Hong Kong we're done with you- Day 5

Our last full day in Hong Kong. We decided once again to do one of the walking tours we had in our book. So we went to Hong Kong Island across the harbour and started in Statue Square, followed by their Supreme Court, a garden/courtyard, the HSBC building (which had the largest free standing escalator so we rode that up and down) onto the last cour of appeals, St. Johns Anglican church, past the US embassy, up to the Botanical Gardens (which had an aviary, and a mammal section consisting of two very depressed looking orangutans, gibbons, and ring tailed lemurs) and down to the Victoria peak tram station. We took the tram up to Victoria Peak. It was pretty amazing cause at one point your almost going vertical up the mountain. When you get to the top, we had to take a couple escalators to get to what they call the Terrace which is this gigantic structure they built at the top so tourists would pay more money. Victoria Peak is supposed to be the most expensive real estate in all of Honｇ　Ｋｏｎｇ。　Ｉｔ　ｄｅｆｉｎｔｅｌｙ　ｈａｄ　ａｍａｚｉｎｇ　ｖｉｅｗｓ　ｏｆ　Ｈｏｎｇ　Ｋｏｎｇ。　Ｉｔ　ｗａｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｍｏｓｔ　ｃｌｅａｒ／ｐａｒｔｉａｌｌｙ　ｓｕｎｎｙ　ｄａｙ　ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ｓｏ　ｆａｒ。　Ｗｈｅｎ　ｗｅ　ｗｅｎｔ　ｂａｃｋ　ｄｏｗｎ　ｗｅ　ｔｏｏｋ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｒａｍ　ａｇａｉｎ。　Ｗｅ　ｄｅｃｉｄｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｗａｌｋ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　Ｓｔａｒ　Ｆｅｒｒｙ　ｗｈｉｃｈ　ｉｓ　ｌｉｋｅ　ａ　５　ｍｉｎｕｔｅ　ｆｅｒｒｙ　ａｃｒｏｓｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｈａｒｂｏｕｒ。　

Ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ｔｏ　ｍｅｅｔ　ｏｕｒ　ｔｏｕｒ　ｇｒｏｕｐ　ｆｏｒ　ａｔ　６：３０ｐｍ　ｆｏｒ　ａ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｉｎｔｒｏ　ａｎｄ　ｔｏ　ｇｏ　ｔｏ　ｄｉｎｎｅｒ。　Ｗｅ　ｅｎｄｅｄ　ｕｐ　ｇｏｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｄｉｎｎｅｒ　ａｔ　ａ　ｓｔｒｅｅｔ　ｍａｒｋｅｔ　ｔｈａｔ　Ｊｕｌｉｅ　ｈａｄ　ｒｅａｌｌｙ　ｗａｎｔｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｇｏ　ｔｏ　ａｎｙｗａｙｓ。　Ｏｕｒ　ｔｏｕｒ　ｌｅａｄｅｒ　ｗｈｏ‘ｓ ｎａｍｅ　ｉｓ　Ｄｒａｇｏｎ　ｄｉｄ　ａｌｌ　ｔｈｅ　ｏｒｄｅｒｉｎｇ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｊｕｓｔ　ｂｒｏｕｇｈｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｔｕｆｆ　ｏｕｔ。　Ｗｅ　ｈａｄ　ｐｒａｗｎｓ，　ｃｒａｂ，　ｄｕｃｋ，　ｔｏｆｕ，　ｂｅｅｆ，　ｆｒｉｅｄ　ｒｉｃｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｓｈｒｉｍｐ，ｎｏｏｄｌｅｓ　ａｎｄ　ｆｒｉｅｄ　ｔｏｆｕ，　ｆｒｉｅｄ　ｓｑｕｉｄ。　Ｉ　ａｔｅ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｏｆ　ｔｈｅ　ｎｏｏｄｌｅｓ，ｔｈｅ　ｂｅｅｆ，　ｔｒｉｅｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｔｏｆｕ　ａｎｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｓｑｕｉｄ　ａｎｄ　ｈａｄ　ｓｏｍｅ　ｒｉｃｅ。　Ｔｈｅｎ　ｉｔ　ｓｔａｒｔｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｒａｉｎ　ｔｏｗａｒｄｓ　ｔｈｅ　ｅｎｄ　ｏｆ　ｄｉｎｎｅｒ　ａｎｄ　ｗｅ　ｗｅｒｅ　ｋｉｎｄ　ｏｆ　ｕｎｄｅｒ　ａ　ｍａｋｅｓｈｉｆｔ　ａｗｎｉｎｇ　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｇｏｔ　ａ　ｌｉｔｔｌｅ　ｗｅｔ。　Ｗｈｅｎ　ｄｉｎｎｅｒ　ｗａｓ　ｏｖｅｒ　Ｊｕｌｉｅ　ａｎｄ　Ｉ　ｄｅｃｉｄｅｄ　ｔｏ　ｇｏ　ｔｏ　ｔｈｅ　ｍａｒｋｅｔ。　Ｊｕｌｉｅ’ｓ　ｍａｉｎ　ｇｏａｌ　ｗａｓ　ｔｏ　ｇｅｔ　ｈｅｒ　ｆｏｒｔｕｎｅ　ｔｏｌｄ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｍａｒｋｅｔ。 The only guy we saw was the“ｗｏｒｌｄ　ｆａｍｏｕｓ　Ｓｔｅｐｈｅｎ Shum”。 Julie was looking to spend about 20HKD so we went up to ask the price and it was 150HKD which was like 20USD。 So that dream died really quickly。The market was the same as the others just selling knock off crap。

