Timeline: 7th of April to 11th April 2005

HONG KONG: Once just a bare rock with a handful of fishing villages, Hong Kong is now a dynamic, vibrant and world-famous centre of trade and commerce. Claimed by the British in 1842 following the first Opium war with China, it returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1999 and is now classified as a "Special Administrative Region".

It still retains its old currency, boasts a population of almost seven million people, over 260 islands and mixes 150 years of colonial influence with 5000 years of Chinese tradition.

And it is surprisingly diverse.

On departing from the new airport on Lantau Island you are immediately met with some beautifully exotic scenery; lush, green, jungle-like mountains are fronted by long, white, sandy beaches.

Fishing villages still remain, scattered along the coast and there are people who live and work entirely off-shore on tiny boats. Then, on the north side of Hong Kong Island, you are faced with one of the world's most famous skylines, far more impressive than that of Manhattan.

The countless skyscrapers and high-rises compete at night to be the most brightly and colourfully lit up and some even have laser shows from the roof. Hong Kong is a modern, clean, safe and compact destination with all corners easily accessible thanks to the impeccable public transport system. There is an extensive rail network, subway system, scores of bus and tram routes, the busy straight between Kowloon peninsula and Hong Kong Island is filled with commuter ferries and there's even a funicular railway. Should this not be enough there's also the world's longest escalator carrying people over 800m uphill (or downhill depending on the time of day).

Unfortunately, the weather was warm and smoggy for the duration of our visit and with it came low cloud cover. This meant the normally extensive, panoramic view from The Peak -- back drop of the Hong Kong skyline -- was limited and this shrouded the city in a strange, eerie blanket at night.

Just an hour away by high-speed ferry is the old Portuguese colony of...

MACAU
Despite having a similar political history and close proximity to Hong Kong it seemed worlds apart. Only the weather was comparable. Other than the main square area and the odd chapel, hidden away amongst the back streets, very little of colonial influence remains. Instead Macau resembles a non-descript Chinese port; grimy, heavily industrialised and densely populated.

It's famed for its casinos and racing circuit but like the place itself these are both of a by-gone era and out of date. The casinos, which look like the average run-down amusement arcade from any British high street, are almost exclusively based around Chinese card and counter games which, unless you happen to know fluent Cantonese or a friendly old sailor, you will have great difficulty in understanding. This did not stop me, however, from losing our 'gambling' kitty with incredible speed. A mere 20 Hong Kong dollars (1 pound 40 pence) but it still hurt.

The long time monopoly on the casinos has now expired and the Las Vegas big boys have rushed into the vacuum and the mega-casinos of The Strip are now rapidly under construction. This will give Macau an unrecognisable face-lift and, it is hoped, will attract a new generation of tourists from all over Asia.

I just hope they have better luck than us.