Arrival in Hong Kong is mad - the airport is huge, extremely well organised and so quiet. I practically float off my plane and on to a bus which drops me straight in to the city centre. The initial trip into the city surprises me - there are lots of hill and green pastures!

In 1997, HK became a Special Administrative Region of China when its sovereignty was handed back to China by the UK. HK now operates a 'one country, two systems' rule which differentiates it from mainland China. While it does have what I imagine to be, a distinctly Chinese feel, I'm told it's nothing like mainland China - I'll have to wait until a trip there to find out.

I've already been told that HK is going to be expensive but upon arrival I realise that accommodation is already quite a bit pricer than what I've been used to. I decide to give Chung King mansions in Kowloon a go - basically this is an apartment block full of budget accommodation with a questionable reputation but these are some gems of hostels to be found here, I'm told. After a time spent looking for a hostel room, I have to settle with checking in to a private room for the first night. This is an eye opener and I'm not even sharing a dorm room yet. The room is TINY - barely room to swing a cat with the toilet located right underneath the shower to save space and the window/airhole looking out onto the 'mansion' next door. Surprisingly, I actually have a good sleep here before moving in to the dorm the next day. This is where the fun starts - I quickly realise that I'm the only female in the four bed dorm (not a problem as its not the first time) - there are two tiny Japanese guys and a very strange Welshman sharing with me. I wake up in the middle of the night with the Welshman touching my feet trying to get me to wake up to talk to him. He's sitting with his shirt off in the tiny dorm room with every light on, smoking and drinking and muttering to himself while swaying and rocking on his seat. The next morning I ask to change dorms as I decide to give it one more chance before moving to the more expensive hostels on the island. This time I end up sharing with an older Canadian guy who tells me he is in HK trying to set up a business - he had to leave the US where he was working because the government were after him because of the encryption work he was involved in - but that he was sussing the situation out as he felt there may be too much 'interference' here in HK. ENOUGH….way too much crazy in this hostel! I'm off to see what the island has to offer. Luckily I find nice, more hostel-like accommodation here and although it's quiet (HK is really not a mecca for backpackers), I settle in well.

Enough about accommodation…..on to the sights and sounds of the city. HK is bigger, brighter and bolder than one could imagine. The skyline is amazing by night especially at about 8pm when the lightshow begins on the island and hoards of people gather along the Star Ferry harbour in Kowloon to watch the spectacle. There's actually a lovely atmosphere just hanging out here and I visit the light show more than once on my trip. There's plenty to see and do in HK but I'm a little daunted by the amount of time I have here - maybe too long. The plan is to buy a netbook and catch up on my blog (which judging by how late you may be reading this, you will note, was not a very successful endeavour J )

I spend some time on the Kowloon peninsula visiting a lot of the suburbs and market areas. There's a street dedicated to electronics stores, a Ladies market, Goldfish market, Bird market, Flower market etc. The signage hanging overhead on all these streets is really impressive - massive Cantonese lettering that sticks out during the day and crazy neon lighting glowing at night. There are also some lovely temples which I visit including Yau Ma Tei at which I catch the Lion show - basically a group of children practicing their Lion Dance for parades later on in the year. I also spend time wandering about many of HKs beautifully landscaped parks - beautiful gardens, ponds, swimming pools and free wifi….imagine!

Although it doesn't attract the regular backpacker, HK is well set up for tourists. There's a free museum day which I take advantage of with a Chinese and a Swedish girl I've met and a free Tai Chi lesson along the banks of Victoria Harbour between Kowloon and the island. I get to celebrate my 29th birthday here in HK with Ash, a friend from college, his friend Peter and a group of girls I've met in the hostel. It's lovely to have an excuse for dinner and drinks and more importantly to have nice company for such a day. I also do a HK Pub Crawl one evening. I usually hate these types of things but I quite enjoy it in the end. We start at a rooftop bar at the International Finance Centre which has beautiful views over the city before visiting some of the trendy bars in the Lan Kwai Fong district.

On another evening I take the bus up to the Peak - one of Hong Kong's major tourist attractions There is a lovely walk around the peak which I do at sunset. The view over the city and all its skyscrapers and lights is pretty impressive.

