Thursday 9th September. Hong Kong, The Peak & Stanley Market

After travelling in the bus with Rich to the Plaza, I met Cherril for our big day out. Just for fun, we used a city tram before catching the bus to The Peak tram. Onward and upward on that amazing gradient to the top from where Kowloon was somewhat smudged out in the fog / smog. Luxurious velvet lounge chairs in the window of the cafe with our legs up on matching footstools seemed a rather good way to prepare for our walk after a couple of hours already traipsing in the heat.




A little shopping was also necessary before we walked, umbrellas up, half way around the circuit along the lovely jungle pathway. Back at the peak centre, we checked out a round doorway to the lookout and had our photos taken with a rickshaw.





Finally, back into Hong Kong Central and the Lippo building for some air con relief, before boarding a double decker bus to Stanley Market. Just what a girl needs! The scenic drive took us around above Happy Valley Racecourse and past incredible buildings - one with a gap in the middle so large, the building looked like a frame around it, a light plane could be flown through it.
Arriving at Stanley, we used some huge escalators to descend to the market area and, after lunch at a patisserie, we were all fueled up for some serious market work - Cherril had a few particular stalls to visit and I happily browsed along with her - shopping too of course.

Our trip back to HK was in the front of the top of the bus so I could really appreciate the narrow, winding route with just enough room to pass - I felt the need to breathe in just to allow a little more room when vehicles came in the other dirtection. The bus took us past several beaches and panoramic views and on arrival in the city, we continued following different paths - through some lanes markets in central, then the welcoming air con of the ICT mall on our way to the ferry.




I did enjoy telling the boys about my day as they were quietening down for sleep.

Wednesday 7th September :- Macau

An early start had me ready to leave with Rich, we caught the bus to the ferry terminal where I met Cherril with her daughter-in-law Liz and 3 year old Ben who were on their daily trip to the mid levels in Hong Kong where Ben attends school. Cherril and I walked from the Discovery Bay ferry to the Macau ferry nearby and enjoyed the hour long turbojet trip in the bright red ferry - they go faster!!!

It was a very hot day and we had some stops for drinks and maps.

The Portuguese buildings reminded me of Wedgewood ceramics in the pastel colours with white trimmings.

Fortunately, we found a very comfortable cafe (Angela's) to gain respite from the intense heat and humidity, where the Australian chef had very little to do. He seemed very keen to direct us in great detail to the museum and the old fort above the city. "Follow the yellow brick road!"

The directions were very useful and we were fascinated by the sights as the roads and lanes took us up towards the excellent museum with its very good historical and cultural displays.
The St Paul's ruins near the top were very busy and we rested in the shade below the intricately designed gardens in front of the ancient edifice.

The museum itself is an elegant old white building on top of the hill and surrounded by shady trees. The walls of the fort are studded with cannons and the sights of the surrounding city with its many casinos and the port are visible for 360 degrees.

We were very pleased to find that apparently Tony Abbott has been a popular visitor to Macau.

Making Plans at Discovery Bay

From the pool at the Siena Club the view across to Hong Kong Central is pretty hazy, but you can just make out the 2 tallest buildings - one on Kowloon where Rich works and one at HK Central. Looking closer, towards Disneyworld, a barge is depositing clean fill to enlarge the area of the new Piaza shopping area which is walking distance from the apartment. Across one of the swimming pools, there is a good view of the curved roof of the big school at Siena - unfortunately, the waiting list is so long, no more names can be added.

Cherril arrived from Melbourne on an early plane and after dropping her luggage at her son's home, she walked to the Plaza to meet me for lunch. We planned three days' activities - Macau on Wednesday (must take the passport); Hong Kong on Thursday - The Peak and Stanley Market; Tung Chung and the cable car to the Big Buddha and the monastery on Friday.

Monday 6th How to fill a day

After walking Jack to his school bus, Donna and I went to the DB Club pool at The Plaza for a swim because the Siena Club pool was closed for the morning. After breakfast Donna, Charlie & I walked to the supermarket at the new, nearby centre called The Piaza (of course). Having chosen food for me to cook tonight, we separated and I took a bus to Tung Chung, the high rise town we went through on our Tai O trip. I had heard of a factory outlet shopping mall there and planned to buy t-shirts. I was home for lunch feeling pleased with myself for my solo venture.

