Last Day - 58 - Hong Kong

Nothing to report today as we haven't left the hotel, Dave still mightily poorly so we're just looking forward to being at home tomorrow afternoon.

This is The Smiths signing off.

Day 57 Hong Kong

Dave is feeling a bit better this morning so after my morning jaunt around the jogging track we take a ferry to Lamma Island. About a twenty minute ferry ride across the harbour. There's not much there apart from lots of seafood restaurants, a cross island walk, some beaches and a power station, but still it's chilled and laid back and a nice spot to spend a Saturday afternoon.

After a delicious lunch (our first proper food since Weds) of salt and chilli aubergine, chinese greens with garlic and rice and noodles we take the ferry back to Hong Kong Island and hot foot it home as Dave is feeling rough again.

Tomorrow will be our last day here and it's a shame we haven't done all the things we were so excited about. I'm not sure yer man will be up to much tomorrow I just hope he'll be ok for the flight home on Monday.

Boxing Day Hong Kong

Dave is still very poorly this morning and unable to leave his sick bed. I'm left with no choice but to join the throngs on the jogging track in Victoria Park to work off my Christmas Day excesses.

There are strict rules about how to behave on the jogging track, mainly one way only and no walking or obstructing of joggers. I'm the only westerner on the track and look like Paula Radcliffe compared to how slow some people are "jogging', some are blatantly flouting the rules by walking. I lose count on how many laps of 600 metres I've done but it's at least four, OK for not having done any exercise for goodness knows how many months.

After a lunch of Philadelphia cheese and bread it's off to mooch round the shopping area close to our hotel. Busy, noisy, not much English spoken and I don't spend a bean.

Dave meanwhile hasn't even noticed that I've been in and out, the poor love is in a sorry state and if there's no improvement tomorrow we'll call in a doctor. If only to allay his fears that he may have Dengue Fever. (Regular blog readers may remember his brief brush with Dengue in the Philippines.) To make matters worse he's found a bar round the corner that will be showing the match. At least we're able to listen to Five Live on the internet as we have a connection in our room.

We're both a little miserable and pining for Green Lanes.

Christmas Day Hong Kong

We wake up to the sun rising over Hong Kong harbour viewed through our enormous windows in our suite. Dave is feeling a bit better so after a quick browse through the South China Morning Post we're off to explore.

Turns out that Hong Kong has its very own Vicky Park where people are jogging, doing tai chi and playing with their motorised boats in the boating lake. There are also lots of Filipino ladies gathered together to enjoy one of their rare days off. They mostly work as maids and on public holidays get together to eat copious amounts of food as only someone from the Philippines can.

From the park we walk along the waterfront looking out to Kowloon, there's lots of boat traffic coming and going including the dinky little boats that some people still live on. No sign of any junks though. About an hour into our first foray and Dave takes a turn for the worse. He has a temperature that's almost hotter than the sun so we amble back and tuck him up in bed. It doesn't affect his vanity though so on our way back to the hotel he manages to fit in a much needed haircut.

I decide that I will go to the restaurant and have some "Christmas" lunch. I opt for the steamed seasonal vegetables in oyster sauce and rice with a glass of wine. Seasonal vegetables turns out to be steamed lettuce. The worst Christmas lunch I've ever had - fact.

I cheer myself up by popping up to the rooftop pool on the 32nd floor. Tom, if you're reading this stop right now. It really is on the roof with only a chest high glass wall to stop me falling 32 floors to the pavement. Why do you always get that urge to climb over and jump? More views and more pictures of skyscrapers are captured before returning to the ailing patient who seems to be getting worse.

The rest of the evening is spent listening to 5 live on the internet and calling home. Colin my brother brings me close to tears with talk of turkey, bread sauce and red cabbage, then mum compounds it by telling me about her slightly different recipe for Christmas pud this year -sniff. I settle on some Philadelphia cheese on a roll that I manage to track down in a supermarket round the corner.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Day 54 - Bali to Singapore to Hong Kong

It's me Wend again, nothing much to report from day 54 except a very early start at 6am sees Dave feeling unwell.

He sleeps all the way to Hong Kong and goes straight to bed when we reach our hotel at 7pm this evening.

We did manage to see the Hong Kong skyline that we all know so well and it's breathtaking in real life, from both the bus and our suite on the 21st floor. Yes suite - a horrible mistake in our booking sees us upgraded for one night.

I feel a bit like Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation looking out into the Hong Kong night from my high vantage point.

Let's hope yer man feels better in the morning.

Day 53, Ubud to Kuta, Bali

Our last morning in Ubud so we decide to take the walking track along the river for a last amble through the countryside.

A short taxi ride and we are at the start of the track where we are of course accosted by a young man shouting “Scuse me sir, you need a guide?”

Dave: “Is ok, we don’t need guide” (Adopting pigeon English he saves for moments like this.)

Young Man: “Yes sir, I think you need guide, very good price”

Dave: “ I said no”

The young man is accompanied by Alex from Sussex who now lives in Italy (she works at a very exclusive winery too). She explains that she has already hired him so we negotiate him down from 150,000 to 100,000 rupiah for all three of us (about seven quid).

It turns out to be one of our most memorable mornings in Bali and the young man’s name is Gusti. He leads us through jungle and rice fields. Makes us wade across the river and cross it again balancing on two logs that serve as a bridge. We laugh and joke and and stop to gasp at a snake eating a frog.

We finish the walk two hours later at Made’s Warung overlooking the rice fields for one of the best lunches we’ve had and thank Gusti heartily for our fabulous morning – we all agree to pay him the 150,000 rupiah he wanted originally with lunch thrown in for good measure.

Gusti makes his living by waiting at the start of the track to guide tourists along this magnificent walk that we wouldn’t have been able to do without him as we would have got hopelessly lost. At 22 years old he is the breadwinner of his house and looks after his parents and pays for his younger brother’s schooling. It serves as a reminder that the Balinese are gentle, generous and kind people. So if you’re ever in Ubud and fancy tracing our footsteps let us know and we can give you Gusti’s number.

We’ve really enjoyed your company too Alex - enjoy your last few gin and tonics in Bali and we’ll see you in Tuscany.

And then it was back to chaotic Kuta and we return to the hotel we stayed at when we first arrived to a warm welcome from the staff who are glad to see us again. We say goodbye to Bali where we began by watching the sun go down over the hprizon while drinking an ice cold Bintang.

Day 52 Ubud, Bali

We wake this morning to another torrential tropical torrent but decide it might be nice to go for a walk after brekko anyway.

Ever since we've been in Ubud I've wanted to go the Organik Cafe in the middle of the rice fields where they grow their own fruit and veg and run a campaign to promote production of Bali's finest rices.

Armed with umbrellas we eventually find the turn off for the cafe but not before the monsoon starts again. The rain doesn't detract from the beauty and peacefulness of the twenty minute walk through the soggy rice fields to the cafe. We take shelter and have a delicious lunch with rice and vegetables from the organic garden while watching the rows of ducks waddling between the fields and clearly enjoying the downpour.

On the way back we come across a lady who offers us a fresh coconut, she hacks off the outer shell and opens the top and gives it to us to drink the milk. It's cool and refreshing and doesn't come any fresher than this. Our feet on the other hand couldn't be more un-fresh, covered in mud, soggy and cold we slip and slide our way back to our hotel.

This is our last full day here in Ubud as we leave for the chaotic Kuta tomorrow. Christmas and Hong Kong are beckoning and the decorations and Santa hats certainly seem incongruous in the tropical climate.