Sightseeing in Hong Kong

We enjoyed our few days in Hong Kong, even though I was a bit jet-lagged & not quite my usual self. It was Will's first time in Asia so he was pretty excited. We were knackered when we arrived Friday night so Warren popped out & got some Thai take-away & we had a nice relaxed night in.
On Saturday we did a bit of sightseeing. First stop was the Nan Lian garden which was a beautiful oasis of calm amongst the skyscrapers.
Next to that was the Chi Lin Nunnery which was also lovely & peaceful.
From there we headed to the Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai San Temple. This was a riot of colour, and where the locals go to get their fortune told.
Next on the list was the Kowloon Walled City Park. This used to be bit of a slum, ruled by the triads, with all sorts of dodgy business going on. The powers to be pulled down all the derelict tower blocks & built a very nice city park in its place.
From there it was quite a walk until we reached the flower market and bird garden. The orchids on show in the flower market were beautiful, & unbelievably cheap. It's just a shame I couldn't buy some to take back to NZ... I didn't like seeing some of the birds in cages at the bird garden, but there were some pretty cool brightly coloured birds on display.
We were starting to fatigue by now after hours of walking, so we took the MTR down to the waterfront. We had some dinner before taking in the nightly sound & light show on the waterfront. It's a bit naff really, but a pleasant enough way to kill 15 minutes or so! The video below will give you an idea of what it is all about.

Sunday was another big day. We took the MTR into Central & first stop was the Bank of China building. Here, as long as you provide photo ID & pass through a security check, you can take an express lift up to the 43rd floor for a good view over the city.
Next it was the Peak Tram up to the Peak, Hong Kong's number one tourist attraction. It was quite hazy so we didn't get the best of views from the top, but it was still pretty cool.
That night a couple of Warren's friends came round. We went out for cheap & cheerful Chinese at his local market, before heading out to one of the more bizarre evenings of my life. Pro Hong Kong Wrestling!!! It was an event being held at Warren's local Sai Wan Ho youth centre building, & it was hilarious! Basically a whole lot of teeny Chinese guys having a go at wrestling. Even more random was 'Ladybeard'. He was a huge big Australian guy with pigtails, wearing women's clothing, speaking the local language fluently. Anyway, after a few beers we all found it pretty entertaining. Watch the vid if you want a taste of the action...


Monday was fairly relaxed. We wandered around Soho, taking in the worlds longest travelator (taking about 15 minutes to ride it from the bottom to the top). Will was fascinated by all the bamboo scaffolding that was everywhere.
On Monday night we met Kitty, one of Warren's friends, & went out for Chinese Hot-Pot which is hugely popular at the moment. You get a huge pot of bubbling broth, then order all sorts of meat/seafood/veg etc. It all comes raw & you cook it in the broth at your leisure. It was very tasty, & a very social way of eating.

Tuesday was very chilled. We had a nice sleep-in, then leisurely packed up all of our stuff. Quite a big job really since we had 80kg worth of luggage in 4 bags between the two of us! Once we had packed it was time to meet Warren for Yum Cha after he finished his morning at school. We gorged ourselves with lovely food, before Warren put us on the airport bus ready for the trip home.

We had a very good flight back with Air NZ & it is lovely to be home. Today was a gorgeous summer's day, so I spent most of it outside, lapping up the sunshine.