Hong Kong

Our trip started out delayed. The plane was coming from Seattle, and it left there two hours late, so it arrived late, and would leave Tokyo late. The Narita airport in Tokyo is outside of the city, so we rode one of the nice new trains to the airport. Once we arrived at the airport, we were able to get in the short line to check in because Tim is a SkyPriority member. Even though we had checked in online, we still had to have our documents reviewed in person 5 times :) We then went to the Delta lounge to wait. The Delta lounge has free food and drinks, Apple computers, comfy chairs, and clean bathrooms. It is a really nice way to wait for your plane. Then after another brief delay, we were able to board our plane. Tim turned in some miles, so we were in business class (formerly known as first class). This is the first time I have flown business class. It is seriously deluxe. Very cushy seats that recline almost all the way, and plenty of leg room. You get a beverage immediately while you wait for everyone to get on the plane. Dinner comes with real plates and real silverware. You have a nice pillow and blanket. Back on the seat reclining, it had 5 different buttons, so that you could adjust the lumbar angle, the foot rest, basically you can set it so that it is just right. There was the overhead light, but also a special reading light in case you were leaned back. Oh, and there is plenty of overhead bin room, so you don't have to have anything under the seat in front of you. But your feet can't even reach the seat in front of you, so you really aren't cramped.



Hong Kong the city consists of many different islands, each with it's own name. The main island is called Hong Kong island. The airport is on Lantau island, and our hotel was on Kowloon island. We had a great view from the 24th floor of the hotel looking out onto the Hong Kong skyline. Someone in Hong Kong decided that bridges to the island would not be good, so they built tunnels instead. This was a fantastic idea because the view to the island is unobstructed, and driving through tunnels under water is just fun.

We went to the temple, which is also on the Kowloon island. It isn't quite as "in the middle of the city" as the Manhattan Temple feels. But it was pretty.


We ate some dim sum and some lemon chicken and fried rice. It was really good chinese food. I can see where PF Chang's gets their lemon chicken inspiration :) One thing we noticed all over was the use of bamboo in construction. Instead of building scaffolding using metal bars, it was bamboo. I never figured out how this could be so strong, especially when the bottom of the bamboo is cut at an angle, so only a point sits on the ground.



Then we went across to the Hong Kong Island, and walked around for a bit. One of the differences between Hong Kong and Tokyo is that Hong Kong still has old architecture. Tokyo has a mid-century modern feeling to all of it's buildings, mainly because most of them were rebuilt after World War II. Hong Kong has colonial architecture along with modern architecture, and that just makes it an interesting place to walk around.




We had thought about going up to the Peak, but it was so crowded, that we rode the Trolley through downtown instead. This was a great way to take in the city, especially because it was really really hot and humid, so you got to feel a breeze on the trolley. Then we went up to the SoHo district, and got a really nice steak dinner.





We ate a good breakfast near SoHo, but it wasn't quite as unique as the Chicago breakfast place. I had waffles with strawberries. We walked around Hollywood street and Soho and saw some more cool buildings.




Then we rode the tram up the peak. The tram is very steep, sometimes you are sitting almost perpendicular. Victoria Peak is the top of the mountain on Hong Kong island, so you can see the skyline from behind, and looking towards Kowloon island. It was really cool. The way the clouds roll over the hill from the other side of the island was interesting. It was a spectacular view.





Then we rode the longest escalator in the world, and stopped in at a grocery store halfway up. The best part about the grocery store was that it was mostly in English. Because the island used to be British, there is more imported items and more English labels on buildings, roads, menus and in stores. You don't feel quite as illiterate walking around Hong Kong. After walking through the grocery store and recognizing many food items, Tim and I decided that we could live in Hong Kong if the opportunity ever came. Then we went to a mall to cool off, and got some great Thai food. Seriously best fried rice ever! There is no Krispy Kreme in Hong Kong, but there is ice cream and gelato. We walked by a Ben and Jerry's and got a couple of scoops.
This is a view of the escalator between the buildings.


We went to the other side of the island, where the beaches are. Stanley has an outdoor market and a strong British influence, so we were able to get fish and chips for lunch. The outdoor market wasn't quite what we were expecting. Apparently Hong Kong is not the imitation-product capital, so the outdoor market just had trinkets and random stuff. We also went to Repulse Bay, which was gorgeous, but I was hot and didn't want to get sunburned, so we headed back to the hotel and the pool there. The drive to the other side of the island is spectacular. The mountains are green, and you can see the bays and inlets and the big ships off in the distance.





We also went to a tailor. The tailor had so many sample fabrics, it was fun to flip through the fabric books. We ate another chinese dinner, and then went to see the Symphony of Light show. The skyscrapers and other buildings are outfitted with lights that turn off and on to music. It was really cool to watch.

On the flights I read:
- The Summer We Read Gatsby - I would recommend this as a good light read.
- Notes on a Scandal - I didn't realize this had been made into a movie. It was not a light read, but was interestingly written.
- In Defense of Food - I am not completely finished with this one yet. So far it is really interesting.