Heading home...

My time in Hong Kong is drawing to a close. Yesterday I checked out the Museum of Coastal Defence, which was awesome. Unfortunately it wasn't the most pleasant experience as there was a school group - lots of screaming children - and a few other tour groups with screaming guides. They weren't a problem in the outdoor exhibits, but they were pretty unpleasant in a confined space.

I then tried to take a bus to the Dragon's Back trailhead, but jumped off in the wrong spot. I hailed a taxi and the driver wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go, but it was certainly in the other direction from where my bus was headed (so basically, the guidebook was wrong on this one). I stopped off in one spot and saw a track leading to the Dragon's Back but decided it was probably not the right one; a bit further down the road, the driver showed me the right track (and I called Claire to check).

It was supposed to take a long time but the weather was nice and cool, the views were great and the trails were fun, so I made good time and arrived at Big Wave Bay at around 1600h (after one more call to Claire to check if the dogs on the trail were to be worried about). I polished off two Tsingtaos and then headed up for a minibus back to Shau Kei Wan. I wasn't sure if I was on the right bus, because it said Shau Ki Wan, but it got me back to where I expected.

I headed in to Central and met up with Ash, Claire and some of their friends in Lan Kwai Fong. That was when the fun started. There was much merriment and drinking... and Jagerbombs and merriment... and eventually we got home quite late (not ridiculously so) having drunk very much and only eating a little. So this morning I woke up still feeling a bit drunk, and had to send myself back to bed until almost midday. Bleuch! No sunrise on Lantau Peak for me (though I did notice it was cloudy this morning anyway).

It also meant I was in no shape to go mountain biking, so instead we sat on the beach and I went for a swim out to the raft and then sat on the beach for a while longer. We wandered back via some shops and now I am packing up to go home... see you all soon!

Running out of time...

Yesterday I took the MTR over to Tung Chung on Lantau Island. I found myself at a big outlet shopping centre - woohoo! They have Nike Free for the equivalent of $100 in the Nike shop, NB 902 for $80, LaFuma backpacks with water bottle carriers on the straps for $50... and all I bought was a "sausage and cheese bun" (like a hot dog, only sweeter) and a Portugese egg tart (egg custard, that is) for breakfast, and later on a sandwich for afternoon tea.

I took the cable car up to Ngong Ping Village. It was pretty spectacular, but I found myself looking longingly at the trails below. I desperately wanted to see lots of things in Hong Kong, and I haven't really done enough hiking, so I guess I will have to visit again some time. As we approached, it was interesting to watch the small Buddha grow into a larger and larger Buddha. The other passengers in my car were a bit worried about how many steps they had to walk up to get to the top.

At the village, I wandered around in a daze of souvenir shops. I checked out the tea house - I didn't have any tea, but the little gallery was lovely. The English was interesting - very good for the most part, until I read the last wall of information about types of tea, which was a hilarious translation with lots of missing words. Understandable, but not really what you would like to see in a mini-museum.

I desperately needed something, so I tried some gelato - one scoop of choc-hazelnut and one scoop of black sesame - and headed to Starbucks for some coffee and water. At the next table sat one of the Buddhist monks, enjoying his short black and working his prayer beads.

I felt a bit lost in Lantau, because my map didn't have much detail and the guide book didn't cover much. I bought a book in a gift shop, because it had some more information about Lantau. I then found a map on a wall and headed over for the main sights - the Po Lin Monastery, the Wisdom Path and the Giant Buddha.

I started with the Monastery and ended up wandering into a shrine somewhere around the back, where a small Chinese lady grabbed me and pointed up some stairs saying 'Buddha' - apparently it is customary for visitors to pay respects to the Buddha upstairs, so off I went. Upstairs was an impressive room with a Buddha on display and cushions to kneel on if you want to pray. I left that shrine and wandered through the main hall and the upstairs prayer room. It was very beautiful but there's only so much you can look at... I was sick of all the tourists taking photographs inside (which I think is disrespectful, and so did the monks) and all the smoke from burning incense (outside) was getting to me.

Next I checked out the Wisdom Path, which consists of huge poles with the heart sutra on them, arranged into the shape of an infinity. I supposed that I would get more out of it if I could read the inscriptions, but they were in Chinese. Before I walked around them, I spotted the trail to Lantau Peak. I wondered how long it would take to get up there. It looked a long way up. I walked a little way up the trail but then decided to let it go, and maybe come back another day. I have since read that sunrise on Lantau Peak is amazing - but I think it will cost me a lot of money to get there to see it.