After dinner that evening, Donna, Rich and I went up onto their roof terrace - I was amazed at the view across to Hong Kong harbour and its tall buildings - including where Rich works.

Tung Chung

Discovery Bay

Discovery Bay is on the East side of Lantau Island, looking across the water past Disney World towards Hong Kong Centre. The ferry from HK Centre births at The Plaza next to a large bus terminal and The Plaza itself has a large outdoor courtyard area surrounded by shops and restaurants; a very popular place.

Looking from the beach at Discovery Bay towards Hong Kong.

The Plaza

On Sunday afternoon, after our trip to Tai O, Donna and I went to the Plaza for some messages and instead of taking the bus home, we walked - a pretty walk behind the beach (where guys were playing rugby!!!) but generally too hard to do in the heat.

Sunday 5th Tai O - Fishing village on stilts

Because Rich was unwell, Donna and I took the boys on a wonderful excursion to a fishing village that she was keen to see. We took a bus to Tung Chung, a large centre that I would see several times during my Hong Kong visit. From there a reversed crescent shaped trip through the mountains to the other side of Lantau island and south along the coast, finally curving back to our destination. We found a little tourist boat which we shared with one other family and we were taken along some of the canals of t he stilt village then out through the heads where we were amazed to see Chinese white dolphins playing.

We walked through the fish market, a fascinating place, then we found the ferry terminal to return to Tung Chung by water. The coastal views were beautiful and I took many photos. What a big morning - we arrived home for lunch, tired and hot.

3rd September Overnight Flight to Hong Kong

Waiting at the DB bus stop was entertaining.

Anna kindly drove me to the airport and after a turbulent trip and little sleep, I was also grateful for Cherril's clear directions to the ATM, octopus travel card and the Discovery Bay bus stop! Donna and Jack met me at the Plaza at DB and we caught the bus to Siena 1 and home where Charlie waited with Gemma, the home help. The boys had a play date so I slept in peace for the morning after a shower and half an hour with my legs up the wall - they were pretty puffy after the flight and the bruising from my fall at Berwick pottery last week. My first visit to The Plaza for shopping and collecting Charlie from his afternoon kinder was accompanied by heavy rain, who cares ... it's warm! A G&T celebrated the end of a big day and the delightful prospect of the week ahead in this beautiful location.

The fairyland view from my bedroom window.

The fairyland view from my bedroom window.

Next trip planned - China here I come

On Thursday I leave for Hong Kong to stay with my nephew Rich and his lovely wife Donna and 2 boys, Jack and Charlie. After 9 days there, spending time also sightseeing with my friend Cherril who will be there at the same time, I will fly on to Beijing to visit another friend, Alison.
How cheeky I am going away again so soon, however, while Bek and Mick are here to look after Byron, I decided to take the opportunity while I can. Bek and Mick are looking forward to moving into a home of their own at the end of the month, giving them time to settle in before their baby arrives at the end of November.
...and so the adventures continue. Hooray!

Dogs have adventures too

I took Byron with me to stay at Merricks with Michele and
Andy and I introduced him to water at the beach. For a pooch
that is otherwise terrified of water, he had a great time, chasing
the ball along the hard sand and into the water, led most of the
time by little Luna - the much older Jack Russell / dachsund. Byron played with the small waves just like a child and on one occasion raced full tilt into the water thinking that would be the direction of the ball. Wrong! He was immediately out of his depth, but that did not worry him, although he did make a very quick escape. What fun he had. At least now I should be able to coax him into the little shell paddle pool that I bought for his summer baths. Up to now, he wouldn't even step into 5 cm water to retrieve his much loved ball!

22nd May- A Final Fling in France

Our room at the Hotel Med was certainly interesting; it opened onto the street, but the windows, shutters and curtains blocked off most of the external night noises. The internal noises were something else and in the morning, more entertaining than we had expected.

