Caroline Casey chronicles the adventure in the diary below in Aoife's absence:

Day 064 > Monday 04 November > Hong Kong

· Airbus 332
· Airport Express Train
· Hand Pulled Rickshaws
· Tram

Thought of the day
Hong Kong after so long! Hong Kong was always going to be the jewel in the crown of 80 ways. Our arrival into the metropolis has been planed for over a year in association with the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Prior to our arrival there has been a three month program - "Yes Can Do!" running prior to our arrival involving 12,000 participants from the corporate and business worlds along with school and university students. Hong Kong marks the beginning of the last leg of the trip. We knew as we approached Hong Kong that people's expectations of us were so high and naturally we were very concerned whether this band of merry madmen would reach those expectations, let alone exceed them.

The work that has been done to maximise the last Asian stop of the 80 ways trip has been phenomenal. As we descended into the airport, we all anxiously reviewed the agenda for the following week, gulping at the amount of inspirational speaking events and calibre of audiences we would be addressing. As we went through the arrival gate we were stunned! A posse of television cameras and media rushed forward as we walked out into the crowd in a foggy daze. A massive colourful banner greeted us while so many smiling faces surrounded and welcomed us in the specially designed Yes Can Do t-shirts! Before we even had time to be overwhelmed or intimidated, we were ushered onto our first mode of transport - The Airport Express train where a special carriage had been reserved for us and the trailing media. Above the endless interviews we caught each others eyes - each saying "I hope we don't let Hong Kong down!"

Magic moment of the day

Beating Miles in the Rickshaw race! After departing the Airport Express we crossed over the road to find to brightly coloured hand pulled rickshaws waiting to be pulled. The Drivers or workers were to be myself and Miles, while Robin and Mike were to be navigators or lazy passengers. The level of friendly competition that has developed between myself and Miles over the last two months and heightened with Miles' massive victory on the Sepang Formula 1 track, once again raised its ambitious head. The race was on, much to the horror of our new hosts who looked on in shock and to our poor passengers who certainly had a bumpy ride. Needing to rebalance the scales and not lose to a man 20 years my senior, I gave it socks with Mike's expert directions. The poor owner of the rickshaw tried desperately to clutch on to his livelihood as I made ground through the throngs of people to our final goal - City Hall. Much to the frustration of the media all that was important to Miles and myself was who was going to win - not how to get the best photograph and despite endless calls to slow down we pitched the speed as best we could and raced to the end - with a glorious win for the girls! Considering our rickshaw race appeared in 8 papers the next day the win was sweet, but Miles has warned me to watch out - you know that quote - beware the wrath of a woman scorned - well I have a new version - beware of the wrath of a beaten adventurer.

Hiccup of the day

The chill is on! After spending the last six week boiling and sweating wherever we go, fleece jackets tucked away unneeded at the bottom of our now smelling bags, I noticed for the first time in weeks, that the hairs on my arms actually stood up with the cold. This has become an unknown phenomenon with the exception of having to freeze under the influence of evil air conditioned rooms which are about as good as being in the Arctic. Tonight, not only did I wear two t-shirts, but also zipped up my fleece as we sat on the top of the open air tram that took us around the neon metropolis which is so brightly lit in certain areas that it was like day. I really don't know how we are going to survive the realities of November in the States if we find ourselves shivering like leaves in an evening that we would could consider a lovely warm summer evening at home!

