China 2007

And so to Kunming, real China.

Well, real, modern, westernised China anyway. Kunming is an attractive (apart from a bit smoggy), quite leafy city with wide streets and flashy new buildings all over.

We spent quite a lot of time trying to arrange tickets for the sleeper train to Guilin, which ultimately proved fruitless.

Also spent a lot of time wandering - Chinese folk seem to go about their daily business as you would expect from the clips you see, biking around with massive loads of fruit and clothes tied on to trailers, playing cards across tables laid out in the street etc.

Had a good, if fiery, Thai meal on the top floor of the Sakura hotel, with great views over the city and terrifying lifts that go up the outside of the building.

Stayed at the Camellia Hotel, along with pretty much everyone else from our flight apparently. Not luxury compared to our Hong Kong hotel, but comfortable enough, and what do you expect for a tenner?

After a reasonably comfortable 12-hour flight, we were met at the airport by a Rolls Royce which took us to our Clare-won prize of 2 nights at the spectacularly luxurious Peninsula Hotel. It really was quiet something, extras included a telly you can watch in the bath and a remote control for opening the curtains.

We spent a lot of the first day wandering around Kowloon, from the front of Salisbury road with an amazing view of the skyscrapers in Victoria Harbour, to Mong Kok with bustling street markets and food stalls.

Had dinner at a good vietnamese restaurant, Nha Trang I think it was called - mmm, lemongrass beef.

In the second day we got the KCR train out to the New Territories, thought we'd see what the Hong Kong countryside looked like. 'Serious Countryside' said the Rough Guide. I beg to differ, a paved track with a view over a reservoir and a cargo jetty (but with a few hills in the background) but it was an interesting trip anyway - partly to see the local folk using the public barbeque to burn small birds and whole fish of various descriptions.

We went back to Hong Kong and had Dim Sum at the top floor of the Peking One building - highly recommended this, particularly the barbeque pork buns and the fried prawn dumplings.

Afterwards, went to the Hong Kong art museum and looked at some ceramics (yep, ming vases and all) including some really interesting stuff from about 2000 BC.

Spent the evening riding the tram (like Blackpool trams) and wandering around Victoria on Hong Kong Island, just exploring and trying chinese food (We had some fantastic spicy satay-type chicken on a stick, hainan chicken rice, and shredded pork noodles).

Then went back to the hotel, cheated the mini bar prices by buying the same stuff for a tenth of the price from 7/11 next door, and went to sleep to premierhip football which is on continuously here. Next stop Kunming!

Only one day to go now! To cap it off I was offered a new job today, so I'll be off back to the big smoke to work for lovely Islington council. Very exciting.

Will have to try to concentrate on work somehow - I've got loads of things to finish off today - but I can only thing about Jade Dragon Snow Mountain at the moment....