Autumn and I just returned from a 5-day trip to Hong Kong. I must admit, it was far more enjoyable than either of us anticipated. Don't get me wrong, we had high expectations, but it managed to exceed them all.
We arrived on a Friday afternoon, greeted by the best sign ever. For those who have experienced the non-stop, go-go-go, "I must catch the next train or my hair will catch fire" nature of Asian culture, you can appreciate the simplicity of the sign.
On our busride from the airport to our hotel, we immediately noticed the dichotomy throughout the city. As you leave the airport, you are surrounded by greenery as far as you can see. Wait 10 minutes and 80-story high-rises with more densely packed living quarters than should be allowed will come into view. A train south will take you to the richest of the rich, but you must first travel past people haggling for every nickel. It was wonderful to take in. We headed downtown on our arrival and walked along the Avenue of Stars.
This is the equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. We saw the stars of Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat, and, of course, Bruce Lee.
In the evening, we went to the Ladies Market. Yes, there is an area called Ladies Market. Yes, I went. Autumn was in heaven. Did you know that you can buy a real Coach purse for $7. At least, they told me it was real. I can only assume they wouldn't lie to me. Our evening was pretty quiet as we prepared for the tour the next day.
Breakfast was included in our package. As it turns out, terrible-smelling food is served at all hours of the day. Thankfully, it was a buffet and there was plenty that we did enjoy. Then it was off to our half-day tour, led by Patrick - who didn't look anything like a Patrick. He was super nice and the tour was very educational. He took us to Victoria Peak, the best view of Hong Kong and told us about the geography.
Then we headed to a fishing village. Later, wouldn't you know, there was another market. At this one, the Stanley Market, we found a rather nice painting of Hong Kong. It was a 30" x 18" oil painting and cost $20, already put on the frame. That's pretty hard to beat. As with any tour, it would not be complete without a stop in a factory trying to sell you stuff. This particular store was a jewelry store - how nice of them. Imagine that, we happened to be there on the day of their big sale. I swear, the luck we have! Anyway, we decided to purchase some magnet bracelets, cause it's supposed to help our circulation (or something). I was hoping to put one on each limb and turn into Magneto, but the idea was promptly squashed - I won't say by whom. In the evening, we rested and played games.
On Sunday, we had booked a full day tour to Macau, "the Las Vegas of Asia".
To be fair, though, it actually does more gambling business than Las Vegas, and does so with 44 casinos in an area only 60% the size of Belton, TX. We were given the opportunity to gamble a little bit at a casino owned by Jackie Chan. I managed to win $7, though we left peacefully and Jackie was not required to escort us off the premises.
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| Yes, ladies and gentlemen, those are REAL gold bars used in the flooring! |
Our tour guide for that day was quite full of himself and it was a bit obnoxious. The info was good, though, and we still enjoyed ourselves. We capped off the day with a local Hong Kong dish called dim sum. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dim_sum) Basically, it is their version of tapas, except much cheaper. The three of us (we had a friend with us) ate to our belly's content for $23.
Our last full day saw us head out to Lantau Island. After a few days of the hustle and bustle of the big city, it was time to explore the countryside. Our main goal was to see "the Big Buddha", a 30ft bronze Buddha outdoors. It was fascinating, and surrounded by absolutely gorgeous scenery.
Once the moments of zen and relaxation had passed, it was back to downtown. There was a TrollBeads store that Autumn wanted to visit. They had some Hong Kong-specific beads that look amazing with the rest of her other beads and bracelets.
After a simple dinner, the last shopping opportunity came at the Temple Night Market. Man, did we buy some dumb stuff, but it sure was fun. As gifts, we ended up with four Frozen nightgowns for $12...total. Please note that the nightgowns featured Anna and Elsa, they did not come out of a freezer.
On Tuesday, I woke up at 0500 to watch the USA play Ghana in the World Cup. Turns out, the game started at 0600, and I wasn't awake anymore at that time. Stupid timezone changes! A delayed flight put us back to our apartment at 2310, just enough time to shower and get ready for work the following morning. Overall, it was an excellent trip, and Autumn and I both agree that we would highly consider going back. The English influence was everywhere and it made the area incredibly easy to navigate. That's all we've got for now. Our next adventure will include a trip to southern New Jersey from 3-16 July in case anyone is close and wants to visit! Hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed writing it.
Love,
T.G. & Autumn