ps. I don't know why it started typing like this. Its China, what can you do?

The Hong Kong Continues...Day Four

Day Four- Temple of 10,000 Buddhas and Market time

For breakfast we decided to stop at this place called Yoshinoya which seemed to be Japanese chain of fast food. I got like a chicken and vegetable bowl. It was pretty much chicken, rice, vegetables and their version of teryaki sauce. The chicken they serve in China is quite interesting. They pretty much use all parts of the chicken (including the feet) so you have to be careful which dish you order. This was just dark meat chicken but it had skin on it. So I think I ended up eating like 1 of the 8 pieces. The vegetables were good. I also had a Pepsi with ice. We were told the water and ice is okay to drink in Hong Kong but not in mainland China.

This day was really Julie's day to choose the activities because I chose to do Macau and that didn't turn out too well. So she wanted to go to the Temple of 10,000 Buddhas. It was in Hong Kong but we had to take the East Rail Line to get there so it was a little on the outskirts. We got off at the Shia Tian stop and we actually saw a sign for it. So we had read that it was like 400-500 steps to the top of this temple. We went in the direction it pointed and along the way ran into two other Americans who were looking for it too. We walked up a hill to the large complex on the hill and figured it was it. We took escalators up which we thought was weird. We were walking throughout, taking a couple of pictures and then started to notice how much it looked like a mausoleum. We eventually asked and this lady pulls out a laminated piece of paper that basically said she didn't speak English, that this wasn't the temple of 10,000 Buddhas but that we were very close and it gave directions how to get there. We just started laughing because for this woman to have a laminated piece of paper stating this, she must get tons of people coming in there doing what we did. We eventually went in the direction she gave and man was it a trek. Julie was kind of hauling ass but me and the two guys were taking our time. All along the way up the steps were these statues that were supposed to be like wannabe Buddhas in all these different positions and with different features. When we got to the top there was this temple building and then all these other statues spread throughout like a guy riding a giant blue dog and other random ones. Then in the main building there were all the Buddhas. Apparently there are more like 13,000 Buddhas. They range from little one inch ones to ones that are like 1-2 feet tall. They are all along the wall up and down and then there are these giant ones in the middle. It was very impressive. We roamed around a bit and even went up higher but that just looked like a place where the wannabe Buddhas went to retire because there were a bunch of busted ones.

Eventually we headed back down the hill and decided to head for lunch. Our days usually consist of eat, activity, eat, activity, eat, sleep, and I think you see where I'm going with this. We were recommended by the Renaissance a restaurant in the Chinese cultural center for some dim sum. We headed in that direction. We saw a sign that said something about 2080HKD so we quickly decided to eat elsewhere. We wandered a little and found a museum cafe to eat at. Both Julie and I got chicken in soup with noodles. So it was basically a peppery broth with cabbage, red peppers, and slices of noodles with stringy gross chicken. I just ate the noodles and cabbage mainly. At this point I decided that maybe chicken wasn't the best option.

From there we sat at the harbour and planned our next event. I read in one of our books about a flower market so we headed to Mong Kok to go there. It really wasn't that impressive just a group of shops selling flowers on the same road. It was a nice smell for a change. When I was checking a map I looked down and noticed these two people holding a child and another one was holding a bag beneath it. So basically the kid was peeing on the streets. That was a sight. After the flower market we wandered into a bird market/hangout or as I call, the place to get Avian flu. It was basically a bunch of birds in cages for sale and a couple of locals hanging out with their birds. From there we headed to Goldfish market which was conveniently located down the road. It smelled so bad that we could barely go a block down the road so we took a couple of pictures and headed out. Then we went back down the main street Prince Edward West and saw another market for shopping. It was basically comprised of designer name knock off clothes, shoes, underwear, socks, bags of designers like Dolce and Gabbana, Guess, Burberry, Paul Frank, and tons more. We even saw a jersey that said 50 CENT on it. After that we decided to head back and take a nap and were planning on going out to the Temple Street Night Market and maybe a bar but never made it.

