The weather was hot and humid, and there was some rain, but we easily adjusted our plans and still had a good time. We stayed on HK island at a Holiday Inn Express. It was close to subway and in a busy area of town. There are crowds of people everywhere. The staff in the breakfast restaurant were noticeably kind and efficient... even to the guy who was loudly trying to get a cheese omelet even though it is nowhere on the menu. It was a good lesson. I am pretty sure he was American! There were six choices. We had the western selection, eggs, hash brown, bacon, fruit, and toast, but we also tried "Chinese" which was a very thin rice based soup and mandu buns (which Michael later ordered a la carte) and one "local," which was ramen-based soup with very good sliced beef.
The first day we took the tram/cable car to Victoria Peak - the #1 tourist attraction. It is accessed from Central subway, which was three down from where we were in Causeway. The peak provides a view of the whole island and across the harbor to Kowloon peninsula and also outlying islands. At the top, we got outside and took a shaded walk around - 90 minutes or so. We were practically alone. We had some views during the walk but mostly just enjoyed the stroll. Lunch was at a lovely restaurant (not in the big tourist trap where the tram arrives). I did not know what to expect on costs, but food and transportation were very reasonable. Next up was the "escaltors," an area of town with a series of escaltors in a steep area of town. There is only one set, so in the morning until 10:00, it's one way down for people to get to work; the rest of the day they go up. There is a lot to see from them, and we found ourselves back there a few times. We then took a one hour harbor cruise, which was a good way to relax. We tracked down a Chinese diner near our hotel (in Frommer's) and liked it. At this place and another diner-type place, all the silverware, chopsticks, etc. are in a drawer under the table. We thought that was pretty cool.
Our second day we took a ferry to an outlying island, Cheung Chau, where there are no cars. It's accessible only by ferry. We rented bikes and made our way around. It's a small island, so we couldn't really go far, but very quickly we were away from the pier and downtown and people. There were a lot of bikes locked up near the pier, so people either had come downtown or took the ferry to HK island. There were also a lot of fishing boats in the small harbor. We had a delicious lunch with a view of the water. Michael had garlic shrimp and I had scallops with broccoli... and it was a lot of fresh broccoli. In Korea, it's hard to get a big serving of vegs. like that. I remarked that the restaurant down the way (they all were basically the same) had about 20 people and several who looked foreign. I said "it must be the tour guide book recommendation," and it was. I am sure the food was basically the same, and Michael said he was glad we had not eaten there. It's a good lesson to read the guides but not to make some of our own choices. When we got back to HK island, we took a taxi to Aberdeen, a harbor on the opposite side of the island - we went through a tunnel. We took a sampan boat ride, a small boat that took us through the boats in the harbor. There was everything from big yachts to big fishing boats to very small beat up boats. We wandered around a bit and decided to eat. There were some American fast food places nearby, but we picked the crowded Chinese diner. It was good. At even the small places there are English language menus. It's got to be partly the British connection historically and also that there are a lot of tourists. We figured out a public bus to take back.
Our third day was spent in Kowloon, the peninsula opposite HK island. We got there by a short ferry ride. It was raining in the morning, so we opted for indoor choice of art/history museum. Later we spent a little time in the space museum. We had lunch at a Chinese diner again (our last one). It was tiny. We were seated at a small table along with a guy who was already there. When he left, they seated two people there. They had signs that said "no photos," so we respected that. But it was very interesting. They had an extensive menu (like the other places) and pictures, so Michael could pick out what I had ordered the night before. Afterwards, we walked around and found a bakery that had warm egg tarts. One of my students told me to try one, and I told Michael I had to find one. Of course, we then started noticing them everywhere. There were a lot of bakeries but hardly any coffee shops. We are accustomed to both in Korea. Next we took a subway to an area of the "new territories" and rented bikes. We rode alongside a river. It was fairly hot because it was afternoon, but we were glad the rain had cleared off. That night we were in the escalator area looking for dinner, and Michael picked a British place. He has shepard's pie (with tasty fresh brussel sprouts for a side), and I had a salad with Scottish smoked salmon. The apple crumble for dessert was Michael's good pick.
Thursday we went to another outlying island, Lantau. It is very large and had Disney and some other major tourist attractions. It's accessisble by subway, but we took the ferry. We never left the small village where the ferry arrives. (There are buses that go to other attractions.) We rented bikes and also did a walk that was all cement path including steps. The signs indicated other villages at the end, but this time of year it was too hot to go far. The path was part of the Olympic torch trail, indicated by several signs. This village also had a lot of bikes at the pier and a pretty beach. We ate lunch water-side - very good Chinese food and filling. They had a bike style that allowed a person to be a rider, and Michael really wanted to rent one of those at the end of the day ... so I "let" him ride me around for an hour.
Our last day it was rainy, but we had a day planned on HK island that was ok for rain. It was light rain and cooled things off a bit. We started with foot massages (very good option on rainy day). Then we went to "the" place for dim sum. I wasn't sure I wanted to go to "the" place, but it was a great choice. Maxim's is located in City Hall. It's very spacious, white table clothes, and chandeliers. It is one of the last places that pushes carts around and from which we could choose. It was great fun and the food was fantastic. I told Michael "no problem" if we didn't like something. We could make another selection. The only negative is that there are only two of us. A group of 5 or 6 would make for a lot more variety. Next we went to a museum of a early 1900s Chinese revolutionary - another place where expectations were exceeded. The setting is a beautiful restored mansion, and the story of the man was very interesting. Next up in the neighborhood was a small temple in the heart of the city - very smoky with lots of incense coils. We didn't stay long, but it was a chance to see a Chinese temple compared to Korean. Then we took a city slow tram that makes a loop. It's a good way to sit down and relax and also see a lot. We sat on the second floor (all the buses have two levels). We made our way back to our hotel, and by this time opted for a Big Mac (Michael) and ice cream (Kim). I had found lotus leaf wraps at a street stall where they are handmade in view of customers. I also ate a couple of those. We rested in our hotel for a bit, and then left about 11:00 p.m. by subway and high speed train to the airport. It was a bit rough having a 3 hour flight in the middle of the night, but we caught the bus at Busan airport (and were happy to feel the cool morning air) and were in our beds by 8:15. I slept a few hours and woke Michael up about 2:00 so he would be able to go to sleep that night.
We are very thankful to have had the opportunity to make the trip and that things went so well and smoothly. The next couple of weeks we have work and school but will make a day trip or two. Michael's school has taken a trip today for a sports day in Busan. He was excited. He took a taxi to school because they had to be there early. He had to tell the driver in Korean where to take him. Monday is Buddha's birthday holiday for both of us, and June 6 is another holiday. I teach on M and W, so both of these give me the day off. I have only 5 more class days... hard to believe!! Love to anyone still reading :).
