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Published: February 8th 2007
Woke up at 4:30 this am to catch an early flight to Hong Kong. Unlike the flight home in two days, this one was very short. It only took 25 minutes from Guangzhou. Hong Kong consists of a peninsula and more than 260 islands that sit at the end of the Pearl River delta. It was a British colony from 1842 until 1997 when it was returned to China.
The city of Hong Kong is like no other city we’ve seen. As much as Hefei and Huainan City looked like cities from the past, Hong Kong looks like something out of next century. Its buildings are ultramodern with skyscraper after skyscraper built from the water’s edge and extending half way up Victoria peak, the highest point of the island. Many of the buildings are lined with (or completely covered with) neon lights so that at night the city looks like a light show. The traffic is very heavy so they’ve developed a system of stairs and overpasses that are incorporated into the third floor of most buildings so you can walk around large parts of the city without every being at street level.
We took a tram up to
the top of Victoria peak and saw amazing views of the city and its harbor. The buildings go on forever and the city appears to dwarf Manhattan. We then took a double-decker bus down a twisting road from the top. The boys sat in the front seat of the top level, from where it looks like you’re going to run into everything. The traffic rules seem more defined here, although they drive on the left side of the road (remember the British influence) and the buses straddle the central line continuously. Pedestrians still have no rights and crossing the street is an adventure.
The city is divided into several levels based on how far up the mountain you are. The world’s longest escalator (no kidding!) takes you from the water level to mid level, rising more than a third of a mile. You can get off at various neighborhoods every 50 yards or so and then jump on the next section. We stopped at an area called Soho that is full of small shops and restaurants, and then walked ~ 2 miles through the city at night - it was stunning.
Hannah seems to be adapting the over
stimulation well. She just sits in her carriage and smiles at everyone who passes. She is now crawling and walking from furniture to furniture (when she wants to). Tomorrow we were going to try to see the pink dolphins; however, they have canceled the dolphin watches because they rarely see them anymore. Tomorrow we will be off to see the pandas and then to a floating restaurant in Hong Kong harbor. We will return late and have to pack - this may be our last entry.
Looking forward to coming home soon. Mason, we’re still hoping to see you in Chicago. We’ll call you cell phone when we land.
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Aunt Julie
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Welcome Home
As much as I have enjoyed racing downstairs every morning to check the blog to see if there was a new entry it will be good to have you back home. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful journey with all of us. The changes just in the pictures of Hannah are remarkable I can't imagine how much she actually changes everyday. We are keeping our fingers crossed that all of you will make it to Jerry's farewell party. Have a safe flight home and we will see you all soon. Roddy and Julie