Travelling allsorts

Before Hong Kong was handed back to the Chinese, we had visited a young relative in Hong Kong, who rented a small apartment in a high-rise block in the city centre, close to the waterfront. Space here is a premium and was used very creatively. On entering the apartment, the double bedroom was on the right. It was two metres (the length of the bed) by two metres (the width of a small double bed plus enough room at the side of the bed for a ladder and to stand get dressed). The bed was a high bunk with a storage area below and there was a narrow wardrobe next to it, at the opposite end from the sliding bedroom door. The lounge/diner/kitchen was not much larger. The built-in benches and table just about accommodated four people. It was situated under the other half of the bed, behind the storage. The rest of the room contained a mini kitchen range and a lounge area filled with a 2-seater sofa. The bathroom had a small wash basin, a wc-bidet and a full room-width one-metre sit-in b...

2013 On behalf of a bride and groom, the manager of the hotel where we were staying in Mauritius ,  island of the former dodo, invited us to a wedding. We're not sure why the couple had no friends or family with them to share their memories, and the subject didn't come up. Another couple we know saved up for a round-the-world trip and decided to get married in Fiji - no family or friends for them either. They had enough money either to do the trip of a lifetime or to splash out on a single day so they chose the 'honeymoon' option. The difficulty with inviting people to such an event is the cost, of course. Anyway, back to Île Maurice - it was one of the friendliest islands we'd ever visited. Another being St Lucia (see below for that story). For example, when we needed petrol for our hire car and the garage didn't accept credit cards, a complete stranger offered to lend us the cash! In December, the weather is perfect and you can see the magnificent red ...