Guangzhou and Hong Kong

First impressions of Guangzhou was that it was massive, vaguely more westernized than other cities we'd visited, but still pretty rustic and Chinese. The place is also known as Canton and is where apparently most of our Chinese food from the West comes from – haven't found any UK Chinese food in China yet. First day there we checked out Shamian island just across the river from our hostel. The island is tiny and famous for being an enclave for early British and French traders in the 19^th century, so is interesting in that most of the buildings are European colonial-style building, including Christian churches and things. Next we explored the huge Qing Ping street market just north of the island, which is apparently one of the biggest markets in China where you can find whatever you want. We'd read in guide books that the meat market was a pretty gruesome and authentic Chinese experience with snakes being skinned alive and kittens crammed in cages. But it all seemed pretty tame after what we'd seen in the meat market by the apartment we'd been living in the past 5 months in Changsha. Definitely worth visiting though – especially the huge number of strange spice stalls that you real feel in your nose as you walk past. Also attempted to find the Buddhist Hualin Temple hidden in the middle of an old run-down housing district of crumbling tenements and shacks in the centre. After walking through narrow alleys past tiny house workshops and stalls we found it – but it was closed by this time :(

Next day it was off to Hong Kong! Something I was really excited about, but Karen's total lack of enthusiasm for the place after being there before made me wary. We managed to get a train straight there from Guangzhou (although if you want to get to HK from mainland apparently going via Shenzhen is the cheapest way) and after several customs and passport checkpoints we arrived. Found our hostel – Cheng King Mansions in Kowloon district – and soon I could understand Karen's dislike for the place. Kowloon area was startlingly like London, not just cos of the double-decker buses, driving on the left, but also buildings, same kind of multi-ethnic make-up, same high prices and the same rudeness. We had to be there to renew our mainland China visas and knew we could still make the most of it.

First night we met up with some TTC people we'd met in Beijing (Jamie and Matt), and Anna who'd been in our Changsha placement. Matt we just met totally randomly on the street! So that was cool. Went to Avenue of Stars – HK's version of Hollywood's Walk of Fame – where we recognised about 4 names, and watched the light show over Hong Kong Island across the water. For dinner did something I'd really been looking forward to and craving – a curry! And it was good.

Next morning got up early, headed to Hong Kong Island to go to the visa centre to put in applications, headed to the tiny and boring Victoria park and then ended up watching Avatar 3D in the cinema - one of the only places to see a full English version. Definitely preferred Hong Kong Island to Kowloon. Felt older, slightly more Chinese, and more how I imagined HK streets to look – crowded with overhanging signs and neon. To me though the whole city kinda feels like London's been compressed down to smaller scale. Shops and restaurants are narrow and crowded together so, with the crowds of people, everywhere feels congested and claustrophobic. The high rises are amazing and beautiful, especially from Victoria peak at night, but don't make the place more livable. Seems to have a real lack of culture too and a bit of a soulless feel… just a finance city I guess.

Joined by our friend Helen the next day, who'd be with us for the rest of our travels. Went to the Art Museum, which I'd really recommend, and the Space Museum, which I wouldn't. Managed to get a free meal too by collecting the room key deposit of Dani, a girl we'd befriended who'd flown home and left her key in our room. So that was cool. Next day visited the Temple of 10,000 buddhas in the New Territories which was my favourite thing we did. New territories were really interesting, more traditional, Chinese and a lot less developed - still quite wooded, but dotted with massive new skyscrapers every now and again. The temple was amazing – apparently there were 12,000 individualised statues of every carnation of Buddha and the monks are continuously making more.