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Published: January 6th 2010
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Christmas in Hong Kong was fabulous!! It certainly was a jam-packed weekend since we were only there for 4 days. I travelled with my roommate (Genelle) and another English teacher, Fran.
We flew to Shenzhen first and then took a direct bus into Hong Kong--a more economic route. Once we arrived in Hong Kong, we noticed a huge difference between Hong Kong and mainland China: cleanliness of the buildings, MTR stations, streets in Hong Kong; overall friendliness of Hong Kongers; and people showing proper etiquette & order even when it was super crowded. Another big thing is that we were actually able to communicate with others with ease. There are lots of English-speakers and foreigners in Hong Kong and people are generally very open & able to help/give directions. Well, I didn't speak English the entire time I was there. I can proudly say that I was able to make use of the Cantonese I know...to ask for directions/help, to tell the taxi driver where we wanted to go, to order food, to bargain at the markets, etc..
And the weather was just gorgeous!!! We went to Lantau Island and it felt like it was summer...so much so that
we were inspired to get a cup of gelato and enjoy it outside the gelato shop!
On Christmas Eve, we had planned to go for the Symphony of Lights cruise...but 7 million people (haha...well I'm exaggerating here of course) stopped us from doing so. It was an obstacle course just to exit the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station; luckily, a police kindly showed us the way out. And then when we finally got out to Nathan Road....we became part of the sea of people who were trying to see the light show too. The roads were closed off already to accommodate the mass. It was insane!!!! I've never experienced anything like that before. You couldn't even see the pavement of the road because there were just that many people. But surprisingly, it was a controlled chaos. People were not shoving and it wasn't overly noisy. And it was nice seeing and hearing groups of carollers up and down the street...and seeing dogs in Santa outfits!
The three of us had Christmas dinner at a floating restaurant aboard the Jumbo Kingdom--we ate at Top Deck. We had a fancy prix fixe meal. It was a fun experience and the
we have arrived!
we got dropped off at Wan Chai. calling relatives to let them know I arrived safely. food was delicious!
Other than these events, we did a half-day tour of the major sites of Hong Kong and we also spent some time shopping (of course! since HK is like the shopping capital of the world). But I actually wasn't as excited about the shopping in comparison to my friends since I have been to Hong Kong before; the HK shopping experience was not a novelty to me this time around. My friends were particularly estatic about the shopping since in mainland China, it is very difficult to find the right sizes. And also, they loved the variety of styles and designs available. We did most of our shopping at outdoor markets (which were HUGE!--we went to Stanley Market and to Mong Kok; we had wanted to go to other markets too, but we ran out of time). The markets sell "fake" goods of all different luxury and standards brand names. There was even a stall that sold fake luxury watches. They would give you a catalogue of the real watches...and then you pick a design or brand you like...and then they go and get you the watch--that looks and feels incredibly like the real thing--from somewhere
Electric Rd.
Palm trees and poinsettias lined Electric Rd. (in the Fortress Hill area, where we were staying). It was so convenient and lucky for us that Starbucks was SO close! mysterious. We also went to an outlet mall by the Tung Chung MTR station, which I loved. I want to go back there some time! 😊
I was also fortunate to have been able to spend some time with relatives. It was nice to catch up with them and see everyone. :0)
We stayed at Genelle's friend's (Andrea) apartment--it was a cute, little (and I mean
tiny) flat. For instance, the kitchen had a 3 feet by 3 feet working space. Andrea and her roommate has everything arranged nicely and it is actually quite comfortable in the apartment...but it still made me feel more appreciative about my apartment in Shanghai because our's is a mansion compared to their's. Real estate is crazy expensive in Hong Kong. On our half-day tour, our guide talked quite a lot about real estate. The higher up the moutain/island, the more expensive the land. For some upper level flats, you'd have to pay over $10,000 USD per sq. ft. Insane, eh?
Anyway, Andrea was so sweet and thoughtful. She left Christmas stockings with treats and a Christmas tree for us to decorate so it would feel more like Christmas for us...!
So
even though I miss Canada's snow (yes, I miss the snow...but not the cold) and even though it was strange to not be home with family & friends....I had a Merry Christmas in Hong Kong. An exhaustive trip...but I had a blast!
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queens
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there's another queen in rebecca's world!!
oh dear!! i kinda freaked out when i kept reading my name!!! then i realized...ohhhhhhhhhhh rebecca knows ANOTHER queenie???! WAT A crazy rebecca world!! go queenie's! ok .. i'm really proud that you finally went into a small family owned local restuarant!!!!.. and thanks for taking pics of the food!! it does look yumms! go to more and take lots more photos!!