Hong Kong – HurricaneMaine

Hong Kong, for lunch

My friend Helen wanted to go for the day to Hong Kong to buy a new phone and i joined her so we could have lunch somewhere new! I also wanted to take the ferry to get back to Guangzhou.

Masks are actually not required anymore but since so many people are traveling…..

This building in the shadows of a Chinese coin
on the way to the train station is either
loved or hated by people.

The first year i was in China i made the comment that i had been to Hong Kong 6 times and that i was eager to go somewhere else instead….. Who would know COVID allowed that to happen. Now I’m back. So was everyone else as it was a holiday weekend (Labor Day in China).

This is actually the most people we saw but we knew it would get worse later in the day.

It had been some time but a stroll from west Kowloon down along the water was beautiful.

A popular statue to get your picture taken.

We walked along sheung wan where street art is but I am slow with stairs still.

We took a car to sheung wan. Ubers are these old cars. I always chuckle when a message asks you what you are wearing!

Reminders that they drive on the other
of the road here!

We found a nice restaurant for brunch.

Afterwards we went to find the ferry as there is only one cruise time. Walking around we found a noodle museum and shop.

We decorated cups then chose our original mixture for the noodle soup. Mine included laksa soup base and even papaya!

You participated in putting together your soup.

They even packaged it to not get damaged in travel.

One of the many bridges going to Hong Kong from the China mainland.

I was only going a day but it was great to have a break from the normal week and the rest of China. Only a couple months left in China….

Hong Kong and old friends

So we are getting older, but I don’t mean old in that way. David and Candy Shively, who I have known for over a decade, are cruising the world on their retirement cruise they planned some time ago. It sounds awesome and I have actually considered a long around the world trip when I retire too.

One of the cruise stops was Hong Kong. I took the train and stayed in Tsim Sha Tsui. Severe weather delayed the train but after I arrived we had a delicious dinner and then walked to avenue of the stars along the promenade.

We talked a lot about schools here vs what I was used to and the IB program. It was good to talk to them and hear what they were up to as they made a big move to Atlanta from PA recently too. I also heard about some of the great places they have visited over the last few months. It is quite the adventure!

Part of the promenade was closed at Christmas. Now open, I was able to see the Bruce Lee statue.

Hong Kong Island across the water was beautiful at night.

The clock Tower where the old train station used to stand. The star ferry that goes across to points on the island and to Macau is near here.

David, Candy, and I. I don’t think my generation is good at selfies.

This morning I went to the Bruce Lee statue again to get a picture with the pool of water under his feet. His quote “be like water” pertains to mindfulness being key.

And of course a selfie with the golden pig. I really don’t know the story of this statue.

We went to Kowloon Park to see the birds.

And turtles…

And fish…

We went down to the promenade to take the Star ferry to Central on the island.We walked to the botanical and zoological garden.

Scarlet ibis.

At Hong Kong park we visited the aviary.This is a black crested yellow bulbul.

Crested pigeon.

Blue winged leaf bird.

Bali myna.

Other pictures from Hong Kong park.

We were quite hungry and wandered around to find something to eat. On the way back to the ferry, we saw this monument known as a Cenotaph to those who died in the world wars. Many people were picnicking around the parks on such a beautiful day.

And where else but in Hong Kong will you have street performers with all kinds of music and show stoppers like Captain America?

The ferris wheel.

At the mid point of the afternoon, all was tired. After saying goodbye to them I walked to the train station as it was only a short distance. It was beautiful walking along the water and I snapped this panoramic shot.

Even going to many of the same places I managed to see things I had not seen before. It was a great way to spend a weekend after a somewhat stressful week. It was also great to talk to those two as I have not seen them for a couple years. Will miss them and now to catch up with them on a different continent!

Sheung Wan street art

A great suggestion (thanks Daniel!) was to visit Sheung Wan in the north west part of Hong Kong island. We took an uber from Wan Chai to there. It was fun to wander around the streets with Ryan and Becca looking for the street art. Many little cafes, bakeries, and eateries. We also stumbled upon antiques. This is one of the coolest and most creative areas of Hong Kong. It is also the place I week most likely stay the next time I travel to Hong Kong.

Here are some of the great street art we found. I know we missed some as we arrive in and out the streets and alleys.

Haha… Hipster…

We found a great Cafe that was vegetarian with gluten free options. Better yet they are sustainable, compost, and are environmentally and socially conscious. Their burgers were great.

There were other noteworthy graffiti…

And the day is not complete without talking about the wild Street food.

Lobster balls

Cuttlefish

Botanical gardens and Hong Kong park

From central Hong Kong to Wan Chai, you can easily get from one place to the other through the botanical gardens and then Hong Kong park. Both were very beautiful and an unexpected way to get around. I was surprised to find that the gardens and zoo were free.

