We dragged our bags to the bus stop and didn't have to wait long. As we came to HK when it was dark, it was interesting to see the views and I was struck again by how Hong Kong is the penultimate capitalist icon.

High rises are everywhere, people are doing business, ships loaded with containers coming in and going out... The airport itself is a masterpiece of modern architecture, with a total of 88 gates (88 is considered lucky in Chinese numerical superstitions, so I'm sure that's no coincidence)/

We checked in and checked through without any hassle, and spent our 13 hours on the plane getting increasingly stiff and anxious to get off. Arriving at London Heathrow was a blessing, and we nearly ran when we got off the plane, so glad were we to touch down.

London Heathrow, after the shiny splendour of Hong Kong International Airport, felt decidedly scruffy, almost hangar-like, but also wonderfully familiar. An hour later we were at Keiron's mum and dad's, glad to be home, glad to get to bed.