Day 065 > Tuesday 05 November > Hong Kong

Thought of the day

Hong Kong - the city! I am not exactly sure what my expectations of Hong Kong were but whatever they were, they have been exceeded. The most striking thing is the city at night - it reminds me so much of Gotham city from Batman. Layers and layers of skyscrapers stacked seemingly precariously close to each other with traffic snaking its way around at varying levels. I nearly expect to see the space cars from the Fifth Element whirl about over head. It really is magical at night - you can pick up the sense of frenetic energy in the air mixed with the smell of a Chinese city - dried seafood, rubbish, harbour, salt, damp, incense and Chinese herbal medicine. Hong Kong definitely has its own unique smell and though some elements of it remind me of India or Bangkok, I think it is the salty fish smell that is so Chinese that differentiates it from the other Asian cities. Neon signs of every colour illuminate the streets as they hang invitingly over the pavements advertising everything from haircuts, to restraints, to tailors to electronic stores. It seems the brighter and larger the sings - the better - the cacophony of electric purples, glaring whites, rogue reds, iridescent yellows and green , mixed with cerise pinks injects a level of life and excitement that a child feels at Christmas. By day, Hong Kong unveils a different face. Amongst the shiny crisp new buildings, tatty, old dilapidated buildings are sandwiched - the contrast is striking. You can not help but be struck by some of the inspiring architecture - like the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition centre where we spoke at today with such stunning views of Victory Harbour. Though the city is packed so tightly upon itself, I still find it quite a beautiful place. The relief of the sea that dazzles in the sun, the pockets of green that contrast so vividly to the hardness of skyscrapers, or the back drop of the 9 dragon hills better known as Kowloon, soften such an urban entity that reverberates life. The Chinese script that sprawl over the signs and surfaces of the city are as intriguing as the tiny alleyways that they inhabit or point to. It is a city I imagine where you could have an adventure, get lost, and do something wild in! It really is a place of James Bond movies and mystery. I know that I have only seen the very best of it and it is that knowledge that so much else pulses through this place that makes it so inviting and a place that I would like to explore, return to and discover!

Magic moment of the day

Getting a room of 4,000 to do a Mexican wave. When asked to speak to a room of 4,000 young students you can almost hear your stomach turn. But when you discover that you are going to have to do it through a translator because the audience's first language is Cantonese you justifiably feel a tad anxious. My biggest concern with the whole translation process is that as many know I speak at the speed of a machine gun and it requires me serious efforts to slow down my speech enough to speak publicly, let alone for a translator to get to grips with. The other main area of concern is that I never know what I am going to say until I get up there and my mind just takes off on some journey. Therefore when the translator asked me to tell her what I was going to say to help her, I could do nothing but shrug my shoulders. Considering I was speaking last, at the end of a very long day for the kids who had been there since 8.30 am I knew I was going to have to rock them to keep them awake. Unsure as to my capacity to do this considering language barriers, in a fit of panic I did something I have not done before! I asked the audience to get off their seats and do a Mexican wave. Not sure whether this was culturally the thing to do or not I was a bit nervous to try it out but I know that if I was a school kid who had been sitting down listening to people for eight hours I would want to make some noise! And did they make noise! They loved it and it is quite a sound when a crowd of 4000 do a full-on, proper wave! It is amazing where you get inspiration when shoved between a rock and a hard place.

After the wave the talk went great and my limp attempt with Cantonese was greeted with laughter and applause. There are few audiences or situations that were as bizarre as that one was, but it is nice to know that even after 2 months on the road that we can pull rabbits out of the hat!

Hiccup of the day

Loosing money on the horses. Tonight we were guests of the Hong Kong Jockey Club at the mid week races held at the Happy Valley racecourse. The racecourse situation is stunning and a total surprise. Right in the middle of Hong Kong city a 50,000 capacity course stands with the backdrop of a million lights from the surrounding skyscraper while 6 football pitches fill the inside of the race track - talk about maximising space! The place is spectacular and I imagine especially so at night when I think Hong Kong shows off the best. What is fascinating about the way gambling is organised in Hong Kong is that it is so tightly controlled but unusually it has benefits to charity. Horse racing is the only legal gambling and is controlled by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Out of every bet a punter puts down, 81% goes back in dividends to the punter, 14% goes in tax to government, 3% goes towards administrative and up keep of facilities and 2% goes to charity!. This has resulted in The Hong Kong Jockey club donating I Billion a year, over the last ten years to Charity. This of course soothes the mind when you loose money in a bet - which our in house gee gee expert Mr McKenzie was thankful for when he lost on every race he bet on! What a great way to justify gambling habits!!!