Since our plane did not leave until the afternoon, we checked our luggage and walked to the old city and the busy port. The sun was shining as we passed through the Saturday book market and another popular fruit and veg market, both set up in plazas under umbrellas - very nice. Many photos later, a paddle in the Mediterranean Sea was a most pleasing final touch to our trip. The Airport bus carried us and many others along the front Promenade to the airport and after checking our luggage in to Emirates we had a most relaxed luncheon - duo salmon salad with a glass of rose.

Having taxied to the take off runway, one passenger became very agitated and we returned to the terminal to offload her and her luggage - this took some time, but we had bought a book each and I had my cards; just another traveller's tale!

20th May By Train to Nice!

In the fast train to Nice, we were pleased to find our seats were upstairs facing backwards - in fast trains your eyes get really tired watching things whizzing past. We passed through Marseilles and stopped at Toulon and Cannes. After St Raphael, the trip was along the coast with some beautiful views of rocky coast, sparkling water in pretty bays and lots of water craft.
We pulled our cases to the Berlioz Hotel, not too far from the station in Nice, only to be told we would be moved to a different hotel the next day, due to painting works.
Not wanting to waste a moment, we walked around town in the early afternoon then took a little tourist train on a sightseeing tour - the commentary was good and it gave us an opportunity to choose where we would like to go later.
21st May
After a complimentary breakfast, our hotel host drove us to the Hotel Med, just one block from La Promenade Anglaise and the beautiful, though stony, beach. After storing our luggage until the room became available, we went off to find a local bus to Eze, a village in the hills where there is a perfume factory and a famous garden "Le Jardin Exotique".
The road climbed up the steep hills after the port and we proceeded towards Monaco. The spectacular views were just as we had seen in photos - incredible mansions, chateaux and huge yachts.
At Eze we followed others towards a winding hill path on the sea side of the road and we continued up towards the medieval village of Eze. It was built then fortified at the top of a rocky mount overlooking the sea and the coast in both directions. The "Jardin" was at the very top, surrounding what's left of fortress ruins; it is unexpectedly, a huge collection of succulents and cacti. As we climbed through the village, every twisting lane and stairway was another photo; there were campanula growing from the rocky walls, huge urns by doorways, heavy timber and iron doors surrounded by flush stonework and staircases of rock polished by centuries of wear.

19th May Glorious Avignon

There are several self guided walks around Avignon and we chose one that would lead us through different quarters of the town through narrow, winding, cobbled streets lined with tall buildings (3-5 storeys) and many tiny "places" where maybe 5 streets meet at very sharp angles.

We were particularly interested in the street that follows a canal for about 1 km - it was the place where fabrics were dyed in the early days of Avignon. It used to be outside the city walls (very smelly occupation), but later the city walls were moved to take in the area. There had been 14 waterwheels along this strech of canal and we saw 4 still rolling with the fast moving water.

In the afternoon, we visited the Musee de Petit Palace, situated on the grand 'place' at the side of the Palais des Papes. I was astounded by the beautiful art works from 1300 - 1500 - religious paintings, icons etc. Only one room showed architectural features from the times - bosses and fine scultures of saints, The other 15 rooms all held paintings, even a few frescoes lent by The Louvre.

18th May - Day trip to Arles - a Van Gogh experience

Our coach delivered us from the train station at Avignon to a circular lawn with big shade trees, Place Lamartine, outside the the old city walls of Arles, the gateway is guarded by 2 circular pillars that have the great spaces where the draw bridge was attached. The street ahead of us was narrow and lined with cafes, bars and nice souvenir shops, many with fabric articles - tableware etc. The Roman amphitheatre is in the centre of the town and, as in Nimes, is now used for bull fighting!

Our self guided walk to places where Van Gogh painted, took us past many interesting places, so we really saw much of Arles. At each stop there was a good sized pedestal set where Van Gogh must have stood his easel and a copy of the particular painting was on each one. Fantastic. Lunch was yummy provencal pork at an outdoor restaurant under shady plane trees in the Place de Forum, where Van Gogh painted Cafe Terrace at Night. We loved Arles as a place to visit - it had a good atmosphere.

We saw other Roman ruins, Renaissance and classical architecture, lots of lovely curving, narrow streets with high houses protected by coloured shutters.

