February 8

Hong Kong

New Year's Day. I had quite a good night's sleep. I just hope it is enough to recover from the flight and the weather outside looked glorious again.

I played with my photos for a while, then hit the posh buffet breakfast in the main dining room. As they gave me a 12% off voucher, it would be rude not to use it. It was better than average but I can never eat enough to justify the cost. I will have to eat lots today.

	Plenty for breakfast
Wonderful weather	Chinese Teletubbies?

The guide book contained a walk in the locality so I set off up Nathan Road, eerily quiet but preparing for the evening's festivities in glorious sunshine.

St Andrew's Church is beautiful but locked, a great shame as I suspect that it would be rather fine inside. I had a long chat with a local lady who lived on the Island but was exploring this area for the first time.

As I was walking along a completely normal bit of pavement, My eye alighted on a sign on the wall. This told me that I was passing the Tak Sun School, a former pupil being one Bruce Lee.

The guide listed other buildings which weren't very exciting until I reached the triangular building which combines public toilets with an electrical substation. Interesting to look at but difficult to photograph.   Right: Kimberley Road sub station

The Rosary Church, the oldest Roman Catholic church in Hong Kong, is beautiful. It was open and there were lots of people enjoying the silence for private contemplation. This restricted photography, particularly as I couldn't work out how to stop the camera making lots of noises.

Jordan Path was very pretty but the Cricket Club was protected by a double layer of mesh fencing. I need a camera on a long pole. I did manage to find the other side and took photos of the main entrance and then a view from the children's playground, where there was only one layer of mesh. It probably wasn't worth the effort. Right: Kowloon Cricket Club or Stalag Luft IV
Jordan Path	Kowloon Cricket Club - difficult to photograph

After a 90 minute slow walk, only about four kilometres, I found an iced tea and a rest. The sun was shining beautifully so my useful fleece was now a problem and I returned to the hotel to abandon it.

Nathan Road was becoming busier and I was soon waylaid by the sound of drumming coming from inside one of the malls.

I joined lots of others taking photos of the dancers and the drummers. Realising that more was happening on the street outside, I retraced my steps and found more drummers and dancers and lots of people doing lots of things that I didn't understand. The crowd was spilling out into the middle of the road, forcing the taxi drivers to take evasive action. Inevitably, while I was outside, things heated up inside and a whole dragon could be seen through the doors. I didn't join the crowds in fighting my way back inside.
	Photographers spilling onto the road
I've no idea what they were doing	Lots of rehearsals
Costumes everywhere
They waited their turn	Local wildlife

I stopped at the hotel, dropped off my fleece and walked to the ferry. The area was busy and I sailed over to Central, where I took lots of photos of the harbour and of the big wheel, which has gone up on the other side.

Having no particular plan, I wandered aimlessly along the path which runs between the ferry terminals. I saw a South American musician, standing in the worst position for photography, some small doggies and lots more people. Deciding that I had run out of ideas, I caught the ferry again. The ropes made for interesting photos. The boats are basic but they work and that's what counts.
1881 Complex	The Year of the Monkey has a lot to answer for!
Victoria Harbour	The Harbour and the Convention Centre
Lots of ropes on the ferry	What a smart coat
He stood with his back to the sun	Very strange structures

On the other side, there were lots of people playing in the strange structures which, presumably, are part of the New Year decorations. They were obviously designed as backdrops for family photos.

Ashley Road was functioning but still quiet. Delicious Kitchen was as empty as I have ever seen it, which meant that I was able to have a whole table to myself. Lunch was good, cheap and washed down with lots of tea.   Right: Pork, cabbage and chilli

My change of flight times seems to have worked in that a good night's sleep meant that I was full of energy - relatively. I did, however, decide to return the short distance to the hotel for a rest and some diary writing.

My rest was longer than planned as I had a short sleep so didn't leave the hotel until about 6. At that stage, I felt a bit peculiar but soon recovered and joined the crowds on the route of the procession, finding a space on a barrier at about 6.05.

The crowd moved into position ...	... as did the entertainers

The crowd grew more slowly than I would have expected. Everything seemed very well organised, with lots of police in evidence. They all smiled, looked relaxed and helped to re-unite lots of children with the toys they had dropped over the barriers.

Different groups of entertainers came thick and fast. Everything from yo  yoists to cyclists to belly dancers.

There was a small group playing a few yards away. A girl who could have passed for Joni Mitchell and three others who weren't in the same league. The local soccer players were very skilled, performing amazing tricks.

This all helped to make the time pass quite rapidly until the main parade started two and three quarters after I took up my position.

Cycling with a difference
Another dubious monkey

The main floats were extravagant in the extreme, mounted on truck beds and representing the largest corporates in the country. They were accompanied by large troupes of dancers and musicians.