Lemurs

Birds

The monkeys were having quite a bit of fun.

The flowers were quite beautifully arranged through the areas.

On the way to Hong Kong park I saw an interesting religious site.

Hong Kong park seems to be a popular place for weddings.

Walking through Wan Chai we passed through Times Square. There is high end shops here and like other areas was decorated for Christmas.

The street in front of our guest house had Marvin the Martian props for people to enjoy.

We were glad to get such a large walk in (at least 10 miles or 16 km) and we saw the sun rise over Hong Kong! Soon we will checkout of the guest house and will be in the last part of our adventure before we take the train back to Guangzhou!

Victoria Peak

The morning of the 26th, Becca and I took an uber to the peak tram terminus. The peak tram takes people from the bottom of the peak in Central to the mall and observation deck at the terminus. From there you can walk further to the peak. I have been on the tram before. At the outsude of the terminus.

We walked the road to the botanical gardens. This area is like an oasis in a very busy city.

We took paths around the peak from the gardens.

We finally found the highest point we could go. There are towers in restricted areas in the highest points.

On the way down we found the governor’s walk which was our favorite. It was more like a first path.

Trees grow around walls.

We also saw lithe streams and falls.

It was a great way to see the sights of Hong Kong. We used maps to find our way down the rest of the way, eventually passing the start of the peak tram and ending through the botanical gardens and Hong Kong park. We realized we were not too far away from our guest house and we walked back. See the next posts for those images!

Hiking in Hong Kong

On the second day in Hong Kong (Christmas day), we checked out of our first guest house which was very convenient in location for the previous days activities, and headed towards the ferry to go across to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. The hike we had planned are on the island and staying in a new place allows for us to explore a new area. I had met Daniel, an expat for 30 years in Hong Kong, at a cute little coffee shop and he showed the way to the ferry. Very informative about Hong Kong over the years and persoectives of global life. Good thing he pointed out Elvis, I might have missed that!

The ferry ride was short and we were only a short walk away from the next guest house.

https://youtu.be/j9x7QAnXI24

After charging phones, we took an uber to start the hike at dragon back. What on the map looked like the trail actually ended. We met others on the trail who had done the same thing. We decide to pick up a trail across the road (Hong Kong trail). It went down by the water and around a little village.

It eventually climbed back up (quite a good leg workout), and meet up with the Dragons Back trail. It was getting late in the afternoon and we were sure we would not finish the whole thing so we went up part of the way and made sure we were at a peak before coming back to the road as there was a bus stop there. Beautiful!

On the way back on the trail, we saw the other couple who eventually found the start of the Hong Kong trail just to the right of where we were. Oh well. We still saw some great sights and met wonderful people. This seems to be an expat place to be!

After the bus ride back, it was time to explore a bit more! The plan for the 26th is to hike Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island.

Christmas morning

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone! I hope you are centenary with family or friends. So glad my kids are able to be here with me!

It may not be where you are but it is already Christmas here in Hong Kong.

We stared the day with a walk along the water. It is really quiet considering how chaotic it was last night.

I did not think about places closing here for Christmas. We found something to eat at 7 eleven until places open.

Peacefully chilling in the hotel room until places open.

This room is in a guest house. Very clean and no frills. 3 beds close together and a small bathroom with no defined shower space. You shower in the small open area in front of the toilet and sink. That is the end you hold to shower fixed up on the wall.

Funny. For one night it is fine and it was central to everything we wanted to see. Today we are planning to take the ferry across to the island and go to our next hotel. I actually like staying in unconventional places from time to time. Interesting way to meet people and see different things.

Christmas eve in Hong Kong

Becca and Ryan flew around the world to come to China to visit and I walked them around a few of my favorite spots on the 23rd.

We woke up early on the 24th in Guangzhou to make the train to Hong Kong.

This little girl Phoebe kept looking at us and walking by. She was so shy and wanted to talk. We started talking to her and I practiced my Chinese and she practiced her English. She was so cute. When I used a wrong word she would scratch her forehead and have the cutest look. I have her one of our granola bars which she promptly ate! I so need to practice my Chinese more but have learned some phrases and have enough to get by and cause confused looks!

In Hong Kong we dropped off our bags and went to find some food. We came back to check in and napped (at least I did.) We went for a walk to do some shopping. It is so commercial here. And, I’m not a big shopper.

Becca and Ryan surprised me with a cheesecake for my birthday. We went to Kowloon Park to eat it. Mango cheesecake! It was yummy. I can’t believe we ate the cheesecake for dinner.