After a quick walk along the Wisdom Path and up into the hill behind it for a distance shot of the Buddha, I headed over to the Buddha and up the stairs. It was very, very impressive, though the view was better from the bottom - once at the top of the stairs, Buddha was in extreme closeup and I could only see bits at a time.

I planned on taking a bus down to Tai O, a traditional fishing village, but had just missed the bus and the next one was not due for another hour. So I caught the next bus back to Tung Chung, grabbed a bite to eat and then took the MTR back to Hong Kong/Central and then to Wan Chai. I dropped my gear off at Ashley's place and then headed out to meet him and Claire in Lan Kwai Fong. They pointed out the corner on which a little guy used to sell beer, with no permit, until the LKF owners set the police on him. I think Poh Kheng had mentioned this guy before.

After a few beers we headed to Rat Alley for a meal. As we approached, Ash said, "You have to decide now whether you want Malaysian or Thai." I picked Malaysian, and as soon as we took another few paces, restaurant staff were rushing at us with menus trying to lead us to this restaurant or that one. Even as we followed one to our chosen restaurant, others would try to lure us away. We enjoyed a huge feast and were impressed at how much we ate between the three of us.

Ashley left to make a call so Claire and I went to another bar for a drink. There was a feral guy in the front who was overtly drooling over anything that walked past in a short skirt. We had a good laugh about this. When Ash returned, we tried to pick out which girls were hookers. Then it was 2230 and Ash is a grandpa, so we went home.

Today I think I will check out a museum and walk to Shek O and... well I'm not sure what else... but I am pretty sure it won't be sunrise on Lantau Peak!

Mega Macau...

What a crazy, hazy place.

I got down to the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal at around 0930h and found my way to the ticket counter (eventually). I bought a ticket for Super Class for 1000h, because I could get there sooner than on Economy, which was all booked out until 1045h. You also get to disembark first. (Oh, you also get a dodgy on-board snack, which was a pastry and some fruit on the way over, and some sandwiches and green cake on the way back.)

When I got down to immigration, there was a huge queue that moved way too slowly, and I thought I wasn't going to make my ferry - boarding starts at 0945 and by the time I had my ticket it was already time to board. I got through the queue at 1000 and bolted through customs to the TurboJet desk. They checked it was just me, and then pointed me to gate five, so I went past all the other people (who were actually waiting for the next ferry), where the staff put a little sticker on my ticket, and I got on board just before departure time of 1005.

As we approaced Macau, I thought it looked how Hong Kong would look if someone picked it up and took it out into space. Well, not quite. It was more polluted than Hong Kong, with freaky-looking casinos all over the place. As soon as I walked out, I was lost. I avoided the dodgy rickshaw riders and kept walking.

It was quite hard to get around, because many of the roads were closed off in preparation for the Grand Prix - the Carnival starts today - and Macau has much less foot traffic than Hong Kong, with many people getting around on little death-trap scooters. At traffic lights, they would line up, about 4-wide and 6-deep, looking like a little scooter-bus. In hindsight, a better way to travel would have been a casino shuttle bus, but I didn't know where any of the casinos were.

Just as I approaced the Largo do Senado, I checked the time and it was almost lunchtime, so I hailed a taxi and went to Fernando, which is on the southernmost island, Coloane. I had the clams and a salad, and some Super Bock beer. Mmmm, tasty. I wanted the Portugese chicken as well but I wasn't all that hungry, and certainly was more in the mood for seafood. The beach was closed because of gravel from some long-gone typhoon, but it was cold down there anyway, so I didn't bother.

I psyched myself up to catch a bus further north, but I couldn't see anything that stopped near the Venetian casino, so I caught another taxi. They are pretty cheap anyway. The casino was amazing, with its opulent gaming floor, and a canal two levels higher. All the shops were in buildings that look like old buildings. Combined with the canals and the fake ceiling, it gave a very interesting impression of being in Venice. A very tacky, but very interesting experience. They had some interesting shops as well, such as one dedicated to delicate masks, and another called The Manchester United Experience.

I jumped in another taxi and went back to the Largo do Senada, and checked out all of the old buildings in the vicinity. I loved the ruins of St Paul but I preferred the nearby old fort that houses the Macau Museum. I didn't go into the museum because I was already getting a bit sick of so many tourists. There are many tourists in Hong Kong, but they are greatly outnumbered on the streets by people going about their business, working, pushing heavily laden trolleys and calling, "Hello missy, welcome!" from their market stalls. Macau was overrun with tourists and the public transport situation was not good.

