Melting pot

Struggled up at about 08:30 (mainly because Caleb is a very noisy sleeper and me a very light one) to rain, lots of it. With a "Caleb, let's go ride on the ferry" we eventually managed to get him up, clearly suffering from jet lag.
Armed with umbrella's, a quick 'Hoi Hoi' to the landlord (who is thinking we should all go to mainland China for the weekend - an idea we like) we set off through the puddles and rain with the plan to go to Mui Wo, which will then allow us to board the ferry to Hong Kong Island.

I wonder if she meant for him to blend into his chair

Making our way from the bus to the ferry, a hawker suggested raincoats, which turned out to be very handy, as all the umbrellas manage to do is trip you up along the way and make you even wetter (we do acknowledge that it is most probably down to a user problem more than an umbrella malfunction). 
Caleb's raincoat later also turned into a push chair cover with him huddling inside it.

With great excitement we were on the ferry and sped across the water - we were on the fast ferry, which takes 30 mins vs the normal ferry which takes 60 mins. We didn't have much choice in the matter, come to think of it, as the normal ferry wasn't due for another hour. The trip cost about HK$ 76.

With the clouds and the rain, we couldn't get the full effect of the approach to Hong Kong Island as all the skyscrapers were well covered with a thick blanket of clouds. Needless to say on a clear day we will have to make the trip again.

Backside of our ferry and a brief weather report

Arriving on Hong Kong island, we found ourselves right in the middle of what seems to be the major financial district. Full of suits and tourists we set off over a walkway across the busy roads into the IFC building (International Financial Centre) - which is a massive shopping centre. Over lunch we orientated ourselves with a map and headed off into Queens Central Road, which reminds one a bit of Oxford Road, with the same feel, however, interspersed with steep alleyways and traditional markets.

All the time we are left feeling its a place of contrasts, trapped between the old and the new, the local and the foreign. Almost like a teenager.

Queens Central

Queens Central

Queens Central Side Road/ Alley

Queens Side Road/ Alley

Market off Queens Central

We then stumbled into Lan Kwai Fong, an area full of eateries, bars and street stalls. Halloween fever also seems to be quite high!

Footloose

Lend us a hand

I am telling you, it was THIS big!

Hairy...

We stopped for a coffee here, very trendy in the middle of a corner  of an ugly building

Legendary

And then out of nowhere a little shrine

From here we moved on to Hollywood road, which in the past and still to some extent, is a place where one can find more traditional Chinese artifacts. A place we will come back to later as we have a few ideas of a few things we may need to acquire.

Night falling

Busses and trams

We then headed home, decided to take the MTR (Mass Transport Railway - appropriate name if you ask me!) - extremely clean  and extremely fast and extremely silly at the same time when it comes to buying tickets. You are not allowed to use any notes, only coins. Mind boggles and when you really want to get home and you are surrounded by really unhelpful people, it is not so much fun.

Anyway, we took the train back to Tung Chung (which is Lantau's centre) and then hopped back on the bus. Blessed with a hair-raising bus drive just in time for Halloween, we made it home, in one piece... just. No one told said bus driver that it was raining, very wet and that there is a speed limit of some sort. Shaky and sweaty we made our way back up stairs into our little place.

To try and get Caleb to sleep, when his body clock is ticking to 15:00 in the afternoon, saw us switching off the lights and listening to the rain. 
I felt his little hand on mine and then he lifted his head and whispered, 'Mamma I love you.' 

That is when you forgive everyone everything and get ready to do it all again tomorrow.

Locals think we may still be in for rain tomorrow, if that is the case Kowloon here we come...