September 12-15, 2008 Darren surprised the kids and me with a trip to Hong Kong to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary (yes, we went with the kids, how could we not bring them to Hong Kong?). It is about a four and a half hour flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. We couldn't get over the prices of things - so inexpensive - even more so than the USA. We were in heaven! The dollars used in Hong Kong are called Hong Kong Dollars and the exchange rate was about eight Hong Kong dollars for every one American dollar. Here are some photos from the trip.
The views of the harbor were amazing, especially at night. We were a little surprised by the amount of air pollution and smog though.
There were so many double decker busses. Nathan loved them. We counted (no exaggeration) over 125 just on our way from the airport to the hotel (about a 45 minute drive). They don't have double decker buses in Tokyo.
We had a blast shopping at the Ladies Market. It was hot but fun. We had to be careful of pick pockets since they work the market. They seemed to sell everything here and the dealers were ready to sell - trying to lure you into their lair! Fun for us bargain shoppers!
There is a famous shopping street in Hong Kong called Nathan Road. Here is Nathan on "his" road. We bought him a sign that says Nathan Road for his bedroom.
We took a double decker bus up to the Stanley Market. The drive up the mountain side was very scenic. The bus ride itself was interesting - curvy and narrow and the bus driver driving like a crazy man! I did manage to snap this shot. Despite the smog, it is beautiful.
You'll have to click on this photo to read the words. Never heard of that before! Another sign said that wax burning is an offense so don't get burned.
We went to Toys R Us while in Hong Kong. It was so great to see so many toys at an affordable price! The kids seem to have Christmas every time we go to another country. They love it of course. At first look, this is the most expensive Little Pet Shop toy I've ever seen! It's actually about 25 US dollars (still a little pricey).
We took the train a few times while we were there. The subway consists of two tracks basically - night and day from the spaghetti tracks of the Tokyo subway system. There is very limited seating as well, with most everybody standing. If this was Tokyo, most every person would be wearing their dress clothes, heels, etc. It was refreshing to see people wearing casual clothing. Although, I have to admit, it was nice coming back and seeing people dressed really nice again. Oh no, I think I'm turning Japanese!!!!
We met our friends the Walkey's while there. They moved to Hong Kong from the USA shortly before we came to visit. Johnathan was in my Kindergarten class a few years ago. We went to the Mid-Autumn Festival together (also known as the Moon Festival or Lantern Festival). During the festival, people celebrate by carrying lit lanterns around and admiring the full moon. I bought the kids fish lanterns but we forgot them at the hotel. Maddie uses hers as a night light in her room now.
Before we left for the festival, we went to the Walkey's apartment for moon cakes. Not like the moon cakes we grew up with in the USA. These are sweet cakes made from ground lotus and sesame seed paste and egg-yolk. They were, well, interesting.
We had a fun stay in Hong Kong and it was great catching up with friends. The night before we left we went to the grocery store and stocked up on cereal that they sell in the USA. That is probably the one thing I miss the most is cereal choices. Since the Japanese aren't big cereal eaters, there isn't a lot of cereal here. Plus, the prices for a box of Kashi here is about $8.00 US.
I'll update "soon" about our trip to Thailand (Bangkok and Phuket). We're off to Beijing, China this coming week for the kids' short winter break.