I checked out the Church of St Dominic and its Sacred Treasures collection, which was all fairly modern and not nearly as interesting as the Chinese history in the Hong Kong Museum of Art. I decided to go back to the ferry terminal via the Guia Fort and Lighthouse. Unfortunately, the fort was closed, and I couldn't find a bus stop, so I ended up with a long hike back to the most hideous of all casinos, the Grand Lisboa, before walking back towards the ferry. Part way there, I gave up and grabbed a taxi outside a hotel. It was only $20 (which is like $4 Australian, so very cheap for a taxi).

I was relieved to be back on the Ferry. I spoke to Steven and read my guides; after an hour I stepped off into Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and made my way quickly through Immigration and Customs. I found my way back to the MTR and went back to Wan Chai station and back to Ashley's place via the Tai Yuen St Market and shops.

We ordered some curry and while that was coming, I walked down to Taste and bought 30 L of bottled water and carried it home (via the elevators, not the steps). After dinner I was exhausted, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow!

Check out the views...

I went to Stanley... I ended up hiking there. I started out around 0930h and headed down to the supermarket to buy some water, some energy drink and some banana cake - and also so I would climb the entire Wan Chai Gap Rd, not just the top two thirds.

I climbed up and up and up and up and up and... then I turned left and followed Black's Link. I saw a few walkers on this section (and a cat that thought I was chasing it). It eventually brought me out near some big pink buildings. Getting to the pink buildings was a bit tricky but I found the bridge Ashley had mentioned and soon arrived at a pretty reservoir. I scoffed some cake (which was delicious) and continued up the hill to the Wilson Trail.

The trail continued up for a long time (with bits of down), until I ended up high on a peak staring across at the coolest hill I've ever seen. It is rumoured to have one thousand steps going straight up. Most of the Wilson Trail was steps and concrete, but there were a few rocky sections that were much more fun. (I passed the locals on these sections - they were great at steps but a bit worried by the dirt.)

I felt great - there are no lingering signs of damage from Friday, and with the heat and humidity gone, I could have shuffled all day. I didn't though - I charged down the steps and then walked steadily up the other side, pausing only to take some photos of the reservoir, hills and towns. At the top, I sucked down some Lucozade and then charged through the saddle of the Twins and up the other side.

I had passed a couple several times along the trail - whenever I stopped for a photo, they came past, but a few minutes later (or sooner if it was rocky) I would pass them again. I was sure I must be annoying them greatly. I passed them at the bottom of the steps, and by the time I was summiting the second climb, they were just coming over the crest of the first - so I wouldn't need to worry about getting in the way anymore.

The other side of the hill was exposed and the steps were quite steep. I was glad to be descending, because the climb up would have been very hot. I paused part way down, on a very steep section, to finish the last of my cake and enjoy the view, before flying down to the main drag (maybe Stanley Gap Rd? Repulse Bay Rd?). That was a bit scary, because the road is narrow, but the drivers made room for me. Further down, Stanley Village Road was wide enough to run on the footpath.

By now it was almost 1300h and my plan to avoid the market failed miserably. I bought some souvenirs and gifts and then someone tried to sell me hiking poles for twice what I paid at Temple St, which made me laugh. I ate fried noodle with roast pork for lunch, with some Chinese vegetable and a Coke, all for under $10 Australian. Mmmh. Claire thinks I was very brave to do this but I haven't been sick (yet).

I then went the Maritime Museum (not covered by my museum pass) and had a good look around. They had many models of old Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Portugese and Arab ships in the Ancient section; in the Modern section, I played on some interactive displays with some other Aussies.

Back out on the promenade, I saw a lady with the cutest little dog ever. I asked her if I could take a photo, and then she told me that I should hold the dog and she would take a photo. Wow, it was so damn cute. It looked like a teddy bear. I want one.

There were three brides having their photos taken, because it was such a gorgeous day. They were having some ridiculous shots, like the couple kissing next to a Mini, with the photo taken of the reflection in the car window...

I wandered past, and went to check out the Military Cemetary. It was really sad, especially seeing many graves marked "Soldier, known unto God" or "Child, aged 1 year" but it was nice to see many Australian addresses in the visitor's book.

I headed back to St Stephen's beach. There were more brides, but the beach itself wasn't much for an Australian to check out, so I headed back up to the buses and caught one back to Central, via Repulse Bay. I met up with Ashley for tapas at Rico's and then beers with Claire and her sister in the pub downstairs.

But enough chit-chat - I must get ready to go to Macau.

Lamma Island

Yesterday was a wonderful, lazy, not-so-hazy day. But before I get to that, a big congratulations to my friends Tamsin and Rachel, for being such superstars!

