Welcome to Hong Kong! Ok so today has been a fascinating day to say the least. Hong Kong is very different to China. I took a stroll down by the Harbour which was scenic, however the muggy weather didn't help when taking photographs. I can't walk 2 minutes without some Indian guy approaching me. First of all "I'm not your boss!", "I don't want hashish!", "I don't want a rolex!", "I don't want a foot massage!", "I don't want a sexy massage!" and if I did want an...

So after 22 hours of travelling I successfully made it to Hong Kong. The overnight sleeper train was more fun this time as I got talking to a 50 year old woman from Singapore called Joyce. She was very friendly, translated what others were saying to me and treated me like her son. Within moments of sitting down she was interested to see my travelling photos, offered me some winter melon, dried carrots, told me where the hot water was and made sure I was comfort...

Here I go again on my own! What feels like a whirlwind tour of Hangzhou (and China in general) it's time for me to pack my bags and prepare for another lengthy journey south. I'm currently sat at Hangzhou south railway station waiting to board my overnight sleeper to Shenzhen, a journey which will take 16 hours. My plan is to then head to Hong Kong where I'll spend 2 nights before flying to Bangkok. I've certainly had better mornings. I was out in an America...

The joys of the Chinese queueing system! My stay at Hangzhou has so far been that of a relaxing, calming experience with the beautiful West Lake surroundings just a stones throw away. My patience was tested a little today when it was time to book my ticket to Shenzhen (where I will eventually move on to Hong Kong). Unfortunately the hostel didn't provide a booking system, and there was no local travel agent to provide the service either. Therefore it was down...

After successfully taking the high speed train to Hangzhou in what seemed to take no time (I've had longer tube rides in London) I touched base at the Mingtown International youth hostel. The setting is perfect. Right on the edge of Westlake overlooking a beautiful scene. I took a short walk out by the lake and watched some boats passing as I basked in the 37degree heat (even David Dickenson is struggling in this weather!!) I stumbled across a Carefur (a well ...