Harbour side dazzle is Hong Kong's clichéd namesake and drenched in the colour and festivities of Chinese New Year it didn't disappoint on my recent visit.Kicking off my stay with the 'Symphony of Lights', the high rise buildings which dot every square inch of available land appeared to 'dance' with the orchestral music - very hard not to laugh at! Hong Kong was everything my USIT travel agent Carlotta said it would be; markets, temples, islands, warm weather and a whole lot of neon signs! With her advice however I decided to mix the warm with the completely freezing and headed to Beijing for a night to climb the Great Wall of China. Getting all set for the Olympic Games this August, Beijing is a city of palaces, forbidden alleys and a whole lot of construction which in just a few months everyone will be talking about. I was determined to squeeze in as many sights as I could and headed straight for Tiananmen Square and what I later found out was the Forbidden City. Daunting and well guarded, the square was as frosty in feeling as it was in temperature but uniquely Chinese and quite the place to visit for a culture hit. Being chased by persistent guidebook sellers was almost more entertaining than the square itself!My one night mission was purely to put two feet on the great wall and after travelling 60km out of the city, the wall was in front of me. It wasn't until catching the gondola up the giant hills it rests on, that I truly realised its stature and the history became apparent the second I stepped onto the wall. Deep gullies, steep mountains and remote country lie either side and there's little questioning it's a world wonder once you've seen it up close!After walking a tiny 1km of the wall, there is only one exit and that's through the markets. Leaving the area with a Chinese military hat on my head, two market women chasing me down the stairs shouting 'you buy, you buy' and a table cloth draped over my shoulder wasn't the most subtle of exits, but it was a laugh. Their insane sales tactics paid off eventually because once a 1inch think, furry hat is on your head in -10 degree temperatures, it's very hard to resist taking it home.Returning to the much warmer Hong Kong that evening, we enjoyed day trips to fishing villages, islands, and a visit to the world's largest Buddha. The city itself is a myriad of tiny streets crammed beneath giant buildings which still retain their ancient charm and my suggestion for any visitor is the Bird and Goldfish markets. Jam packed streets of birds and of course goldfish stalls makes a shopping experience like no other and you'll never see anything quite like it! No trip to this international city is complete without a trip on the Peak Tram. Soaring high above the 40+ storey buildings, Victoria Peak is the perfect place to watch the sun go down and the city lights come on, plus it's not everyday you travel on a tram that angles at almost 30 degrees but feels like you're heading straight up!
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