could have been better….. Ooh I’m just never satisfied! All I wanted was a few more colours in the Lasers green is just so samey, they could surely have managed a few more! A red and a blue would have done it for me and maybe octarine (just for you Chess) that would have made it truly spectacular.

Sunday
Today we breakfasted in the park next to the Swan River. We saw a jellyfish in the river and happily sat and watched the boats cruise up and down. Dave with a little help from his friends cooked sausages, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms and eggs on a municipal BBQ (I can tell you a barbecued egg is a sight for saw eyes. If I divulged the secret of the Aussie BBQ egg I’m afraid I would have to kill you). We had the added bonus of meeting some real Aussies –Maureen and Jack, Terry, Tracey and Pat. Maureen cooked plumb cake and Jack excelled himself with what the company called ships biscuits, a favourite with Laurence dipped into Davo’s famous milky coffee and the birds were showing more than a passing interest in the crumbs. The Aussie contingent were very entertaining and a good time was had by all. Breakfast concluded around 3pm then we had a wander round the CBD. A great day to see the centre sights as the cars and crowds were minimal. When we got home we spent the rest of the evening chewin’ the fat. The boys even managed to get a little rugby in.

Monday
Today is our day of departure although we don’t leave until 10.10pm. We have had a daytime walk around Kings Park and done the boardwalk a little token to make up for the fact that we did not make it down to Walpole, where there is a magnificent treetop walk. That will be the first thing on the next Western Australia list. For now as I have caught up with the blogging it’s a bit of R&R and some serious packing and tomorrow Hong Kong.

Friday 18/03/2011
De-camping from our little home from home was obligatory by 10am so we were up early, breakfasted, ship shape, and Bristol fashion and out of the door by 9am ish. Once the luggage was loaded and we were shoehorned into the little car we were set for another longish trek back to Perth. Not five minutes down the road what should we spy but black swans. They were on my list of must see things in WA so Graham slammed on the breaks and we all piled out of the little car for this photo opportunity, we even managed a pelican and a heron on this stretch of water by the Dunsborough golf course – a bit of a Brucie bonus.
As I remember our journeys by pit stops I am compelled to mention a rather nasty garage stop at …….. Can’t even remember the places name it was so traumatising, petrol was bought Laurence felt compelled to eat a burger and chips because it was there and as a consequence we were plagued with flies as the rest of us sipped a cold drink. We happily reacquainted ourselves with the car this time eager to journey away from the place.
Next stop Rockingham and a View of Penguin island. If I hadn’t been feeling so knackered I would have been tempted to risk life and limb and walk/paddle/swim the sandbar over to the island but our hectic schedule had taken its toll and this time discretion was the better part of valour so I had to pass, on the chance.
Industrial landscapes are Graham’s thing and he found us a doozie between Rockingham and Freo we also spotted a gun turret and guns, looking out over the sea and the conning tower of a small submarine. Joy.
Fremantle afforded us the opportunity of buying Laurence a fair dinkum Aussie hat made of kangaroo, which he had spotted on our previous visit, but had not felt quite ready to purchase. That accomplished we headed off to Cottesloe Boatshed, an impressive foodie shop with everything you could wish for on the food front and more.
We decamped back at the long suffering Lorna and Dave’s to rest up for our evening out. The Wing Bo turned out to be a rather superior BYO Chinese restaurant that L & D had up their sleeve. They managed to serve their crispy duck in yet another interesting but different way to the UK. Vive la Difference! The rest of the grub was not bad either. 
Back at the ranch we felt compelled to open a few bottles of fizz sitting outside in the dark and warmth is still a novelty.

Saturday 19/03/2011
The only thing left on my Aussie animals list was Koalas, I was not feeling hopeful of fulfilment of this wish as I had been informed they were usually an east coast thing. Di was not letting this go and resolved to drive with us to a place north of Perth where there be Koalas. Yanchep National Park here we come. Koalas check. We saw lots of sleeping Koalas high in the trees and low in the trees curled up in the trees and hugging the trees then, as we rounded the last corner, we found an eating, awake, cuddly and very photogenic - happy Koala, who was not at all camera shy in fact if I didn’t know better I would have sworn Di had slipped him a few bucks just to pose for her. Experience under the belt we went in search of some cooling refreshment. The ice cream selection was extensive and I saw one that was multi-coloured but had no name tag. ‘Ooh’ said I to the rather bored teenager behind the counter ‘what is that one’ ‘Rainbow’ came the curt reply. I was rather disappointed to find that Rainbows taste of vanilla, having being expecting a cornucopia of fruit flavours, ahh well we live and learn at least it was cold, no mistake there! We drove back to Perth after a quick peep at the coast, if I hadn’t only had Koalas on my mind, I might have remembered to put my cossie in as Yanchep by the sea looked like a very acceptable place for a dip. Too many people about for skinny dipping, although Lorna would have been proud of me, she has been trying to get me to try the old Aussie tradition of skinny dipping – Pommes first – at every water based opportunity.
The evening was spent relaxing in the warm outside howling at the moon, well it was full and the closest it had been to the earth in 20 years. Di got a fab picture, though when we checked the Guardian website the next day we found was upside down, not wrong just different! Dave threw a prawn on the Barbie just for me (it was on the list and time is running out) along with some Kangaroo steak the Aussie food list is now complete. A few more glasses of fizzy grape and so to bed.
By the way Happy Birthday Mary xx   

