Hong Kong - Here we come!!

We stayed in Hong Kong for 2 nights. The hotel is in a very convenient location by the subway. It's not on the Hong Kong Island but instead on the Kowloon side which made it more affordable. I think we stayed in the Mong Kok area but need to confirm that. Will update later on the hotel name and all. :)

We didn't waste anytime. After a full day in Macau, we arrived in Hong Kong for dinner then headed to the hotel to check in. After a quick fresh up, I left my hubby in the hotel as he was in no shape to walk anymore and went out to explore with my mom and my sister and her hubby in the Ladies Market. If you don't like crowd space, then don't bother coming to Hong Kong. Growing up in Bangkok, I'm used to crowd but I have to say I have never seen that many people in one location and it was almost 11PM at that time.

Street food vendors were everywhere. And the food was good. It was perfect to keep us going late into the night.

The next morning after the quick breakfast we headed to Lantau Island for 2 attractions on the itenerary.

First stop is the Ngong Ping 360. It's the cable car that runs from the bottom of the mountain over the bay to the top of the moutain (not sure how long that is). The ride by itself was just amazing. The day we went was a bit cloudy but we were still able to see the airport and enjoy the 360 view. At the top we got to walk around the Ngong Ping village. It was very quaint village. We enjoyed the show there along with Starbucks. Well, you know that your destination has made it when there is Starbucks there.

Next was our most challenging attraction. It's the Big Budha or what they called Po Lin Monastry. Well, having two kids we weren't sure if we want to do this. But again, how many times we will get to come here and see Big Budha. So off we went, my hubby got my son on his front with the Bjorn. Mind you that he was almost 3 by that time. So it wasn't easy. Again, don't ask me how many steps. I'm sure you can find out from Hong Kong Tourism website or Google.

Back to the Hong Kong Island, we made a quick stop (well, not so quick when you have 25 people in your group) at the Repulse Bay. This is one of the most beautiful beaches in Hong Kong. (hmm.. with Hong Kong as an island wonder how many beaches do they have) Too bad, we didn't get to dip into the ocean to taste the Hong Kong water. :) Oh! and I almost forgot our quickest stop ever to the Victoria Peak. It was one of those foggy days so we couldn't see out much to begin with and some of the kids were fast asleep. So we did the got out, took picture and got back on the road.

We ended today with a trip to the fisherman village for the fresh and incredible dinner. This is not your typical restaurant. You had to walk through the real market to go to the restaurant. Food was just beyond word. Especially, for me coming from the US where seafood is more of the luxury item than the norm. So I just ate like there will be no tomorrow.

Some fish I don't even know that it exists. I think if I show those pictures I might get marked as adult site so let your imagination runs wild on this one. For now, just see the end result from those fish. Doesn't it make your mouth watering right now?

The night didn't actually end there. After the tour bus dropped some of us at the hotel, we asked them to take us to Nathan Road. Yet another shopping street. My hubby was in search of new cell phone and figured Hong Kong would be a good place to try. But we didn't buy any from there. I just didn't feel comfortable buying electronic that we couldn't get service easily.

Our last day was a free for all day. My sister went to IKEA to check out their home product. My cousins and her daughter went to Disney Land. Well, I have both of those in the US so no need to see it again. So we decided to explore the Hong Kong island. We took the MTR to the Ocean Terminal station and we actually got off a bit earlier so that we could walk by the Harbour and check out the Pennisula Hotel. Well, can't stay there so at least I figured we could take a picture. :P

Walking around Hong Kong made me appreciate the way we live here with all the space and less congestion. It was literally going by the flow thing. Ever seen the Visa debit card commercial that one person starts using cash and then the whole thing stops like a domino. I felt like that when walking on the sidewalk there.

Hong Kong is everything I expected and more. A cosmopolitan city with a taste of their old tradition. The city was so vibrant and the food was so yummy. Hong Kong is such a small country but packed with all the flavor you want. Shopping, Eating, Sighseeing, Gambling (in Macau just a short ferry ride)... It's great for a traveler who doesn't feel comfortable outside the comfort zone since Hong Kong people can pretty much speak English. So navigate through the city or shopping is a breeze.

I sure hope that we will get a chance to go back there again!!