Hong Kong

Today, we head out from the Disneyland Hotel and hop on the Disneyland Train back to the regular MTR line. From there, we switch trains and head in the direction of the airport. However, we are not leaving yet! There's just one more place to visit before we head back home. We get off at the Tung Chung Station and hop on the No.23 bus to Po Lin Temple. Home to the world's largest bronze Buddha, it sits 26 meters high at the top of 286 steps. (1)

The hand symbolizes "Peace and Religious Freedom." (2)

After going up the stairs, we take a few pictures of the surrounding area and head back down to the bus stop. We get back to the train station and head for the airport.

We have some dim sum at the airport before we board our 2:15 PM flight back to Calgary via Vancouver with Air Canada.

No trip would ever be complete without going to Disneyland! Today, Daylee and I head over by MTR, then switch to the Disneyland line. It is a train completely decorated with Disney things. The seats are made of velvet, the windows are in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, and so are the hand loops that you hold on to!

After arriving at the Disneyland train station, we walk over to the entrance. This takes about 10 minutes.

Once we pay for admission, ($295.00 HKD = $38.00 CAD per person) (1), we enjoy all the cool rides that Hong Kong has to offer! There's Adventureland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, and USA Main Street. With all the different themes to explore, Daylee and I spend the rest of the day here.

Before leaving Disneyland, Daylee and I enjoy a good dessert shaped like Mickey Mouse's head. (2) Mmm...Yum!!

After a long day riding the rides and walking around, we decide to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for the night.

We arrived in Stanley after a short stint in Aberdeen and man i tell ya, it felt like we weren't even on Hong Kong Island anymore. Stanley is a small quiet place on the southern coast of Hong Kong island that provided a great relaxing atmosphere as apposed to the busy lifestyle of Downtown(1). we spent some time here relaxing and getting away from the crowd of Kowloon and downtown Hong Kong Island. We spent our first day here wandering the local Stanley Market and enjoying cocktails at on of the many bars along the waterfront promenade(2).

The next day we decided to have a lazy day on the beach enjoying the sun before heading back to the hustle & bustle of Hong Kong.

On our way down to Stanley, we stopped in the fishing village of Aberdeen.

There isn't much to see here other than the numerous Sampan fishing boats(1) that line the harbor and of course the huge floating restaurant called Jumbo(2).

we had to stop here for a fresh seafood dinner. To get to the restaurant you actually have to take a boat across the harbor to the front door. upon entering the restaurant, we found out just how massive this place is. It has a seating capacity of 4300 people and is actually a combination of 3 separate restaurants. After dinner we decided to take a cruise around the harbor on a Sampan boat.

Today we headed off on the star ferry to Hong Kong Island!!!!!!. We decided to see if we could stay in luxury on the island for a few nights at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, one of the many high rise buildings visible from the promenade in Kowloon.
It was an absolute gorgeous hotel, But at $400 a night for the Grand Twin room (the cheapest room available), it may have been a little to gorgeous for our pockets. Nonetheless we decided to stay for a night, you know the saying....When in Hong Kong!!.
After checking in we spent the day relaxing by the hotel pool, in the steam room we changed and visited one of the many many award winning restaurants at the hotel for a late dim sum lunch. It was my first time trying dim sum, i thought it was some kind of soup....apparently i was wrong. Its actually a lot like a buffet of hors d'oeuvre's at your table, but you get to chose what is on the buffet. We ordered tons of different stuff like dumplings, chicken feet and other tasty goodies, served with tea. Man its expensive pretending to be rich.

After our night in Luxury, Dan & I were ready to get back to reality. We were off to travel up to Victoria peak. There were a few different ways to get up the peak, but we decided to do it the historical way and take the Tram that was built in 1888 up to the top(1). It wasn't a long ride that took us to the top where we were greeted by one of the most breathtaking view's of Hong Kong.(2)

we spent some time snapping pictures from the viewing platform and then wandered the complex filled with restaurants and shops. We bought a few post cards for relatives back home then decided to have supper in one of the restaurants. We returned later to a ground level and searched out a hotel to spend the night.

