Friday 2 November – Arrived in Hong Kong on the Bullet Train from Guilin.  Staying at an Airbnb apartment in the heart of downtown Hong Kong Island in a large apartment block on the 19th floor. Unfortunately no nice view, we ovelook another apartment building!! On arrival it was overcast but humid.

Went out around 7.00pm for something to eat and the place was bustling and very crowded with people.  All the shops were open, bars and restaurants were doing a great trade, it reminds you of the West End of London but there is lot more tall skyscrapers, more people, more bright lights and it has an even a greater buzz to it.

Hong Kong can be divided into four parts: Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon peninsula, the New Territories and the numerous ­outlying islands.

Hong Kong Island

The Central District on Hong Kong Island is the place you always see on TV news reports. Teaming with people, packed with skyscrapers and enormous futuristic buildings, ­opulent hotels and glitzy shopping centres. However on the less developed southern side of the island are some surprisingly restful beaches.

Kowloon

Across Victoria Harbour is Kowloon, with its millions of people packed into just a few square kilometres. It is the most densely populated place in the world. This is the site of many hotels, bars and shops.

The New Territories and outlying Islands

Beyond the mountains which ring Kowloon to the north lie the anachronistically named New Territories a mix of empty hillsides and high-rise developments.

A further step into the outfield is granted by the 230-plus outlying islands which are all part of Hong Kong.  These islands are largely rural, their small towns and fishing villages linked to the city by ferry.