Hong Kong!

Kev and I have just returned from a 5 day trip to the island of Hong Kong. Things have been a bit hectic since we've returned, so apologies for the delay. So here we are...I'm going to give you all some highlights from our trip....

We had booked the trip through HIS travel here on Okinawa, so all of our airfare, hotel accomodations, and some meals were included (actually Kev and I enjoy eating out so the only meals that were included were breakfast). Hong Kong is a mere 2 hour flight away from Okinawa, so we were able to fly direct on Hong Kong Express. The HIS guide was supposed to meet us at the arrival terminal but after waiting about a half hour, we started to wonder whether we had been forgotten. I went over to the airport information desk and was told that guides usually wait at another arrival terminal. Terminal B. We were waiting at Terminal A. So after gathering our belongings, we walked over to Terminal B and that's where he was! Our guide didn't speak any English, but he did speak Japanese, so I was able to act as translator for Kevin. Our guide drove us to our hotel which was in Kowloon (about a 45 minute drive from the airport).

Hong Kong is pretty much like any large metropolitan city, it has several different neighborhoods (all densely populated). Hong Kong island is where most of the luxury hotels are, it's the heart of the city. Kowloon is very much an urban area with tons of people, but since it offers a lot of great sites to see, that's where we opted to stay. Our hotel was a 5 star hotel called the Royal Plaza Hotel. The hotel was located within a shopping mall and had a subway station close by so it was very convenient.

The first day, Kev and I walked around Kowloon, following a "walking tour" we found in our Lonely Planet guidebook. Let me warn you, if you plan to come to Hong Kong, make sure you wear some comfortable shoes....Kevin and I did A LOT of walking, I mean A LOT. We planned to walk, but when following the guidebook, we noticed that some of the routes we were told to take didn't exist or were under construction. Hong Kong is one of those cities that has a lot of construction. They are building new hotels and new buildings for all the foreign investment that is coming in.

Anyway, I digress. The point I wanted to make is that just expect you have to walk. Yes, Hong Kong has an excellent public transportation system, but still you will have to walk. So back to our tour, we decided to visit some of the more popular sites in Kowloon. Our first stop was the Flower Market. This is an area of Kowloon that has flower vendors selling exotic fresh cut flowers and plants. It was amazing to see all the trucks unloading the flowers. The fragrance in the air was amazing!

I couldn't help but take this photo of this kitty who seemed to enjoy hanging out at the flower market!







After the flower market, we headed over to the Fish market. Like the flower market, this is an area of Kowloon where local people go to buy golfish and other various fish. These fish are not meant to be eaten, rather the Hong Kong Chinese enjoy keeping them as pets....





The next stop was the Yuen Po Bird Garden. Again, these birds are not meant to be eaten, they are kept as household pets. It's quite a sight to see older Hong Kong Chinese men walking around with their bird cages airing out their pet birds....



This gentleman was here to pick out a bird. He was listening to all of them sing before he made a decision. How's that for finding a pet?





Kevin and I walked around some other street markets. Hong Kong is just full of open air markets. They sell everything!

I did not know my husband was taking a photo of me shopping...Yes, this is me shopping for underwear from a large bin. How can you not at only $2 a piece?!




We couldn't believe the size of the dragonfruit...I mean look at this, twice the size they are here in Okinawa!




Here are a few photos of the streets in Kowloon. This will give you an idea of how densely populated it is.... There are neon signs everywhere and some of them are quite low so public buses have to constantly watch for clearance...





Here are some other random photos I took on Day 1....

Shark fin for sale....In case you are curious...One U.S dollar is roughly equivalent to about 7.80 Hong Kong dollars. So that means, these each cost about $475 U.S dollars! Yikes.



Barbequed pork, roasted chicken and Peking duck on display at a local shop.




So let's move on to the 2nd half of Day 1!