After quite a full day, Kevin and I decided to take it easy on Day 3. We woke up late and skipped breakfast, so we could enjoy some "Dim Sum." We found a restaurant called the Jade Garden located near the Central Ferry pier.
The Jade Garden had an English menu which made things so much easier for us. You know, it's funny. Although Hong Kong was ruled by England for 99 years, there are quite a few people who don't speak English. Aside from the upscale restaurants and hotels, it can be hard at times to find people who speak English....
Anyway, here are a few photos from our "Dim Sum" brunch.
After our brunch, we headed to the train station to go to the Hong Kong countryside (if there is such a place)--to an area in the New Territories called Sha Tin.
For those who follow the Olympics, you may be aware that Sha Tin is where the equestrian events for the 2008 Para-Olympics are being held.
Once we arrived in Sha Tin, Kev and I took a nice walk through the Sha Tin Garden Park.
Here's a photo of the two of us "goofing" around....
While in Sha Tin, we visited the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
The museum had some great exhibits on Chinese ceramics including glazed vases from the Ming dynasty. I was an East Asian Studies major in college-- so most of the exhibits were quite interesting to me, I'm not so sure it was Kevin's cup of tea.
Following the museum, we visited one last stop in Sha Tin. A restaurant that had been recommended to us by Kev's best friend, Ray Kung.
Ray's family is from Hong Kong so they told us that we absolutely could not go to Sha Tin WITHOUT eating the roast pigeon. Yes, that's right. You read that correctly. Roast Pigeon.
One restaurant in particular is quite famous for the roast pigeon. A restaurant called Lung Wah. Lung Wah may have been a hotel at some point, since the signage still reads hotel. The place wasn't too easy to find, but after walking a bit and making a few circles, we finally found it.
This place reminded me of Chinese movies...it was like a throwback to 1930's China. The walkway leading up to the restaurant was lined with these bright Chinese paper lanterns...
Once seated, we ordered and then waited for our pigeon. Finally, ta da!
Looks pretty tasty, doesn't it?
We tried to eat with chopsticks, but Kev and I had to (of course) follow local customs and eat the pigeon with our fingers. The restaurant provided a "finger bowl" with tea for you to rinse your fingers when finished. All in all, the pigeon was delicious. It was juicy and full of flavor.
So the next time you visit Hong Kong, be sure you head to Sha Tin for the roast pigeon....
The next day, we headed to Hong Kong island to go to Stanley Market and Victoria's Peak. On our way to the Market, we rode one of Hong Kong's famous double decker trolley cars. These are a bit different from the ones in San Francisco.
To get to Stanley Market, we also rode a double decker bus, similar to the ones you see in London. Here are some photos Kev took on the bus.
Here we are at Stanley Market. Stanley Market doesn't have too much to offer but shopping, but the bus ride there is quite interesting as you can see all the beautiful houses built on the hill overlooking the water. This area of Hong Kong is where the mega wealthy live.
At Stanley Market, Kev and I grabbed a quick bite to eat. We had sliders....look how small they are....
After our snack, Kev left to go to the Maritime museum and I went shopping. Walking around by myself, I found this small little shrine.
I got bored with shopping after a bit, so I went into this McDonald's Cafe called "McCafe" and waited for Kevin. Kev took this photo because he got such a kick out of it...
After Stanley Market, we went to the Peak. Our visit to the Peak was fun, but I'm not sure if the Peak was really worth the money. The ride on the tram car was quite expensive and once you get up at the top, the Peak itself is highly commercialized. They even had a "Bubba Gump Shrimp" restaurant up at the top.
But if you want to get a great skyline view of Hong Kong and be able to say you went to Victoria's Peak and rode the old fashioned tram car--I guess that makes it slightly worth it.
The ride on the old fashioned tram car was pretty fun. Before the days of power engines, the tram ran on coal and steam....
Once at the top, the view was incredible....
After the peak, we headed back to our hotel in Kowloon but not before stopping at the Promenade to watch the "Hong Kong Symphony Of Lights." This is a nightly light and sound show held at 8pm. Believe it or not, this event is actually part of the Guiness Book of World Records for the world's largest permanent light and sound show. We were able to snap a few photos before it started to pour!
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