One of the interesting things about Hong Kong is that even though it is part of China, you don’t need a Chinese approved visa to get in. It’s almost as though it is still part of Great Britain. It even feels like it.
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| The ride into town |
As we flew into Hong Kong, I was surprised about how much it reminded me of flying into Hawaii. It was tropical! The green mountains set back and the turquoise blue water gleaming in the sun made me wish that I had brought my swim suit. I guess the good news is that we really never had any time on the beach anyway.
We met our new tour guide, Benny, at the airport and boarded our new tour bus. He was to take us to our new hotel which was actually a hostel--the Y-Loft at Youth Square. It was pretty much like living in a dorm room with a private bath. BUT, it was clean and they had internet and washers and dryers! Plus, it was right across the street from a shopping center with a McDonalds and a grocery store.
Benny gave us about 2 hours worth of free time when we got to our place. I needed some alone time, so I headed out to find the washers and some food. This may sound rather sad, but I actually ate at the McDonalds! But for the record, I was starving and was not up for exploring other food options. I then headed back to the hostel and exchanged a few Hong Kong dollars for some wash tokens so that I could finish drying what I had attempted to wash the night before. I found that there was free internet near the laundry and I was finally able to access Facebook!! Ah, finally a little democracy in China.
Benny met us down by the elevators and showed us that we were right around the corner from the train station. We hopped aboard and headed into Kowloon to eat dinner. Honestly, the restaurant was not very memorable--the food so far is not as good as it is in the other 3 cities I have visited. Hmmmm.
Benny thought we could use some more shopping, so he took us down to the Temple Street Night Market for some shopping. It was pretty much like the Bazaar in Shanghai--but on the street and set up in tents. If you need some cheap chinese souvenirs or a case for your iPhone, this is the place to be!!
At 8 pm every night, Hong Kong puts on a light show for you. You can meet down at Victoria Harbor called the Symphony of Lights. I must say, it is amazing!! But at 8:15, after a LONG day, we were exhausted and ready for bed. Benny walked us back down to the ferry landings and we hopped a ferry back across the channel to Hong Kong Island.
On the way back, I finally got to know some of the other people in my tour group from Connecticut. They invited me to come hang out for awhile and I wish I had gotten to know them before then!
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| Connecticut Peeps! |
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