Hong Kong: A Week in Review

 

SMOTH – This city was just amazing. We had  an absolutely fantastic time, and our only concern is that we may have already experienced the highlight of our trip. That said, here’s a brief overview of our week in Hong Kong:

Day 1: After our harrowing adventure in Beijing, we decided to hit HK with vigor. This included a walk through the markets which I described in our first post. By the end, we were too tired to see the light show we had set out to see. We also missed our cruise on the Aqua Luna, a Chinese junk, because it was fully booked for the night.

 

Day 2: Today, Elaine accompanied us in the morning. We went for breakfast at the worlds cheapest Michelin Starred restraint. It was classic Cantonese Dim Sum, and a delicious and authentic experience. We then took we took a cab to Hong Kong’s fabled “Ocean Park” a notorious tourist trap. However, because the weather looked rather threatening, lines were short and the park wasn’t crowded at all. We were able to see some truly fascinating ocean life, and of course, the famous pandas. Then we bussed to Stanley, a seaside town with quaint pubs, a beautiful pier and a bustling market. By now, the sun came out and I began to feel like I was at a resort in Cuba. We stopped for a beer, and browsed the market. It was absolutely charming, and a lovely way to spend the day. We considered going back to Kowloon to see if we could catch the Aqua Luna, but decided we were still a bit tired.

 

 

 

Day 3: Inarguably, today was our most exhausting day. We began by heading to see the famous ‘Big Buddha’ which required buying a ticket on a cable car up the mountains, and into the clouds. The view was incredible: that is, I’ve never been in a cloud before and it was incredibly white. Bonky took a great video of it which we will hopefully be able upload at some point. After sort of glimpsing the BB through the fog, we bought some extremely questionable street food and took a bus to a town called Mui Wan, where we intended to do a hike through the hills to a nearby town called Discovery Bay. Alas, we were unable to discover D Bay because we A) Got lost and spent the better part of an afternoon climbing aimlessly up and down hills, and B) When we finally found the right trail we were beat, and completely out of water. We were stupid enough to try it anyways, but after nearly an hour of near-vertical climbing we called it quits. Defeated, dehydrated and disillusioned, we headed back the way we came for a cold drink of water, and a ferry back to HK proper.  We got back home in time for dinner, and Elaine ordered pizza which was paid for by Bonky’s Grandma (thanks Flo, it was delicious!) We passed out at 7:30pm like the party animals we are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4: Still footsore and tired from our journey up a mountain the day before, Elaine took us out for a more relaxing trip around town. We saw Hong Kong’s lovely free zoo and botanical gardens, as well as an aviary and a pottery museum. Then, Elaine took us out for Ramen noodles, which was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We browsed some luxury boutiques at the mall, and even purchased some very good tea chocolates. Shortly after, Elaine parted ways with us, and we grabbed a quick gelato to recuperate from a busy morning. After summoning our energy reserves, we took a bus to Hong Kong University campus, and followed a book tour through the older part of HK, past shops brimming with herbal medicines, traditional foods (including tons of shark fins), and various other products. It was incredibly beautiful and unique. By now, my feet were killing, but I didn’t even care, because the sights, sounds (and smells) were so amazing. Tonight, we were definitely catching that damn Aqua Luna, so we hobbled over to the piers, and grabbed a quick sit down before getting our tickets, which Elaine graciously had paid for. The cruise was amazing, the skyline of the city spread out before us, as the boats staff served complimentary drinks, and took pictures of us. It was just wonderful, a jewel to cap off the day. For both of us, this was our favorite day in Hong Kong.

 

Day 5: Today was a bit of a more quiet day. We visited the Hong Kong Heritage museum, and saw a very cool exhibit about a Japanese animation studio, which makes a lot of films Bony and I enjoy. We learned a bit about Hong Kong’s heritage, and even saw an exhibit on Bruce Lee, which was quite cool. At night, we wen to Lan Kwan Fung (sp?) the ex pat party district of HK. It was awesome: we got drinks and wandered the bustling streets, taking the worlds longest escalator in the process. We got a bit lost on the way home, but eventually flagged down a cab who took us home.

Day 6: It was finally the weekend, so Gary and Elaine were both able to take us around to seen the sights, as well as their two children. We did and exhausting but beautiful hike up to The Peak, where we grabbed some iced coffee/tea, and browed the shops. Then, after taking the tram down the mountain, we showered and headed out for a lovely lunch, courtesy of Elaine and Gary. It was one of the most beautiful buffets I’ve ever seen, let alone tasted. Then we went up the tallest building in HK to see a stunning view of the city. Elaine and Bonky’s cousins went home, and Gary took us to the Hong Kong History museum, which had a lot of information on HK, but especially interesting was that on the Japanese occupation during WW II. We went out to a great burger joint for dinner, and I got to try my first ever HK craft beer, which was damn good. All in all, a fantastic last day!

 

 

Bumpy in Beijing, Happy in Hong Kong

SMOTH – We departed May 10th from Pearson airport in Toronto, to great fanfare from our two adoring families (thanks guys.) Actually boarding the plane was incredibly simple, and our seats were fairly good on the plane itself. As for spending 13 in a metal tube, it wasn’t THAT bad, although I wouldn’t want to make a habit of it. We filled the time by watching bad TV and movies (and Planet Earth). Little turbulence, no hassle, no crying babies. An altogether pleasant flight (albeit 13 hours long.) But then we landed in Beijing.

Getting through customs was easy, and we were looking forward to getting some rest at the hotel we had reserved, which was allegedly right near the airport. I say allegedly because absolutely no one seemed to have heard of it. Between a very strong language barrier and our inability to connect to the airport Wi-Fi, and our general state of exhaustion, we couldn’t get our act together. Finally, on the suggestion of some English-speakers from California who helped us, we got the address of the hotel translated into Mandarin and showed it to a cab driver. He gave us an enormous flat rate (which we begrudgingly accepted) and drove us in a roundabout way to a hotel. I say a hotel, because we quickly found out it wasn’t OUR hotel. No, we had been taken somewhere completely different. But at the end of our ropes, we decided to cut our losses and book a room. The stay was fine, and we slept like babies.

In the morning, we returned to the airport, and bought breakfast with our remaining mainland currency. Being at the airport, it was pretty expensive. You can see me in the above picture fanning myself with wads of money. We bought a fairly meager breakfast of hardboiled eggs and fried mystery meat, then proceeded to board our flight to Hong Kong.

This flight was great, being only 3 hours long, and quite comfortable. Despite the Pilot promising us rain on arrival, we were greeted by a dry, overcast city. After successfully navigating Hong Kong’s lovely airport, we boarded a train to take us to the city proper. Here we were greeted by Bonky’s aunt Elaine, who we are staying with while in HK. She taught us how to take a shuttle bus back to their apartment, a perilous journey up a mountainside. The view from Elaine (and of course, her husband Gary’s) apartment is spectacular.

After resting and eating some lunch, we headed back out into the city to see the markets. Never in my life have I wandered around such an interesting and dense city. People selling everything from handbags to foot massages crowd into the street markets to hawk their goods. It’s overwhelming but absolutely brilliant. We toured the various markets including the ladies and jade ones, and headed for water to see the famous HK light show. Unfortunately, we were so tired we could barely function. So we reluctantly decided to return to the apartment to get some much needed rest. The rest of the week looks so exciting, this taste of Hong Kong merely whet my appetite.