I've seen the view and it's hazy: Hong Kong Oct 2008 - Part 1

Dearie me I’ve been reeling with jet lag these past few days after getting back from my Hong Kong/Shanghai trip on Saturday evening. I’ve not been able to fall asleep before 1am, but then I wake up at 6am. It's a shame I didn't fly home in time for Halloween since the dark circles around my eyes are so pronounced I look like I've risen from the dead.

It serves me right for being so smug about it on Sunday. I thought I was doing so well, having arrived home at 9.30pm on Saturday, unpacked for a bit and then tumbled into bed around 11pm. I set my alarm for 6.30am to get up and do laundry first thing Sunday morning before meeting Lauren for brunch at 10am what with washing my smalls not being an option later in the day with the marathon runners slogging up First Avenue for much of the morning and afternoon and the street being blocked off. Not to be a big grumps, but marathon day can be a total pain in the arse if you have errands to do on the east side of First Avenue. I woke up around 6.20am before my alarm, however I wasn't best pleased when I walked into my living room and caught sight of the time on my DVR which said it was 5.20am.

5:20am!!!!

Duh!!! What a numpty!! Having danced around my apartment to Santogold while unpacking on Saturday – just LOVE her album to bits - I'd completely missed the bit about the clocks going back an hour, so there I was wide awake at an ungodly hour of a Sunday morning. I killed a bit of time until the laundrette opened by making a big mug of tea and catching up on a couple of Grey's Anatomy episodes that I'd DVR'd and before I knew it I was engrossed in the whole Callie/Erica love-in thing – a storyline I was enjoying, but which I have just learned ABC have shelved!!! Idiots!! - and people having their innards scooped out and somehow it was 8.30am and time to get showered before meeting Lauren and I'd missed my opportunity to do laundry.

Ooopsie!!

Good job I'd done a load of washing at the hotel in Hong Kong - do I know how to have a good time on holiday or what!!! – which was something of a necessity since Hong Kong was so hot and humid and we walked an average of 12miles per day when we were there (my pedometer came in useful for something. Melissa was quite obsessed with it) that I felt like such a minger when we got back to the hotel of an evening, so there was no way I was able to get 2 days wear out of my trousers as planned before washing them, in fact there were days when I fought a strong urge to take a match to my clothes, but thankfully there was no need for such drastic action since the hotel had a laundry room and I'd had the foresight to pack detergent. By day 3 our room lovely hotel room looked a bit of a sight draped in our smalls, but needs must.

Having woken so disgustingly early on Sunday I was convinced that I’d be fighting to stay awake come early evening and assumed that once I’d got through that bit I’d surely have adjusted to US time. Wrong wrong wrong!! I had no such luck since for some reason my body feels that I’ve needed only need 5hours sleep over the last couple of days whereas my mind is rapidly losing its grip on reality. I walked into the bathroom at work yesterday afternoon and the mirror literally rippled before my eyes.

I seriously need to get some sleep!!

It’s a hot bath with lavender, two Tylenol PM and a glass of wine for me tonight and a complete avoidance of any election excitement!!

I’ll post on the trip when I’m semi-functional once more, but here’s a teaser photo of the view from our gorgeous hotel in Hong Kong, The Lanson Place Hotel in Causeway Bay, which I can highly highly highly recommend. It was lovely, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World. I love those hotels, but it's rare that I can afford to stay in them. Fortunately The Lanson Place hotel was reasonably priced relative to the cost of other HK accommodations and well worth the money. The photo's a little hazy, but unfortunately we were denied a clear day in Hong Kong, so this is as good as it gets and does not in any way reflect my photography skills. Ahem!!