Hong Kong…

Day 1- The Arrival- July 9th-10th, 2008:

Buildings Buildings Everywhere

After a twelve hour flight from LAX to Seoul, Korea followed by a 3 hour flight from Seoul to Hong Kong, I was ready to hit the town…not. I slept on both flights but I don’t know if that was the best idea. When I got in I found the way from the airport to my hotel Renaissance Kowloon quite easily. I refreshed myself and although I was extremely tired, decided I needed to get out and see something. I started one of the walking tours that I printed out from Frommers and it took be down to the harbor. I saw the clock tower, which was what remained of the old train station, which was right on the Harbor. The harbor was an amazing view. The only drawback was that the weather was foggy, cloudy, and rainy. Pretty much like Seattle but add 300% humidity.
From there I decided to go to Harbour City which was a shopping plaza (kind of) comprised of 700 shops. It was one of the most confusing places I’ve been. You could only access certain floors through certain parts of the building. There was like 3 of every store from Burberry, Chanel, Nike, and tons of other name brand stores. If there is one thing I have learned about the Chinese so far, it’s that they love their designer labels. I decided to have lunch in the most authentic place I could find; Pizza Hut. Definitely a strange experience. I ordered a sunshine pizza which was pepperoni and corn but minus the corn for me. The interesting thing was how the waiters and waitresses worked. One person took your order, a different person brought your drink, another person brought whatever part of your meal came out first and then another would deliver your bill but someone different would return with your change. Plus, they just stared at you the whole time waiting for you to finish your plate so they could take it.

Day 2- Disneyland- July 11th, 2008


Nothing is better than that slice of Americana in a foreign country. Hong Kong Disneyland is pretty much the same as the Disneyland in Anaheim but not as developed. They lack many of the key rides like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Peter Pan and others but they did have some awesome ones of their own. There was one called Mickey’s Philharmagic, which was a 3-D show similar to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids show at Disneyland Anaheim but this was better because it had smell a vision and Disney songs. They also had this really cool Lion King show that was in a 360-degree room and the action was in the middle of everyone. It kinda felt like an abridged version of a Broadway musical. We also took a little tutorial on how to draw Daisy Duck in Cantonese, which wasn’t that hard to follow actually.
We decided after Disneyland to head to the largest, outside, sitting, bronze Buddha in the world. There is this gondola experience that you can take that takes you all the way up there because it is on the side of a mountain. It’s called the Ngong Ping 360-degrees. The tourist’s books said it was one of the best things to do in Hong Kong. It closed at 6 and we got there at like 6:05 pm but they still let us go anyways. This had to be one of the scariest fucking things I have ever done in my life. This gondola literally went up the side of the mountain and then when you thought you might be there, it just kept going up and up. It was 30 minutes of hell. This thing had to have been at least 500 feet off the ground. We got so high at the end that we were in the clouds. But we survived it. Unfortunately, because we got there so late we didn’t have time to go all the way up to see the Buddha because the last bus down the mountain left at 7pm. We just snapped a few pictures and left.


Day 3- Side trip to Macau- July 12th 2008

This was another recommendation that the tour book talked up left and right, I personally wouldn’t recommend it. First, you have to take a ferry out to Macau from Hong Kong, which takes about an hour each way. The map in my book made it look like a small island; we quickly learned how big it was. It is called the Vegas of Southeast Asia. They have a Venetian, Sands, and a bunch of other Casinos. I mainly wanted to go to see the Macau tower because it was on the Amazing Race. Our plan was to see at least 3 to 4 sites because we had about five hours there; we left at 11:45 am and our return ticket was scheduled for 5:45 pm. The very first thing we did was find the largest chandelier in the world in the lobby of the Sands hotel. We headed for one of the things, which I can’t even remember the name of. It was what was left of a church, basically a facade. We were first going to walk and then seeing how big this island was we took a taxi. The best part was that they had these different blow up versions of the Olympic mascots in the front of it (strangely out of place) playing different sports. Really random in my book. We then walked to a bus map we found on one of our maps. There bus system was a lot more confusing than the lovely tourist book pretends it is. We wanted to go to a temple on the southwest corner of the island but instead we rode a bus for 20 minutes to the northern part of the island. We were pretty much pissed by this point. We had to walk to find another bus in the right direction. Another 30 minutes later we arrived at the A-Ma temple. It was very interesting and ornate. They had a lot of characters carved into the rocks surrounding it. By that time it was time to head back to the Ferry terminal. We finally found the right bus at about 5:20pm. By the time we made it back to the ferry it was 5:50 and we missed our ferry. The best part was that they don’t let you change the ticket once the time had passed so we were out another $20. When we got back we had to change hotels to the West Hotel that is the starting part of our tour. But we still have 2 more full days left in Hong Kong.