Good morning all

We are writing our last blog :( from our cosy Causeway Bay hotel in Hong Kong. It's right next to an MTR stop - the ultra efficient subway they operate here & we've had a great week.

Since the last blog we got a ferry to Rottnest island in Western Australia, we walked for 10km(ish) around the island & checked out several of the island's beautiful bays & snorkelling spots & saw the famous Quokkas which are very cute - they are the reason the island got it's name - dutch explorers first thought the island was infested with rats - how dare they! We had an hour walking around Freemantle followed by a hectic evening in the pool & spa, then it was time for bed!

Next day Chris & Jodie kindly took us to taste some culture - the WA pubs! We went to Little Creatures which is a brewery that was once a crocodile farm! We tasted the beers on offer & moved on to a bar right on the beach in Cottersley, which was nice! Last was a TABs bar in Freemantle which has betting facilities - dogs & horses right next to the bar! Which is common for WA apparently - sounds dangerous to me! Jodie taught Gaz how to bet & he won 2 out of 3 races! Only around $15 but nonetheless he got the winning feeling! Thanks for a great day guys!

Perth was next on the agenda & Paul & Jo kindly drove us there next morning, it's a small city surrounded by water with a really nice park in the middle of it called King's Park. We strolled around the park for a couple of hours & then checked out the shops & had a nice chilled day. We had a few beers & a chat before bed.

We spent the next day on Rockingham Beach topping up the tan! You have to get there early before the Freemantle wind picks up & although it starts as a nice breeze it can get pretty chilly! So after a few hours on the beach Paul picked us up so we could all get ready for our evening meal. The whole gang made it out, Jo, Paul, Samantha, Marcel, Cheyenne, Chris & Jodie. The restraunt was nice we tried kangaroo & crocodile which tasted like fishy chicken! After drinks & wine we had a drink in another pub in a brewery & then set off for a couple more in the hot tub!

Next morning Hannah & Jo took the ferry accross to Penguin Island from Shoulwater Beach while Gaz & Paul canoed over! Gaz made it there & back unlike his Dad & his adopted Dad Stan who were knackered & got cramp respectiveley! The shame of it! After a bit of snorkelling & sun bathing we went to the penguin sanctuary to watch an attempted feeding but although we got to see them all none of the little penguins were hungry as they were moulting their feathers! We saw a little penguin & lots of large lizards - it's a really nice island. After getting back to shoulwater beach Gaz got to cook hot dogs on an ozzie public barbie! Which was surprisingly edible! We chilled round the pool & in the spa & were treated to a fantastic prawn Madras cooked by Jo - lovely!

We were up early next morning for our flight to Hong Kong, around an 8 hour flight which got us to our hotel around 7pm. We spent the first night planning our week here & got an early night in!

On our first day we walked to 'The Peak' tram which is a fair walk across Hong Kong island, on the way we got to see lots of the island - its buzzing with shops & restraunts & there are a fair few people about! The tram is on a really steep track as it takes you to the top of one of the mountains which surround the island, on reaching the top you enter the impressive looking building that is 'The Peak' & take quite a few escalators to reach the very top! On reaching the top the views are amazing, it was a clear day - for Hong Kong! We got to see far over the horizon & over the harbours. We checked out lots of shops on the way home & got back around 10pm.

Next morning we were on foot again & we walked to the Hong Kong harbour via Times Square & other shopping complexes like the Lee Gardens & Lee Gardens 2! These people love to shop! Once at the harbour we took a ferry across to Kowloon for a staggering 22p! To see the Olympic torch & rings as well as The Avenue of Stars & the Clock Tower. Although Kowloon is nice it is a more touristy place & we were glad we were staying on Hong Kong Island. After another 22p we were back on the island & checked out the Golden Buniah (apologies for spelling) which sits under the Hong Kong culture centre & was built to commemorate Hong Kong becoming part of the Chinese Republic again. After a chinese version of fast food we went back to the monument at night to watch the lazer light show, which spreads across 40 buildings surrounding the harbour & is the biggest permanent light show in the world. It was really impressive the colours of the buildings & reflections in the water make it a great show. We walked back to the hotel via more shops & again were not back til late!

Disney Land was an inevitable visit & we jumped on the MTR next morning to get to Lantau Island where the resort sits surrounded by mountains. The train which connects to the Disney Land resort is covered with Disney stuff - even the handles are Mickey Mouse ears! We arrived early which gave us time to check out the brilliant Moby d*** fountain with Micky surfing above it! We beat the queues to get in & headed straight for Space Mountain - a roller coaster in the dark! After doing all the rides in 'Tomorrowland' We headed for 'Adventureland' where we got a jungle cruise on a raft & saw a brilliant musical performance of the Lion King. We grabbed some lunch - chinese fast food - shreaded pork & rice! Then headed for another live performance of 'The Golden Mickeys' Which was also really well done. We took on a few more rides before watching the Christmas Parade pass through Disney Village, then watched a 3-D animation in which you get wet in Mickey's theatre! After checking out Mickey's house & meeting the mouse himself we watched the Christmas ball in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle followed by a great fireworks display - we liked it that much we stayed until the park closed around 8pm!

The following day we headed back to Lantau Island this time to visit the huge bronze buddah that sits on top of a large hill! Its the largest bronze sitting buddah in the world apparently! In order to get there we had a lengthy MTR trip followed by around half an hour on the longest cable car journey we've ever seen! The cable car set up is impressive in itself - really high & then the Buddah suddenly appears on approaching the 7th cable car station! We walked through the monestry where Monks were having their daily prayers & there is lots of incence burning going on! Then climbed the stairs to reach the large Buddah, the whole place is impressive & is very spiritual. After a walk around the path of wisdom - lots of halved trees surrounding a path with chinese writing on them! & a look in the shops in the village it was time to take the cable car journey back to Lantau MTR station. There are factory outlets there so we felt we had to check out what was on offer before getting the MTR back to Causway Bay for our last dinner :(

We loved Hong Kong - it's diverse & vibrant & recomend the shopping!

Which brings us up to this morning, our flight is not until 1am tomorrow morning so we are spending the day eating & window shopping!

See you all soon for Christmas - we can't wait!

Lots of love

Gaz & Hannah xxxxxxx