Although we had been looking forward to a trip in a real junk, as the clouds moved in and the rain started to lash down, we started to worry.

If we hadn’t booked in advance we wouldn’t have bothered.  And we would have missed out.

I am sure that this is a wonderful trip when the sun is shining, but with the rain lashing and the junk rolling on the waves... it was even better.

The crew couldn’t have been nicer, holding umbrellas, helping us carefully onto the boat, moving us as the wind changed direction to keep us dry, and even trying to hold our hands as we went down the stairs to the bathroom (which was one of my favourites in Hong Kong), and although my “cocktail” was just a lemonade (I had a massage booked for later) I couldn’t have enjoyed this trip more.

An original junk, lovingly restored, the polish and detail on this boat were just fabulous.

My favourite part came as I, safe in my raincoat (bought for the top of a mountain) made it to the prow of the ship.  As I stood with the wind and rain lashing me, I felt like Sinbad the Sailor, looking out on the neon lights of Hong Kong.  As one of the crew headed to me with a massive umbrella I was worried he was going to ask me to come in, or even worse, stand over me with the brolly, instead he gently told me that I was fine where I was, but please, please, don’t touch any metal (because of the lightning!)  And then he left me to enjoy the rest of the bumpy ride.

The only downside of this trip was getting in touch and booking it - so I will make your life easier by giving you their contact details (not easy to find on the website!)  We were also very restricted in when we could go as the ship was out of commission until the Sunday and then booked for a private party for the rest of the evening!

They also offer longer cruises around Hong Kong and to some of the most scenic islands, which I would definitely look into next time.  They do normally also serve food, but didn’t on this occasion, either because of the private party or because of the weather.