That evening, back in Avignon, Irene suggested we should take advantage of the terrace outside our 5th floor room, so, the French doors not yielding to our key, I handed 2 chairs out through the window and we sat out in style - our access being through a door down the hall!

At about 9pm, as it was becoming dark, we went out to see the beautifully lit Pont d'Avignon.

17t May The Charm of Avignon; Nimes, Uzes & Pont du Gard

On our first day in Avignon, Monday, we visited the Palace des Papes, a most photogenic structure with towers, turrets and spires, twisting staircases right up to the ramparts, fascinating halls, chapels, tiles, tapestries and remnants of ancient frescoes.
Wandering around nearby streets to the Pont d'Avignon we sang the old ditty "Sur le pont, d'Avignon..." then ate lunch in the Place d'Horloge, the tourist area of a hundred umbrellas right outside our hotel door.

At 2:30 we were met by our tour leader for an excursion to Nimes, Uzes and Pont du Gard (Irene's dream destination). The Mercedes vehicle held 8 passengers, 4 English, 2 New Zealanders and us, very good.
Our first stop in Nimes was at an ancient Roman hall, beautifully lazer cleaned for the film Gladiator, then on to the Roman arena which was, along with the whole city, being prepared for a bull fighting festival the following weekend! Built in the 1st Century, it is an amazing feat of engineering; I felt the atmosphere of the place so I was pleased I could focus on the engineering rather than its use!

Uzes is a beautiful medieval town with clean, cobbled, twisting, narrow, hilly streets opening on to a big, flat, open square shaded by huge plane trees and cooled by the presence of a fountain. Many houses were 4-5 storey with shutters closed, waiting for their Parisian owners to return for holidays.

Finally to Pont du Gard, the aquaduct carrying water from the spring at Uzes, 50 km to Nimes. Irene was ecstatic to walk across it and she made the most of every moment there.

16th May Farewell Ferme de Tayac - Best B&B

A short walk to the station and our single diesel carriage train arrived for the pretty trip through forests interspersed with agricultural strips and stopping at eight towns on the way to Agen on the main route from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean Sea. We found a window seat each so we both had unrestricted views. I can't help myself, lovely scallops for lunch in the buffet de gare with a glass of Bergerac red, what a life! Then a big train to Narbonne through Toulouse and Carcassonne. On this leg of our journey we had our first and only sight of the snowy Pyrenees.
Once again we were unimpressed by the steps required to negotiate the platforms at French stations, ramps are rare and lifts or escalators pretty well unheard of!
The train to Avignon was a smart new machine with 9 stops before the terminus and we again were able to choose window seats opposite each other - the very best way to travel through new country, rubbernecking out of each other's window as well as our own!
We pulled our cases through the walled city of Avignon to our hotel right in the middle of the outdoor restaurant area, fantastic. I had selected it for its central position and because it was in sight (standing on tiptoe at our window) of the Palace des Papes, a beautiful ancient palace used when the Popes moved out of Rome for a century or two.

15th May Last day in Les Eyzies

The Prehistory Museum under the cliffs in town has a combination of ancient and modern buildings with an interactive exhibition of paleontology incorporating archeological samples, art and detailed history of the Perigord area. After some enthralling hours there, we walked over the bridge and watched kayakers enjoying the river; I had hoped to do the same, but we ran out of time.

Later in the afternoon, since it was light until 9 pm, we chose a marked walk up the Vezere to find seven lookouts from medieval times. These 'towers' were actually natural clifftop points from where visiting or attacking craft could be seen for miles and the settlements along the river could be warned by messages from tower to tower. There was actually an ancient, cobbled and walled road through the forest to the few lookouts we had time to find and I imagined the necessary traffic from early days, laden carts, people travelling to markets and from village to village, another contrasting environment and a very evocative place to find near our lovely base at Ferme de Tayac.

Along the way I found 3 tiny white orchid plants of 2 different types, so I photgraphed them for my friend Anne near Melbourne who has been excited to find many species on their land at Grantville.

Chatting with our hosts at the b&b, Mike suggested a different restaurant, the Auberge de Musee, where we again enjoyed a delicious meal, a fitting conclusion to our experiences in Les Eyzies de Tayac.