Day 1: Hong Kong Impressions

First impressions of Hong Kong:

Its funny how easy it is to lose track of time when you fly across the world. The entire flight, as we flew east over the North Pole, was incredibly bright. I did manage to get a little sleep though. Flying in to the airport at Hong Kong was pretty incredible. The airport itself is almost an island, so it looked like we were landing on water. When we arrived at our Ibis Accor Hotel it was almost 9p. Our room was tiny, but it was so clean and well kept I didn't mind at all. We walked around a bit outside the hotel, grabbed a McDonalds milk shake for dinner, and then headed back to the hotel and passed out. This morning we got up early, and had an excellent breakfast. We used one of our tour books and just tried to get as much done as we possibly could in it. We did really well!

We started the day at Victoria's Peak. We took the tram up to the peak...what a terrifying ride! It felt like a roller coaster, as we went up we were practically vertical. The view from the top was beautiful, but I was surprised to find a mall at the peak. It shows how commercialized Hong Kong is. After we went to Li Yuen Street East and West. It is packed of counterfeit bags, watches, jewelery and clothes. They had some pretty cheap junk. I bought a watch for about $2. I think I'll use it for the trip. We went on the Mid-levels Escalator, a long escalator that goes through the middle of the city. Haha we got so confused about what side was for standing and which is walking. In Hong Kong they drive on the left side of the road. I think the city as a whole is pretty confused about what side to walk and stand on though. There are some reminders in the metro but I was still massively confused. We saw the Man Mo Temple. It was under going construction so there was scaffolding that made it difficult to really look at the temple. It was hilarious that the scaffolding was bamboo tied together! The temple was full of so much incense I couldn't stop sneezing. Apparently, the smoke is intended to carry prayers to heaven. After the temple, we had pretty much finished everything on our list and it was only 2p! We decided to take a walk to the Star Ferry, and take the ferry from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon Island. We walked down Nathan Street and looked at all the shops. It is amazing how much they pack in so little space in Hong Kong. The streets are so crowded!

Overall, my impression of Hong Kong is a crowded city with lots of foreigners! Its very touristy, but the people are kind and I felt so safe everywhere I went. It has been hard to decide what to eat. I'm still trying to figure out what everything is, and despite what I heard before I came, we found many restaurants do not have picture menus. After 7 hours of walking all around the city I am exhausted! I think the jet lag is still hitting me pretty hard. :( We head to Guangzhou tomorrow...it will be nice to be at Jenny and Steve's and settle in!