Hong Kong Part 2

---

Alright, where did we leave off...

Pics really are forthcoming but the hostel here in Kuala Lumpur has convenient internet but it's a bit slow...

Day 2-SOHO]

Woke up to pouring rain...no big deal, we figure, we're prepared for rainy season. this, however, was a bit more than we bargained for...while streets and ground level stores dried off, we ate breakfast at the Red Aunt on Ashley St. Excellent food and coffee for a bargain basement price. Fortunately the rain stopped and we took the Star Ferry across the harbor to Hong Kong Island. HKI is home to many things, including the worlds longest escalator, or something like that. As much of the island is built into a steep hill, including Soho (home of shopping, eating, and drinking), the escalator is much appreciated...but not by us, as we thought it would be a good idea to hike up alongside the escalator. It was one hell of a work out. Stopped for beers and people watching at Peak Bar and a late lunch at Stauntons (great bbq chicken sandwich). Finally made it back to the hostel to take a nap before heading out for the skyline light show...instead pretty much slept through the night, bringing us to...

Day 3-Dragon Boat Races

We stumbled upon the fact that the dragon boat race championships were going on. We took the ferry to Hong Kong Island and then a bus to Stanley Beach having no idea what to expect. Perfect day, finally stopped raining...but hot. HK has lots of green once you get outside of the city proper and we got to see some of the hills on the ride out. About a 40 minute drive to an absolutely packed beach with tons of spectators and participants. A little bit about dragon boat racing...boats look kind of like elongated canoes. Teams of 20 or so paddle furiously along a straight course from out in the bay towards the beach. The teams are only allowed something like 10 hours to practice together. Many, if not all, of the teams were sponsored by large multi-national corporations and seemed to consist of employees of these corporations. Teams compete in mens, womens, and mixed divisions. Very fun and festive atmosphere and the party picked up as the day wore on. It really was an incredible thing to watch...my words aren't doing it justice. We left in the early afternoon although the championships weren't until about 6:00 b/c we wanted to see a few more things back on HK island.

We felt that we couldn't leave HK without taking the Peak Tram to the top of Victoria Peak. For about 33 HK Dollars per person, you take a tram up a very steep 1.2 km track to the top of the hill. Upon arrival, plenty of opportunities for overpriced shopping and eating (Bubba Gump shrimp, anyone)...oh, and great views of HK. There are also several short hikes that loop around the hill...they were far less crowded than the observation deck and worthwhile.

Later that night we sat down at an outdoor cafe on the harbor and had our first even relatively cheap beer of the trip...20 HKD for a bottle of San Miguel (less than $3US). This also provided a great view of the famous HK skyline but not such a great view of the nightly light show that plays from the buildings.

Headed to the airport in the morning barely in time for our flight to Kuala Lumpur.

Note: Sorry I haven't been good about naming the actual places that we eat/drink/etc. If you have any questions, send a message and I'll try to get better.

Adam

---

Comments

[Staci]

Beer?
You guys are killing me with all of this beer drinking... it is just NOT FAIR! Hopefully my blog will sound a bit like this when I get to go somewhere... xoxo miss you!

[Jack]

Hey guys- Sounds like you are having a great time! I'm jealous that you got to see the jade market in full swing, and the dragon boat races sounded like a great day at the beach. Hope you have still more fun in Kuala Lumpur -- we need some pictures!