March 6 Really dead tired this am.I arrived in the rain last night and took a bus from the airport right to the Shangri La Guesthouse in Chunking Mansions. In wandering the busy streets  in a chilly drizzle, I realized that I had badly miscalculated the weather so I sprung for an orange down jacket that had me looking like a lollipop. Only $38! Mansions! Such a funny joke; the rooms are miniscule and the guesthouse is one of dozens in a 16-story highrise. Although tiny, the room was immaculate and cleverly designed to include hanging space, private facilities, TV, air-con and a kettle with coffee and tea packets. The ground floor is crammed with south-Asian food stalls, electronics stalls, cheap clothes and sundry stuff. It was a busy scene but definitely safe. What I didn’t like was the lengthy wait for the elevator and the smoke that wafted into the room each morning when the ventilation system carried it from other floors where people had their morning cig. I finally dragged myself out of bed to take care of arrival business, grateful for the central location. First stop was down to the tourist office to get a local SIM … Continue reading →