From.................To
We'll be raising a toast to HongKong later tonight.
Wow! Has 10 years flown or what?
I so remember the uncertainty of how we were supposed to feel, so much worry and scare-mongering about what might happen.
Was China going to start marching over the border at the stroke of midnight? How were things going to change?
Truth is, for HK Everyman things have ticked along pretty much the same, I guess and, in many ways things are looking pretty good in HK. Booming economy the reward for riding out the Bird Flu and SARS storms.
Handover also has another significance for us.
I returned home to be there for Handover (where else could I possibly have been, for goodness sake?) and it was that holiday that saw Chris and Caroline become 'us'.
Altogether now.......................... ahhhhhhhhhhh.
Anyway, actual Handover Night was a blast. We were at a party on the roof of the SPCA building overlooking the harbour where we all drank too much & had a perfect view of the fireworks.
Earlier Mum & I we had watched the televised departure of Chris Patten (the outgoing Governer) and his family leave Government House for the last time - standing in the pouring rain, looking (to his credit) really rather sad.
However you might feel about it, no-one could possibly watch the lowering of the Union Jack, in the driving rain without feeling a lump in the throat and it bringing a tear to the eye.
Wish I could post the pics we took that night.Catching a cab home was an absolute nightmare and I ended up standing in a queue at Admiralty MTR station (watching the newspaper people sorting out the mornings' papers) for about 2 hrs.
And so, despite all the emotion and politicising that went on ..... the next morning...... the sun still rose and we all just got on with life ......... and it was all alright.
Hooray for HONG KONG!!!!!! 
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