The reason we had to go through immigration and customs at the boarder is because Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China. In 1842, after the end of the first Opium War, Brittian planted their flag on Hong Kong island and colonized Hong Kong. Shortly after, in 1860, they added Kowloon region to their colony. Hong Kong was under British rule until Japan occupied the region during WWII from 1941-1945 and Britain regained and maintained control of the region until 1997. In 1997 Britain handed Hong Kong over to China under the condition that it retain it's open capitalist market as well as its free press. China agreed and they are now considered 2 systems, 1 country.
On our first real day in Hong Kong, we decided to go up to Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong Island. We took the Peak Tram up, which was the first funicular in Asia! Victoria Peak was once used as an escape from the hot Hong Kong heat by the wealthy elite (mostly British) businessmen. In the early 1900s the use of the tram was restricted to first class only between the hours of 8am-10am so the businessmen could ride to work in the city center at the bottom of the mountain comfortably. When we got to the top, we had a stunning view of Hong Kong Island, the harbors, and the islands. We also enjoyed the first of many Hong Kong milk teas at the top!
After enjoying the breathtaking view at the Peak, we came back down into the city center and headed to the pier. We took the Star Ferry across to Kowloon and decided to grab lunch. We got lost in the maze of the mall and just when we had given up on find the restaurant we were looking for, we found ourselves in front of an Italian restaurant so we decided to go there. It was nice to sit in the cool and refreshing air conditioning and it was nice to have some Western food.
From there, we headed toward the Temple Street Night Market. Jade is an important stone in Chinese culture and it symbolizes prosperity and longevity so I have been looking for some jade jewelry. I found a small necklace that I liked and got to practice my haggling skills. The original asking price was $48 Hong Kong dollars and I got it for $20HKD or about $2.50 USD. I also have been using my small day backpack when we are out but it is hard to keep things organized because I don't have any pockets and it's really hot on my back. I found a great purse with a cool map of the world and tons of pockets and zippers. The original asking price was $350HKD and I got it for $200 HKD. Jeanette got a pair of earrings and a cool popup post card of the Great Wall before we headed down to the promenade.
Every night at 8pm Hong Kong puts on the Symphony of Lights. Dozens of buildings light up and are choreographed to a 15 min music piece. It is amazing to see all the colors, lasers, and bright lights and all for free! It was a long, hot, and exhausting day so we called it a night and went back to our hostel.
Yesterday we decided to take a day trip out to Lantau Island to see the Tian Tan Giant Buddha. We were going to take the cable car but it was closed due to thunderstorm warnings so we took the local bus instead. The ride was windy and bumpy up the side of a mountain with a driver who I am certain forgot he was driving a coach bus, not a taxi. I got a bit motion sick but Jeanette said the view was great.
The gate leading up to the Buddha is lined with the 12 Divine guardians for protection. The giant Buddha stands 112ft tall and sits on the top of a mountain. We climbed all the way up it and only then could you really tell how big it was. I did't even come half way up one of the lotus flowers! You have to check out the pictures in the picture gallery. After that we went to look around the Po Lin Monastery. It was very serene and peaceful, especially in the light rain.
We came back into the city after that and made our way to the fish market where people can buy all sorts of pets and pet supplies - fish, turtles, lizards, kittens, puppies, rabbits, anything you can think of! After looking around for a bit we made our way to the jade market. I got my necklace the night before but I was still looking for the traditional bangle many of the women wear. I found one I really liked and the original price was $6800 HKD I laboriously haggled my way down to $400 HKD!
This morning we were up a bit earlier and went on a self guided walking tour of Sheung Wan. We saw a bunch of shops selling herbs and other ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine, food shops, fruit stands, and got to see a cool side of Hong Kong away from the beaten path. After that, we decided it was time for lunch. We found a great dim sum restaurant in the guide book and set out to find it. We stopped to ask multiple times and still couldn't find the place and at this point we were starving so we just decided to eat at the next restaurant, whatever it was. Lo and behold, the next place we found was exactly the place we were looking for!
When we walked in to Lin Heung Tea House, we were ushered upstairs and it was one of the most crowded restaurants I have ever seen! There were people everywhere and we were told we had to find our own seat. We took one lap around the place and couldn't find anything then an old man gestured to us and we walked toward a table where 2 people were just finishing up. We sat down with a group of 4 young people chatting away and an older man with headphones in enjoying his tea. It is an 80 year old restaurant where the tea is poured from giant brass kettles and the tables are shared, giving a feeling of community even for first timers like us! We were given a slip that looked kind of like a crowded bingo card but it was all in Chinese. We saw people going up to carts with food on them so Jeanette, being the one of us who can even attempt to communicate in Chinese, decided to try to order us some food! There are carts that come out filled with various dim sum plates and you walk up to them, tell them how many you want, they stamp your card and you bring it back to the table. Each time Jeanette brought something back, she saw another cart that looked tasty so she was up again, pushing her way through the crowds trying to get the dish before they ran out! The food was delicious and we were stuffed by the end of our meal!
After that, we decided to take the Central Mid Level Escalators. This system is the longest covered elevator system in the world! It covers 2,600ft in distance and climbs up 443 ft from bottom top. We realized when we got to the top, there wasn't much there so we regrouped and decided what to do next. It has been so miserably hot in Hong Kong that we have been escaping into air conditioned shops, restaurants, and metro stations as often as we can but today it was like we just couldn't cool down. What's the best solution?!? GO TO THE BEACH! After we decided we were going to go the beach we had to turn right back around to get to the train. Going up was relatively easy because we just stood on the escalators and took in the view. Going down was a different story because the escalators only went in 1 direction. We had to go back down 2,600ft in distance and descend 443ft to get to the metro.
We hopped on the train then transferred to a city bus but I don't want you to think the city bus was like a public transit bus. It was a double decker coach bus so we were riding in style down to the beach. It was about a 30 min drive from the train station through the lush greenery of Hong Kong Island and we had amazing views around every turn. When we finally had a view of the beach from above, we couldn't contain our excitement! When we left this morning, we didn't plan on going to the beach so neither of us had our swim suits. Luckily, I wore my quick dry dress and Jeanette bought some cheap boar shorts right at the beach and we were ready to go. We stepped onto the sand and got our first good look at Shek O Beach. It is a bay shaped beach with trees on one side, cliffs on 2 other sides and wide open ocean with a few islands visible on the last side. It was truly breathtaking - you MUST see the pictures in the photo gallery but they really don't do it justice. We cooled down, swam around, and enjoyed the perfect day for the beach. We couldn't have asked for a better way to end our time in Hong Kong.
Tomorrow morning we set off for Hanoi, Vietnam so stay tuned!
M
