Christmas at the Groves household

Due to Michael working on the 24th and 25th of December we decided to have our Christmas family lunch on the 23rd instead.
we were lucky enough to have the complete family including three grandchildren to enjoy the usual turkey with lost of trimmings. The presents were also great for the grandchildren and Joanne and Tim could have done with a bigger car to get them home but they managed it.
Anyway a great time was had by all as the photo below will show.

Although Katherine looks a little cross

Another day another restaurant and delayed by the "gilets jaunes"

Well it was jolly cold this morning as we all met up around 0915 for a walk back in to the old town to the bar where we were yesterday to enjoy a breakfast of croissants, baguette and coffee. Knowing that it was going to be damn cold this morning we did not use our usual haunt which is a little shop with mostly outside seating and at minus 3 Degrees Centigrade, No Thanks.

having enjoyed the breakfast then we left for the large Auchan Hypermarket just down the road for so,me last minute Christmas Food shopping for some whilst the others waited patiently with some more coffees etc. From there it would only be a quick 30 minutes up the motorway to Les Attaques and the next restaurant we thought!!! Only we woz wrong.
Not long after we got on the motorway heading North we came to a grinding halt and we dribbled along for a good 25 minutes and we thought there had been an accident but we found out later it was due to protest's by the 'Yellow Vested' people someway up the road. we exited the Motorway as soon as we could and then got held up by the police checking on our destination but we got through that and arrived at the restaurant 40 minutes late.

The Restaurant le Gare is a very basic place but with really excellent food and very low prices, which helps to offset the previous nights excess, and very little wine was drunk mainly due to it being decanted form the sewer outside, or so it tasted like that.
We then departed around 14.45 and arrived at the Eurotunnel and we all left on the 15.20 and all back home early evening and some went straight to bed, well I did almost.
A really enjoable trip aided by us wearing some rather natty french berets provided by the tour leader.

The Jubilados leave for Bologne-Sur-Mer

It is the time of the annual visit to France for the Brothers of the Jubilados group and this time we return to Bolougne-Sur-Mer close to Calais.

The group departed from three locations and headed towards the Channel Tunnel where it was delayed by the purchase of Bacon Sandwiches although one group , no names, appeared to have arrived the previous evening in preparation for the event, says Bob.
Satisfied with the late morning breakfast we entered the train for the 35 minute crossing and 10 years behind , France before heading down the Motorway to our destination which was the Ibis Hotel next to the Old Town.

Somehow we all arrived without getting lost and then headed in to the old part of town the the bar we had frequented in the past for a few glasses of something and some light snacks. One of our Brothers became very attached to a very friendly dog and not long afterwards they were married in the Church square to the heckles of the remaining bros.

Some dissapeared for a late afternoon kip before meeting up and going for dinner in the restaurant we have used in the past where much to our pleasure we were shown in to a private room where we could make as much noise as we like without disturbing other guests. 

Many bottle of wine and some really excellent food again and the budge was nearly broken but the good thing was it was cheaper than last year in Saint Omer. By midnight it was time for a quick return in the freezing cold to the Hotel and one last glass of plonk before hitting the bed sheets.

Ethan Leslie Groves born today to our son Michael and Daughter in Law Becky

We are proud to be Grandparents for the third time with a lovely boy Ethan Leslie born at 08.30 this morning to Michael and Becky and weighing in at 8 pounds 11 ounces.

So Congratulations to parents.

Last day today and home tomorrow morning

Gosh, what an improvement in the weather overnight and the sun was shining and the sky was blue, just when we have to pack up and leave, but that's life.
Following breakfast in the usual place we headed down to have about ninety minutes of sun before returning to the bedroom for packing up. Packing did not take long really as we had hardly unpacked . We noticed that there was large cruise ship had arrived overnight and it looked like Celebrity line but it was quite a way away even with binoculars. We returned to the line for a cuppa and waited for the sandwiches to be made available and then time to leave.
I may have mentioned that I had a few problems with the Hotel operation which culminated in me writing to the General Manager of the Hotel and this must have shaken a few people as when we arrived downstairs there was the Guest Services Manager, The Duty Manager plus two other guys all waiting to apologies for the the problems and then we got in the car en-route to the airport courtesy of the Hotel. People tend to get home and then put a report on Trip Adviser but never face the management, I am a little different and like to address matter head on.
We arrived at the airport and their was a huge queue for the economy check in but being in business after ten minutes we were ready to face immigration and further security and although there was a massive queue for immigration we only waited perhaps 20 minutes. We found the business class lounge and can you believe the following. They have what looks like brand new Japanese toilets but we don't think they have installed them as you are advised to put the used toilet paper in the dustbin on the floor as it clogs the toilet???? These are probably the macerating toilets which always have a small waste pipe but clearly somebody failed to connect the electric motors or whatever and hence the problem, In this day and  age this is incredible, I think I will wait until I get on the plane.
The business class was nearly full and the service and food was very good indeed. The flight from Manila was about nine hours in a Boeing 777 and we are transferring to a Airbus 380 ( yes the really big one) for the journey back to London.
Well I am writing this last bit of our around the world trip in the Abu Dhabi Business lounge, Jennifer is having a kip on the settee and guess who is watching the baggage and writing the update.
We both agree the highlight of the journey was the Alaskan Fjords, The Area of Asakusa in Tokyo and the Best Japanese Garden, already documented. And now for a quiet couple of months at home waiting for the new grandchild to arrive, start the process for selling the house, planning our trip to Florida in Feb and Marc, we must escape this UK cold weather…
Well that's its then, we should be home in about eight hours or so from now as we are due to arrive in London at 0645 when its quite cold after leaving a 32 degrees in Manila.

