Flightmare to Paradise

With the final exam rolling round, the wanderlust was back, and I wanted to be on the move Unfortunately, a volcano in Chile had other ideas, a huge ash cloud on it’s second lap around the Earth seeing all flights cancelled for the second time in a month. Two consecutive flight bookings failed to materialise as Canberra airport shut down, until I finally admitted defeat to take the 9 hour bus journey to Melbourne. Man, that was boring.

Meanwhile, Melbourne was as fascinating as ever. I only had a couple of days, but it always feels as though there is more to explore, more places to see, eat and do whatever you want. Slotted around my visits to the bank, the bureau de change, and everything else you need to clear up before you leave a country, I took in some more of the sights of my favourite city down under.

But before long, it was time to move again. Air New Zealand were bravely navigating their flights around, under and sometimes through the ash cloud in a desperate bid to keep flying – the only airline to be doing so. Full credit for that, and even more for delaying my connecting flight onto Hong Kong after a quick change in Auckland – holding a flight of several hundred people just for me and another girl who’d flown from Melbourne meant that I wasn’t left stranded, although I did have to face being stared down by every passenger already sat on the flight, and they didn’t look best pleased!

But finally, I had my first taste of Asia! The hot, humid, hectic city of Hong Kong welcomed me in, where I could meet up with one of my friends from last semester. With a long year of travelling behind me, and almost no research done on what Hong Kong has to offer, it’s fair to say that I’d travelled there to see Emily again as much as going to see the sights. Nevertheless, with the help of my local guide, I was able to explore plenty of the former British port.

Without going into the painstaking detail that I have in earlier posts, I’ll get you up to speed. There was the incredible contradiction that is Hong Kong Park – the relaxing green area backdropped by a few tall trees and even taller skyscrapers; The Peak – a traditional tram ride up to the best view in Hong Kong, back over the city; and the unforgettable Symphony of Lights shining out over the city.

This was soon followed by a very wet day at theme park/zoo Ocean World (with the incredible Giant and Red pandas); a day in the History Museum to learn something of this small corner of Asia; and all manner of sightseeing round the bustling districts of TST and Central, as well as a quick visit to Man Mo Temple to leave a wish with the Gods of literature and war.

It was a suitably hectic few days for such a busy place, the temperatures kept just about in the bearable by regular downpours, which in turn were more than compensated by the incredible food on offer. That is certainly something I’ll miss here, though I can probably cope without the chicken feet – I far preferred the various pastries and dumplings.

From there, I had two more lengthy flights sandwiched either side of a hot, dry, exhausting day in Dubai. With the temperature already at a sweltering 35°c as we touched down at 5am, it was only going to get hotter – eventually peaking at about 42°c. Spending only a day here, I based myself at the Dubai Mall for a day – a huge, impressive air-conditioned thing boasting its own aquarium, the largest gold market in Dubai, seemingly hundreds of shops and restaurants, and a mind-blowing fountain display in the middle of the desert. And all of that is without even mentioning that it is also home to the Burj Khalifa – the tallest construction in the world at a staggering quarter of a mile – over 700 metres. Designed to be record-breaking, it also boasts the fastest elevator in the world, and the highest viewing platform in the world. With holes cut out in the window, it is remarkable just to stick your head outside at such a height, and remarkably warm.

Such a drastically different week from everything that had gone before, reminding me that there is still such different places for me to explore, and cultures to experience. It has been quite a year… I only hope that this isn’t the end of my travelling, and that I haven’t seen any of these great people for the last time.

And finally, to end this mammoth post, here’s a snap of an area of HK I only found out about on the last day.

I feel that one day, I’ll have to return.