Day 066 > Wednesday 06 November > Hong Kong

Thought of the day

Talk talk talk! Tonight I am hoarse and honestly sick of the sound of my own voice! Today we had one very long television interview, radio interviews, and three major speaking events - all very different. Our first was at the Hong Kong Jockey Club to a group of 60 top Hong Kong executives; the second was to a group of 150 Hong Kong Jockey club managers and the third to a group of 50 Hong Kong Jockey club scholarship students. It is amazing how exhausting talking about yourself becomes and how hard it is to remember that each time we speak, though it is the nine hundredth and ninety ninth time we have heard ourselves, it is the first time that the particular audience will have heard us. By 9.00pm last night our minds were numb and our inspirational speaking had turned into team slagging and joking which thankfully, considering the young audience, went down fine. Tomorrow we will only have one speaking event which is a good thing, considering the fact that if I hear myself say the same thing again, I just might have to get run down!

Magic moment of the day

Watching our last 2 months of photographs. To support some of the speaking events today we were asked to provide a slide show of some of the photographs taken over the last 65 days of the trip. It was quite amazingly and totally emotional to watch all the things that we have done over the last 2 months flash up before us and even stranger to remember all the things we had forgotten. So much has passed, so many things have changed, we have gotten into so many ridiculous situations, met so many people, had so many adventures and watching them all flash before us on a huge screen stunned us into silence - unusual. Having been 65 days on the road, passed through 14 countries, 24 major cities and completed about 58 modes of transport the richness of our adventure was not only apparent for others to see but for us it was the first time we to realise how much we have lived every minute of the last 2 months of our lives!

Hiccup of the day

Not getting my laundry done in time! With all the jigs and the reels and the rushing about I have kept putting my laundry off resulting in a serious lack of clean knickers and uniform trousers. As our uniformed trousers are sand coloured and I am notorious for having an incredible capacity for spilling things both my trousers are covered in every conceivable stain. This may be all well and good when going sailing or tackling a mode of transport, but when doing a television interview it is not something that goes down so well. Just as we were about to begin our first interview this morning and as the cameras had started rolling the Cantonese of cut was shouted out. The apparent reason for the halt in filming was soon discovered as one of the crew came over to me, fixed the bottom of my trouser leg and try to brush off the very obvious black stain of unknown origin blazingly shouting from the bottom of my trousers. Of course it was non removable and after and eager attempt the crew member madding a tutting sound tried to hide it and filing resumed. And writing about laundry - I still haven't put it in today and it is once again midnight! Do I ever learn?

Day 067> Thursday 07 November > Hong Kong

Thought of the day

Talking with the winners of the Felix Wong Youth Improvement Award. We were asked to come and tell our stories of overcoming challenges and adversity to the winners of the Felix Wong Youth Improvement Award which was established by the parents of Felix Wong who died at an early age. The boy's parents believed that Felix life had been cut short and wanted to do something positive to commemorate his life and thus established the award to encourage young people to overcome adversity in their lives and to recognise those young people that have demonstrated courage and made real improvements in their lives despite difficulties!

The event was one of the more unusual that we have been involved with and had a real impact on us all. As well as us speaking, two of this years award winners told us their stories and as we sat in a room with 40 other young teenagers - half of them award winners, half of them in counselling. As we listened to Karen and Sindy so honestly and simply describe their lives and the things they have had to overcome, it was hard not to feel totally inadequate. When I was asked to speak at the end I chose to speak about some of the things that have proved to be very real challenges in my life - none of which had anything to do with my eyes. My eyes are a Caroline characteristic, as is the fact that I have a sense of humour or am stubborn. The real challenges in my life, those that have made me strong are the emotional challenges that so many of us face in our lives. It is the first time that I have ever spoken about what has made me strong because I believed that it was unnecessary to talk about things in the past but I felt last night that it was important that I was honest faced with the kids' honesty and also because I do believe that the way I handled those challenges in the past is what has made me different, determined and successful in some of the things that I do. The strange thing was that though the age difference between Karen, Sindy, I and Mike was so different we all were saying the same thing - that there is no point running away, because the ghosts will follow you - face up to the difficulty and deal with it head on and when you deal with it you will have discovered a sense of strength that you never knew you had and that strength is the one thing that marks you out from the crowd and makes you succeed in whatever you chose to do.

Last night I learnt from kids half my age. I remembered how I felt when I was where they are now and it is great to look back and know that I am as happy now as I have ever been in my life. It does get better; you just have to work through it and never give up.