Typhoon’s here, lets go to the Shopping Mall

It was very windy and rainy overnight and all the pool furniture has been consigned to storage and everything battened down for the day. By mid morning the light rain had turned in to a downpour and we understand all the schools have closed for the day.

Jennifer wanted to see if she could buy a new long dress and we thought the best place for this would be at the Asia Mall ( which in fact is the 7th Largest mall in the world) which we understand is relatively new and so we caught the free shuttle bus to the mall about 15 minutes away. As usual in the town all Hotels and major shops have security guards and X ray machines so as to stop and local terrorism attacks although some of the security guards really don't take their job seriously it would appear. The first two shops we saw when we arrived was Starbucks, KFC and Pizza Express, this did not bode well I thought. And so it was like walking through Bentall's of Kingston-on-Thames as it was almost all the same shops that we know. So Dorothy Perkins, Top Shop, H & M, and many others who would have shops and so it was a rather pointless visit. So after about 90 minutes we left this very, very crowded Mall and went back to the Hotel for a cup of tea and cake.
Upon watching the TV it would appear that the typhoon has hit the Norther Philippines quite hard with power lines down and the usual flooding, boy does this country have a bad shake of the dice. I think the Pope should have word…
In the evening we returned to the club for a light snack and glass or two of plonk before an evening of Netflix.

A couple of days doing Damn all!

So we got up the morning and had breakfast in the lounge and then down to the pool until mid afternoon and then headed back to the room for a shower and change and then back to the lounge for some snacks.

This we did for two days except on the Monday evening we went to the main


Spiral Restaurant in the Hotel where we had some good food.

At 03.00 hrs on Monday morning we had set out our alarm clock to wake up and watch the Mexican Formula 1 race which was not to bad then back to sleep and we got up just in time before breakfast was stopped being served.
I have a few complaints about the Hotel and in the process of writing a letter on the subject to the General Manager and lest see what happen. I could just write a report on Trip Adviser but having looked at other complaints raised against the hotel the so called Quality Manager seems more of an Auto Answer Service as the same complain keeps coming up. One of those for an example is that yesterday evening I wanted to the ONLINE CHECK IN For our Etihad flights and was proposing to do this after dinner at around 21.15 and Noel discovered that the business Office was closed and only opens between 0900 –1700 which is quite ridiculous. They need to have 24 hour access like every other Hotel we have stayed in.

Oh well that's it for now except to mention that a Typhoon is heading our way but will not hit Manila as the Signal ONE LEVEL has been raised but it will most likely hit the Northern Islands before targeting Guangzhou and perhaps a little bit Hong Kong. It is expected that the winds will drop by Wednesday afternoon and so hopefully our flight will not be affected.

First full day in Manila and where has the sun gone?

When we arrived Friday afternoon the sun was shining and with a lot of blue sky which is now missing when we opened the curtains this morning.
This grey weather seems to be following us around  Asia whilst there is a Typhoon the way to us and due around the time we leave Manila on Wednesday night just perfect. We spent the morning and some of the afternoon down alongside the pool where reading and listening to music are the order of the day. After many weeks of running here and there a few days of doing nothing looks good and apart from a trip to to the Seafood Market where you pick your own prawns, crabs, fish etc and then leave it to them to cook and serve is on the cards for Monday lunchtime. Also we thought a trip to the local shopping Mall on Tuesday to see if Jennifer can get a couple of casual long dresses and to be frank that's the only things planned and no tours and/or cultural visits, just relaxation and wait for the flight on Wednesday evening.

