We flew out of Busan to Shanghai on Tuesday at around 12pm. After a quick layover in Shanghai we flew to Hong Kong. We arrived in Hong Kong at about 7pm, grabbed our luggage and took the bus into the city. During the hour long buss ride both of us were glued to the window looking at all of the neon lights and the swarms of people. From that moment we knew this was going to be a great trip.
We checked into our hotel, freshened up and headed out for a late dinner. We found a busy little restaurant which displayed goose and chickens in the window, so of course we went there. We ordered a goose and pork platter with garlic brocoli and fried rice. It was so delicious, especially the cracklin' on the pork! We walked around for a bit more and decided to head to bed to get some rest.The next morning we headed out for a walk to get some breakfast. We of course ended up at Starbucks, my favorite! Once we were caffeinated and had reviewed the maps we headed out for some more exploring. D and I walked around amazed by the busy crowded streets. We kept weaving in and out of streets because they all looked so interesting. We walked down to the harbour to get our first look at the harbour. Then we had to go to D's tailor appointment. We decided that we would get D's wedding suit made while we were in Hong Kong because we had heard that the tailors do a great job! We found Jim's Tailors on the internet and it had a great reputation so we booked an appointment there. We went to the address but of course they had moved so after some searching around we found them out on Hong Kong Island.
After the appointment we headed to the Happy Valley Race track to watch the horse races. They only have horse races on Wednesday so we were lucky that we were there on a Wednesday. For dinner we found a local pub close by where we had fish and chips with a cold Carlsberg. D was in heaven since this was the first taste of normalcy in a very long time! After dinner we headed back to the race track and went straight into the beer garden which is on the same level as the track.
We spent the next few hours watching, betting, drinking beer, and meeting different tourists and locals. It was so much fun! We were betting the equivalent of about $1 on each race and I even won a little bit of money. This was for sure one of the highlights of the trip!
The next morning was a little slow to get started because we were both tired from the night before. Once we got moving we headed over to the Star Ferry to take us over to Hong Kong island. It is a quick ferry ride and was recommended that we pay the extra 10 cents to sit on the top floor so we don't smell like diesel fumes all day, great tip! This ferry has been in operation since 1888 and is ranked as one of the top things to do in Hong Kong.
Once landing on the other side of the harbour we walked over to the International Finance Centre. These are 2 huge office buildings with a mall on the main floors, it really reminded me of TD Square in Calgary. There was an english book store in the mall and I spent a lot of time drooling over the english magazines and books. After we left there we went to the Central Midlevel Escalator, which is an escalator that runs through SoHo (well their version of it). We rode the escalator as far as we could, got off, and walked back down through the streets. We found a market that specialized in costumes and Dennis bought a new lens for his camera. Next we went to the Peak Tram to go up to Victoria Peak. The tram is a cable car and has been in operation since 1888.
The weather wasn't great that day as it was quite foggy but the view was still pretty good. There were plenty of shops and restaurants up at the top, we went to a cafe which served 1960s american food. These cafes were really popular in the '60s because it was popular back then to eat american food but most Hong Kong people couldn't afford most western food so these cafes popped up all over with cheap options for pork chops, spaghetti, and breakfast foods to name a few.
That night we went down to the Avenue of stars on the harbour so we could see the light show. The avenue of stars is similar to the star walk in LA but this of course has famous Chinese actors. Of course we saw the stars of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The light show on the harbour happens every night and is the longest running light show in the world. It was a little lack luster so we left half way through to go to the Temple street market and to get something to eat. We ended up eating at one of the hundreds of food vendors on the street. The food of course was great and eating on the street is a lot of fun! It is really busy and you feel like a local.
We walked around the Temple street market which is basically a flea market on the street. They sell a lot of souvenir things and knock off items.
The next morning we went to the flower, bird and goldfish markets. They are exactly as they sound, markets full of flowers, birds, and goldfish.
Flower Market: Vendors selling all types of flowers, smelled amazing!
Bird Market: People bring their birds for sale and they have the most amazing bamboo cages, I bought 2 little ones
Goldfish Market: millions of fish in little plastic bags lining the streets
After a quick lunch of dumplings and chicken feet we headed to the Ngong Ping cable car to see the huge Tian Tan Buddha. We opted for the glass bottom gondola, which was a wise choice because the view was amazing!
At the top there are of course lots of shops full of trinkets and the Tian Tan Buddha, which is one of 5 giant Buddhas in China. It was beautiful to see!
That night D had booked us a romantic dinner at Aqua Roma, a restaurant on the 29th floor! He made sure that we had a window seat so that we could look out onto the harbour and so we could watch the light show while we ate a delicious dinner! The dinner was great and we had fun catching up with each other. 
Saturday morning we decided that it was time to go for Dim Sum for breakfast, we went to Hong Kong Island to go to the Luk Yu tea house. This is one of the most famous tea houses in Hong Kong, it is frequently used in movies and literature. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was really neat, we were the only foreigners there.
Now full on dumplings, won ton soup, and chicken feet (our new favorite!) we caught the bus out to Stanley market. The bus ride showed us a different side to Hong Kong. The scenery was very lush and green. We drove past Repulse bay as well as about $5million dollars worth of cars, it is a very high end part of Hong Kong. Stanley market was another flea market type place, selling souvenirs, art, clothes, and other nick nacks.
That night it was my turn to take D to the restaurant I picked for our trip, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. I knew this meal would be good but my expectations were exceeded! The restaurant has few tables as the best seats in the house are around the kitchen. The seats look directly into the kitchen so you can watch the chefs. It was so much fun and the food was beyond amazing!
