Our next stop on our grand adventure is Hong Kong. What can one say about this amazing city? At once a mixture of old and new, east and west. A city of new gleaming glass and steel sky scrapers and ancient temples. A place with extreme wealth and poverty. Totally fascinating how these extremes come together.
We arrived at our hotel late, around 9:30 pm after an 11-hour flight and we gained 5 hours in the travels west, so for us it is really 2:30 in the morning! After being wowed by the sight out our window overlooking the harbor, we settled in for a good night sleep.
The flight from Auckland, we always start with bubbles. 
Our ride from the airport 
The Peninsula Hotel 
We met our guide, Donald, in the lobby early the next morning for a tour of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is actually an island in Victoria Harbor, our hotel is in Kowloon. We drive through one of three tunnels to reach Hong Kong. Our first stop is the Man Mo Temple at the corner of Hollywood Road and Ladder Street. The day of our visit is a holiday dedicated to respect of ancestors so there are many offerings placed at the foot of each of the various gods. The air is also filled with the smoke of incense. The smoke of the incense carries the prayers of the worshipers to the gods. Many people write the names on red tags that hang beneath the incense as a prayer for good luck.
Our next stop was the top of Victoria Peak. We were going to take the tram, but the line was so long, it being a holiday, we decided to drive up. The views were not very good because of fog that covered most of the harbor.
Victoria Peak 
The tram we did not take.
We next headed for the harbor and a short trip around the harbor among various fishing and house boats, and then to lunch at Jumbo a floating restaurant. Many tourists go here but also many locals. Donald was able to get us a table on the floor where the locals eat. He showed us the proper way to eat Dim-Sum. Historically, there would be a cart that came through the restaurant and you would pick what you wanted. But, according to Donald that is not common anymore for safety reasons.
Our boat for our trip around the harbor 
The captain. 
Dragon boat 
Donald explains the proper way to eat Dim Sum. 
The “kitchen” 
After lunch we headed to SoHo, South of Hollywood road, via the “longest escalator in the world”. We then walked back down through the market area. Many purchase their food at the street markets daily because their apartments are small.
On the Escilator 
On the Escilator 
On the Escilator 
Market goods 
Market goods 
The Market 
We then boarded a tram that wound its way through the city. There was a narration, but it was difficult to hear with all the noise of the city.
The Tram 
On the Tram
Then back to the hotel and dinner. Our reservation for dinner was at Lung King Heen, a 3-star Michelin restaurant in the Four Seasons. To get there we took the Star Ferry and after some trials, navigating the streets of Hong Kong, we did get there a few minutes late. We ordered the tasting menu, 8 courses! For a tasting menu there was way too much in each course and by the end of the dinner I felt like I would explode. The service was good, but all I’ll say about the food is, I’ve had better for a lot less. But it was an experience.
April 6 a day on our own
It was a hot day, but we decide to take a walk-up Nathan Road toward the Ladies Market. Did I mention it was hot? On the way I noticed there was supposed to be a Taoist temple just before you get to Kowloon Park. We did find this little hole in the wall shrine down a dark ally. This is the Fook Tak Ancient temple build as a shrine in the Qing Dynasty. It specializes in longevity so of course I had to check it out. The caretaker there did not want us to take pictures. What was interesting is the guide books say that the people who frequent this shrine are octogenarians, but while we were there two young ladies were making offerings and prayers. We crossed the main road and entered Kowloon Park. A calm green space in the middle of the bustle that is Hong Kong. There was a sculpture garden, fountains and fish and turtle ponds. People were there practicing their martial arts and just relaxing.
Fook Tak Temple 
Kawloon Park 
We exited the park on the Street of Comic Book Heroes. We did not know who these heroes were but it was fun!
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA 
It was a hot day, but we continued up Nathan Road to the Tin Hau Temple. This is a 19th century sanctuary dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. There are several shrines and an exhibit on the evolution of worship. An interesting contrast is that they use the smoke of incense to carry prayers to the gods, but for environmental concerns, they are installing systems to reduce smoke and making incense that produces less smoke.
The incense 
We then decided it was too hot to continue to the Ladies Market and turned back to the hotel, passing through the area of the Night Street Market. We returned to the hotel for a cold drink then a walk along the new harbor promenade. Then back for a swim in the pool to cool down.
Then out to dinner at the China Club. This time we took a taxi! This was an experience that we were glad we did not miss! The atmosphere was like something out of a movie. We did not know what or how to order, so the maître’ d ordered for us. We had various dumplings, suckling pig and prawns. Fabulous!
China Club 
On the wall at the China Club
Then back to the hotel to pack and get ready for our next adventure, Vietnam!
Looks amazing, and delicious. Thanks!