During the day we noticed several failure’s in the management of this Hotel which have escalated a bit. Having stayed in a number of Japanese Hotels where almost everything is perfect, this is a bit of a let down and I have already written a letter to the General Manager of the Hotel, lets see what happens next although one of his flunkies has tried to bribe us off with a free ride to the airport. More on this to follow. Its not that I don't know a good Hotel from a bad one when I have experienced perhaps almost 10000 room nights in Hotels around the world
In the evening we visited the lounge and a had a couple of glasses of wine and some rather snacks which is enough for for dinner and then returned to the Hotel room to watch some stuff on Netflix. Yesterday I had noticed a HDMI connecter with information in the Room Information book saying that we can plug in and watch stuff from our PC and all we have to do switch over to HDMI 2. However the remote control his no button to switch over and so a call to reception and a engineer came up and said you have to push this button on the TV and not the remote. I said why does that not appear anywhere on the information booklet and his reply is that we have many different types of TV here and some work from the remote and some don't. Brilliant.
Manila has grown substantially since my last visit with many new Hotels and large office blocks and also several large Casinos. The population of this town is about 13 million, give or take few thousand people.
Manila (/məˈnɪlə/; Filipino: Maynilà, pronounced [majˈnilaʔ] or [majniˈla]), officially the City of Manila (Filipino: Lungsod ng Maynilà[luŋˈsod nɐŋ majˈnilaʔ]), is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the most densely populated cities proper in the world.^[3] It was the first chartered city by virtue of the Philippine Commission Act 183 on July 31, 1901 and gained autonomy with the passage of Republic Act No. 409 or the "Revised Charter of the City of Manila" on June 18, 1949.^[10]
The Spanish city of Manila was founded on June 24, 1571, by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. The date is regarded as the city's official founding date. Manila was also the seat of power for most of the country's colonial rulers. It is home to many historic sites, some of which were built during the 16th century. Manila has many of the Philippines' firsts, including the first university(1590),^[11] light station (1642), lighthouse tower (1846), water system (1878), hotel (1889), electricity (1895), oceanarium (1913),^[12]stock exchange (1927), flyover (1930s), zoo (1959), pedestrian underpass (1960),^[13] science high school (1963),^[14] city-run university (1965), city-run hospital (1969), and rapid transit system (1984; also considered as the first rapid transit system in Southeast Asia).^[15]
The term "Manila" is commonly used to refer to the whole metropolitan area, the greater metropolitan area or the city proper. The officially defined metropolitan area called Metro Manila, the capital region of the Philippines, includes the much larger Quezon Cityand the Makati Central Business District. It is the most populous region of the country, one of the most populous urban areas in the world,^[16] and is one of the wealthiest regions in Southeast Asia.^[17][18] The city proper is home to 1,780,148 people in 2015,^[6] and is the historic core of a built-up area that extends well beyond its administrative limits. With 71,263 people per square kilometer, Manila is also the most densely populated city proper in the world.^[6][7]
The city is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay. The Pasig River flows through the middle of the city, dividing it into the north and south sections. Manila is made up of 16 administrative districts: Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Paco, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Sampaloc, San Andres, San Miguel, San Nicolas, Santa Ana, Santa Cruz, Santa Mesa and Tondo, while it is divided into six districts for its representation in Congress and the election of the city council members. In 2016, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network listed Manila as an "alpha –" global city.^[19]
All this took about 40 minutes to sort and so rather than watch a long fil we watched a couple of episodes on ‘Line of Duty’ series 3. Its a good series .

To Manila we go

The last time Noel visited Manila on business was in 1989 and of course there are many changes to became obvious as soon as we arrived after a two hour flight. We basically came to Manila because of economical reasons as flight costs from Manila are half the cost from Hong Kong and what we  saved enabled us to have a few days in the sun before returning to the UK and the COLD.
So we left the Hotel around11.00 and checked in, have previously made sure after repacking that out our hand luggage did not exceed 7.0 kilos only to find when we checked in they did not want to know about the weight of the hand carry, what to say, but that's airlines for you. So after trying to find the business class lounge in this huge place we gave up and went to the gate and waited there. The flight arrived a little late but they tried to leave on time and as we boarded the aircraft the cleaners were leaving at the same time and so it was little crowded in the front door for a while but we found our seats and relaxed. Noel could only eat the appetiser and not the main course which had garlic and lots of other stuff which is not conducive to his health.. Just under two hours later we landed, very badly really, at the airport and soon after immigration and customs, who did not even bother took at the form we had filled in we left for the Hotel and arrived shortly after 17.00. We chose this Hotel which is now called the Sofitel Philippine Plaza resort as Noel had stayed here several times in his business life and enjoyed it.  We opted for an upgrade which included free booze in the lounge and food through out the day but decided to that for the first night it would be good to sit outsider in the warm air fort dinner not realising that there was rebuilding taking place right next to the pool which was rather noisy and it meant they could not serve the full menu as offered in the room information folder. However the persevered and was able to get food from another outlet served pool side which was quite nice except for the banging and work taking place next door.
Then afterwards as we were both a little tied we opted for an early night.