Magic moment of the day

Making a wish at the Banyan wishing tree in the village of Lam Tsuen. On our tour of Hong Kong which utterly surprised me as I discovered that there was so much more to Hong Kong than the metropolis we stopped at a very famous tree. It was the Banyan tree where it is traditional that in the New Year's people come to the tree to make a wish. The tree is old and sprawling with craggy branches and holds the dreams and wishes of thousands. Each wish is written on a brightly coloured yellow and red piece of paper covered in Chinese. The paper is attached to an orange by a brightly coloured string. For your wish to come true you have to swing your orange and wish high into the branches of the tree where your wish needs to catch on one of the branches where it should stay and hang. If your wish stays in the tree, it should come true. Needing all the luck we can get, we each wrote down our wish and flung it in to the heights which after at least 2 or three attempts on most of our parts the wish eventually caught. I am none too sure if the fact we had to have numerous attempts to be successful negates the wish coming true, but all of us were determined the wish was going to hang from the tree no matter how long it took! You can imagine how luminous this old dressed up tree is, strewn with oranges of varying decay and colour, with their brightly coloured wishes attached gently flapping in the wind. You could only imagine what that flamboyant tree could tell you about people, as it had the dreams and wishes of people all over the world, of all ages and walks of life hanging from every part of it. That's a tree that could talk!

Hiccup of the day

Going out on the town! No one warned us that Hong Kong is expensive - I dread to discover my visa card balance! Mind you it was worth it! We really needed to get out properly on the town and not eat in Italian restaurants. So it was Mexican, and very good Mexican at that and then a few beers to wash it down and I swear it was worse than Irish prices we nearly gauped when faced with one round of drinks - mind you that did not stop us - we convinced ourselves that just listening to normal music and hanging out was priceless. Yeah well that was until we discovered how empty our pockets were this morning!

Day 068> Friday 08 November > Hong Kong

· Kayak
· Golf Ambulance
· Passenger Ferry
· Golf Buggy

Thought of the day

Kayaking on the 8th of November in Hong Kong. This morning we were collected bright and early, which was non too good for the developing hangovers but once we reached the place where we were to begin the 3km kayak challenge thoughts of sore heads and exploding visa cards dissipated. On the water 150 kids bobbed about in various rafts, canoes, kayaks, and surf skis. They were going to accompany us on our journey to the only municipal golf course in Hong Kong which was established and is run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

It was a perfect, perfect morning with an intense blue sky. The kind of day that you remember as a child, a day full of endless possibility and adventure. The water literally twinkled invitingly in the sun and surrounded by hills and mountains. The place was like a cocooned heaven. Purples, pinks, lilacs and greens of every shade hypnotised the clear aqua green sea. The paddles seem to feather the water and time passed as if in a dream. It was hard to imagine that it was a wet and cold November Friday in Dublin. Not only was it beautiful with a light that we so rarely see at home - that sunshine happy light - but it was the vibe of the kids and everyone involved that seemed to make the whole morning glow. You can really understand and see the benefit of a program like this where young kids who have so little hope can take part in such a freeing sport - just being out on the water, independently, immersed in a spacious and clean cocoon can only be good for kids that are struggling daily with very little hope and too much challenge in the crowded and pressured life of a city.

Magic moment of the day

Playing golf. Our Kayaking trip brought us to the Golf course which is situated on one of the Hong Kong islands. To say that the course is breathtaking would not be doing it justice - views of the sea and mountains are intoxicating, as the notoriously hilly and difficult course curves into the land. A special golf challenge had been organised for us - each adventurer and our Hong Kong counterpart adventurer - Benny, were given a colour team which consisted of a caddy, golf buggy (which we were not allowed race after the organisers heard of our grand prix bonanza) and a pro who tried to impart their knowledge. It was such an enjoyable hour and I felt sorrier for the pros who were taking every second shot, surrounded by Hong Kong media than I did for myself as I duffed every shot. Miles literally blew me away. I saw how that determined mind worked - how all his focus was on succeeding. You could feel him concentrate and determine to not only hit the ball, which was all I was aiming for, but to hit a top class shot. And that he did. On more than two occasions he hit those shots that sound sweet! I had no idea where they went but they sounded beautiful. It may sound ridiculous but I felt so proud of him. Here was a man who could not see the ball and through sheer determination just blew us all away. It was one of those moments where the real magic of Miles shone. Where you could see what is special about him, the thing that makes him stand out from the rest - the thing that makes Miles an utter inspiration. The rest of us cleaned up after him, Benny and I doing our best while Mike did some very impressive one handed wheelchair golf that left our jaws dropping. It has to be said, I think the adventurers did themselves proud, but I am not sure what we did for the golf course with wheelchairs and skimming an awful lot of turf!