Over the past few days, we visited some of the other outlying islands. Our first stop was at Lamma Island, also known as the "Stone Age Isle." As we walked around the island, Daylee and I quickly noticed that there were no cars anywhere in sight (with the exception of ambulences, fire trucks and trucks hauling materials). We further found out that the buildings were no taller than 3 stories, which was good because it would obstruct much of the green hilly scenery. After talking to the locals, we learned that this island was 'car free' and that it was prohibited to build any building taller than 3 stories. (1)

Before we left the island, we visited the Tin Hau Temple. Tin Hau Temples are places of worship for many coastal communities because Tin Hau is believed to be the goddess of the sea and of fishermen, protecting them with good weather while out at sea as well as providing them with full nets. (1)

After our visit to the temple, we hop on a ferry to the islands of Ping Chau, Ma Wan and Po Toi.

Ping Chau - It is also known as "Ghost Island." I'm guessing it's called that because of the 3,000 people that once inhabited the island, only 2 people live there now. During holidays and weekends, some of the islanders come back. A pretty cool island, but creepy because the 2 people did nothing but stare at us.

Moving on, we went to Ma Wan. It is noted for being a custom station during the Ching Dynasty.

Our last stop of the day was to Po Toi. This island has tons of fascinating things to see! I'm here to share a little bit of what Daylee and I saw.

First, when we got off the ferry, we saw a huge stone carving that looked like a hand. We later found out that it was called Buddha's Palm Cliff.

As we walked around the island, we saw Mo's Old House (believed to be haunted) and Coffin Rock.

After this very exhausting day, we feed our grumbling stomachs at a nearby seafood restaurant (1) by the water.

For more information on some of the outlying islands, click below:

http://www.west-meet-east.com/travelhkoi.htm (1)

Today we spent some of our day at Victoria Harbour, which is part of Hong Kong Harbour. It is known for its spectacular views of the Hong Kong skyline as seen below. (1)

The harbour is also known for being the major cruise port when you enter Hong Kong. The terminal is called Ocean Terminal (appropriately named as it backs onto the water near the ocean). (2)

It's very cool to see the different cruise lines that operate in Asia and not in North America such as the one above.

Today we spend wandering a few more markets in Kowloon before we decided to hop on the MRT to go visit our first religious site of Hong Kong, Wong Tai Sin Temple. Its one of the most popular temples in Hong Kong because it represents all 3 of the main religions in China (Buddhism, Taoism & Confucianism)(1). When we boarded the MRT it seemed like a rather placid ride, until we came closer & closer to our stop, more and more people were boarding the MRT with these bamboo cylinders filled with what looked like incense. I asked Dan if he knew what they were, he had not better idea than I did. Curious still i wandered the MTR asking a few people what they were carrying hoping they would understand me, but no such luck. By the time we reached our stop, I knew what it felt like to be a resident of one of the busiest cities in the world, the MTR was packed with people of all age range holding these canisters of incense. We followed the crowd to the Temple walking up a set of stairs and through the beautiful gate and greeted with a sight of people on their knees in prayer shaking these canisters of Incense.

Even more curious, I wandered the site to find an english speaking visitor that could interpret for us. I eventually found out the incense sticks in Hong Kong are known as "Chim" or "Fortune Sticks". What happens at these rituals is the worshiper lights a worship sticks, kneels before the main altar and makes a wish. They then shake the bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until one falls out. The stick is exchanged for a piece of paper bearing the same number as the Chim, and the fortune teller then interprets the fortune on the paper for the worshiper(2).

Dan & myself opted to not pray, but seeing all these people worship at the temple was a priceless experience i'll never forget.

After returning back to the hotel, we caught wind of the famous Dragon Boat Festivals starting the next day in the Victoria Harbor. This was exciting news for me because I had been a previous competitor in a dragon boat festival back home in Regina and i couldn't wait to see the festival take place in its native country. Up at the crack of dawn like a kid on Christmas, we headed down to the Promenade to get good seats and join in on all the festivities that went on before the race like eating rice & meat dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. Seeing the teams rowing these huge boats brought me back to the time i competed and really made my day!

