I’m coming towards the end of the trip now and had planned a day of ‘historical’ sightseeing today. Except it’s raining so much that it wouldn’t be much fun. Not only is Hong Kong very humid, it also suffers from great downpours of rain. Only one day since I’ve been here has it not rained and that was the first day.

Today was the day I was going to actually take photos since I’ve pretty much worn the life out of shopping. Today was the day I was going to see Big Buddha. I was going to Victoria Peak to watch the sunset but no, Hong Kong doesn’t want me to. The weather can be very extreme here.

Which brings me beautifully to another downfall of Hong Kong - the food. I’ve been told by so many people how great the food will be, I’ll be eating lovely noodles and dishes every day but so far I’ve not enjoyed one meal. There was great hope that i’d be eating beautiful quick-bites from street sellers but on Hong Kong island there’s been such a crackdown on hygiene that virtually all street food sellers have gone away.

My main problem has been the expectation. At home our Chinese takeaway is very different from the kind of food served here. We enjoy dishes cooked in chili and garlic where as here everything seems to be either deep fried or boiled. One word sums it up - bland. Sure there’s choice with a lot of different styles of cooking but I’m either put off by the pictures outside or the smell.

Many restaurants here also do not cater for English speaking so unless you dive head first into the unknown. Get ready to have to explore to find somewhere you can understand.