Guest blogger: my dad 3
Reluctantly we left Shenzhen for Hong Kong. Myles had a checkup at his Dr., Brigid needed her visa renewed, and Sally and I needed to be closer to the airport. You need to cross a border to get to HK, even though it is technically China. So you take a taxi to the border, do the formalities of leaving China, walk across the border and do the formalities of entering Hong Kong. Hong Kong was under British control forever, but, after 5 days hearing only Chinese, it sounded funny to tell the Chinese taxi driver to take us to the Eaton Hotel on Nathan Road in the Jordan district, and him repeating the very English sounding names back at us with his British accent. I mentioned already that Honk Kong and Kowloon are VERY crowded.
The Eaton Hotel is in Kowloon. The Peak (Victoria Peak) is a high point on Hong Kong island with a terrific view of downtown HK and Kowloon. It has a terrific restaurant at the top, and a Galleria. We had dinner outside watching the sun set over the South China Sea.
The best and most popular way to get to the top is by the Peak Tram, an incline like in Pittsburgh but a lot higher. The line looked to be 2-3 hours long so we took the taxi to the top. Note that one of the photos from the Peak shows a tall building under construction. It was to be the tallest building in Hong Kong, something like 120 stories, but, due to the economy, they are reducing that somewhat. The view from the Peak is Hong Kong in the foreground and Kowloon across the harbor.
We walked up and down Nathan Road in the Jordan District, and targeted some touristy spots around the hotel. We hit the open air Jade market. It was fun to watch the method they use to communicate the price. As anywhere else in China you dicker for the final price. The vendors have a tiny square space to show their wares. You point or pick a piece and they type the price on a calculator. You type the counter offer, they shake their head and type another price, and so on until you agree or say no. Rather efficient and clever.
We found our 8th and 9th Starbucks, saw a Tin Hau temple, open air markets selling a variety of goods from food to jeans. After a day and a half we reluctantly took a taxi to the 10 block square Elements mall to check our luggage and catch the train for the 45 minute ride to the airport. We hugged and kissed at the airport and Jen and Myles and Brigid went to the beach and Sally and I got in line to fly the 747 sardine can back to the states
The Eaton Hotel is in Kowloon. The Peak (Victoria Peak) is a high point on Hong Kong island with a terrific view of downtown HK and Kowloon. It has a terrific restaurant at the top, and a Galleria. We had dinner outside watching the sun set over the South China Sea.
The best and most popular way to get to the top is by the Peak Tram, an incline like in Pittsburgh but a lot higher. The line looked to be 2-3 hours long so we took the taxi to the top. Note that one of the photos from the Peak shows a tall building under construction. It was to be the tallest building in Hong Kong, something like 120 stories, but, due to the economy, they are reducing that somewhat. The view from the Peak is Hong Kong in the foreground and Kowloon across the harbor.
We walked up and down Nathan Road in the Jordan District, and targeted some touristy spots around the hotel. We hit the open air Jade market. It was fun to watch the method they use to communicate the price. As anywhere else in China you dicker for the final price. The vendors have a tiny square space to show their wares. You point or pick a piece and they type the price on a calculator. You type the counter offer, they shake their head and type another price, and so on until you agree or say no. Rather efficient and clever.
We found our 8th and 9th Starbucks, saw a Tin Hau temple, open air markets selling a variety of goods from food to jeans. After a day and a half we reluctantly took a taxi to the 10 block square Elements mall to check our luggage and catch the train for the 45 minute ride to the airport. We hugged and kissed at the airport and Jen and Myles and Brigid went to the beach and Sally and I got in line to fly the 747 sardine can back to the states
Comments