Quiet day to get ready for our flight tomorrow

After two days of running around town and doing quite a few walking miles, today was about being quiet and then packing for tomorrows flight.
So the morning was spent by the pool and enjoying a little bit of sun which had crept up from somewhere before we left around 14.00 and returned to the room for a snack.  The afternoon was spent reorganising our suitcase and weighing them as we had read that the max weight of hand carry was 7 kilos and so this took a little organisation. After we had completed this we then headed over to central to meet a friend for dinner in the Lawry’s Prime Rib, apparently the best prime rib in Hong Kong only Noel found that the prime rib had been rubbed in garlic before cooking and so that ruled him out. So another rib eye steak took its pace with  a genuine Idaho potato. The prime rib that Jennifer had was excellent an so as the rib eye and after a fairly boozy dinner we headed home to the Hotel, this time courtesy of our hosts driver.
And so it was a rather late evening but most enjoyable evening. So not much to report today really but that's the way it is sometimes.

A day trip to Lamma Island for seafood

Well the weather was not to bad this morning when we awoke and a glimmer of sunshine hopefully to break up the last few days of very cloudy skies. Again we gave up the idea of going to Macao as it due to rain there again and so no point in going unless you are a gambling maniac. For those that don't know, Macao has always allowed gambling even since we lived in Hong mid 70’s but know following the Chinese takeover of this once Portuguese Overseas territory they have allowed it to expand as it was discovered that many people who travelled to Las Vegas to gamble came from this area. Macau now has a greater turnover in the gambling market that Las Vegas and the Hotels that you see in LV are also here, like the Venetian, MGM etc.

Anyway, we are not going there today but to Lamma which is a short 35 minute ferry from Central to the Island. The Hong Kong Island outlying Islands ferry piers have grown over the years and are huge and now there are 7 large piers plus the main Star Ferry pier. So a long walk from Central Station on the overhead walkways took us about 40 minutes from leaving our Hotel to arrival at the pier. The Ferry was leaving at 11.50 and would arrive in time for lunch which was our target today. During our years living here we used the company junks to go to the Island either with friends or business entertainment where you can have all types of  extremely fresh (yes its still alive)seafood with a very quaint view and so today we though we would replicate that.
The journey took us out of the main Harbour and round the bottom of the Island and past where we first lived in Hong Kong, a place called Scenic Villas in a area called Pokfulam. We had flat G8, not bad really when you consider our surname started with the letter G and we were on the 8 th Floor and the number 8 is ‘LUCK’ in the Chinese numerical. On to the lower part of Lamma where we saw a huge Maersk Container ship had rammed the Island and gone aground and was there for some weeks whilst they took the full containers off and then had to blast the rocks to help the vessel be towed away and repaired. It would appear the the crew had been on the booze for the last 24 hours and could not right from their left. Anyway enough of the past and we arrived at the small dock and then found the restaurant called the Lamma Mandarin which I have used before and also with a good trip adviser write up. We had steamed prawns for a starter and then a mid teamed and cut Garoupa with broccoli, and several other veg which Noel did not eat, and finally some chicken and cashew nut with a bowl of boiled rice. The fish and food was excellent and to have a fish this size is not cheap but the man says as it was a quiet day he would give a discount which probably means he a added a few dollars.

Scenic Villas Pokfulam our first home

By the time lunch was finished at a slow pace it was time to catch the 2.30 pm ferry back and as the sun had partly come it was possible for Noel to take some photos of the development along the coastline and also pictures of our old flat(nee apartment). We arrived back in Hong Kong and walked to the MTR and discovered that our Octopus Cards were short on cash for the return journey and so we went to the customer service and I asked for 2 times HG$ 50.00 to be added, unfortunately with a slight language barrier he tried to ad HK$ 250.00 per card which was incorrect as we don't need that cash on the card as we are leaving on Friday morning. So after a fifteen minute wait the problem was resolved and back on the train to Mong Kok and Noel wanted to look for a new mouse for the computer as after changing the mouse mats it looks like its the mouse that is not working and so we went to the Computer Building to look for a mini mouse which we finally found at the huge costs of £ 5.20 and it works brilliantly.
The back to the Hotel room for a shower and a evening doing blogs and photos, there was two days to catch up on, and then we watched a Sherlock Holmes film which was quite good.
And then after covering about 16000 steps in the last two days we both needed a god long rest.

