Day 1: Monday 7th August 2023

I’m obsessed with a few things. Those of you who know me well will realise this ?

I’m obsessed with my family… not least of all my two gorgeous kids who I love to eternity.

I’m obssesed with food. I used to use the word ‘passion’ to describe it, but it’s simply not strong enough a term… every one seems to be ‘passionate’ about things these days!

Without a doubt I am also obsessed about travel. Seeing the world and learning more about it is what makes my heart sing! Thankfully, Dave and I share this obsession (and the family one) and barely a week goes by that he and I are not researching travel plans.

This trip is feeding all of my obsessions!

The holiday’s main destination is the town of Bingham, near Nottingham, a couple of hours north of London. Will and Emma are currently based there and we cannot wait to see them in a few days.

Yesterday, we left Sydney and arrived in Hong Kong, where we will spend a couple of days before flying onto the UK.

It’s a story for another day, but we took seperate flights and so after checking in, I had a couple of hours up my sleeve in the evening before Dave arrived. We are staying at the YMCA, quite close to the ferry terminal and a great location for all things food. I was pretty happy about being upgraded to a room quite high up in the building that looked over the harbour, but decided not to stay and admire the view for too long, but rather headed out to check out the nearby eateries.

As usual, I used the ‘long queue of locals = great eating place’ methodology and chose a hole-in-the-wall style noodle joint in a side street, that smelt wonderful from the moment I walked in.

I only had to wait a few minutes for a table, which I shared with a young couple who were receiving their meals as I sat down. I choose the same as the young man: an aromatic bowl of thin chewy wheat noodles with tender braised beef shin, floating in a heady, slightly anise flavoured rich broth; and also some greens, lightly steamed and splashed with oyster sauce.

I cannot begin to tell you how delicious it was – what a fabulous meal to start the holiday… and all for less than HK$70 (A$14)!

By the time I had a quick stroll up Nathan Road, soaked in the bath, and then read a few chapters of my book while admiring the now night-lit view, Dave had arrived! Day 1 done and dusted!