Hello people Greetings from Hong Kong! It's very hard to believe I am here and I have to keep pinching myself. I am in the Hong Kong Central Library - it's air-conditioned! Unfortunately, there's no access to a USB so you'll have to wait for my photos.

The flight was absolutely fine though 11 hours seems to be about my maximum threshhold of arse pain and boredom. After being served 'dinner' at around 3.30pm the blinds were drawn and we were all put to sleep even though is was gloriously sunny outside the window. Then at about 11pm up went the blinds, it was light again and a breakfast of noodles was served. On landing an hour and a half later they told us it was 7.30am but it didn't feel like it! Watched The Stepford Wives, The Day After Tomorrow and Dodgeball in a row which certainly made a few hours fly by. I didn't manage to sleep at all during the flight and had pretty much been up for 24 hours by the time we'd got to the hotel and got our rooms.

My roomies, Debbie and Rachel and I, had a kip from 11.30 till 2pm and, with eyes like pissholes in the snow, had to force ourselves to get up and go out. But we're so glad we did - it was just an amazing day. Hong Kong! What a fantastic city - so vibrant and colourful. The people are so contrary - polite but quite impatient, super efficient but often slow, the city is smelly and polluted but there's not a scrap of litter to be seen, there's unbelievably stunning architecture and technology right alongside 50 storey ramshackle tower blocks.

We mooched around a few markets and shops like zombies, totally phased by the buzzing activity and sights. Deciding to take the bull by the horns we got down to the famous Star Ferry and went across Victoria Harbour to Kowloon. It was dusk by now and it was quite hard to resist the temptation to take nine million photos. So I did! Please check back for those - they are good! We walked down the Avenue of Stars by the water - a bit like Hollywood Boulevard and I put my hands into Jackie Chan's prints! How cool! Just as we got there, a light and laser show was announced across the harbour and all the skyscrapers lit up in every colour of the rainbow - it gave me goosebumps and was just AWESOME!

Finally managed to get back to bed at midnight which was far too late but we were very pleased to have made the effort. Today we are going to Victoria Peak to see the city from above and Stanely Market and a temple. Promise photos as soon as I can!