Hong Kong

Friday, April 27 we departed an hour late from Denver, ran through the San Francisco airport to catch our 14 hour flight to Hong Kong.  Hooray for business class.  Hong Kong is fourteen hours ahead in time so we landed about 6:30 pm Saturday, April 28.  A car and driver picked us up and took us to the Harbour Plaza hotel.  We met up with the people responsible for the coaching academy and planned the next few days over a burger.

Sunday Don spent the day in the gym.  When he returned to the hotel we enjoyed walking the neighborhood in search of food.

Boiled soup, chicken, rice and tea

The neighborhood

Roasted chicken and geese at this place!

Monday - Stanley Market, Tin Hau Temple, Nan Lian Garden
Monday we started with a buffet breakfast at the hotel.  Thank goodness for omelettes and toast as this was usually the best meal of the day.  Also available at breakfast:  fried rice, noodles, soups, buns, and items we couldn't identify.

Breakfast choices

We met our assigned tour guide and we were off on the subway to Stanley market.  It was a maze of alleys running down to the bay filled with a bit of everything.  I purchased a cute Chinese teapot and cups for a souvenir. 

Lunch time - soup with noodles and wantons. 

Then we were off to the Tin Hau Temple.  It is a large incense-filled sanctuary built in the 19th century surrounded by other smaller temples, entry ways and stone carvings.

A short walk away we toured the Nan Lian Gardens.  It is a huge, beautiful garden in the middle of the busy and crowded city. 

 Tuesday - Discovery Bay and markets
Tuesday Don worked all day and I took off with Dickman, the tour guide (whom I had trouble understanding) to Discovery Bay.  After a long subway ride and then a bus ride we arrived at the Bay.  We walked around a bit and then headed back to central Hong Kong via the ferry.

We attempted to go to Victoria's Peak next, but being that May 1 is a holiday the line was several hours long and we left.  We walked through some street markets.

Fish soup with rice noodles, fish ball and patties.

Coconut and pineapple buns

More geese hanging in the front window.

Wednesday - Tian Tan Buddha (Big Buddha)
Wednesday we headed to one of the top ten tourist sights - Big Buddha.  It is the world's biggest outdoor seated Buddha reigning over the western hills of Lantau Island.  We were transported by the Ngong Ping 360 cable-car on a 25 minute journey across the bay and through the mountains. 

View as we approached on the cable car.

After the cable car we walked the temple grounds to get to the statue.

We negotiated the 268 steps to the three platform altar. 

Po Lin Monastery
On the grounds of the Big Buddha is a huge Buddhist complex built in 1924.

We had monk food for lunch at the vegetarian restaurant in Po Lin Monastery on the grounds - noodles with vegetables, gelatin-type food, and the famous bean curd dessert.  Neither of us cared for the dessert.

vegetarian meal

Bean curd dessert

Gelatin with nuts or grapes

Traditional dinner
The coaches that hosted us wanted us to have a traditional Hong Kong meal in the restaurant.  All the food was placed in the center of the table.  We had goose, sweet and sour pork, shrimp on toast, pig intestines, mussels, chicken and wild mushrooms.  All served with tea, of course!

 

Thursday - Riding the Trams to Victoria Peak
We tried all types of transportation while in Hong Kong.  The MTA (subway) was the best that we've used - clean, efficient, and easy to use.  The most fun was the trams, nicknamed "ding dings" as they sedately chug back and forth between the Eastern and Western districts of the island since 1904.  

 

the subway

ding dings

Victoria Peak
Victoria Peak is the highest point on Hong Kong Island.  Sweeping views of the city are gained by riding the 125 year old Peak Tram, Asia's oldest funicular tram.  

 

 Hong Kong was a very interesting trip!