Hong Kong looks like a wintry London day

Kowloon ports

Lippo Towers on the left, nick-named the 'Koalo tree'.

The bleakness of arrival is not broken by the blazing cerise bougainvillea along the roadside. It looks dry. We drive across huge bridges linking Lantau Island to Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. At last a close-up of the ports that most of the pictures of Hong Kong ignore, which is surprising, as the city still largely functions as a hub for imports and transhipment.

For breakfast, our lactose-free milk is from Australia, the muesli from Germany and the yoghurt from Greece, all sourced from an expensive supermarket stacked with items from Waitrose (UK). On the news this morning is a report of local food costs rising as more and more of the food in Hong Kong is sourced from mainland China. The Chinese Renminbi is no longer linked to the US$ which the HK$ is and hence the dear prices. A local shopkeeper mentions that 20% of items sold in his shop, is bought by mainland Chinese paid for in Renminbi and that he has accepted the currency for the past 6 years.

The view outside across Victoria harbour is shielded by tall skyscapers and only a snip of the building site on which the new government buildings will be and opposite Kowloon can be seen. Life on the 27th floor and the continuous hum of air conditioners takes some getting used to.