HONG KONG—IMPRESSIONS (3/11/12)

∙ WHAT WE DID/SAW/EXPERIENCED

           ∙ This day began early!  We had to pack up and catch a 7:15 a.m. cab from central Hong Kong to go meet our ship on the other side of the bay, in Kowloon.  Ouch.

           ∙ We re-boarded in time to unpack and for Bill to grab a quick breakfast before departing on our cruise ship tour’s of the area.  It’s been cool and overcast, but this day was the coldest and foggiest of all!  Brrrr!

           ∙ In the morning, we stopped at a flower market, where we saw a bunch of caged birds that I wanted to set free and flower stores galore.

           ∙ Then, they took us to a jade market.  Bill and I decided to walk to a nearby McDonalds instead.  (HK has the only authentic McDonald’s that we’ve found thus far.)

           ∙ We crossed under Victoria Harbour by tunnel.

           ∙ Then, we rode the Peak Tram funicular railway to the top of Victoria Peak, ostensibly to see a breathtaking view of Hong Kong, Aberdeen Harbor, and the Kowloon Peninsula 1,805 feet below.  The inclement weather made this virtually impossible; we got an “okay” view of parts of HK.  We had lunch while at Victoria Peak.

           ∙ Next, we went to Aberdeen Harbor, where fisherman and their families live on thousands of junks and sampans (wooden boats).  We saw a few.  HK imports most of its fish and 97% of its goods, in general, from China.

                         ∙ We took a short sampan ride, which was a highlight of the day.  We saw the large floating “Jumbo” restaurant, which is spectacular to see, but reputed to have poor quality food.

           ∙ They took us to a jewelry workshop and showroom, for even more shopping.

         ∙ We drove to the South China Sea area, past Repulse Bay (with the biggest beach in HK) to Stanley.  Stanley was touted as a “fishing village nestled on the Stanley Peninsula”.  In fact, they had us off on yet another shopping expedition at “Stanley Market”.  The guys opted to sit and drink beer instead.

          ∙ Having been in HK for two nights already, Bill and I decided to stay “in” (on the ship) for the evening.  I was so cold, all I wanted to do was to soak in the hot tub!  After that, we went by the Lido (cafeteria style restaurant) to pick up dinner and take it to our room, but we were kicked out of Lido because we were wearing our swimsuits and bathrobes.  I’m told there was some drama while we were gone, with certain people complaining that they weren’t enforcing the dress code (“resort casual”).  Haven’t they heard of Hugh Heffner?  In a fit of rebellion, Bill’s now threatening to streak through the main dining room on our last evening on the ship – this is something I would like to see!

           ∙ HK has a laser light show every evening at 8 p.m., and (after returning to Lido for our take-out) we hung out on our balcony, watching the amazing display of lights with Judy and Mike from the ship.  After that, we went to our first show on the ship – featuring a local troop of Chinese musicians and dancers demonstrating their local culture.

∙ THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS

          ∙ Today’s tour was a bit of a disappointment, as it seemed to be more about shopping than seeing the highlights of Hong Kong.  The high points were the peak tram and the sampan boat!  Those two things were very fun!

          ∙ But the best part of this day came after we returned to the ship!  Aside from the “ridiculous” (people who want to complain about nonsense, like whether someone in the cafeteria-style restaurant is dressed to their liking), the rest of the evening was great fun with Judy and Mike!  We hung out on our balcony, drinking rum and cokes and taking in the sensational views of HK city and the laser light show at night!  It was speck-tack-you-lar!

          ∙ In short, it was a dreary day and a great night.  We managed to create at least a few decent photos, below.  (Oh, and I know I’m back on the ship because I can’t get this **** page to post.  I’ve been trying for more than 2 hours now.  Instead of offering their [extremely slow] internet for free, or for the standard hotel rate of $19.95 for 24 hours, HAL charges $15/hour!!  They’ve already charged me $1,250 for internet access on this trip!!  Since it’s a lesser service, shouldn’t they be charging less for it?!)

MORNING IN HONG KONG

 

ABERDEEN HARBOUR

 

STANLEY MARKET

 

EVENING IN THE BIG CITY