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| Beach at Discovery Bay |
On the last day of 2010 we took the ferry to Discovery Bay. This is a slightly weird community of 16000 people on Lantau Island, originally conceived as a leisure resort in 1976. It's a little bit like 'The Truman Show' meets 'The Prisoner' with a bit of 'The Stepford Wives' thrown in - everything is a bit too perfect. Nobody is allowed to have a private car and the residents need to use public transport or buy a golf cart (which apparently cost as much as a new BMW).
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| Golf Carts at Discovery Bay |
We had a walk around, went to the harbour and then back to the town centre where we had lunch before boarding the ferry back to Hong Kong.
Everyone had agreed that we'd have an Indian meal in the evening and, after making a few enquiries, Scott found a restaurant called Tandoor, in Central on Hong Kong Island, not far from where we'd be seeing in the new year.
After a hurried change, we hopped in a cab and set off. As it was New Year's Eve many of the roads had been closed and the cab driver, thinking we were all tourists, tried to use this as an excuse to rip us off, by claiming that the other tunnel would cost $60 - luckily Laura spotted this and we only paid the $10 it actually cost. The cab driver wasn't amused, but as the rules they operate under are very strict and we could have called the police, he had no option but to accept this.
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| Charlotte and Laura at Tandoor Restaurant |
It took a bit of time, but we managed to find our way to the restaurant in a closed street lined with police vans. When we went in we found that all the other customers were indian, and there was an indian band playing, so we were expecting the meal to be authentic. It was all a bit confusing to us, starters were brought to the table, but the main and dessert were from a buffet, but the food was fantastic; my favourite meal of the holiday.
We left the restaurant and caught cabs to Central ferry port where we boarded a boat (actually a re-purposed car ferry) to sail out into the harbour, where we'd be able to get the best view of the fireworks. It was all a bit frantic, jostling for the best position on the boat, but we did manage to get a place right at the front and waited as the boat became one of hundreds, of all shapes and sizes and many with loud parties, on the crowded waterway.
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| Fireworks on IFC Building in Hong Kong |
With a minute to go until midnight, a countdown started, displayed in lights on the IFC (International Finance Centre), one of the tallest buldings in Hong Kong and overlooking the harbour. Everyone joined in the count at about 20, and when the clock reached zero, 2011 was displayed vertically on the building and it became the centre of a firework display co-ordinated across many buildings along the harbourfront. Fireworks exploded from the top, and ran up and down the sides of the building as the crowd did the usual 'oos' and 'ahs'.
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| New Year Toast in Hong Kong Harbour |
When the short display was over, Scott opened a bottle of champagne and we toasted in the New Year. It was a fantastic and spectacular end to one of the best years ever for Sally and I.
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