My world walk blog China Part Two/Hong Kong # 40

My world walk blog China Part Two/Hong Kong # 40

Thanks to David Costello the Irish Consul General to Hong Kong for an invitation to his beautiful oceanside home. It was an event which was also attended by many local and Irish business people. Thankfully I was given an exemption from the business attire Actually due to time constraints I had to pick up my laundry bag along the way. It was an eight kilometres walk out to the plush Bel-Air Cyberport area where the Consul General and his family live. Naturally, I didn't want to walk there in my party clobber and I had planned to change downstairs before I took the elevator to his penthouse pad. I hadn't planned on the welcoming committee being downstairs in the lobby and I was soon spotted and cornered in my rags before I had a chance to change! lol. Eventually, a security guard escorted me to a toilet to change. Somehow my socks went missing in the wash and as I was wearing none with my sandals I was hoping shoes wouldn't have to be removed as in many Asian homes

Never a dull moment!

Upstairs I managed to give my laundry bag to Maria, the Consul Generals wife and Hannah their daughter to hide in a corner and charge up my phone too while you are at it pet

Chat, drinks, networking and much laughter flowed. One Irishman who was working as a caterer stood to dutiful attention and laughed when I called him 'Mrs Doyle' the poor demented housemaid from Fr Ted, the Irish hit comedy. "I have been standing here all night just in case you want a drinkie!"
"Well actually no thanks, Mrs Doyle. Perhaps next time!"
Guest of honour was Minister Heather Humphries, the Irish Minister for Business and Development. The minister gave her update on the state of play of local and Irish business dealings, planned investments and other highlights. Then she spoke briefly about the Irish Governments stance on Brexit.
I had a nice chat with her and passed on some of my cancer awareness cards to hand out to whoever she wanted to in the Irish Government circles. Australia and New Zealand send out self-testing kits to people every five years once they reach a certain age. Why doesn't Ireland?
Also present was Eoin O' Leary the Irish ambassador to Shanghai who says that as soon as he gets back he will stick the kettle on, on a slow boil that is, a slow boil to China
Thanks a million to Consul General David Costello, a fellow Dubliner and his family, Minister Humphries and the assembled guests for such an interesting evening.
One of the guests there, an Irish woman called Bridget Mullane whisked me away in a taxi to an Irish night out in McSorleys Irish bar in downtown Soho. More about that in my next post.