The next day we attempted to fly home but of course the engine on our plane wouldn't start so we couldn't leave till 2am the following day. We got to spend Sunday lounging in the airport hotel, catching up on sleep, and eating a buffets. It was an amazing trip, one that we will look back on for a very long time.
We have no travels coming up till about April but we do have some visitors to look forward to over the next 2 months. I am sure we will find something interesting to write about.
Keep in touch,
J
For more pictures check out our album
We spent the next few hours watching, betting, drinking beer, and meeting different tourists and locals. It was so much fun! We were betting the equivalent of about $1 on each race and I even won a little bit of money. This was for sure one of the highlights of the trip!The next morning was a little slow to get started because we were both tired from the night before. Once we got moving we headed over to the Star Ferry to take us over to Hong Kong island. It is a quick ferry ride and was recommended that we pay the extra 10 cents to sit on the top floor so we don't smell like diesel fumes all day, great tip! This ferry has been in operation since 1888 and is ranked as one of the top things to do in Hong Kong.
Once landing on the other side of the harbour we walked over to the International Finance Centre. These are 2 huge office buildings with a mall on the main floors, it really reminded me of TD Square in Calgary. There was an english book store in the mall and I spent a lot of time drooling over the english magazines and books. After we left there we went to the Central Midlevel Escalator, which is an escalator that runs through SoHo (well their version of it). We rode the escalator as far as we could, got off, and walked back down through the streets. We found a market that specialized in costumes and Dennis bought a new lens for his camera. Next we went to the Peak Tram to go up to Victoria Peak. The tram is a cable car and has been in operation since 1888.
The weather wasn't great that day as it was quite foggy but the view was still pretty good. There were plenty of shops and restaurants up at the top, we went to a cafe which served 1960s american food. These cafes were really popular in the '60s because it was popular back then to eat american food but most Hong Kong people couldn't afford most western food so these cafes popped up all over with cheap options for pork chops, spaghetti, and breakfast foods to name a few.
That night we went down to the Avenue of stars on the harbour so we could see the light show. The avenue of stars is similar to the star walk in LA but this of course has famous Chinese actors. Of course we saw the stars of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The light show on the harbour happens every night and is the longest running light show in the world. It was a little lack luster so we left half way through to go to the Temple street market and to get something to eat. We ended up eating at one of the hundreds of food vendors on the street. The food of course was great and eating on the street is a lot of fun! It is really busy and you feel like a local.
We walked around the Temple street market which is basically a flea market on the street. They sell a lot of souvenir things and knock off items.
The next morning we went to the flower, bird and goldfish markets. They are exactly as they sound, markets full of flowers, birds, and goldfish.
Flower Market: Vendors selling all types of flowers, smelled amazing!
Bird Market: People bring their birds for sale and they have the most amazing bamboo cages, I bought 2 little ones
Goldfish Market: millions of fish in little plastic bags lining the streets
After a quick lunch of dumplings and chicken feet we headed to the Ngong Ping cable car to see the huge Tian Tan Buddha. We opted for the glass bottom gondola, which was a wise choice because the view was amazing!
At the top there are of course lots of shops full of trinkets and the Tian Tan Buddha, which is one of 5 giant Buddhas in China. It was beautiful to see!
That night D had booked us a romantic dinner at Aqua Roma, a restaurant on the 29th floor! He made sure that we had a window seat so that we could look out onto the harbour and so we could watch the light show while we ate a delicious dinner! The dinner was great and we had fun catching up with each other. 
Saturday morning we decided that it was time to go for Dim Sum for breakfast, we went to Hong Kong Island to go to the Luk Yu tea house. This is one of the most famous tea houses in Hong Kong, it is frequently used in movies and literature. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was really neat, we were the only foreigners there.
Now full on dumplings, won ton soup, and chicken feet (our new favorite!) we caught the bus out to Stanley market. The bus ride showed us a different side to Hong Kong. The scenery was very lush and green. We drove past Repulse bay as well as about $5million dollars worth of cars, it is a very high end part of Hong Kong. Stanley market was another flea market type place, selling souvenirs, art, clothes, and other nick nacks.
That night it was my turn to take D to the restaurant I picked for our trip, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. I knew this meal would be good but my expectations were exceeded! The restaurant has few tables as the best seats in the house are around the kitchen. The seats look directly into the kitchen so you can watch the chefs. It was so much fun and the food was beyond amazing!
The next day we attempted to fly home but of course the engine on our plane wouldn't start so we couldn't leave till 2am the following day. We got to spend Sunday lounging in the airport hotel, catching up on sleep, and eating a buffets. It was an amazing trip, one that we will look back on for a very long time.
We have no travels coming up till about April but we do have some visitors to look forward to over the next 2 months. I am sure we will find something interesting to write about.
Keep in touch,
J
For more pictures check out our album
http://picasaweb.google.com/dennis.blackwell/120HongKongTrip2011#
http://picasaweb.google.com/dennis.blackwell/HongKong#
SO jealous, it looks like so much fun and you two look terrific! I wish I was one of your upcoming visitors.
ReplyDeletemmmmmmmmm that cracklin' sounded amazing! Also I am curious about chicken feet, I will have to try this...
ReplyDeleteSee you both in a couple of weeks!!!
That glass-bottom gondola is kind of scary. You guys look kinda skinny. Eat more cracklin' pork!
ReplyDelete