Hong Kong

I'm behind on my posts. I realize now that I've made two trips to Hong Kong in the last 6 months and posted neither of them. The first trip was in June as I was on my way back to the US for Isha's wedding. I had a long layover (13 hours If I remember correctly). So I put most of my luggage in storage, and took my camera and took the train into Hong Kong. I rode all the way into Central. As it was still morning, and I had a lot of time on my hands, I thought I would walk up the peak. I had taken the Peak Tram up on a previous visit to Hong Kong years ago, and I wanted to stretch my legs, knowing I had another 10+ hours in the plane coming.

It was already hot and muggy. Most of the people I met along the way were joggers and much more active than I was in that climate. It wasn't much warmer than Bangalore, but definitely more humid. Along the way up I managed to catch a couple of nice shots of the buildings and harbor area. I did meet this one group of four young Filipino ladies who all wanted their picture taken with me. I obliged. I should have had one taken with my camera too, but didn't. It was kind of amusing--they weren't trying to pick me up or offer me anything, just photos. I'm used to people asking for photos in India, but hadn't experienced it anywhere else yet.

Once I reached the top, the views were really nice as the air was relatively clear. I walked 1/3 of the way around the peak, but my feet were getting tired and I thought I should take it easy. I had an Ice Cream at Haggen Daz and then took the tram back down the hill. After this I wandered around the harbor area, over to Kowloon and walked up Nathan Road and back. Then it was time for dinner and back to the airport.

The second trip was the end of a business trip to China. I arrived on a Thursday night, saw some customers on Friday, and then Saturday was joined by Maya and Cindy for the weekend. We stayed at the YMCA in Kowloon, right on the water. We had a Suite room with a view of the harbor. It was very functional, but also nicely kept and not too expensive.

Maya and Cindy arrived on Saturday around noon, and they were exhausted from the overnight flight so they rested for an hour or so. Then we went sightseeing in and around Kowloon. There was a drumming competition, with competitors of all ages. Mostly it seemed that families were there to see their children play, but I really appreciated this group.

Afterwards we went for a wonderful Korean BBQ dinner at a tiny little place in Tsim Sha Tsui (Chang Won Korean Restaurant at 16 Kimberly St.) They were jam packed, and had a line out the door. Fortunately we got there early enough we didn't have to wait for long. Excellent food.

Sunday we were going to go over to Central and look around when Cindy spotted the Big Red Bus Tour--she had been on one of their tours in Dubai. So we go tickets (a bit pricey), and started our hop on hop off tour of Hong Kong. It was nice to see it from the bus and get a feel for what is where. After a while, we hopped off and wandered around Soho, looking at art galleries etc. We ate lunch right next to the escalators that take people up to the mid levels. We also took the peak tram up to the top and walked around the peak, took us about an hour and it was a nice leisurely stroll. Lots of people were out. We saw butterflies, birds, lots of greenery, and it was lovely and clean.

On the way back to the hotel, we encountered a sort of eco display at the ferry terminal.

Monday we were supposed to go to DisneyLand before flying back home, but Maya decided she would rather roam a bit more around the city so we did so. I must say I enjoyed Hong Kong more than Singapore, but it is best when you're traveling with someone and not alone. I actually didn't take too many pictures on this trip, mostly because I didn't bring my better camera due to the previous week's business trip in China.