Myself and a Swedish girl from my hostel make a trip to Stanley, a trendy little seaside town with lovely markets, a beautiful pier from which to view sunset and some nice bars and restaurants along the promenade. It's a cute area but for some reason the affluence of people sitting about drinking wine and eating overpriced food sort of disgusts me. I haven't seen such indulgence and affluence along the trip so far but I soon remind myself of the nice lifestyle I've been living at home over the past few years. It's funny how used you get to being away from it all!

I spend a day visiting temples and gardens in the north of the city, including Wong Tai Sin, which is packed with worshippers wielding 'fortune sticks' and incense. It's a really interesting and beautiful place to hang out and take photographs. The colours and intricate statues are beautiful. While up this side I also visit the Nan Lian Gardens which are immaculate gardens full of ponds, temples and wooden buildings. The whole place has an almost surreal Disney-like feel to it. I also pay a visit to Chi Lin nunnery, a Buddhist nunnery which is has been built with wood without using any nails or screws. Despite the torrential rain on the day, there's a lovely peaceful atmosphere here.

I feel like I've spend my time hanging out only on the Kowloon peninsula so I decide to spend a day taking a walk through the streets of Hong Kong island. I wander through Fortress Hill and Causeway Bay through to Queensway where I view the beautiful modern architecture of the Bank of China Tower and the Cheung Kong centre. I pass through Central taking in the longest outdoor escalator in the world at the Mid-Levels and down through the back streets of the city taking in the antique shops of Hollywood Road and Man Mo temple which smells beautifully of incense coils. Other sights include the Gas Lamps and Ladder Street (still am not quite sure why it's so called). The walk stretches down in to the Western Markets via streets full of herbs, Chinese medicine, spices and dried fish. The walk through HK is lovely and a great way of seeing all the sights. A trip on the old trams on the island is also a must-do - it's pretty cool what you can see from such a height!

The business area of HK kind of sends shivers up my spine. I thought about coming here to work but for some reason now can't imagine putting on a suit again! I suppose that's to be expected after being away for so long. I do meet with a recruitment agent though, just to see what the story is - seems there is work here if I want it!

I meet Ash, a friend from home for lunch and there are three menus in the restaurant we go to - the lunch menu, a la carte and iPad menu (I kid you not!) In total contrast to this, I join a lovely Chinese girl from my hostel for dinner at a food hall near Electric Road for some traditional Chinese fare - they don't speak any English and I haven't a clue what the menu says so it's handy to have someone who knows her way around to help me experience proper Chinese dining.

I spend a day in Lantau, a small island accessed by ferry from HK proper. There's lots to see here including the bronze giant seated Buddha statue, Tian Tin, which is 34m tall and the Po Lin monastery, both located beside a little village called Ngong Ping. Ngong Ping is, again, a very Disney-like village full of tourist shops and cafes. There's a lovely walk out to the Wisdom Path this is a series of wooden posts set out in a figure of 8 and which are inscribed with the heart sutra. After this part of the day, I make my way to Tai O, a little fishing village in the west of Lantau. Here I meet a lovely American family who invite me to join them on a boat trip around the area. The trip takes you past stilted townhouses and out to the sea to try to catch a glimpse of the pink dolphins (no joy unfortunately). Lantau has a plethora of shops selling all sorts of dried fish products. Lantau is a really lovely island - thoroughly enjoy my trip!

As I'm still trying to justify the carrying of my hiking boots I decide to join a local hiking group in HK. The hike I join is begins not far from Sai Kung, a lovely city suburb. I arrive early in Sai Kung and have a coffee and a look at huge fish stocks in glass cages outside the waterfront restaurants before the hike begins. There's a lovely mixed bunch of people on the hike and although it's blistering hot, which makes the uphill climb pretty tough, it's great to get some exercise and meet up with such a lovely bunch. I make plans to meet up with one of the hikers, a travel-addicted Hungarian, for some great Indian food later in the week.

Hong Kong is a tough place to get used to but I quite enjoyed my stay - not sure about coming back for work but we'll see! If you are looking for something cosmopolitan, HK is definitely it!