29 December Hong Kong

Didnt get a lot of sleep last night a I'm sure I was over tired. Weather today is top of 21 and we have nothing planned other than to orientate ourselves and decide on what other tours we want to do. A late breakfast in the hotel.

I now realise that this is the same hotel I have stayed in previously and have some not so funny stories about! After breakfast we head back to our room to go through travel brochures. We find 3 tours that we want to do so dutifully try and book them online. Very frustrating and no luck in getting the 2026 calendar days to appear. Eventually we head downstairs to ask concierge to call the tour company number for us. Im still trying to get my head around this but are told from the company's head office that we are unable to book direct with the company! We have to book online, through email or the the tourist information office. The woman on the phone didn't have the best English but I gather that she wants me to now refresh the website page as she is in the computer and can see the 2026 dates. Back upstairs we go and lo and behold the 2026 dates are now showing for bookings! Methinks she has just tweaked the computer to accept a 2026 calendar. So now we have the dates available for the tours we want to do but the brochure we are using to book the tours advertises a $50 discount per tour per person when adding the promo code at checkout. No matter how many times I try and add this blasted code to each booking ,it states that it is an invalid code. Yet again we consider heading downstairs to call the company again but I'm over it!. It is now late morning and nothing had been achieved so instead we head out for a wander towards the tourism office. First off though we work out where the hop on hop off bus stop is and work outwhich of the offered routes will suit us best. Then on towards the ferry terminal. Lots of people about and lots to see.

We find the tourism office and are thankful that the staff are very helpful and understand the issue we are having with the online booking. they call the tour company for us, who are unable to confirm why the promo code won't work. It will take some time for them to get a response so we check out more of the foot brochures, find a better cruise than one we were trying to book so head to the Star ferry booking office to find out about their Sunday lights harbour cruise. Unbelievable! That can only be booked online and no more than 24 hours ahead!Anyway we wander neck to the tourism office and while we are chatting with the girls in the office, the tour company calls them back to say that the promo code shipped now be able to be sold to the bookings. Hallelujah... Because I had my ipad with me I attempted to do the bookings again for the 2 tours we now want to do and it is victory at last and a saving of$200 between us (Hong Kong dollars, that is). We decide that we now have the rest of the afternoon free so get on the ferry to the island in order to go on the Ferris wheel, that they call an observation wheel. Really good views.