Hiccup of the day

Jumping in for a swim and having no change of underwear! How can you resist the urge of an aqua green sea even if you don't have a change of underwear? Much to the shock of our hosts who I still think we tend to surprise with some of our unpredictable behaviour myself and Miles felt justified in going for a wee swim after reaching the pier. Clothes and all we bailed out of our canoes to be followed by Jon, Mike Mac and William (director of charities of the Hong Kong Jockey Club) where we splashed around like kids. Being from England and Ireland you never pass up an opportunity to swim in the sea knowing that you are not going to drown of cardiac arrest from the cold. The locals kept asking us was it cold and all we could do was laugh - cold, have they any idea of what cold is - when your fingers fall of you get orange goose bumps and it takes you five hours and three hot whiskeys to reheat your insides after a summer sea swim at home.

The swim was fantastic and we had to be ordered out like disobedient school kids so as to hop on our next mode of transport - the Golf ambulance. It was while dripping and driving the ambulance it occurred to me when discussing changing for lunch, that though I had packed a dry t-shirt and trousers I had of course forgotten any underwear!! Lunch at a golf course, underwear less is really not the sort of appropriate attire or standards one should keep, but I am afraid I had no choice. As I sat at lunch however I had that awful realisation, as bad as it was to sit down without the appropriate under garments swinging a golf club and remaining decent was going to be another thing entirely!

Day 069 > Saturday 09 November > Hong Kong

· Horse
· Sedan Chair

Thought of the day

I give up; I cannot eat another thing! Before heading to the Happy Valley race course for the afternoons charity carnival we were once again fed and watered! This time it was a dim sim lunch. With their usual boundless concern for our stomachs, which have literally tripled in size in the last few weeks my plate was never emptied. In fact it has not been allowed be empty since our arrival in Hong Kong. I actually do not think I can eat another thing. The problem is it all tastes so, so good it is hard not to keep eating. Before lunch we were taken around the Jockey Club museum and one of the exhibits was one of the old fashioned scales. I literally ran the other direction when we were all told to hop up and weigh ourselves. After eating like kings since we left Europe the thoughts of actually seeing the result of indulgence would be enough to put anyone of their food. But oh no! Not this team of boys! Nope! They all hopped on, well not Mike as he had to be lifted on, got a print out of their weight, everyone having put on some pounds with the exception of Jon who ridiculously seems to have lost weight - a total freak of nature - we went in and stuffed our faces again. We have eaten everything you can imagine - divine Buddhist vegetarian meals, dim sim of every kind, Thai, Mexican, Chinese, spring rolls until they come out of your ears, bean curd in every imaginable fashion, Jasmine tea, Chinese tea, vegetables that I do not recognise, bread and butter pudding, custard and endless fruit. As I sit here this evening I am trying to get my stomach ready for the farewell barbeque - well all I can say is - at least it is not Italian!

Magic moment of the day

Being part of the Happy Valley Day. I think we in the west have so much we can learn from Asia. One of the things that has struck me the most is that when they do something here they do it right, even down to the name tags you wear. Everything that we have been involved with over the past week has been done in such an enthusiastic, professional and complete way.

The shining example of this was the charity carnival organised at the Happy Valley race course. It really was a fantastic afternoon with stalls ranging from climbing walls, to archery, to noodle making, to candy floss making, to portraits, to singing, horse riding - it was endless. What differentiated this afternoon from most other afternoon fairs, besides the warm sun, was that everything was done under the theme of Yes Can Do. Meticulous care was taken with every detail of how everything was presented. The 90 volunteers, evident in their red shirts, could not do enough for the visitors. There was a buzz of energy and fun as the MCs joked us through the day.