17th St Paddys day
Yes folks its St Paddy’s day today and I am on the lookout for green beer, I have it on the best authority that this phenomenon happens on the east coast of this country/continent, whether I can find it in this sleepy Dunsborough area is another matter; today it is my quest.
Busselton Jetty is our first stop on this glorious sunny day (being British I am indoctrinated from an early age to mention these environmental occurrences and I am aware I have been somewhat lacking in this area). Wow, I love it, this place has a real seaside feel to it and it has the most fantastic pier 1.8k long, the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. Even better it has a little train to ride out to the UVO a little known mnemonic which we discovered refers is the Underground Viewing Observatory. This Jetty has recently been renovated after years of adverse weather conditions which left it in a state of disrepair. The Observatory is a new addition which provides one with a spectacular opportunity to see 8 meters under the water. There is a 50m exclusion zone for fishermen, swimmers and boats and the fish and underwater creatures seem to be using this to their best advantage. The water is absolutely teeming with all things aquatic. We were booked on the 10am tour and were entertained by a lovely young tour guide. The boys were particularly impressed.
On the return journey we decided to dispense with the services of Puffing Billy and wandered at our own pace back down the boardwalk (that is now made out of concrete), towards the middle we came across some plaques dedicated to the memory of frequent users of the jetty, some poignant tributes. Once back on terra firma a refreshing drink was the order of the day.
After some discussion over our next move it was decided the Eagle Heritage centre would be our number 2 port of call. We would have to make some nifty moves to get to the falcon flying; we arrived 10 minutes into the display but saw enough of the beautiful birds to get a sense of their magnificence. This centre took in all the local waifs and strays of the raptor world and obviously did some good work; still it was difficult to see how keeping quite a few of them caged up could be squared up with their wild and free image. Each bird seemed to have a story but it did not stop us feeling they would be better off in the blue yonder.
After yesterday’s disappointing showing of the vineyard front we made some enquiries about the local winery across the road, Xanadu. We were reassured it was worth a look and also the local suggested the Berry Farm, a local fruit grower who turned his produce into wine, jams and pickles; as Xanadu was so close it seemed rude not to give it a whorl so off we went. Although the entrance was just opposite the Bird place we seemed to drive miles down the drive and once again we were sadly disappointed with their wares when we got to them. Obviously some more serious research was needed.
Our last chance for the day was to be the Berry Farm. What was described to us as just down the road turned out to be 13k into the interior but we were tenacious and finally found the place. As reported they did have some mighty fine jams and pickles and a variety of fruit wines to taste. I ordered some Strawberry Champagne, I sniffed it, I swirled it, I sucked in air and I have to report I swallowed. I tasted the two kilos of strawberries that went into every bottle but I was still not tempted to make a purchase. When I looked round for the rest of the gang I found they had been completely distracted from our wine mission by the subtle siren call of the ubiquitous lesser spotted cream tea. If there was one thing that this place got right it was its tea and stickys. Chris displayed his bird wrangling skills and managed to call three little birds to his hand. We were also treated to a breath-taking display of cheek by some fairy wrens; all in all an enjoyable interlude.
Our last port of call for the day was Yallingup beach for a well-earned swim but by the time we got there the boys was completely experienced out and took a nap on the beach whilst Di and I indulged in my favourite thing to do on a beach, - swim.
Evening was creeping up on us so home shower and out to find some grub was next on the agenda. When we got into Dunsborough centre there was some music playing creating an inviting atmosphere. It was decided that a take-away would be a good idea, we would sit and soak up some of the vibe. Different people wanted different things but there was enough choice round the square so we set off in different directions. By the time we had all settled down again together the curse of eight o’clock struck everything wrapped up and our only choice was the pub again.
I had quite forgotten my quest for the day but when we made it to the bar I felt the first stirrings of hope, the bar man had green hair, a definite step in the right St Patricks night direction. When asked what I would like to drink Lemon was my swift reply, unless I said, rather flippantly, you can come up with some green beer. Well you could have knocked me down with a feather when out came the boys with Guinness for them and green beer!! for me. So there you go Pat I hope you were out celebrating too.