We heart Hong Kong!!!

View from the peak

So we have left Australia and after 12 hours we arrived in Hong Kong, which is one fastinating city!! It's a complete assault on every sense. We arrived late in the eveving. The first thing you notice is the incredible lights everywhere. It's like vegas with all the streets and buildings lit in amazing colors. The public transit system makes it a very easy city to navigate. After a few wrong turns we arrived at our hotel. It was in the middle of Kowloon (city across the bay of Hong Kong) on one of the main streets (Nathan Rd). We chose this hotel because it was directly above the metro station. For $77 we had four star accomidations. Quite a change from the hostel we had just left behind in Cairns for almost the same price. We made our way to the room and hit the sack early to make a full go at it the next day.


The first day we woke early and decided to explore the Kowloon markets. We began at the Flower market. It's basically one long street with vendors selling all types of exotic plants. Lots of beautiful orchids and chrisanthimums. What stuck out most was the beautiful bonzai trees for sale.


We then proceeded to the goldfish market. We traveled through blocks of vendors selling all types of fish, turtles, salamanders, shrimp, and other exoctic water dwelling creatures. The smell was pretty powerful there, but not overwhelming. From there we proceeded to ......... market. It stretches for about 8 city blocks. You can find all types of cheap watches, handbags, clothes, and knick knacks there. It was pure shopper heaven. Most items were designer knock-offs. We spent most of the day just wandering through the stalls. The items were about 1/4th the cost of Australia. Watches and t-shirts were starting at about $25 hk. When you take into account that its 7 to 1 Hong Kong dollars and you can haggle for almost everything, there are some fantastic deals to be found. It was the best place to shop I have ever been to. You can find nearly everything in Hong Kong. We had to subdue ourselves from buying boatloads of random goods.



After the market we took the metro to Times Square in Hong Kong. It's near the middle of the city and is bordered by tremendous buildings. Hong Kong has very limited space, so instead of building out they build up. From a distance it is awe inspiring. Times Square Hong Kong is similiar in appearance to Times Square New York, just not as big. Lights and huge advertisements are everywhere you look. We found a quiet place to grab some lunch and rest our throbbing feet. We continued to check out the city on foot until the nightly light show of Hong Kong. It was so great... 15 minutes of sky scrapers illuminating the city in a light show set to music. You really get an idea of just how emmense the city is at night over the bay. It was lovely. We love this city!!!


So we checked out a little restaurant filled with locals for lunch on our second day... what an adventure. Communication was a challenge to say the least. Kristen ended up with a plate of a single green vegtable at it was the only vegetarian choice out of over 100 options. I had a squid and minced pork baked in a clay pot. Clay pot rice is a very traditional dish. When we were first seated we were greeted with two cups of tea.
Kristen said, "This isn't the drink that I ordered". I told her I was sure it was complimentary as everyone had them. We both tried the "tea" and it wasn't particularly good. About half way through the meal the restaurant filled up. Because we were seated at a table for four people, we were pushed together so another couple could sit at our table. Immediately they picked their chopsticks and began cleaning them in the "tea".

'Uh Oh', I thought.
"Kristen, did you drink the tea?" I asked as calmly as I could.
"Yea, why? Nothing special," she responded.
"Because I don't think that was tea. Look around... everyone is using the liquid to clean their utensils."
"Oh my God!" she says as a look of terror spreads across her face. "I don't want to get sick!"


I assured her to stay calm. It was hot enough to probably have been boiling at one point. Surely it was sterile. Luckily, neither one of us has gotten sick yet. But can you imagine what was going through the minds of the locals... 'check out the crazy Americans drinking the utensil cleaner again'.



It really is just one adventure after another in this part of the world and the learning curve is ever present. After our lunch of rice and cleaning fluid we took the "Peak Tram". It takes you to an amazing view of the city. For a small additional charge you can walk out on a deck to catch the best view. Seeing the city from this height really shows you what a incredible place this is. Also how indcredibly dense the population is. Imagine a 500 sq ft apartment, then imagine a family of seven living in it. That's most of the population of Hong Kong.

After the peak tram we took the metro back to Kowloon for more shopping. We really couldn't get tired of it. The markets also included one of my favorite parts of Hong Kong, cheap street food! Approaching most of the stalls is like a scene from a horror movie. Unrecognizable parts of all types of animals strewn about with cauldrens of boiling liquids and coals surrounding them. I was pretty hesitant at first, but after a few beers it all looked good. I quickly got over my fear and began trying all types of items. The oddest item I became fond of was little scewers of tripe (cow stomach). Upon ordering them they place the scewers in boiling salt water for a few minutes and then drizzle them with some nuclear hot chili oil. My mouth is watering just thinking of them. It's the perfect bar food. Most scewers avereaged about .50 cent USD. After walking for 12 hours that day we hobbled back to our hotel. The following day we are off to Hanoi. This is truly a strange and beautiful planet. I can't wait to return!

Orchids at the flower market

Hong Kong at night

Nathan Road Kowloon

mmm...grilled octopus

Hungry for pancake chicken??

Another breathtaking view from the peak