Best Laid Plans

We were planning to take the jet foil to Macau this morning and do a bus tour of the Island however when we awoke it was very dark and clouding in Hong Kong and with some rain forecast for Macau. As it would costs about £ 200.0 to get there and back and perhaps a bit extra for the tour we decided that to spend that money and not really see anything in its best light would be pointless. Sop what to do?
First of a as bit of laying under the grey cloud on the rooftop pool for a whole seemed very attractive and so that is what we did for about 4.5 hours and that was very pleasant. For the evening we had planned for dinner in the Hong Kong club and then go and watch the evening light show which starts each night at 20.00 for about ten minutes when all the buildings on the waterfront both sides combine to create a light show and music if you are in the right place. We left the club and walked to Star Ferry, gosh has this changed, Star ferry was right by Connaught Centre by about 100 yards but now with land reclamation it seems nearer Kowloon than Central but after a twenty minute walk we got to Star ferry and jumped aboard for the crossing and hoping we would arrive in time for the lights and we just about made it, and so did many hundreds of others as the place was packed and to set up my tripod would be of no use and so I held and took video and photos.

I forgot to mention the dinner in the club was very good and Jenifer had the cold salmon steak to start with a large plate of liver and mashed potato, and Noel had the prawn cocktail and the sirloin steak and fries.  I did mention to the Maitre’d that when it shows steak and chips that's what I thought you got and not a helping of tomatoes and pak choi , which is a Chinese cabbage, neither which I can eat and so I asked for some peas which duly arrived mixed with onion!!!, so they went back and a bowl of peas turned up. In the meantime we were watching the repeat of the Leicester and Liverpool game and the highlight of the Man u and Chelsea game.
Once the display was finished and crowds cleared a bit Noel set up the tripod to some time lapse filming over the harbour and that took about 25 minutes to record and perhaps will last ten seconds when you show it. From there we went past the Peninsular Hotel and right next door where the TST Police Station used to be in the 1970-1980 period the old station has been turned in to a smart and expensive Hotel with about 15 rooms only and no doubt quite expensive. This area of Tsim Tsa Tsui was very busy indeed, no doubt with all the crowds that had gone to see the light show.
We got back to the Hotel around 10 pm and Noel went straight for a shower and was in bead by 10.30 and nodded off after seconds having covered about three miles.
Lets see what tomorrow brings

Just one of those days!!

Well unfortunately somewhere in my food last night was either garlic or a vegetable which I had not tried before or was it the lemon on the smoked salmon, I just don't know but the result meant that Noel had to stay in the room all day so as to be near the smallest room in the bedroom. The frustrating thing about this is I felt fine and ready for anything but to leave the room could have dire consequences and so settled to catch up with some paperwork, write blogs and do photos etc. Even though we are away there are still bills to pay and matters to action so you never ever really escape form your home responsibilities. Well enough of that.
As it happens today it is rather overcast but still warm and a promise of some rain which only partly materialised. So Jennifer went off shopping by herself to get another mouse mat or two and then spent a few minutes in the ‘Ladies market’ and considered buying a couple of things but we look like tourist and so the price is tripled and then offer a 10 per cent discount, anyway Jennifer did not by anything. In the afternoon Jennifer went off to the rood swimming pool for a couple of hours whilst Noel wrestled with OPODO the travel who booked our flights to arrange to add our middle names to the airline computer and finally after speaking to them and holding for a great length of time , almost one hour fifteen minutes, and having been transferred from somewhere ion darkest India to Barcelona where Opodo Management is they said they would try if I would send them copies of our passports, Lets see what happens.

Tomorrow the longest bridge in the world opens from Hong Kong to Zuhai China via Macau and is 35 miles long and cost £15.3 billion quid and will be used for trucks, containers, buses and only the odd approved private car and of course this has caused some political unrest here in Hong Kong as there are needful border crossings and together with the new high speed rail link to Guangzhou there is a strong feeling that China is trying to exert even more power over Hong Kong. We shall see.
In the evening Jennifer went shopping in the mall next door for evening food and bought a Marks & Spencer Cannelloni with salad and Noel some Sushi and we also enjoyed a glass of plonk. For entertainment we watched a sloppy film called ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ followed by one episode of series 3 ‘Line of Duty’.
And so to bed

