Forget New York....

...the city that never sleeps is Hong Kong.

or perhaps I should say the city I never sleep in is Hong Kong.

This is my second trip to this amazing little island and just like last year I am unable to sleep more than two or three hours at a stretch. Which is fine for a night or two but as I close in on night seven, it's making me a little punchy. And grumpy. With a dash of crabby.

I can't quite figure out if it's the energy, that productive hum that never seems to stop that keeps me awake or is it because I literally feel like I'm upside down and backwards?

Perhaps the 37 airplanes in three months is a factor?

Regardless - sleep deprived or not - this is a fabulous place. Some of the highlights:

1) Hong Kong taxis. They are all Toyota Crown cars (insert recall joke here) and they whip around the city in no time flat - taking a taxi here is a treat....

2) ...except when travelling up to Stanley Market. The winding streets and up and down of the hills is enough to test even the strongest of stomachs. I always seem to have a can of gingerale on me.

3) There is such an interesting mix of the West and the East here. You can get almost anything from either culture and it all fits together harmoniously.

4) Sitting in a restaurant on the Kowloon side watching the light show at 8 pm on the Hong Kong side - lasers, spotlights and seizure inducing strobes!

5) Shopping. Stanley has to be one of my favourite markets in the world. There is a jewellery store there that is simply amazing. Don't ask me the name but I sure can draw you a map to it. They will make earrings to match a necklace if they don't have any on display and they offer generous discounts when making bulk purchases.

I'll be sad to leave tomorrow (as I jet off to Sydney) but mostly I just want some sleep!