I spent the morning bumming around, only leaving the apartment at 1000h. I wandered down the Tai Yuen St Market (which doesn't even get a mention in Lonely Planet) and then whizzed down to Central on the MTR to find my ferry to Yung Shue Wan. I got the 1100h ferry and I arrived on Lamma around 1130h. And every time I say Lamma, I want to sing, "Here's a llama, there's a llama, and another little llama..." (Yes, that's how you pronounce it.)

I wandered the main street and then dawdled the 4km "Family Trail" from Yung Shue Wan to Sok Kwu Wan, stopping for lots of photos. I got a particularly good photo on a hillside. I stopped to take a photo of some sort of shrine or marker, and a mountain biker came flying down the track, so he's in the shot. (I then quickly stepped off the track so I wouldn't get run over!)

Further along, I took the turnoff to another small beach down near Sok Kwu Wan. As I walked near a power pole (or something), I saw a down-cable twitching. Then I realised it wasn't the cable, but the snake behind it. It was big, but certainly distracted by whatever it was eating - I imagined eggs - so I snapped off a few photos. Then I continued down the path, with a racing heart, jumping at every rustle in the bushes. To my horror, the snake was gone when I came back... but where?

When I got to Sok Kwu Wan, I checked the ferry. The next one left in half an hour, that would have me back to Central by 1500h, but I was hungry and the Rainbow Seafood Restaurant was highly recommended, so I sat down on the waterfront and enjoyed a tally of Tsingtao and some scallops and broccoli (which I have since heard is one of their two best dishes, and the healther option of the two). It was absolutely amazing.

I went for a wander after that and then hurried back to use the bathroom before the ferry at 1600h. I took to using the squat toilets, because the seated toilets were a bit icky and I certainly didn't want to touch them!

Back at the Central Ferry Piers, I quickly jumped on the Star Ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) and checked out the Museum of Art. The Lonely Planet said it lacked contemporary art but I don't really understand modern art, so I enjoyed the Chinese pottery and calligraphy and the Story of the Horse. It closed at 1800h so I headed straight over the the Space Museum. Charlie would have loved the interactive displays like launching rockets, landing space shuttles, designing aliens, walking in space and the gyroscope. (As a physicist, I love the gyroscope.)

I decided to skip the movies and took the Star Ferry to Wan Chai. I wandered back towards Ashley's place but fell just short and decided to check out a shop that Brendan mentioned to me. It was closer than I thought (I had to pull out the business card to check it was the right place) and they had heaps of lovely Mountain Hardwear, Montaine, Helly Hanson etc. I'm talking Gore-Tex jackets for about $130 Australian, light-weight jackets for about $40 Australian... another place I might go back and spend the last of my money!

Fatburger was closed by the time I got back, so I took Ashley to the gear shop and he bought lots of stuff (which probably made the staff much happier, given that I had walked out empty-handed earlier). We then went to Shake 'em Buns, where Ashley had a Debbie Does Dallas burger and I had a South of the Border burger, and we shared Tater Dongs, Striptease (mozzarella sticks) and Poutin (not sure of the spelling there).

Today I'm thinking Stanley...

What a laugh!

From the Hong Kong Observatory:

The northeast monsoon is bringing cooler and dry weather to the south
China coastal areas.

At 5 a.m., Tropical Storm Maysak was centred about 400 kilometres
east of Xisha. It is forecast to move south at about 14 kilometres per hour
across the seas east of Xisha.

Weather forecast for today

Fine. It will be cooler and dry. The maximum temperature will be
about 23 degrees. Fresh north to northeasterly winds, occasionally strong over
offshore waters and on high ground.

Outlook : Fine and dry in the following few days. Rather cool in the
morning.

Wouldn't you know it?

Oh well. Last night I went and had dinner with Brendan (CR Virtual), his wife Juliette and their kids Mia and Rory. They live in an apartment complex about 200m down the road, and then up a steep set of stairs. I could actually see our building from their rooftop terrace. I heard Brendan's interesting tale of Trailwalker, and he told me about a great run over to Stanley and some other lovely runs.

Ash, Claire and I had spent the afternoon at Cheung Chau, a very small island off the south east of Lantau. Claire had never been there before. It was an hour ferry ride from Central and it was lovely and cool on the deck (and cold by the time we arrived). I got my first glimpse of the Macau Ferry - a hydrofoil - and decided I have to go to Macau, even if only to check out the hydrofoil! Cheung Chau was a nice little walk but the culture on display was far more interesting than the natural exhibits such as 'Vase shaped rock' and 'Human head rock' (which were hard to spot).

