Hong Kong, Take 2

Actually, the third time's the charm...since this was Josh's 3rd attempt to meet us in Hong Kong over the past 2 years. The first time we were all diverted because of a typhoon and we ended up meeting in Okinawa. Then, you may remember back in November when Elise and I flew from Philly to HK to meet Josh for Thanksgiving but the ships were denied entry by the gov't.....so, this time we were quite pleased that for Josh's last underway we were able to meet up for a fun port visit together!

Hong Kong has a very culturally diverse feel, since it is heavily influenced by both Chinese and European culture. As Westerners visiting there, we thoroughly appreciated both aspects of the culture. The European influence made it very easy to get around since English is readily available almost everywhere you go. The Chinese influence gave us a great taste of the customs, culture, and heritage of the mainland nation.

On our first day we took a cable car to Victoria Peak and had breathtaking views from high above city skyline and harbor. We then headed to a late night market to see all the city lights and street stalls filled with just about anything you could want to buy. On Tuesday we took a train to Lantau island and then took another cable car to a monastery and bronze buddha statue. It was nice to leave the big city and see a greener part of the surrounding areas.

The next day we took a small ferry out to Lamma Island - one of many small islands that surround the city centers of HK and Kowloon. The ferry dropped us off at a little fishing village, so we got to people watch and window shop as we walked through town. Then, we followed a path through the jungle, past the beach, over a small ridge and to the other small fishing village on the opposite side of the island, about 3 miles away. It was a pretty hot day and the island was quite crowded because it was May Day and everyone had off work. Still, we enjoyed the sights and especially liked sitting down for a deliciously fresh seafood lunch before hopping back on the ferry to return to the city.

Our last full day was another busy, but fun one. We got out the door early so that we could get to Stanley Market and do some looking around at the shops and street stalls there. We didn't spend too much time there because we were heading to the pier to meet up with some friends for a dim sum cooking lesson! Once we made it to the restaurant, we started out by sampling many popular kinds of dim sum. If you're not familiar with this tasty treat, it is a traditional Chinese food which usually consists of steamed buns and dumplings served in bamboo baskets. The word dim sum literally means "touch the heart" or "order to your heart's content" - so you are free to order as many of the dishes as you please! After enjoying this light meal, we were introduced to one of the restaurant's chefs who walked us through the process of making shrimp dumplings, spring rolls, and steamed pork rolls. Yum! We had a lot of fun "attempting" to make our dishes as beautifully as the chef had made them, but it was surely harder than it looked. At the end, they cooked all of the dishes we had made and we got to eat them as well. We were absolutely stuffed by the time we left, but it was a delicious experience.

Our next stop that day was a local food market in Mong Kok. The sights there were like nothing we had ever seen! Rickety stalls were piled high with fresh fruits and vegetables...they were beautiful, but not nearly as interesting as the stalls filled with cages of live frogs, turtles, chickens, pheasants, etc... You could make your choice and the street vendor would "do his/her thing" (I'll spare you the gory details!) and hand you a plastic bag filled with very fresh meat...yuk...I mean, yum!! After this, we walked to the nearby Jade Market for a look around and then we headed down the main part of Nathan Road, through the city garden and on down to the waterfront. By now it was nearly dark and we were just in time for the city lights show - a Guiness Book of World Records holding light show that involved nearly 50 different skyscrapers and public buildings along both sides of Victoria Harbor. The harbor was particularly festive because the Olympic torch had gone through town earlier in the day. After the light show we headed across the harbor on the Star Ferry and enjoyed a few final views of the city skyline at night. It was a great way to end our Hong Kong adventure!