My first task on 3rd July was to go to the travel agent to pick up my ticket to Hong Kong, which I had booked and paid for 2 days previously. Then I spent the morning looking at a couple more “sights” in the Intramuros (old walled city). The Casa Española museum was well presented and explained the historical Spanish influence which I’ve noticed in the language. In fact, there are some things written in Filipino of which I’ve been able to guess the meaning, due to my knowledge of Spanish.

Less interesting was Fort Santiago, which had few explanations, and annoying muzak blaring out of speakers. A cycle taxi took me back to the hotel where I checked out, and got the MRT (public transport system) to the airport.

I was able to check in nearly 4 hours before the flight. I asked for a window seat, and they said that since it was a 747 Jumbo, and the seating upstairs was economy, that I could sit upstairs if I wanted. I said that was fine – I’d never been upstairs in a Jumbo.

I wandered a little way from the airport where there was a “culture park”, with interesting displays showing the Philippine culture and wildlife that I’d already decided I didn’t really have time to see…

Then I headed back to the terminal, and a little over an hour later was inside the curiously familiar environment of a British Airways Jumbo, being welcomed by very British flight attendants. But I then found myself climbing the stairs to the top deck – I had never climbed stairs inside a plane before, and it felt very odd! Even more surprising than this, was to find that there was only one other person up there – a nun.

As we taxied out I asked the nun, who obviously could have been from anywhere, if she spoke English – a reasonable question given the places I have been recently. She said yes, she was actually British, and was a missionary on her way home to the UK.

“Where are you from in the UK?”, I asked, once we’d taken off. “Kent”, she replied. “Oh yes? …where in Kent?”, I asked. “Oh, a just small town on the coast”, she replied. “Really?” I said, “which small town on the coast??”. “It’s called Broadstairs”, she announced.

“OK…”, I said, rolling my eyes in disbelief. “Where in Broadstairs??”. She replied: “Stella Maris Convent, next to St Stephen’s College”. “Well,” I said, “I was born and brought up in Broadstairs, and my mother taught at St Stephen’s College when I was a toddler, and used to take me along with her”.

I described being terrified of seeing the black flint wall that runs along in front, of the school and convent, because I knew my mother was about to dump me with the matron, while she taught her class! It really was a rather surreal conversation to be having at 30,000 feet above the South China Sea, and neither I nor the nun could help laughing at the ridiculous coincidence.

The Jumbo’s cockpit door was just a few metres in front of me, and couldn’t resist the temptation to sweetly ask the flight attendant if I could possibly visit the flight deck. Within a few minutes I had been invited in, to talk to the pilots. The copilot explained that the Kai Tak airport in Hong Kong is one of the world’s most difficult major airports to land at, and that pilots need a special rating to be allowed to land there.

The problem, he explained, is the runway 13 approach, which requires a final turn of 47 degrees at 400 feet to avoid the mountains – and turning a 747 through that angle at such a low altitude with the landing gear down, is not at all common. I returned to my seat, and soon the dramatic, rather overcast view of Hong Kong and Victoria Peak came into sight…

We got lower and lower.. and before the final turn were already below the level of some tower blocks.

Then suddenly the starboard wing dipped for the dramatic final turn – I subsequently found photos of what we’d have looked like while lining up with Kai Tak’s runway number 13…

Once I’d been duly stamped in to the British colony, I headed for the Kowloon peninsula, and a backpacker lodgings in Chungking Mansions, where I got a very small room (Singapore style) that actually had a TV in it. Since Wimbledon is currently on, I watched a bit of tennis on the TV which made me feel very close to home.

On 4th July, I had a late start. After changing some money, I found a bookshop, but had no luck finding the essential Lonely Planet “North-East Asia” guidebook, without which travel in China will be very very hard. Next task was to pick up my poste restante mail – I went to the Star Ferry terminal and caught one of a continuous stream of ferries that run between Kowloon and Hong Kong Island itself.

The main post office had 6 letters for me, from friends and family. I headed back to Kowloon (attached to the mainland) and decided to shift lodgings to the Lucky Guesthouse, where I got a little aircon room, and lay down to read my mail. I spent the afternoon analysing my finances, trying to work out how much longer I can afford to travel. I got chatting to 2 British backpackers, both called Kathy, and later we all went out for a meal in the nearby Nathan Road area, followed by some beers at Mad Dog’s pub.

I got lucky in the morning (5th July) when an American who is staying at the guesthouse (and soon heading home) offered to sell me his copy of the elusive Lonely Planet North-East Asia guidebook. I gratefully snapped it up!

My plans are coming together. People I have spoken to have confirmed that, though challenging, it is currently possible to travel overland through many parts of China. From a financial point of view, I have established that I can travel for another 2 months.

This all means that I should, after all, be able to fulfil the dream which first came to my fevered brain in Bali – that from China I shall travel overland all the way back home! How can this happen with the Soviet Union in the way? Answer: the Trans Siberian Express!!

Though independent travel by “Westerners” in the USSR is not allowed, the consistent story is that the Soviets will issue transit visas for people travelling independently through to Europe from Beijing on the “Trans-Sib“. It’s a lot to try to arrange, but if this works out it will be the perfect way to end this trip…

So the rest of my afternoon was spent figuring out what I need to do to try to make this happen. A travel agent ordered my China visa, and was able to order my Trans-Siberian train ticket. Booking the train ticket weeks in advance is essential, and I won’t be able to pick up the actual ticket until I reach Beijing…

I had a quiet night in the room, with a “take-away” meal, while watching Wimbledon.