Back in Hong Kong on Cheung Chau Island

We really enjoyed our two months in China, but we were feeling like we needed a break and that it was time to leave. We will be coming back again in the New Year to do some more major tourist attractions in the south and southwest, and maybe Tibet and Nepal.

We made our way South by means of a 26 hr train to Guangzhuo (Canton), and then across the border into Hong Kong where we spent a couple of days before heading back to Bangkok. We decided on a day trip to Cheung Chau - one of the 250+ islands of Hong Kong. It was a great day and we loved the activity around the harbour - fisherman busy repairing nets, the harbourside cafes full of tourists enjoying the delicious local catch, and shops selling lots of dried anything! The chinese love dried food - anything from seafood to animal intestines, to herbs and veggies will do. We even saw tons of shrimp, squid and all sorts of fish drying in the baking sun beside the harbour wall.

After a busy day exploring (including a spot of retail therapy as I ended up buying my first Chinese hat! - double click the photo for more pics), we thought we deserved some well-earned refreshment and caught up with a new friend, Alison, who we'd met in China at the Longji rice terraces. It was our first time seeing the nightlife of Wan Chai and Lan Kwai Fong - two of the trendy areas of Hong Kong which, of course, we had to check out! * Mush