Ash complained about how you have to take public transport to trails, and driving is impractical. I pointed out that public transport was much better for through hiking, where you otherwise had to organise multiple cars. I just think it's fantastic that there's such great access everywhere in Hong Kong.

Speaking of everywhere... where to go today? I decided not to bother with Shenzhen (I think) which is just shopping. I think I will be over shopping by later this week, plus I get nervous about being separated from my passport! I am thinking maybe Lamma today...

Bag a bargain!

I went to the Temple St Night Market last night, after dinner. I bought... a surprise for Charlie (but it's pretty crappy, so don't get him excited about it); a small messenger bag because I was sick of carrying my purse; an oil painting on canvas, which I figure will cost more to mount than it cost to buy (given that it was only about $20 Australian); a jade bracelet; a pair of hiking poles for $10 Australian... and I think that's it. I think I might buy a tea set before I come back, or some bowls. Steven, I was trying to get some nice cufflinks for you, but they only had ugly ones...

Really, I'm okay!

Hi all. Thanks for the votes of support. The DNF (roadkill) doesn't really hurt - it's the fact that the whole situation was very silly - my team really didn't listen to me when I told them I was in trouble, and if I was less experienced I probably would have ended up in hospital, because I was really cutting it fine. (They realised this once we stopped and apologised.) Yet if they'd given me half a chance to sort out my eating, I would have been the strong one at the finish. (None of them have ever gone further than 100km.) Here's what I nearly posted, then didn't, then decided that it's my blog, so I will post it.


Day was hotter than I expected, night was hotter than I expected and I was not acclimatised (I arrived Tuesday evening and went for a run the next day, but it was cooler weather) - the heat really got to me. Up the first big climb (was it around 12km from the start?) it just closed in on me and I nearly passed out. I went from well hydrated to dehydrated in minutes - got the cold shivers and everything. The sort of thing I could have handled if I was solo, I would have just slowed down and done 23 hours I guess, but my team didn't want me to slow down because they've all done 19 hours before, so I kept going and my nutrition went to crap.


They had a plan that they would wait at the top of the hills for me, so they climbed up, sat down for a few minutes and ate a sandwich and drank some fluids, and then when I got to the top, dizzy and shaking, I had to start running straight away. I knew I had to stop and let my body cool down and sort out my food but I was getting told wasn't allowed to and I wasn't speaking up that I knew better.


I was dreading the sun coming up the next day (little did I know it was going to be a much better day for a soft Aussie) so when we got to CP4 I said I didn't want to go on - my team did not want to do anything over 20 hours and I was having the least fun I've ever had in an ultra (and I have had some seriously bad runs before, but they have still been fun). I was a bit scared by that stage, because I really didn't know what to do for myself - I had signs that were distinctly dehydration (dark urine, etc) and other signs that were distinctly hyponatraemia (bloating, retaining fluid in limbs). I sat down and drank some water and two cups of salty soup, shaking so badly it was a challenge to get it in my mouth. It was the right thing to eat, and when I got back to the apartment I had some crisps and a turkey sandwich before bed. Yesterday I felt fine, but my gut still feels a bit tender.


To sum up my Trailwalker experience, it was really crap and I will never, ever, ever do another team event. (That said, I have never been one to play well with others.) Oh, except for the Endeavour 500km Challenge - but that's a relay. Relays are different. Like Hares and Hounds. You should all come and do that one.


The other thing I found really disappointing was the way my brother displayed the Australian attitude to those who are not elite sportspeople. (You know the attitude - if you're not brilliant, you shouldn't play, never mind the obesity epidemic.) I have a lot of respect for those who went out there in the name of charity and suffered through 35 hours of heat and hills. They did it a lot harder than he has ever done it, no matter how "sick" he thinks he has been during early stages. He could never suffer out there for that long and keep going, but he thinks others are weak for doing that. Really, they are the strong ones. And I hate to break it to him - he is not elite either. Even doing 18 hours at Trailwalker wouldn't have made him elite!

It made me long for Western States again... wonderful, friendly, American ultra runners... and it made me miss our wonderful Glasshouse Family, some who run, some who crew and some who stand out in the sun all day to give us Cornish Pasties.

Feeling fine

I noticed I didn't really say that I'm feeling okay today. I woke up with a sore throat and a sniffle but plenty of Vitamin C seems to be keeping it at bay. My legs are strong and my lungs are strong. This afternoon we took a taxi up to the Peak and we walked around it and down, and my legs felt fine but my stomach was cramping a little bit - but I've had this after runs before so I'm sure it will settle in a few days. I might visit an island tomorrow...

