Putting the fun into funicular railway

(It really is spelt like that, that pun's not contrived at all!!)

Ticket crisis averted, thank the lord. It involved buying a $100 phone card and calling approximately a million different people, but eventually we tracked Qantas airways down to an office on Hong Kong island - which was convenient as we'd planned to go there today anyway. Score! We caught the ferry over from Kowloon (the ferry ride gives an amazing view of Hong Kong and is, like, a must-do type thing) and in our ticket-replacement quest, got to go inside one of the huge skyscrapers on Hong Kong island!! It was so much fun. The 24th floor. We found this really cute Qantas airways girl who took control and sorted stuff out, and got Vic another ticket printed. Hooray!! The relief.

Following that we spent a fun day on Hong Kong island, went up to the peak in the funicular railway to make Vic feel at home (they have one in Hastings too, but this was on a somewhat grander scale), wandered around alot and visited another temple. We burnt incense to the gods of literature and, er, war. oops. (We didn't figure out which was which til afterwards).

We've walked SO far the last 3 days. My feet feel like two lumps of PAIN. People in Hong Kong aren't really into sitting that much. We must have got moved on at least 3 times today for sitting on steps/walls/pieces of corporate art.

I found out from the guidebook that there is a film about one of the hostel-buildings right by the one we're staying in!!! "Chung King Express" or something, I think, has anyone heard of it? These buildings are just so huge, and full of various things - scummy hostels, less scummy hostels, tailors (there are so many tailors in Hong Kong dammit!), old women hanging out washing, money changing places, places that can get you a Chinese visa quickly, souvenir shops, restaurants. Ours has 16 floors and a big courtyard in the middle. It's amazing. And also somehow nothing like a shopping centre, though from my description that's what it sounds like. Oh well.