A relaxing day by the pool on the 41 st Floor

A brief lay in followed by breakfast and the big decision was to have a nice time by the swimming pool. We had some room sorting to do and after a late breakfast we headed up the the swimming pool which is on the 41st floor of the Hotel with great views over Hong Kong.
The place was quite empty when we arrived just before midday and it did get a bit busier during the day up until we left around 16.30. We brought our water and packet of nuts to sit and nibble at as although they are available  this cost in our view was prohibitive and we are not going to pay £ 3.50 for a small bottle of water no matter where is came from. After a quick shower and change we made contact with Joanne and Katherine and Christopher with Katherine doing non stop talking and poor Christopher looking a bit overpowered but that will change as I had the same experience when I was young with two sisters.
We had booked to go to the Jackson Room in the Hong Kong Club tonight which required a   trip to the MTR just across the road from the Hotel and then a quick 15 minute train ride to Central. The amount of MTR lines and the coverage of Hong Kong has increased significantly since we were living here and also during the years when we made the odd visit like 5 years ago. It is so efficient and possibly rivals the Japan trains for service and all with driver less trains and fully controlled by computers. At one time, and this may still apply, they had a guy sitting in the front just in case somebody fell on the track but now most stations, if not all, have track protection gates which only open in to the door of the train carriage.
We arrived at the Club and had a nice dinner although subsequently it would appear that the NO Garlic was not fully observed as I discovered to my cost later in the evening.

The Hong Kong Club is on Statute Square and every Sunday for many years the Philippines workers of which there are literally thousands descend on the square to meet friends, do business, talk about their families and dance which is what happened as we came up the stairs we heard this music and there were about fifteen ladies doing what might be called a line dance. When this get together first started all those years ago when we lived here has mushroomed in to a good business what with food sellers, sim card sellers offering low costs to the Philippines and even a couple of freight forwarders with their vans collecting stuff that they have bought and ship it back to families at home.

On arriving back Mong Kok there were people everywhere, well it is a Sunday night and Christian Dior were running a lipstick demo and there must have been at least fifty girls lined up waiting there turn.
“Mong Kok (also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK) is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District, on the western part of Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong. The Prince Edward area occupies the northern part of Mong Kok.
Mong Kok is one of the major shopping areas in Hong Kong. The area is characterized by a mixture of old and new multi-story buildings, with shops and restaurants at street level, and commercial or residential units above. Major industries in Mong Kok are retail, restaurants (including fast food) and entertainment. It has been described^[1] and portrayed in films as an area in which triadsrun bars, nightclubs, and massage parlors. With its extremely high population density of 130,000/km² or 340,000 per square mile, Mong Kok was described as the busiest district in the world by the Guinness World Records.^[2]
Until 1930, the area was called Mong Kok Tsui (芒角嘴).^[3] The current English name is a transliteration of its older Chinese name 望角 (Jyutping: mong⁶ gok³; IPA: [mɔːŋ˨ kɔːk˧]), or 芒角 (Jyutping: mong⁴ gok³; IPA: [mɔːŋ˨˩ kɔːk˧]), which is named for its plentiful supply of ferns in the past when it was a coastal region. Its present Chinese name "旺角" (Jyutping: wong⁶ gok³; IPA: [wɔːŋ˨ kɔːk˧]), means "prosperous corner" or "crowded corner."
For a period, the area was also called Argyle, and this name was used for the MTR station when it opened in 1979. The office building 旺角中心; "Mong Kok Centre", which was named after the area, is known in English as Argyle Centre rather than Mong Kok Centre.”

What a busy Saturday

We were a little late getting up this morning after the fun of the previous night.
It was really exciting as Jennifer sorted out all the laundry as we have been unable to do much in the last couple of weeks and stocks were low. We had read that there was a laundry just a few minutes away where you could take in first thing in the  morning and collect later in the day and we tried to use Goole Maps to guide us but perhaps due to all of the high buildings perhaps there was no signal and it getting lost. In the end we had to get a map from the Hotel and then located it quite quickly. At 12.30 we handed it over and the Chinese lady said ‘ready at 4 p,m, great we thought.
From there we headed to the MTR to purchase our Oyster Cards and then headed off to Central and the Hong Kong Club where Noel wanted to sign on to allow us to use the club over the next week. It also must be noted that Noels hair over the last week has grown and he was looking a bit of a tramp and so shortly after signing in we checked to see if the barber was working today and were lucky to make an appointment for 15.00 with Jimmy the longstanding hair dresser.
We then had 90 minutes to kill and so went to the club Bowling Alley Bar for a beer and lunch and had a really good meal, Jennifer had the Lincolnshire pork sausages with mash and onion gravy and Noel had the Grilled liver with mash and peas, Oh peas he cried!!! The food was really excellent as usual and the cost for this plus two chardonnays and one beer was less than £ 30.00. By this time it was about 4 pm when we left the club and we needed to do some shopping for dinner snack for tonight and also we needed to collect the laundry and also Noel wanted to buy a computer mouse mat and we had the address of the Mongkok Computer Building where the numerous sellers of everything computer you can think of. We found what e wanted after getting a little bit lost twice but this is easy as there people everywhere. Mongkok has the world record of being the most densely populated in the world and it certainly looked like it this Saturday. The main road through Mongkok is Nathan Road and no doubt to stop people crossing over where they should not they have put a barrier down the middle of the road and so the cross over we had to walk a long way, the locals of course know better than us on this.

