Day 2, Hong Kong

Hi all,

Before we start with our second day in Hong Kong, I want to post the photos we didn't have time to post yesterday. First, here is my 16-year old nephew Anthony with Mom, Dad and me at the orlando airport. Anthony arrived alone for vacation in Florida with us, bringing with him a very, very special gift...a jewelry box he made just for Emily in his woodworking class at school.


It means the world to us that he made this for his cousin, and it's absolutely beautiful. Made mainly of Black Willow, the box opens at the top to an interior lined in red embroidered material. A bottom shelf, also lined with the same, Asian material, opens with a decorative metal leaf handle. We're so touched by this incredible gift Anthony so lovingly crafted...all for a little girl he's never met.

Kowloon Island

Hong Kong is comprised of several different islands. Our hotel was built on the island of Kowloon and it overlooks the Kowloon harbor.








Kevin took these gorgeous photos. Life is bustling on the harbor, and we spent hours walking the length of it, to enjoy the sights...and to stay awake! The jet lag was killing us (there's a 12-hour difference between here and the U.S.), so if we even sat down for more than a minute we began to doze off!

So we walked...and walked. Thanks to recommendations from my friend Amy, we visited the Chinese Arts and Crafts store, which was more like a museum than store. Lovely jade, ivory carvings, and more were available, with uniformed staff that waited on us in every aisle! Every purcase, no matter how big or small, is boxed and gift wrapped, then bagged, all in red (means lucky) paper. Kevin towered above the tiny salespeople, which continually amazed him. The harbor amazed him, too. He was continually humming the theme from the James Bond movies until I was too...then he realized scenes from several of the movies were shot here.

We visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art, enjoying ancient and incredibly detailed scroll paintings, some of them 15 feet long. A tribute to a French painter who captured the old China were available, as well as pottery. Again, it was very hard to remain awake, and I actually teetered several times while docents stared at me. I finally had to move away from the stairs at one point because I nearly keeled over the banister! Kevin just kept determinedly shuffling along. We finally gave up fighting sleep and crashed around 7:30pm. I woke up at 2am and ate the remains of a turkey sandwich, the crinkling waking up poor Kevin even as I ate it on the floor of the bathroom...with the door shut!

At 5am it was leftover chips and a banana--jet lag is a pain! Finally, at 6am we made it downstairs to the breakfast buffet, and Kevin was very happy because it's wonderful!! We met Russ and Cindy Bolton, who were leaving for Chong Ching in the afternoon, so we ate together and said goodbye until Guangzhou. They receive Abigail tomorrow night--we're so happy for them. We recognized other faces in the area--folks we met on the plane and at the harbor, and Phil and Beth from Orlando (met them at the Boltons and again on the plane). It's such a small world after all!

Hong Kong Island

Next, on to Hong Kong island by bus for a morning tour. The weather is muggy and extremely warm, just like Florida. The buses and hotels are freezing cold. This morning we rode to Victoria Peak, the highest point on the island, well over 1,250 feet high. Only 30% of the islands that comprise Hong Kong are developed, since most of the islands are vertical inclines (mountains). Yet 6.5 million people live on the islands, with the highest concentration in Hong Kong.


Hong Kong is trying to preserve countryside, so real estate is precious. A 2,000 square foot apartment costs about $4 million US dollars. The average home is 200 square feet for a family of 4-5.



According to Chinese superstition, this building was built with the square passthrough to allow the dragon that lives on the mountain behind it to fly down to the sea for a drink of water.

Another Hong Kong fact: membership at an exclusive golf club costs $1 million US dollars per year, plus green fees.

Aberdeen Fishing Village

Next, a stop at a traditional fishing village. Fisherman still live on the boats...rather depressing, I thought, so we didn't include detailed photos. Hong Kong is trying to preserve this historical way of life.

Funny, though, the fishermen's wives like to eat out at this floating restaurant, one of two in Hong Kong.

Shopping

Next, we were taken to a jewelry factory, where expensive jade and pearls are made. Hong Kong's jewelry manufacturing is considered second only to Milan, Italy. Another foray to an outdoor market, then lunch at an authentic Chinese restaurant, where Kevin tasted Dim Sum for the first time, and really enjoyed it. The MSG levels were too much for another group member and me, and we watched interesting Cantonese negotiations between our group leader and restaurant staff. We ended up with steamed rice, steamed veggies and steamed shrimp. Still quite tasty!

The evening ended very late at 8pm (jet lag time) with a fireworks display above the buildings in the harbor. The best part for us was watching the hundreds of buildings light up in a muted way at night...absolutely beautiful and too hard to capture on film.

Free time tomorrow until 3pm, when we leave for the airport to fly to Nanning. Two more days until Emily is in our arms!

Caroline