Time is drawing to an end soon here in SIN. So Hubby and I are doing as many "mini breaks" as we can. Quite a number of things have been dropped of the Bucket List, but we still have a few more. This trip was supposed to be Vietnam but circumstances changed all that. Back up plan - - Hong Kong.
I will be completely honest and say HK was not near the top of my list. In fact, it wasn't even on the list. I had thought "another highly populated Asian city with sky rises....yay....". But in true form, I have to eat my words!! I loved HK. In fact, I wish we had gone early on so I could go back and explore more!
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| Approaching Lantau Island |
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| Just one of the many housing buildings |
I had not realized that Hong Kong rose out of the ocean and was actually mountain tops. At first glance, it reminded me of Hawaii. Hubby had done an amazing job ( thank you Expedia) picking flights and hotel. We bunked at Hotel Indigo in Wan Chai ( HK Island). I totally dig Wan Chai (please don't confuse it with
Chai Wan, another HK area - like I did). Hotel Indigo is just a few blocks from the MTR and tram service, which gets you around fast and efficiently.
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| View one way |
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| view the other |
Our Uber modern accommodations were fabulous. It was one single room with toilet and shower in glass blocks next to the sleeping area. At the head of the bed was a desk and chair. The footstead had a sofa that aimed at the wall mounted tv. As you can see out the window, we were up quite a ways on the 23rd floor. On the street below was a street market selling all kinds of things to locals. Shops abounded, with the wet market just one road over. So much to see and experience.
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| overhanging pool, with see thru wall. |
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| pool's glass floor |
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| 29 stories up!! |
In addition to the amazing rooms (and guest service) was the roof top bar - happy hour from 4-8 and reasonably priced - and pool area. The 29th floor hosted both. Notice the cantilevered pool over the buildings edge. And you could see right through the glass wall and floor out into the sky. Super cool.
With only three full days to explore, I dragged Hubby to the fabric district (not too much screaming involved). I was in search of some fabric for a gown I'm making. We had success with out too much ado. There is so much in these areas, it truly is overwhelming. Hubby scored with a nice new backback that he was needing! We enjoy getting out and seeing what the area holds for the locals. Tourist sites ar nice but they don't give a good representation of the real city. We poked around other areas, not prone to tourists. Later, when we met up with some friends from London, they thought it a bit odd with what we did and saw. They were amazing though, and took us on a mini tour of HK Island. They took us to dinner at the Police Club for an authentic Cantonese meal. Very yummy and very filling. Then it was time to tour!! First stop, the convention centre and Golden Buahinia Square, where I understand they turned over British Hong Kong to the Chinese Nationals. Then up to Vitoria Peak - which at night is truly amazing.
Like Singapore, construction is going on everywhere. I am truly in awe how they construct multi story buildings and such with bamboo scaffolding. Yes, Bamboo.
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| building next to us. Over 30 stories high!! Zoom in to see the bamboo |
The next to last day we chose to forgo the Peak in daylight ( night was so gorgeous how could it improve) and took the #6 bus to Stanley on the south side of the island. I could spend a week there in the Mediterranean like shore. It was so peaceful and European..... and it was Sunday.
I really loved the European influences which are still alive and well in Hong Kong. We ate dinner one night at a German Wurst Haus, hit Marks & Spencer just for fun ( see photo below) and took in many of the residual western bits and pieces. I guess I'm just more European than I'd hoped.
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| M&S wine glasses to go, as in the UK... |
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| Blue house, a bit of local color. |
