Back to Reality

Well it had to come to an end sometime. The last part of our travels was spent in Hong Kong which we explored for 4 days. It's still as hectic as I remembered it back when I was here 4 years ago.
Next time I come here it'll be to stay in a hotel on Hong Kong island - after 4 days of getting harassed by hustlers trying to sell me a suit, handbags or a Rolex watch in Nathan Rd I felt like jumping into the harbour :-) Kowloon is the cheaper area but it lacks the style and variety of eating places and bars that can be found in Lan Kwai Fong, Wan Chai or Soho.
We took the ferry to Mui Wo to meet up with the bus to the Big Buddha and Po Lin Buddhist monastery. It was quite a cooler day-about 18c but chilly in the wind. The ferry took about 30 minutes and then a hair-raising bus ride through the hills of Lantau Island for 50 minutes.
The Big Buddha was amazing - the monument sits on top of the mountain looking out over Hong Kong and the Pearl River delta. Inside there's an actual sacred artefact - a fragment of bone that belonged to the Sakyamuni Buddha. When he was cremated his remains were distributed to temples all over the world - it's claimed that the relic on display inside this bronze Buddha are genuine remains.
Two weeks later this all seems like a distant memory - it's now back to the world of reality & work. Sounds like nothing's changed out there on the road either - I heard the cops had taken over Martians cafe in Deans Marsh last Sunday & were going through every bike that went past. My source told me the cafe was empty except for 3 bike cops doing what cops in Victoria do - lucky he didn't end up shot or tazered - I thought, it would have been ironic if I'd gone out for a burn on my first ride & had the welcome back to "the place to be"... now here's your fine :-(