One of the highlights for me was when the team had to get dressed up in a Chinese top to open the ceremony and I had the chance to go horseback again! Another highlight was speaking with the kids from Riding For The Disabled and trying to beat Miles at archery. The time just flew by and we never got around to everything that was there. The day finished with our joining the girl guides in laying the last couple of hundred 1 dollar coins as part of the coin challenge. The fantastic Doris Yo, now our Hong Kong Mum, host, friend, fellow mad person and all around fantastic organiser decided that a fitting challenge for the Yes Can Do campaign she devised with William Yew was to try and lay 1 dollar coins side beside the whole way around the Happy Valley race Course. At 4.45pm we all got down on our hands and knees and raced to join the end of the coin trail with the coins we had laid at the opening. Needless to say, once we got involved, the immaculate work of the girl guides went to pot and the line was more like a very curvaceous wiggle, but the circle was complete on time! It was a great way to end a remarkable day, and a remarkable week in Hong Kong. It was the epiphany of everything this week has been about - fun, challenge, adventure, inspiration, and friendship, colour, embracing difference and living life!

Hiccup of the day

Travelling with boys! There are times that I would love to have another woman around and today was one of them. Two of my so called team mates, and supposed friends - questionable - took great pleasure in being idiotic school kids. The regression to playground antics was using the PRESS stickers in the most infantile manner. The PRESS stickers, worn only by the press were luminous green and only had the word PRESS on them - therefore - very easy to read. Jon and Mike Mac, loaded with camera thought it would be hilariously funny to stick one on my bum and film without my knowing it. Besides the fact that they were hardly subtle in putting the sticker in position in the first place, the fact that they were laughing so much was an utter give away! Oh God, these boys need to get home!

Day 070 > Sunday 10 November > Hong Kong to San Francisco > the day we lived twice

· Sailing Junk

Thought of the day

Leaving Hong Kong. This has been the hardest place to leave yet. Everywhere we have gone; it has been such a tug to get on the plane. After working so intensely with teams, a bond grows quickly and we learn to depend so heavily on those looking after us. Hong Kong was always to be the pinnacle of 80 ways and it exceeded expectations on both sides. Though we were only in Hong Kong for 6 days we feel we did get to know a little bit about this wonderfully complex, diverse, beautiful and frenetic place. Through all the different speaking events and meetings we have had, we have been given a rare insight into the many faces of Hong Kong. I can imagine, if you get to know it the right way, it could be addictive. Saying goodbye to the team was difficult because we all got so much from each other. It is very hard to relate on paper the feelings or emotions that ran this week and the fact that the 80 Ways team have never laughed or smiled so much. It is maybe that which made it so hard to leave.

The warmest thanks to everyone who ran after us, encouraged us, put up with us being late, clapped at even the bad jokes, organised such a fantastic program and cared for our every need. To Doris, William, Mark Grace, Pat, Christine, Yannas, Esther, Benny, Mr Lawrence Wong, Veronica and team, Chris and team and all the endless others who made the last week the highlight of our journey - a huge thank you for the magic and madness of Hong Kong in November.

Magic Moment of the day

Living a day twice. It is now midnight and I am in bed in San Francisco wide awake. This is my second midnight today. After leaving Hong Kong at 4.30 pm on today Sunday, we arrived in San Fran midday today, Sunday. I just can never get over that whole crossing the date line thing, the groundhog day experience and the fact you live a day twice - just as well the day is good. Though I know I am shattered my body and mind will just not shut down as my clock has gone into tail spin. I hardly remember any of the flight but then again I do not remember sleeping, getting to the hotel, seeing my room, drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee or having a shower before dinner. I am really excited about being in San Francisco - I have been dying to come here for years - I just hope that I will be awake enough to appreciate it. The only way I think I am going to get to sleep tonight is to either drink a bottle of red wine - not an option - or, cheaper and probably more successful - watch American TV!

Hiccup of the day

Do they ever grow up? And yet again the dreary duo were bored and up to mischief again in possibly more embarrassing circumstances than yesterday. Not happy with the PRESS on the bum scenario of yesterday, I was ridiculed with one on either breast while talking to camera! Please get me out of here! The fact that the other two Muppets, Miles and the usually debonair Mike Mackenzie thought this was hilariously funny is hardly helping matters. So a sharp kick in the shins had to suffice! Thankfully on leaving Hong Kong the PRESS stickers will no longer be available for female humiliation.