Then back to the Hotel for a well earned shower and a glass of plonk with some smoked salmon  on white bread for tea. We saw some to Practise 3 on the F1 show and it was pouring with rain in Austin Texas.
We watched a film we have seen before called the Pianist, its a hard watch but well made by Polanski. And so to bed.

We go to Hong Kong today, or old home for many years

As usual once you know that you must get up early and you set three alarms you just seem to wake up an hour earlier and wait for the alarm to go off and that is what happened to us. So at about 0400 we were thinking about what to do but then it was 04.30 and so first of all the important cup of tea.
We finished packing the bags and got some airport luggage trolleys, checked out of the Hotel and off we went for the five minute trip to the Hong Kong Airlines Check in.

Is it a bird or a plane, no its Hong Kong Airlines

Being aware of the ticket problems rather than raise the matter we left them to find it and clearly they did . We almost got checked in and while she was scanning the passports she obviously noticed the missing middle names and called a supervisor and and then a phone call to somebody and all the time apologising for the delay. After about five minutes of scanning the passports and playing with the computer she said there was a problem with our booked seats, Oh No I thought here we go, but she said that the Inflight entertainment system was not working on the pre assigned seats and would we mind moving. I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Lie flat beds in Business

We did the usual security stuff where you stand in a glass bowl and a machine whizzes round you and takes naked photos of you I think.
To be frank it wasn’t until we were sitting in the aircraft and taxiing away that we thought that was lucky, so lets see what happens on the same e-ticket to Manila, but I must get the Etihad Tickets change as we don't want any worries about our final flight home.
The seats and service on Hong Kong Airlines was very good indeed and the staff were always smiling and and helpful. The breakfast served to Jennifer looked excellent and I could only look on and be jealous whilst eating my yogurt and two bread rolls. The flight left at 07.00 on time and it was a 3 hrs 40 minute flight to Hong Kong where we landed at about 09.50 local time. Within 40 minutes we were through immigration and collected bags and in a taxi to the Hotel in

Hotel Cordis Kowloon Hong Kong

Kowloon where we arrived at just after 11.00 . The room on a lower floor was ready but the guy suggested for a better view of the city if we would not mind waiting a couple of hours we could have a room on the 22nd floor which would provide very different views. We were given coupons for a drink and then at about 13.30 the room was ready and by this time Noel had had a hamburger in the coffee shop and although they said there was not garlic and onions I was not so sure.
We had a relaxing afternoon before going to met some friends in a huge complex called the Elements which is a combination of Ice Rink, Kowloon Station and Shopping Mall and finally an open air area where there are loads of restaurants with a live bad and you can sit out side in the warm air. We had an absolute brilliant night before one couple had to leave for the airport to connect with there 000.30 flight to Milan.

The elements at night

So then a taxi back to the Hotel and though the back streets there was trucks and fork lifts moving fruit of all kinds and like an open air roadside Covent Garden food market, there were boxes of fruit all over the road and with trucks and taxis and forklift all over the place it was a marvellous piece of chaos, if only I had brought my camera.,
Oh well there is always tomorrow

A trip to Osaka Kansai Airport

We had to reorganise our suitcases this morning so that we do not exceed the weights specified by the Airline. Having also spent quite some time on the phone to OPODO about the mistake on out tickets and being reassured it wont matter we just had to trust to fate.
We left the Hotel around 12.00 and at one time had thought of doing a bit of a drive around Osaka but as we are due to have a very early morning tomorrow we thought that as we can check in around 14.00 we might as well go straight to the Airport Hotel and have restful afternoon and explore Kansai Airport procedures so as to save time the following day. This Airport is very modern but having suffered a closure about a month ago due to the bad Typhoon they have done an amazing job getting it back to normal again. On the drive to the Airport we spotted lots of fallen tress and many houses and building covered in blue tarpaulins. We dropped the Toyota car at the drop off point which was just below the Hotel and that was easy. It would appear that we did about 1035 miles around Japan and spent £ 150 on Expressway tolls and we thanked the dealer for nice car
The Nikko Kansai Hotel is very nice and modern and the rooms are large for a Japanese Hotel, some Hotels we stayed in you could hardly swing half a cat let alone a full one. We did a reconnoitre of the airport facilities and then went back for a brief rest and then down to dinner in the Brasserie restaurant and that was good to.

