From Abu Dhabi Dreams to Hong Kong Realms – A Journey Through Chaos and Calm.

Boarding the plane to Hong Kong instead of Abu Dhabi was a slight disappointment, as Two’s Company had been looking forward to relaxing in the sun for the next five days. However, on a more serious note, it’s very sad that the world yet again finds itself in turmoil. With the incident off the coast of Sri Lanka the evening before our departure, it truly makes you understand how close adversity is to all of us, no matter where in the world you travel.

The moment you touch down in Hong Kong, you notice the difference between the developed world and the still developing.

We headed for the top deck of the coach that whisked us from the airport to the city centre, passing hundreds, if not thousands, of cargo containers. It seemed like a logistical nightmare; someone else’s problem, but how the dickens they keep track of all that cargo, goodness knows!

The vista became exciting as we approached the high-rises that signalled we had arrived in the city.

The spectacle of height and size was impressive. The roads were "business busy" not hectic nor diesel polluted, with red taxis providing a trademark stamp against the backdrop of Hong Kong history. One thing noticeably different from Colombo was the calmness. Busy, yes, but calm. No constant honking of Tuk Tuk horns or cars screeching to a halt, Hong Kong was definitely different and why would it not be?

Walking into our hotel with backpacks slung over our shoulders, shorts leading to trainers, and James’s T-shirt typically lopsided, the doorman in his pristine suit, but thankfully no top hat, nodded and welcomed us to The Royal Garden.

Reception Outlet ⌚️

This place was massively impressive, leaving us feeling a bit "what are we doing here?" Nevertheless, we declined a ridiculously priced upgrade and headed to the spa for a shower while we waited for our room.

It felt like Two’s Company had managed it again as memories of our Dubai hotel incident came flooding back. It has to be the attire and backpacker in us that raises eyebrows!

It wasn’t long before we were heading to the quayside for our first real view of the skyline. Tsim Sha Tsui was immaculate; the contrast to Sri Lanka was incomparable.

While Sri Lanka is still developing at a slower pace, this was a modern metropolis. We enjoyed a cold beer while watching the hustle and bustle of the water taxis, dwarfed by a massive cruise ship heading for open water.

The ships were a mixture of old and new, though all powered by motors rather than the ornate sails of yesteryear. Still, they were alluring; if you let your imagination work, you could easily see what the view would have been like when sail was the only source of power.

Nestled within the towering modern infrastructure, we found the stunning Nan Lian Gardens and within, an ancient temple. This piece of tranquillity featured wooden bridges over small lakes of koi carp and waterfalls delivering that calmness only flowing water can. It was peaceful and respectful, even with urban life busying away above us.

Somehow, the rumble of traffic merged into a silence of meditation and harmony. We even watched the art of Bonsai being demonstrated by the temple gardeners, their skills passed on to keen students.

The gardens were trimmed to perfection. It was lovely to see the care taken to maintain the environment exactly as it had been for the many, many years preceding.

That evening we headed out in search of a different side to Hong Kong – our destination was Temple Street Night Market. It was Saturday evening, the sun had set hours before, and although Hong Kong was wrapped in a dark night sky, the streets felt more alive than ever.

It was as if the whole city had come out to meet us, not in the sense of greeting us personally, but in an endless stream of chattering, phone-watching groups. Every corner brought fresh swarms of people, while neon lights flashed, glistened and shimmered, Two’s Company pushed their way through the wandering mayhem toward our target.

On arriving, Temple Street narrowed and the hustle shifted to a leisurely stroll between two rows of makeshift stalls – you simply couldn’t rush. The width was no more than James’ fully extended arm span, making it cosy… cosy enough for pickpockets to roam close. Helen’s warning wasn’t loud, but it was clear; suddenly James had both hands on bag zips and fingers clasped around his fleese cuff to guard his watch strap just in case Hong Kong’s street equivalent to Penn & Teller decided to make an appearance!

The market was split into two sections, at the northern end, trinkets galore, from leather wallets to plastic fridge magnets, plus vibrant artwork depicting night scenes of the Kowloon waterfront, including those imaginative replicas of oil paintings where old sails meet vast skyscrapers we had witnessed earlier. The other half was all about food. Some delicacies we had never seen before; some looked perfectly palatable, others less so. There were fish waiting to be turned into dishes, skewers of meat, some we couldn’t quite identify, and smells that pulled us in two directions at once, aromatic spices floating on the evening breeze, then pungent whiffs that switched our desire to sample, to a desire to retreat! We didn’t indulge, just as we had held back from street food in Sri Lanka, heeding warnings about water and hygiene. Still, Temple Street was exactly what we’d hoped for, slightly chaotic, colourful and full of life. With smiles on our faces, we headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui and Kowloon for dinner, and what a treat it was! An explosion of flavours, with dishes that looked familiar but came with a delicious twist on the norm.

The next day took Two’s Company crossed the water to the far shore. The water taxi was swift, almost as swift as the crowd swarming the deck for the best seats! The sheer size of the vertical structures and the maze of covered walkways made for an interesting experience as we weaved through the crowds toward the Peak Tram.

The ride up was steep, very steep and that allowed the landscape to unfold below us as Hong Kong’s true size became even more clear. At the top, forward planning by Helen took us away from the usual tourist traps to a circular stroll around the Peak.

We weren’t disappointed; the walk offered incredible viewing angles of the historic, once British-governed city below.

Along the route, butterflies fluttered in abundance, never staying still long enough to capture anything but blurred images of their beauty on camera, but still adding a final touch of magic to the vista.

A final day in Hong Kong saw Two’s Company take advantage of the rooftop pool area, indulging in some well-earned relaxation before our flight home to Heathrow via Beijing the following day.

Touching down in the "Big Smoke" of good old Blighty was a relief, we were thinking of friends as we knew they were still working to finalise their routes home because of the war in the Middle East.

Although disappointed not to have completed our itinerary and explore Abu Dhabi, as ever, we were so grateful for all the experiences we had.

The following afternoon, we took a walk along the River Wandle in SW19. Just like the butterflies of Hong Kong, a grey wagtail bobbed around on a nearby tree branch it was near-impossible to capture on camera, but it reminded us that springtime was on its way.

On arriving back north we were reminded, there really is nothing quite like home, particularly when Barlick greets you with wind and rain!  The first we had seen in nearly four weeks!

All that is left to say is…

"Thank you for a roller coaster adventure, Doha, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and to one day in the future, never say never, Abu Dhabi!"

شكراً لكم على هذه المغامرة المليئة بالإثارة، الدوحة، سريلانكا، هونغ كونغ، وإلى يوم من الأيام في المستقبل، لا تقل أبداً لا، أبو ظبي!

රෝලර් කෝස්ටර් ත්‍රාසජනක ගමනක්, දෝහා, ශ්‍රී ලංකාව, හොංකොං සහ අනාගතයේ දවසක, කවදාවත් කියන්න එපා, අබුඩාබි කියලා ස්තූතියි!

多謝你哋過山車冒險，多哈、斯里蘭卡、香港同埋到未來嘅某一日，永遠唔好講永遠，阿布扎比！

Finally, to you all – thank you for joining us on New Horizons.

Two’s Company x