Had no real reason to hurry this morning as our Flight did not leave until 3pm, so we packed up our gear and then split all the brochures etc that Jase had collected into both our cases. Boy, did they put some extra weight in there!
We went and had some breakfast at the Pacific Coffee House aound the corner on Lockhart Street and then went for a wander down Johnston Road - an area we hadn't looked at before, but it too early for the shops to be open so we sat and watched the locals playing basketball in the park for a while before returning to the Hotel to check-out and wait for our airport shuttle bus which was due at 11.30am. The hotel staff warned us to allow plenty of time getting to the airport as the bus can take up to an hour and a half to make the trip - they turned out to be spot on, because although there was not a lot of traffic we made several hotel stops and were kept waiting at one place about twenty minutes while a very rude and very arrogant business man said goodbyes to some collegues!!!!!
By the time we had checked in our luggage and passed through security there was only an hour before boarding and so we did some shopping to use up our remaining Hong Kong dollars.
We boarded on time and looked like getting away on time too, but as usual a couple of morons were late and it was 3.25pm before we took off!
The flight was full and we had to dodge around a wicked thunderstorm about half way home - the lightening was awesome - so it was nearly 11pm before we touched down in Perth.
The service and food etc on Cathay Pacific was superb but again the plane was old and our seats, while having reasonable leg room, were hard as hell and mine squeaked every time I moved. The entertainment systems were great and I watched a couple of good movies to pass the time!
We zipped through customs in no time at all - the new electronic passports make that SO easy - and grabbed some duty-free and were in the car very quickly.
The trip was most enjoyable and Jase got to see all he wanted to. The expos were just amazing with the Chinese making so many products and all of pretty good quality. They are fascinating people and I really enjoyed talking to them about their country.
Hong Kong itself was a real experience to see. Not much of a tourist destination - a few days would get you to all the places quite easily, but it is a shopping mecca and I have never seen so many shops and so many products available. The crowds and traffic are horrendous, but the food is cheap and very plentiful and the booze is ultra cheap!!! So all in all it was a great experience which I enjoyed immensely!