Hong Kong – China

Five star hotels, usually reserved for day dreaming and the super-rich, do sometimes allow travelling engineers like me through their hallowed mystical doors. Call it a quirk of fate, Gods guiding hand, or just the fact that the World Rugby Sevens Tournament was in Hong Kong that same weekend making hotel rooms extremely rare, but I ended up staying at the amazing five star Langham Place Hotel in Mongkok right in the heart of Kowloon.

Mongkok Metro station, just five minutes walk from the hotel, whisked me to the end of the red line at Tsuen Wan in 21 minutes for the princely sum of 8HKD, or about 70p, where I spent the week delivering a training course to a class of ten enthusiastic engineers.

Langham Place was simply amazing. Calm, relaxing environment. Friendly and attentive staff. Amazing food. Just perfect. My room, an Essential Place Plus, had everything I needed for my stay. The most comfortable bed and pillows I have ever experienced in a hotel and enough gadgets to keep me entertained, a Bose Sound Dock, a complimentary iPhone 4, a 42″ plasma TV, complimentary internet throughout the hotel and a Nespresso coffee machine. What else could I possibly need? Not only did the Langham Place meet my every accommodation requirement, they also helped out with my cultural education too by offering free walking tours of the local area and tagging along with a handful of other guests I toured the local Wet Market. Hongkongese it seems eat everything and they like their ingredients to be fresh, so fresh that live frogs, toads and various fish were all on offer from the bustling market stalls along with every conceivable part of an animal from pigs lungs to deers tails to turkey feet, all laid out of hung up for your choosing.

Having a passion for high buildings I visited the Hong Kong ICC Sky 100 observation deck, another skyscraper scalp to add to my collection. Choosing my visiting time carefully I managed to capture the vista in daylight, twilight and night time too. An amazing ever changing view.

Hong Kong is a crazy place. I loved the mix of ancient tradition working alongside cutting edge modern life. Modern tower blocks receiving a facelift with builders using precarious bamboo scaffolding. Shops selling nothing but fish in bags or shelves of Mah Jong tiles and the crazy bartering and chaos of the night markets.

Everything is crammed in. Space is at a premium. People rushing everywhere. But it was a great trip.