Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, we were lucky enough to have Jesse's parents as hosts and tour guides during our visit. It was great to see them again and staying with them was a very welcome change from hostel living! Since this stop was a little longer than most, we were able to see the sights at a pretty leisurely pace. This left plenty of time for relaxing, chatting, and eating. Boy, did we eat! Of course, we got to enjoy some much needed home cooked meals, which were delicious. Plus, Hong Kong has what seemed like thousands of different restaurants all within a quick subway ride away. Although it seemed like we tried about half of them, we didn't even scratch the surface. One evening, we met Jesse's uncle and his first cousin once removed, Renee for dinner. We had a great feast of many different Cantonese dishes. I don't know how we managed to eat it all, but we did!

One thing that surprised us about Hong Kong was that it wasn't just tall buildings and neon lights - there's actually a lot of really pretty nature in and around the city. The area around the city is quite mountainous, which provides a scenic backdrop to all the modern architecture. There are also numerous parks, with really beautiful landscaping. One day, we took a ferry ride to Cheung Chau, which is a small island not far off the coast of Hong Kong Island. It's primarily a fishing village, and we spent some time hiking around in the hills above the town and enjoying the fresh island air. On other days, we visited a seaside shopping area called Stanley, bussed to Victoria peak (although our only view was of fog, unfortunately), toured a Hakka museum, visited the Hong Kong Heritage museum, and much more!

View from Nan Lian Garden:


Chi Lin Nunnery - Buddhist Temple:


Rock exhibit in Nan Lian Garden:


Bruce Lee statue at the Avenue of Stars:


The Clock Tower:


With parents at Victoria Harbour:


A great view of fog:


Home food:


View of a busy street in an older market area:


Restaurant food - just the first round:


The ruins of Old Hong Kong:


Getting ready to try durian fruit for the first time. The aroma is already quite strong at this point:


Initial taste, this isn't so bad...


..."The King of Fruits" claims another victim. This is Jesse clutching his forehead and turning away in agony:


Fisher:


Hong Kong skyline: