Hong Kong

On Mom's first weekend in Thailand, well my weekend (Tuesday and Wednesday), we decided to go to visit a family friend, Suzi in Hong Kong. We were both very excited and couldn't wait to visit Hong Kong for the first time. We were pretty awful tourists we didn't do any research or buy any maps before going to Hong Kong. Originally we planned on jumping on one of those red double decker tourist buses, but I wasn't too keen on doing that while mom was but we planned to play it by ear. We woke up very early Monday morning to get to the airport with plenty of time to spare. We made it pretty quickly through immigration and anxiously awaited our flight. Even though our flight was  3 hours we were fed and had individual televisions in the headrest. It was very different from the United States where you are lucky to get fed on a 5 hour flight let alone a 3 hour flight. Once we began our decent into Hong Kong I had the most excruciating pressure in my head. I had very difficult time equalizing and my head felt like my face was being split open. It originally started during the decent when I was popping my ears and then the pain began in my ears traveled down my my jaw line and then to the center of my forehead. I was doing everything in my power to see the Hong Kong harbor. I managed, even through the excruciating pressure, to see the magnificent Hong Kong skyline. I always knew that there were a lot of skyscrapers and tall apartment buildings but to see them in person was truly amazing. I also couldn't believe how much green I could also see. Once we landed we made our way to a taxi driver Suzi arranged for us to take us to her home. She and her husband Barry, who was in the United States at the time, live in Sai Kung in a national forest. It was quite difficult to get there especially if you have never been to Hong Kong. After the hour drive we finally got to Suzi's home where we treated with a wonderful lunch and a greeting from 4 very friendly dogs. After a lovely lunch in the garden we began to plan our trip into Hong Kong thanks to the advice of Sasha, Suzi and Barry's daughter. We planned to catch one of the buses that pick up outside of Suzi's home and catch a transfer in Sai Kung where we will hop on the amazing subway system of Hong Kong. After the game plan was made Suzi took us up to the reservoir in the national forest for an afternoon swim with the dogs. We did have to wait until 5 because you are not allowed drive to the reservoir so we had to wait until the park rangers went home for the evening. 

The Reservoir

It was a very peaceful and quiet area, the water was a perfect temperature and extremely clean. It was a nice way to wash off the stink of traveling as well as cool down on a hot day. The trip to and from the reservoir was gorgeous I never thought that this place would exists in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is known for being a concrete jungle who would believe that something so beautiful would be here. I am so lucky that I know someone who does live in Hong Kong and she took us to see  the other side of Hong Kong. That night Suzi took us out for a traditional Cantonese dinner with 10 of her closest friends. We had a giant circular table with a large lazy susan in the center. They ordered about 9 or 10 dishes with enough food for us all to share. It was so nice to have someone order us traditional items and that we were able to taste so many differ kinds of traditional foods. I truly enjoy having meals like this because I am able to experience all kinds of food. After hours of eating and drinking we finally went home. Mom and I were completely exhausted, we had been up since 5 am so by 9  we were falling asleep at the table. The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn once again for a full day of being a tourist. We took two buses to the subway and purchased a ticket for unlimited use of the subway lines in Hong Kong. I must say that the subway is the way to go in Hong Kong. It is really clean, the lines go everywhere, and most of the commuting is underground so you don't have to worry about being on the street to face the elements. Our first stop of the day was to The Peak. After getting off in Central Hong Kong we followed the signs to The Peak. The Peak is a place at the top of a mountain that overlooks Hong Kong, you can get there by an old time trolley or by bus. We decided to go for the full experience and go by the trolley. 

When we first got there we immediately saw hundreds of young children and we were a bit worried. They had already purchased their tickets so we just had to work through the crowd to get to the ticket window which had no line. Even though there were hundreds of kids we got on the trolley right away without the children. The trolley could not hold all the children and the group of tourists so fortunately the kids were taken off. Good thing for me because I hadn't had breakfast or coffee and it was too early in the morning for a cramped ride to the top of a mountain with screaming children. It is a pretty fun ride to the top of The Peak, you pass numerous high rise apartment buildings while still being surrounded by trees. I could not believe how tall these high rises actually are and that people actually live in them. I don't think I could live that high up. Once we got off the trolley mom and I decided to grab some breakfast at one of the many cafes on the top of The Peak. We had a nice breakfast sandwich and coffee while looking out the window to all of Hong Kong as well as  the trolleys coming and going. We then made our way to the first observation deck where we walked around a bit but I really wanted to go to the upper deck because I always like to go to the top of any structure when I visit a new city. 

There we took numerous photos of the Hong Kong skyline. It was a gorgeous day and we truly had some amazing shots. After taking loads of pictures mom and I walked around some of the shops and picked up a couple of souvenirs before heading back down to continue our exploration of Hong Kong. As we walked the streets one thing I immediately noticed was how clean Hong Kong is especially compared to Bangkok. I have been in numerous major cities and Hong Kong has got to be one of the cleanest. You never expect that from major cities, so it was another delightful surprise I experienced from Hong Kong. Finally after a little bit of searching found the bus to go to Stanley Market. The city of Stanley is a fishing village about 45 minutes outside the Central area of Hong Kong. It is known for its wonderful market. Stanley was a wonderful city with this great pier lined with restaurants and pubs. While we were in Stanley we visited Tin Hau Temple and Kwun Yam Temple. After exploring the city a bit more we ventured back to the market where we picked up painted Chinese writing of each of our family member's name. When mom gets back to the States she is going to have it framed to hang in the house. We thought it would be a cool art piece to have in the house, but unique enough to start conversations. I really enjoyed the market at Stanley, it was so much nicer than any of the markets in Bangkok. Parts of the market had air conditioning and the market was really clean. What I really loved seeing was all the art pieces if I had a home of my own and a way to ship these pieces I can see myself buying a couple of them. We didn't want to waste our afternoon in a market so we caught a bus back to Hong Kong to continue our excursion. 

We went to the Chi Lin Nunnery next and it was absolutely gorgeous. It was this beautiful wooden monastery built in the middle of concrete buildings. It had beautiful gardens and Lily ponds. It was so surprising to see such a calm and peaceful place like this in the middle of Hong Kong. We then hopped on the subway to see Wong Tai Sin Temple. This is another religious place in the middle of concrete buildings but surprisingly quiet. I really enjoy going to Chinese Buddhist Temples. I love the details and colors that are used. I thoroughly enjoy spending my time looking at all the intricate details each temple has to offer. After the temple I really wanted to have high tea at The Peninsula so mom and I hustled toward that part of the city so to make it in time. 

We did make it with plenty of time and we were able to have a traditional British afternoon tea complete with clotted cream, warm scones, fresh jam, finger sandwiches, and lovely desserts. It was a nice way to wind down after a hectic day of traveling and being a tourist. After tea we began walking towards the pier because we wanted to take a ferry ride across the harbor. On the way there we happened across this great historical restoration area called1881. I believe it was an old fort with a lighthouse and weather devices that was converted into restaurants and shops but still maintained a lot of it's old features. There was an old home that had been restored but the inside was still historical and stunning. We had a lot of fun exploring 1881 and were happy to happen across it. We arrived at the pier in time to catch a ferry in which we got to see sunset from our seats. It was a good day we finally made it back to Suzi's at 9:30 and we were thoroughly exhausted. We had a quick dinner and went straight to bed. The next morning we got up early with Suzi to have a walk in the forest with the dogs. There was a lovely path that went through an old time village and former tin factory that ran along the river. It is was a great way to start off the morning it was so peaceful and relaxing to have a walk with Suzi and Mom. After our walk we went to the seaport in Sai Kung to have a traditional Cantonese breakfast of dim sum and dumplings. I was so happy that I was able to have traditional dim sum before I went back to Thailand. I know that I went to a traditional place because all the elders of the city were there first thing in the morning having their morning dim sum. After running a couple of errands in the city we went home to pack so we could  go on our final adventure in Hong Kong before going to the airport. I wanted to ride the cable cars to see the giant Buddha.We took the crystal cable car so that the floor of the car was all glass so we could see everything as we went to the Buddha. It was kind of a long journey but it was really fun to go over the water, see the airport, travel over the mountains, and see the forest. Once we got off the cable car we exited into a little village full of stores and restaurants. It really was a cute little town. We walked through the town and went in search of the giant Buddha, which isn't too hard to find. 

We then had to climb hundreds of stairs to to the actual Buddha, which really showed me how out of shape I really am. The Buddha was worth all the bitching and moaning because it was pretty amazing and the view was spectacular. The climb down was so much nicer and easier. We then visited another Chinese Buddhist temple and then we made our way back down to civilization. We still had a lot of time before our flight left so we decided to walk around the mall and area surrounding the cable cars to just kill some time. We then made our way to the airport in hopes that we could catch an earlier flight to Bangkok. Unfortunately when we got to the airport the 11pm flight was had was the only night flight. Of course this always happens when you have to work the next day, the flight was over an hour late. When we finally arrived in Bangkok of course every other international flight arrived at the same exact time so the line for Passport Control was extremely long with not very many passport agents working the desks. We ended up waiting in line for nearly 2 hours. So by the time I got home and in bed it was 5 am and I needed to get up at 9. Needless to say I was a little exhausted at work but the whole trip to Hong Kong was so worth it. 

I took so many wonderful pictures in Hong Kong please check out my Flickr account to see them all:
Hong Kong Photos