To know the full story of the dragon boat festivals read here: http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/heritage/festivals/he_fest_drag.jhtml

To give you a visual of the places we visited in Kowloon, I drew up this map for you readers out there.

Today, we got information from the hotel concierge that there was a Bun Festival on the island of Cheung Chau and TODAY was the second last day! So, after a quick breakfast followed by a nice cold cup of Hong Kong's famous milk tea...umm...yum! (1), we head out to Victoria Harbour, buy an island pass that allows us to go to the 3 main outlying islands (Lantau, Lamma, and Cheung Chau) (1) plus any of the other islands, and we hop on a Star Ferry to go to the island of Cheung Chau for the Bun Festival. Travel time on the ferry is about 15 minutes.

Here, the buns are made fresh and ready to eat! However, this batch is destined for one of the three bun towers. Also, these buns with the red markings on them are not to be eaten by humans, but by the ghosts and spirits first. They are also known as 'lucky' buns. (2)

Once the buns were made, we saw the local people string them together before constructing the tower. Daylee and I helped out in this process. (I'm the one in the yellow and Daylee is well.....not) I'm just kidding.

After our hard work, Daylee and I finally see what all that stringing of the buns was for. Here is a picture of a completed bun tower.

So, after eating various types of buns and helping the locals with the bun towers, we visit the Hung Shing Temple, the Tin Hau Temple, and the Pak Tai Temple.

Daylee and I head over to the Warwick Hotel for some needed rest. The hotel is secluded from the main roads and other attractions, but it is close to many seafood restaurants and the ferry pier. Situated right below the hotel sits a 3000 year old Bronze Age Stone Carving.

We spent this week on the main land in Kowloon. We started out at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade that looks out over Victoria Harbour at Hong Kong Island. The views are breathtaking be it at night or day, but if you were pressed for time, I would recommend going at night to see the dazzling lights of Hong Kong Island(1). There is plenty to see and do along the promenade. its littered with museums, cultural centers, shopping centers & even an old clock tower (2). We did more browsing than buying along the promenade, but the one thing we did buy were Silk Pajama's from one of the infamous silk shops along the promenade. Soooooo comfortable.

We spent some time wandering around Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok, also know as "The Ladies Market", Shops line this street that stretch for about a block or 2 and you can barter for absolutely anything from them, clothing, toy's, electronics, Anything!!!(1). I actually spent an hour bargaining with someone over a fake rolex watch. Its definitely a place to do your souvenir shopping for friends back home(2).

Today, we board the airplane from Calgary to Hong Kong via Vancouver with Air Canada. We arrive in Hong Kong on May 30 at 8PM. Upon getting our passports stamped (must be valid at least one month after departure from Hong Kong), we pass through a temperature screening section. No tourist or business visas are required if you stay less than 3 months. However, if you are studying here for more than 3 months, then you have to get a student visa. It is better to obtain that in the Chinese Embassy or Consulate in your city. (2) We buy an Octopus Card at the airport for $150 HKD. This card lets us use any part of the transit system (MTR, buses, trams, ferries).

We take the MTR (subway) to Tsim Sha Tsui. We spend the night at the Shamrock Hotel on Nathan Road in Kowloon.

- Currency: Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). (1)
- Languages: English and Chinese. (1)
- Common modes of transportation: MTR (subway), taxis.
- Unique mode of transportation: trams, Star Ferries (1)

- Tips on etiquette: Hong Kong is a very friendly place, especially for tourists! Many of the signs are in English, so it's easy to navigate. You are free to take pictures at will, but ask before taking pictures at religious sites, demonstrations, etc. to make sure that it's ok. (1) When asking the local people questions, use common courtesy such as smiling! It's best to find a store or a hotel nearby if you are lost. (1)

For more travel updates on Hong Kong Visit the consular affairs website:
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/dest/report-en.asp?country=55305