On our way back to the U.S. for work meetings the end of February, we decided to stop off in Hong Kong for six nights and celebrate my 50th birthday. We had a wonderful time there! It is the end of winter and so the weather was moderate and just required a light jacket most days. Our hotel was on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour and it offered us an excellent view of downtown Hong Kong, along with a prime seat for the nightly laser light/music show they do across the harbour. The first full day there we rode in the Ngong Ping 360 degree gondola lift between Tung Chung and Ngong Ping to see the Big Buddha. Our car had a crystal clear bottom to it so you could see WAY down below you for the 30 minute ride each direction. I loved it and Jeff TOLERATED it! There were 268 steps to the top of the structure holding the Buddha and we walked them all. The Buddha's name is really Tian Tan Buddha and it is one of the five large Buddha statues in China. There is also a Buddhist monastery nearby known as the "Buddhist Kingdom in the South" and serves as an international Buddhist retreat. The monastery was built by three Zen masters in 1920. Many people were there and an enormous amount of incense was being used in the worship. The next day we went to the number one tourist attraction in Hong Kong, The Peak. You ride a tram up to the Sky Terrace, the highest viewing platform in Hong Kong offering a 360 degree view. This was actually one of the clearest days we had while there, so the view was spectacular! That day we also toured around downtown Hong Kong and enjoyed looking at the incredible architecture and just watching the MANY people in that one small area. They have moving sidewalks that are very long and can transport a lot of people in a short amount of time. You can get off one and go down to the street level, or just get on another one and keep moving.
Macau was next on the agenda and that morning we took a ferry ride that lasted a little over an hour to the "Las Vegas" of Asia. They have many of the same hotels and casinos as LV, the Venetian, Hard Rock, MGM, etc. When you are inside these hotels and casinos you actually FEEL like you are in Vegas--over-the-top decorations, elaborate furnishings. But unlike Vegas, Macau is still building and the landscape outside shows lots of construction with cranes everywhere. It was a fun day wandering in and out of the various casinos and taking lots of pictures before the ferry ride back to Hong Kong. (You actually have to go through immigration when you arrive in Macau and back into Hong Kong. Weird!)
I wanted to go to Ocean Park, a theme park with animals, rides and shows, just so I could see the panda bears. There were three of them in different enclosures and they were just as cute as could be eating their bamboo! They had an aquarium, crocodiles and other water animals we enjoyed, then had lunch and we headed to Aberdeen Harbour to ride a boat out to see Jumbo's Restaurant. The harbour is full of multi-million dollar boats, along with small working fishing vessels, all with the backdrop of Hong Kong multi-story residences and businesses. It was an interesting mix of old/new, rural/city. Jumbo's is a floating restaurant in the middle of the harbour and is an internationally renowned tourist attraction. It is HUGE inside and different levels offer everything from casual to formal dining.
Last full day in Hong Kong we were lazy mostly (it was my birthday:-). In the afternoon we went to the Ladies Market, a street market with knock-off everything. It was really crowded and pretty hot down in the middle of all those people, but an interesting experience and an opportunity to see another area of Hong Kong. That night Jeff took me to a wonderful dinner overlooking Victoria Harbour--great way to celebrate turning the big 5-0!
