Hong Kong Adventures

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For the next leg of our journey Larry and I headed to Hong Kong for a world-class skyline, delicious food (which was unfortunately sometimes accompanied with nauseating odors), and a quick reminder of the modern world as we recuperated from China and prepared for Vietnam.

Getting to Hong Kong was an adventure in itself. We had originally planned to fly from Xi'an on Friday, August 22nd, but due to a massive typhoon ended up at the airport with tickets and luggage in hand and no way of getting there. Trying to make the most of our situation we fought with insurance companies, stuck close to anyone else in line who spoke English, and finally managed to find a hotel room at the anything-but-classy ARIPORT HOTEL. (Yes, according to their brochures and business cards, it was the ARIPORT Hotel... it turns out that everyone on the earlier flights to Hong Kong had beaten us to it, and the legitimate "Airport Hotel," only meters away, was booked solid!) That evening, a little less than thrilled with the stains on our carpet and the chunks missing from our bathtub, Larry and I decided to have a few beers with dinner... and then that turned into six 750ml bottles, which put us into a much better mood! Feeling much more adventurous in our unsuitable surroundings we ended up spending the rest of our evening chatting with the employees of the "massage house." It was actually pretty funny considering they didn't speak any English and communication was all done through gestures and pictures. I don't think there is a question that we didn't ask them.... or an answer that didn't shock us!!

Saturday morning when we woke up we headed to the airport for our 12pm flight, only to find that although we were the first people to be confirmed the day before.... the flight was now full and they had nothing for us! After putting a little guilt trip (which was completely justified) on the man who had taken our names the day before we were bumped up to first class and proceeded to customs where Larry had his Axe body spray confiscated and set on fire (to prove it was not dangerous???) before we were finally allowed to board the plane which we had held up. At that point, I don't think we could have been more ready for a change of pace and/or scenery!!

After arriving in Hong Kong and checking into the Ah Shan Hostel, we wandered the Ladies' Shopping Street (simply a name as the market seems to offer everything and anything) and enjoyed a quick dinner before returning to our plywood-like beds and succumbing to a much-needed sleep.

Sunday morning, determined to make up for our lost day because of the typhoon, Larry and I started our day with a quick trip on the MTR to Lantau (Hong Kong's largest island), where we caught the 5.7km "Ngong Ping 360" cable car to the top Lantau Peak, and spent the morning looking up at the world's largest-outdoor-seated-bronze Buddha.... at 34m high (including the podium) and 202 tonnes, they just had to break some kind of a record for it. 😉 Although touristy, wandering around Lantau Peak turned out to be a perfect morning as we had beautiful weather and Larry was a sweetheart and brought me to a vegetarian restaurant at the Po Lin Monastery for lunch.

Sticking to our busy itinerary, Larry and I spent the rest of the afternoon on Hong Kong Island exploring the amazing architecture in the business district, and riding the historical Peak Tram up Victoria Peak in the evening. Although the tram was a little scary as it made its way up the 45-degree slope, reaching Victoria Peak made it all worthwhile. The views were absolutely amazing from the observation deck on Peak Tower, and we even paid terrace fees twice in order to enjoy the lookout both before and after sunset... with an extremely fun dinner break at Bubba Gump's in between!

Due to the magnitude of explosive fun that resulted from our dinner at Bubba Gump's, and having our waitors become our amazing party planners for the rest of the evening, I didn't do any sightseeing on Monday... and what should have been a sightseeing day became a nothing-but-sleep-and-rest day.

So, the Hong Kong section of our trip went from a planned 3 days to 2 (because of the typhoon), to 1 (because of the rest day); but, in the long run, all of the unexpected events in between are what made our trip to this booming city memorable. Next stop... Macau!

Memorable Smiles...
- Having our taxi driver pick us up at the airport and in his broken English explain to us that we would be staying at the intersection of "Mong Kok (which he pronounced very entertainingly) and Ladies."
- Having Larry question this driver about the area of Mong Kok
- The driver's response when asked if he liked McDonald's
- Momentarily becoming Larry's sister when two pretty girls were taking our picture on Victoria Peak
- Bubba Gump's
- Monday nights' picnic

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Photos

Tian Tan Buddha on Lantau Peak
At 34m tall and 202 tonnes, Tian Tan is the world's largest outdoor-seated-bronze Buddha.

Comments

[Mom]

I'd like the Vegetarian lunch please ! No wonder you are getting bored being back home – nowhere near as picturesque or exciting here at this time of year. Next .....

[Uncle John]

Cable Car and Tram
Your pictures make the tram and cable car worth while. Pictures explain more than words and being there is priceless. Thanks for sharing. Uncle John

[dad]

AGAIN...TOTALLY AMAZING...

[anonymous]

Magnitude of explosive fun?? haha. I think that club has your picture up with a caption: "dont let this girl in". And so does the cab driver.

[M KTAN]

PLAN TO VISIT HK AND MACAU
I HAVE NOT BEEN TO HK AND MACAU SO I PLAN TO VISIT IN MID OF DECEMBER 2010. THANK FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION AND WILL TRY MY VERY BEST TO VISIT MOST OF THE ABOVE PLACE. wHERE CAN I HAVE GOOD DIM SUM IN HK