I am roadkill

That's Rachel Waugh's term for the sort of did-not-finish (DNF) where you look like you're going to die. It's appropriate here!

The morning started okay - we left pretty much on time and it didn't take us too long to find Matt. We were supposed to drop our bags off at the workplace of Claire's friend, but we couldn't find it. We spent a lot of time going up and down the elevators before we got to the right place.

We caught a taxi over to a cafe called Jaspas near the start - I think it was in Sai Kung, but I'm not sure. We had enormous breakfasts of poached eggs, avocado and asparagus on Turkish and finished with banana pancakes.

We caught another taxi over to the registration area and promptly freaked out when Matt didn't have his HKID. It didn't matter though - we didn't need them, and I carried my passport for nothing. It was very hot, humid and sunny. Since I have arrived in Hong Kong, it has been mostly overcast, and the forecast was rain and cold, but it was not to be. I was very glad for my white shirt and cap and was amazed my team mates were all in dark colours.

The start line was horribly hot and it was good to get on the road. Ash was worried we were heading out too fast but it was very easy and breezy through that section. It wasn't until after we crossed the dam wall and started up the hills that I noticed the heat. It was like nothing I've experienced. It wasn't like Death Valley, where your sweat evaporates instantly - I was drenched in sweat after about five seconds of climbing. And the heat was on all sides - there was no breeze, and the heat was reflecting back up the rock stairs at me.

On the first big climb, my team mates pulled a long way ahead of me. At first I thought I was having asthma problems, but then I noticed my breathing was slow and regular, and my legs felt fine - I was just overheating. I really needed to cool off a bit but I couldn't even see my team mates ahead, so I pushed on. They waited for me at a pagoda half way up, but then moved off as soon as I got there, so I got no rest. Once we hit the top and started descending I felt a bit better (mostly because there was some shade) but I was having a bit of trouble distinguishing the steps and I found it much easier to keep up over the rocks and dirt.

When we came into the next checkpoint, Ash was feeling a bit crook and I was happy to slow down, although it was nice and cool down there. At this point, I should have emptied the Pocari Sweat out of my drink bladder and put water in - the sports drink was making me feel sick - but everyone was rushing out and the water was a bit short, so I just kept going.

Further along, as it started to get darker, I felt quite good and made good time up a climb. I was much better on anything that wasn't stairs, because I like to shorten my stride up hills. We flew down the other side, enjoying the cool and the easy going. But when we next started climbing I felt the heat close in on me again and I got very dizzy and couldn't walk in a straight line. It was a very odd feeling. I had a think about what I had eaten (a PowerBar Harvest and a Gel) and drunk (only a couple of litres) and was a bit worried. I felt that I needed to stop and get sorted out, get my gut working again. But once again my team was worried about their time - 18 hours or they didn't even care about finishing - so I kept going.

I really shouldn't have. I should have demanded a stop. By the time we were heading towards Checkpoint 4, my body was falling apart. I mean, my legs felt great and my asthma wasn't playing up, but I couldn't move in a straight line and I couldn't drink my fluids and I couldn't eat (though I was still trying). I took a stop with Matty for a while (I have no idea where) because I needed lots of salt and lots of water. I took a salt tablet and ate a lot of chips and drank the last of my water - leaving only the sports drink that was turning my stomach.

Over the next two hours or so, I took a toilet break almost every fifteen minutes, so I thought maybe I was overhydrated; but my urine smelled really strong, suggesting I was either dehydrated or my kidneys were packing it in. I really had no idea what was going on with my body or how to fix it, and I have never felt like that in an ultra before. I was really scared.

So when I got into Checkpoint 4 (at about 48km) I filled my bottles and then sat down on the grass and drank a lot of water and ate all the soup that was put in front of me. The others were not interested in carrying on as they were now on 24 hour pace. I think that is pretty good for a first-timer, and I also felt that sense of disgust at pushing on through a really dangerous situation, when I knew that if I had slowed down when I needed to, I would have been in before 22 hours for sure.

Then I got the shakes - really bad shakes that made it hard to get the soup into my mouth and didn't get better when I held the cup in two hands. That convinced me more than anything else that I shouldn't go on. Around this time my team mates realised just how sick I was. I refused to go to the medical tent because they didn't even have scales. I just wanted to know whether I had lost or gained weight so I could treat myself - my hands were puffy suggesting weight gain, but otherwise I looked more like dehydration - in the interim I decided to just go with salty soup. It seemed to make me feel better so I kept with it.

