Horner travels ... Of all the pages in a book, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport...

Had a late start (9am) and headed around the Happy Valley Racecourse to find Shan Kwong Rd - where Mum and Dad first lived (with me as a baby) back in 1971. A large building was in place of her condemned block but the area hadn't changed too much- there was still quite a lot of old housing blocks. She felt familiar with some smaller roads and alleyways. After breakfast we hunted down the second address where an upmarket hotel now stands. The rest of the street had not changed much either. It seems that it is mainly the waterfront areas that are constantly going through major changes both on used land and newly reclaimed land - also ongoing. Walked down to Victoria Park - another lovely, inner city green space where I had played as a toddler. We were lucky to come across a flower show which Mum was able to enter for free (as a senior!) It was a delightful mix of over-the=top tacky Chinese displays with incredibly original, artistic and grand designs. We thoroughly enjoyed it. After blindly navigating through the park and across highways, we arrived at the waterfronts Typhoon Shelter where Mum was pleased to see some boat people were still allowed to live. One side of the shelter was filled with sanpans - with belongings and washing out for all to view while , in contrast, the other side had a vast selection of expensive yachts. The afternoon was spent scouring the shopping mecca at Causeway Bay including Times Square. Apart from finding a funky, multi-levelled, narrow shopping centre filled with Japanese imports (where I did buy a edgy patchworked top on sale, the shopping complexes are a bit repetitive. I think we've seen 100 each of the following in HK- The Body Shop, Jurlique, Esprit, Adidas, Clarks and so forth not to mention all the high end brands which some shopping centres are full of- how many Chanel, Lane Crawford, Armani, Gucci stores etc does one small country need? Needless to say, we are not buying much inside the major shopping malls though there are some styles here that I've never seen at home in Birkenstock amongst others. Prices for known brands are basically the same as home. After returning to the hotel for a late rest, we boarded a tram in order to find H & M - a cheapish clothing store with Swedish designers- like an Ikea with garments. It was a bit like Valley Girl but I did find a few tops that I'll NEED for work! Mum grabbed a bright orange, polkadot scarf for when she feels like a splash of colour this winter. Our legs got a  workout, yet again, as we walked all the way back. From our bed room window, we were able to watch a horse race before falling asleep.