Another little town....

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What do you get when Shanghai and San Francisco collide along the shores of a beautiful, tropical looking sea? Well, it probably would be a lot like Hong Kong. Chinese yet heavily western influenced. Steep mountain roads combined with double-decker trams reminiscent of the San Fran cable cars. Glitzy modern business high rises just “down the road” from bustling Chinese markets displaying everything from dried seafood to fresh vegetables and fruits, and even the libido enhancing, brain sharpening shark fin. While it’s more likely that San Francisco and Shanghai both owe a bit of their character to the influence of Hong Kong, one can’t help but be impressed by the blending of these two cities into one modern day, fun working metropolis of the east. Twice we visited the quirky, yet quaint Soho neighborhood on the mountain mid-levels where the boutique clothing prices way exceeded our budget (“umm, Jessie, that tshirt is cute, but do you realize it’s more than $150 U.S.?!”). We traversed the cool, covered walkways where the city laborers gather on blankets to share a meal, groom each other with haircuts and manicures, play some cards, read books, and congregate to rest and socialize the lunch hour away. Unwittingly, we also stammered upon a rather seedy part of town where lovely and not so lovely ladies would have readily consented to make Ty’s and Matt’s evening in Hong Kong much more memorable. (“Uh, Mom, this place is really great. There’s not even a cover charge!”) Finally, there’s also a Disneyland (which we did NOT do) and an ocean themed amusement park (which we enjoyed thoroughly) to bring out the kid in us all. Prices were high, so basically exploring and eating dominated our days. Take a look at the photos and enjoy a bit of a view of Hong Kong from the perspective of some small town Americans turned big city expats.

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Photos

A sneek Peak
From the vantage point of the most famous viewing site on Hong Kong Island, Victoria Peak, the city's "legoland" like buildings pile high along Victoria Harbor. We enjoyed a warm breeze on the observation deck as the sun went down and the lights popped on.

Commerce, trade, buy, and sell....
That is what this city is all about. Shanghai and Hong Kong share this nature. At freeway speed, it took us several minutes to pass this vast array of shipping containers stacked multiple layers upon one another.

Our backyard
The view from hotel window in Causeway Bay.

On the peak
Family time watching the city from above.

Peak tram
Hold on! The incline on this old tram to the top of Victoria Peak feels like 45 degrees, but it's actually around 27 degrees. Fun to ride this part of Hong Kong's history to climb up to that spectacular city view.

Star ferry
Efficient, cheap, and timely. A fun way to get from Hong Kong island to Kowloon, and like the Peak tram, part of Hong Kong history.

Harbor view
We discovered one of the best ways to get oriented to the city was aboard the Star Ferry harbor tour. In this 1 hour circle around the harbor, all the unique buildings that make up the city can be viewed as well as a few passenger, commerce, and fishing vessels. Relaxing, warm breeze, and out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Soho
This district on the steep mountain side was filled with little alleys, like this one, where we browsed boutiques and found interesting and delicious international food to enjoy.

World's longest escalator
Yes, it really is the longest escalator in the world. It seems like we rode it for more than an hour - but then we sometimes got off to explore places of interest along the way. Here, Ty is exiting backward off the escalator. Actually, the escalator only goes one way, up. You're on your own to figure out how to get down.

Escalator alley
Along side the escalator is an alley which you can use to walk back down. Which we did - at least twice. Glad to have comfy shoes.

Jessie's first roller coaster
So Jessie, you've NEVER been on a roller coaster? We must fix that! Hence, a visit to Ocean Park for the first roller coaster ride. And what a view from this one - feels like you're flying over the water.

In the heart of it all
Riding along on the old trams, we relaxed and absorbed the sights and sounds of the city at work. We rode along through several contrasting areas of town - each unique and interesting to view from our double decker front and top spot.

sea food anyone
Many, many seafood commodities markets lined the street in one section of town. I'm not sure what ANY of it was, much less what to do with it. They (the locals) all seemed to though! I imagine these seafood markets in this major trading port are one of the things that define Hong Kong.

On the tram
Jessie and Matt enjoy each other's company along the way.