When we got home, I cleaned up my gear, had a shower and then ate a turkey sandwich and another serve of crisps. I drank a good amount of water and then went to bed. This morning I woke up feeling okay, so I am very glad that I stopped when I did. But I am very annoyed that I did not stop sooner, that I did not insist upon sitting and cooling down.

I guess locals just do not understand how the humidity affects your thermoregulation. I've done plenty of hills, plenty of sunlight, plenty of heat and plenty of humidity before - but not all at the same time. I did all the right things, trying to cool my body, but I just wasn't humidity efficient. I really needed to do my sauna training, like I did before Western States.

I didn't see much scenery because it was dark, and I didn't see much of my team because they were always so far ahead... but I will be continuing my sauna training in the future, and I will not do races in humid climates unless I am well acclimatised!

Hong Kong Day 2

I slept in again, and took my time in getting ready for the day, because nothing happens in Hong Kong until after 1000h anyway. I caught a tram to Central and then took the Star Ferry over to Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon peninsula. As soon as I stepped off the boat the Spruikers started at me. I ignored them and headed to the nearest Starbucks. Tell me this - if Starbucks in Australia tastes like crap, why is it so good in Hong Kong?

I spent a few hours wandering around Harbour City in a daze. It was the biggest shopping centre I had ever seen. I changed levels at one point because I saw Zara upstairs, which is a pretty cool shop (and if I have money left over I will definitely spend some of it there). Then when I came out I got all confused about which way I was travelling and ended up backtracking. It was basically way too big to look at everything!

I went into a few designer shops but everything was either too expensive or not my thing... mostly the former. In the end I bought a dress in Marks & Spencer for $895. That's Hong Kong Dollars, of course, so it was really only about $180 Australian (after conversion fees). I thought I had done very will. It's more expensive than my current 'standard dress' but it should get me through many years.

I found a McDonalds in another plaza and had a Big 'n' Tasty burger - and was horrified to find a fish finger breakfast on the menu. McDonalds in Hong Kong is just a bit weird... Ash later told me that Mum had been horrified by McDonalds breakfast soup, which was basically a broth with a sausage patty floating in it.

I was going to walk up to Mong Kok for some exploring, but time was a bit short so I took the MTR to Prince Edward and took the opportunity to load up my Octopus card at the same time. I knew I was close to the Yuen Po St Bird Garden when I started seeing men walking down the street with pretty little birds in pretty little cages. I walked through and watched all those birds waiting to be bought and I felt sorry for them.

I walked down Flower Market Rd, which was very impressive, but I didn't buy any flowers. I walked along Tung Choi St, which is full of aquariums. Most of them had many goldfish in overcrowded tanks, looking rather unhealthy. One shop was bright white and enormous with very few fish - I figure this is the equivalent of the expensive clothing shops where they only have a few items on racks around the store. Then I found a shop where all the tanks had been smashed, so all of the stones and plants were strewn out on the floor, and all the water. I'm not sure where the fish were, but I was a bit worried. Then I started to see the turtles. Cute little turtles all crowded into little buckets. The poor things. (I also found a shop called "Mong Kok Pro Bicycle Shop," which made me laugh.)

I wandered through the Ladies' Market. I was hoping to buy a casual bag or some black strappy shoes, but I couldn't find anything that I liked. I did find a nice silk dress though. I say silk, but I suspect it is fire-retardent polyester, by the way the seller was trying to light it with a cigarette lighter. I felt like I got a bargain, because she said $280 but I haggled down to $160 (about $35 Australian). I was feeling quite tired (and glad it was overcast).

I was pretty tired of markets by this stage but thought I would check out the Temple St Night Markets. Unfortunately I was too early (they don't really open until 1800h) so I just headed back to the MTR and whizzed back to Central. An announcement, plus some flashy lights on the map, told me that I should change trains to the Island line. So I walked across the platform and another train pulled up straight away and took me to Wan Chai.

The day ended with Starbucks and a snack from Taste. I took the Hopewell Centre elevator up to Kennedy Rd rather than climb the steps, and saw a sign leading to the Observation Lifts. Earlier in the day I had seen lifts going up the outside of a building and wondered if I was making the right connection, so I tested it out. Level 17 up to level 56, and I thought I would hurl. It was pretty cool, though. I went back down and walked back to Ashley's place.

We went out for dinner at the coffee shop at the Soccer Club, and I enjoyed the noodles but not the horrid Chinese sausage in it. We packed our gear for the morning, had a glass of wine each, and then went to bed.

