A mad dash through Hong Kong highlights...Lovely Four Seasons hotel

HONG KONG - One of these days I'm gonna give myself more time in this great city. But, once again, I'm here with just a few hours to spend.

Still, that's more than many folks so I'll be sure to enjoy it.

I always love coming into town and seeing the massive apartment buildings in front of the even more massive mountains, then spying small beaches and the huge shipyards on the way to Kowloon. I wrangled a room from the great folks at the Four Seasons and find myself typing this as I look out behind me to the Kowloon skyline (see photo).

It's a beautiful, elegant hotel, with first-class service and a gloriously marbled lobby with those awesome views. Quite different from the Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi, but distinctive and classy all the same.

Had a quick check of another hotel in town I'd read about, the Cosmopolitan, and its sister property, The Cosmo. More on those later in the pages of the Star, but suffice to say it's a great bargain if you want to stay close to the action in Central but are on a budget.

Also had a few moments to take the tram up to Victoria Peak and do a 15-minute walk through the forests/jungles at the top, snapping a few photos of the city skyline and Kowloon and the famous Star Ferry. I've taken too many pics of late and my hard drive is full, so I've borrowed a photo from elsewhere. But it's a pretty fair representation of the view one gets from the peak, and it's always a blast to stand in the middle of such thick greenery and listen to birds chirping and then look down - WAY DOWN - on one of the great metropolises of the world.

A helluva bargain for five bucks (Cdn.) return, although I didn't have time to take it back down and had to grab a gypsy cab to get me back to the Four Seasons in time for a dinner in nearby SoHo....

More to come on Monday, I hope, on wonderful Hong Kong. And check Star Travel in coming weeks for stories on Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Happy Victoria Day Weekend!