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Published: July 12th 2009
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I am leaving Hong Kong tomorrow to go back to the U.S. It was a difficult and very personal decision for me, but I feel great about it and I look forward to continuing my travels when I have someone to travel with.
In the meantime, my second-to-last day here was anything but dull.
It started on the
Aqualuna, one of the last remaining honest-to-goodness junk boats in Hong Kong, or as their web site
proclaims: "possibly the last painstakingly handcrafted traditional Chinese junk to be built in Hong Kong using age-old designs and traditional materials by an 80-year-old local craftsman....Aqualuna is known as Cheung Po Tsai in Cantonese, named after the infamous Cheung Chau island pirate who used to terrorize these waters."
This is not your grandparents' junk boat, ladies and gentlemen. It is very nice; you can lounge on cushioned seats, sip your glass of white wine, and even order a basket of delicious dim sum. The views are amazing, and my only beef was with the music selection, which seemed to consist almost entirely of sappy early-90's love rock (Bryan Adams, Tiffany, etc).
Our route took us from Central along the western coast. We went by Travis' apartment complex, Aberdeen Harbor, Repulse Bay, an enormous hillside amusement park, and ended up in Stanley.
It was an exciting ride, on account of the
incoming typoon. The wind whipped the waves up into a frenzy, causing the boat to dip up and down in a stomach-lurching way. It was fun! (too bad Travis can't swim, it probably wasn't as much fun for him).
As we entered the
Stanley Harbor, the Typhoon Level 3 signal sounded, causing the local windsurfers to scurry for shore, and not five minutes after we got off the boat it started to pour down rain.
Fortunately, we had installed ourselves at the
Smuggler's Inn, a British-type pub along the waterfront, with excellent potato skins and glasses of beer, and watched people rush in and out of the downpour.
Later there was just time to explore Stanley Market, a maze of back alleys full of clothing, souvenirs, artwork, and other sundries.
The next stop of the day was a barbecue at the
mid-levels penthouse apartment of one of Travis' English friends. There's nothing like grilled burgers and steaks with 180 degree views of Central and the Peak.
Last night was another friend, Melissa's, birthday, so we took off to one of the Hong Kong oddities I had heard of but not yet tried: a private kitchen.
"What," you may be asking yourself, "is a
private kitchen?"
Well, for starters, it is so private that you just have to
know that it's there. They do not do the usual thing in other countries of promoting themselves or trying to let passerby know what a great restaurant they have.
The place we went to, a French kitchen called
Le Marron, was located on the 12th floor of an ordinary apartment building in Causeway Bay. There was no sign out front, we simply had to trust that the directions we had were accurate.
Inside, Le Marron was a long single room, divided up into sections with the creative use of sheer shimmery curtains and smoky glass-paneled French doors. Mismatched chandeliers, candles, and white Christmas-tree lights completed the ambiance. The food, when it finally arrived, was excellent although massively proportioned.
Our final event of the evening was a
masquerade party on Pier 7. The pier has been converted into an event space with wraparound verandas
on three sides that have lovely views of Kowloon. We were issued masks when we arrived, and the drinks were all included.
Anyway, it has been a really fun time, I have had some amazing experiences, and I will let everyone know when I get back on the road!
Thanks,
Becky
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Mom
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What a Way To Go!!
Sounds like you had a blast in Hong Kong. What an exciting send-off. It is great to have such good friends spread out around the globe. Hope you can return the favor for Travis one day. Can't wait to see all of your pictures. See you Monday. Love Mom