Hong Kong on the cheap...

My flight made it safe and sound to Hong Kong (despite being a Qantas airbus). During the flight, I sat next to a tiny Chinese lady, who gave me her salad and her cheese in return for me kindly tipping her off on where to find the salt and pepper. I had bought a really good book at the airport, but instead watched Hancock (great), then Baby Mama (dull, predictable), then a good sized chunk of Tropic Thunder (good, predictable but funny).

Immigration was a speedy process; baggage claim was even faster. The Customs officials didn't even read all of my doctor's letter before waiving me through the "nothing to declare" chute. I bought an Airport Express ticket from a machine, then went to test if I could recharge the Octopus card my boss had loaned me; it didn't work, so I bought a new one because I figured I will use it a fair bit over here.

The station was only a few hundred metres away from Customs (a nice change from Brisbane). Very soon a train pulled up (still looking like it was moving very quickly), lining its doors up with the doors on the platform. The train was lovely - high headrests playing the soundtrack for the TV screens (with adjustable volume, of course) and a little display that shows how close to the next stop you are. They even announce which side of the train you will exit. I wish our trains back home were like that!

(Introducing my brother...) Ashley met me at Central and we caught a taxi to his place. That was scary - you get the impression that the only reason why there is any traffic flow at all is because no one follows the road rules, so no one ever expects anyone to behave predictably, so everyone pays attention. Ashley showed me the easy way back to his place when on foot (using elevators instead of stairs up the hill).

After a quick shower and change, we went out for some dinner at the football club, and then watched a race at Happy Valley (but won nothing). After a bit of chatting it was bed time!

This morning I slept in until around 0800h; Ashley and Claire don't consider this a sleep-in (especially Claire, because she doesn't start work until 0930h normally!) but I appreciated it. I sorted some gear out and then went for a hike up the very steep Wan Chai Gap Road to Bowen Road. I ran all the way to the end of Bowen Road (which is really a footpath) and then continued down to the Green Way Reservoir Sit-Out Area (or something like that). That was really weird. I followed many, many narrow stairs down to a big grassy square (rectangle, really) that had a path and some chairs around it, and a big fence. The fence had spikes on top; upward pointing ones, and inward pointing ones. That was a bit spooky.

I ran back along Bowen Road, stopping at the Lovers' Rock Garden (which seemed to be celebrating a large phallic symbol of a rock and is probably some sort of a fertility shrine). I then headed back Ashley's flat for a shower, some water, some breakfast and a quick change, before I headed out on foot again.

I traipsed all over Hong Kong Island. Well, not really; but I did cover all of the northern parts. I stopped in at Taste for a ploughman's sandwich, complete with Branston pickle, and watched the locals choosing their pickled pigs' trotters. I followed Queen's Road Central down to a large mall called Pacific Place. I resisted the urge to buy a lovely green blazer and instead spent my money on a $30 coffee from Starbucks, which tasted better than Starbucks in Australia, and would want to (for an equivalent value of $6).

It took me a while to figure out how to get up to Hong Kong Park but once I was there I had a blast. It is lovely to see so many people enjoying the space. I really loved the artificial lake, because it had some enormous Koi (I think) fish, and as I was snapping some photos I noticed the turtles. I love turtles, so I was very impressed. I got interviewed by some schoolgirls doing a project on English speaking tourists in Hong Kong. I checked out the aviary and the Tai Chi Garden, with its viewing tower with separate up- and down-staircases. Then I was going to head back via the Conservatory but instead decided to check out the Zoological and Botanical Gardens.

Here I picked up some British tourists (who were on stopover on their way to Sydney). Alex and Steph weren't sure how to get to the gardens so I led the charge, but when we got there it was a bit depressing, seeing the animals trying to escape. We headed down some random streets towards Lan Kwai Fong and then detoured further towards the Piers; not because I didn't want to check out the pubs but rather because they were heading back to Kowloon. After I dropped them off, I wandered via Jardine House (the house of a thousand arseholes - just because of its porthole windows, of course...) and the performing arts academy tot he Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Here I considered continuing on to Causeway bay but I was a bit tired so I headed strait for home, with just a little detour via Tai Yuen St to check out the stalls. After all that walking I figured it would be soft to take the elevator up, so I walked up the stairs instead. It wasn't long before Ashley and then Claire arrived home, and we went out to get some last minute Trailwalker supplies, an enormous pasta and pizza dinner, and some groceries... ready for Friday.

I think tomorrow I will go to Kowloon (unless the weather is stunning, in which case I might visit the Peak first).