JETLAG. To everyone planning on seeing this sprawling island, I could say that to truly see everything HK has to offer you would need a whole week, blah, blah, blah... But I don't have a week - I have one day tagged onto the end of a short business trip. One day. One-sorry-jetlagged-day. So I plan to make the most of it...

7.00: I decide to start the day by watching the tai chi practitioners in Victoria Park.  It seems like the whole of Hong Kong takes part in the daily tai chi, qi gong and sword-play excercises and it is quite a sight and looks so energising and graceful. I'm nearly tempted to join in. Nearly.

9.00: I'm utterly ravenous. Watching people excercise certainly builds up an appetite! I head to Queens Road and to L'atelier de Joel Robuchon at The Landmark for unarguably the best croissants and bread in Asia - it truly is the breakfast of champions! After stuffing my face with carbohydrate-based products I feel ready to face the city.

9.45: I grab a cab and go through the Western Harbour Tunnel from Central to Tsim Shat Shat Sui and onto the Jade Market in Yau Ma Tei. With a name like the Jade Market it's pretty obviously a tourist destination but I've been informed that crammed into two small buildings are as many as 80 dealers selling carved jade and semi-precious stones. I'm not planning on buying anything though as my suitcase is nearly over my luggage allowance as it is. Apparently packing seven pairs of shoes is a little excessive for a three-day business trip!

11.30: I make my way back to central by way of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. World-class musicians perform here all the time so it's worth checking out who might be playing during your stay. Once I arrived at Central, I used the Skybridge system then walk from the ferry to Pedder Street, till I'm back at The Landmark.

14.00: From here I head to Wan Chai, the city's newest, edgiest quarter. On a pedestrian-only lane called Gresson Street is the Ooi Botos Gallery. You can't miss it because of its red fibreglass facade. It's packed with truly avant-garde contemporary art and I find some breath-taking photos that I fall in love with. They're certainly better than my attempts at holiday snaps!

15.30: For a snack break with flair, I go to The Pawn, sip tea and enjoy the delicious desserts on the balcony; then it's time to head back to Central.

16.15: I hail a cab and get the driver to drop me off at the escalator on Queen's Road Central. The escalators transport people from the residential mid-levels area to Central and back.  I get off at Staunton Street and take a wander around SoHo (South of Hollywood Road).  It has expat social life, food and bars. I go to The Press Room for a well-deserved glass of wine, via a detour along Hollywood Road, Hong Kong's street of antiques, galleries and bric-a-brac.

18.30: I take the Star Ferry across to Tsim Sha Tsui again at dusk. This is the best time to ride the ferry, as light descends and the Hong Kong Island skyscrapers switch on their vivid lights. From the Star Ferry concourse, I wander along Nathan Road, Kowloon, a hive of activity and throbbing neon signs.

20.00: It's back to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, ready for the 8pm Symphony of Lights. I watch entranced, as beams of light play on some 30 of the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon's buildings. It is a thrilling spectacle, not nearly as hokey as it sounds, that has become one of the city's must-sees.

21.00: I take the MTR (subway), bound for Temple Street, a raucous night market that sells clothes, bric-a-brac, novelties and electronics.  I decide to walk the entire length, which means alighting at Yau Ma Tei station, and strolling in the direction of Mongkok. This is a deliciously raw slice of Hong Kong life: there are Cantonese opera singers, fortune tellers, false-teeth vendors and any number of hawkers and stalls, featuring everything from Mao Zedong watches to steaming vats of noodles.

22.00: Time to go up market, so to speak. I hop in a cab to be taken to the Peninsula Hotel - the grand dame of HK hotels and a must visit destination. The bellboys, dressed in immaculate white uniforms with pill-box hats direct me to Felix bar and restaurant, which has its own lift to the 28th floor. The restaurant, designed by Phillippe Starck Network, has a pricey fusion-food menu, and also offers an amazing view of the harbour.

00.00: I get a cab back to the airport to catch the redeye flight back to London. Completely Hong Kong'ed out.