We are due to get up early tomorrow morning at around 04.30 as we need to get to the Airport early just in case of any ticketing issues.
We spent the evening reading and listening to music

A day out in Osaka

Our usual in house breakfast and then we left the Hotel after Noel trying to do an online check in on the flights leaving on Friday. The Hotel computers for some reason would not allow us to get in to the airline system and as we were sitting there an American Couple came up and said are you having trouble checking in, we said yes, and they said they had the same problem but with a different airline to us. I then tried on my phone using my mobile WIFI station which worked fine except the booking seemed to only show our first and last names and not our middle names. We then left the Hotel to do some shopping.
We took a Taxi to a store called Tokyu Hands which we knew well when we lived in Tokyo and it is great for craft things and as we wanted to buy some presents from Japan for the grandchildren, two here and one on the way, we thought this was an ideal place to do it. So after about 30 minutes we left with some presents and then went looking for the round Osaka Bus which was due to leave very near from where we were. We discovered that the bus was about every hour and the next one due was at 13.48 and so we need to eat something as it is a 2.5 hour round trip and as we had less than half an hour we broke our rule and went to McDonalds which is always quick particularly in Japan.
After a burger we headed to the bus stop after wandering through the shopping arcades and waited for the bus and just when it di it struck me like a bolt from the blue that if the airline tickets do not have the full and correct name we might not be allowed to board. O Hell what to do. As the first flight was not until Friday, and today is Wednesday there is time to correct it we hope, and so on the bus which was a regular bus with sun reflecting windows and not good for photos, Noel sat there and thought Oh Hell must get those tickets sorted asap and therefore could not enjoy the trip.
By this time the bus had emptied a group from a cruise ship and we were the only ones on the bus and so we started talking to the guide and then explained that we needed to get off and go back to the Hotel to sort out the ticket problem for the reasons as mentioned and he took sympathy on our problem and let us off without needing to to  pay which was a saving of 5000 yen as we had not completed the full trip.
By this time we were in the famous Dotonbori Area of Osaka

Dotonbori Area: The Bright Heart of Osaka

The lively entertainment area of Dotonbori is Osaka’s most famous tourist destination and renowned for its gaudy neon lights, extravagant signage, and the enormous variety of restaurants and bars.

Looking down the Dotonbori Canal towards Ebisubashi Bridge
The name “Dotonbori” generally refers both to the Dotonbori Canal and to Dotonbori Street which runs parallel to the canal’s southern bank. It is one of the most colorful areas in Osaka and an absolute must-visit location when traveling through Kansai region.

The History of Dotonbori

The history of this area goes back to 1612 when a merchant by the name of Yasui Doton invested all of his personal capital in an ambitious local development project. Doton’s plan was to divert and expand the Umezu River into a new waterway that would link the local canal network with the Kizugawa River. Unfortunately, Doton’s project was interrupted by war and he himself was killed during the Siege of Osaka in 1615. Later that same year, Doton’s cousins completed his work and in his memory the new canal was named Dotonbori or “Doton Canal”.

A boat cruise on the Dotonbori Canal
The new canal brought with it a flood of trade and from 1626 the area began to flourish as an entertainment district too after theater companies and playhouses began to move into the area on the canal’s southern bank. At the same time the north bank of the canal began to prosper with restaurants and teahouses that supplied food, drink and entertainment to theater goers after they left the theaters.

Ebisu Bridge around the year 1902
Today Dotonbori’s theater culture is very much in decline. In World War II bombing raids destroyed all the theaters except for the Shochikuza. However, there are still a number of small comedy clubs in the area and the Shochikuza continues to host classical kabuki plays, opera, modern dramas and musicals. These days however, Dotonbori is better known as a gastronomic wonderland crowded with restaurants, street side food stalls, and bars.

The Kani Douraku restaurant and its famous giant crab

Dotonbori’s Food Culture

Osaka’s obsession with food is often summed up with the expression “kuidaore” which is often interpreted to mean “eat till you drop” but actually means to spend so much on food that you fall into financial ruin! Dotonbori is said to be the best place in Osaka to experience this kuidaore style extreme love of food! Famous restaurants in Dotonbori include the following.

• Hariju has been serving prime Japanese beef shabu shabu and sukiyaki in Dotombori since 1948.
• Zubora-ya is a fugu or pufferfish specialty restaurant.
• Kukuru is a takoyaki octopus dumpling shop.

The famous fugu and takoyaki restaurants on Dotonbori street

• Kushikatsu Daruma has been serving deep fried kebabs of skewered meat fish and vegetables since 1929.
• Kani Douraku is a super popular crab restaurant. Kani Douraku is easily recognized by the giant moving crab on its shopfront, but if you want to eat here it is a good idea to book a table in advance as the waiting time can be as long as 3 hours!

We took a taxi back to the Hotel and then spent the next hour trying to sort out the ticket problem but would have to wait another six hours or so as the agent was having trouble contacting the relevant Airlines.
So after the slight panic we met up with friends for dinner where we visited a very nice Yakitori p0lace near the hotel where the food was very good, Not that I could eat all of it for various medical reasons.
And then to bed