Day 3 we decided to take it easy. We've done most of our site seeing, so we got up, at some Dim Sum, went to the fitness center, and went swimming in the pool. The pool here is really nice!
Around 11AM, we took the Peak Tram up to Victoria's Peak. This is the highest point in Hong Kong and it overlooks the entire city. This was really neat. The Peak has been a tourist destination for 80 years! Although before the Tram was built they used to carry
people up in big bamboo carts. It would cost more money depending on how many people would carry you - 2, 4, etc. I can't even imagine this, as it felt extremely steep when we were going up in the Tram! Per Chris Wiatrowski's suggestion, we ate at The Peak Lookout. This was such a cute place, it reminded us very much of the gardens at Tavern On The Green in NYC...however, the food was much better! Jeff got ribs, which I think were actually ribs, so that was good! Victoria Peak has a TON of shopping, so we picked up a few souvenirs - 4 Asian Silk Bath Robes, 1 Asian Silk Dress, 1 Oil 
Painting, and a pair of sunglasses all for $100USD! Hong Kong is less expensive if you find the right spots!
After we departed the Tram, we hustled to get back to the Peninsula. We had reservations for afternoon tea, which is a big deal here! People from all over come to the Peninsula for afternoon tea, so much that you have to make reservations in advance for a table. It's also listed as one of the top things to do in Hong Kong. Because it's Christmas time, they have live music every afternoon that accompanies tea. Tonight we had a girls choir, which was absolutely wonderful. They sang Christmas carols as we drank our tea and munched on our finger foods.
After tea, we decided to do some exploring. We walked to the Temple Street Night Market and the Ladies Market, which is about 7 blocks from our hotel. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE this was! It was exactly how you would imagine...crowded, all kinds of weird stuff, some good/some bad, and a ton of eateries along the way. Lots of purses, silk, hair ornaments, shoes, belts, trinkets, etc. The local eateries are interesting - raw fish, raw fish, raw fish....and not the kind
of raw fish I like! We saw many people eating fish out of the shell and they could actually choose which fish they wanted to eat, from a bucket on the street.
This was our last full day in Hong Kong. We leave tomorrow at 12:30 for Chiang Mai, Thailand. I am so excited for this destination!
Here are some interesting facts we learned about Hong Kong from our cab driver today:
-Hong Kong inhabits 6.9 Million people, which is a lot considering that only 25% of their 426 sq miles is developed. That's a lot of people per developed square mile! Kowloon and Hong Kong Island make up almost 50% of the population!
- The population is growing rapidly - roughly 45K more people each year. 95% are Chinese.
-Hong Kong's tallest building is 82 stories high. There are skyscrapers everywhere bc vacant land within the bigger districts is limited. They are building up vs across in order to keep up with its increasing population. Literally, the people here live on top of each other.
-Hong Kong is 75% Buddhist and 25% a mix between Christian, Catholic, and Islamic. Weird thing is that there are Christmas lights, trees, carolling everywhere! Are they doing this for the tourist population? We aren't sure - bc most of them are practicing Chinese Buddhists...very peculiar.
-Hong Kong is trying to adapt to the American culture, so the government has asked people to work harder, which means Monday - Friday, with a half day on Saturday!
-11 Million Chinese tourists visit Hong Kong each year
-They are being very aggressive with "staying green" 40% of their land has been set aside for parks and natural recreation.
We haven't downloaded pictures yet, but we will soon and add them to this posting.
Till next time...
Around 11AM, we took the Peak Tram up to Victoria's Peak. This is the highest point in Hong Kong and it overlooks the entire city. This was really neat. The Peak has been a tourist destination for 80 years! Although before the Tram was built they used to carry
people up in big bamboo carts. It would cost more money depending on how many people would carry you - 2, 4, etc. I can't even imagine this, as it felt extremely steep when we were going up in the Tram! Per Chris Wiatrowski's suggestion, we ate at The Peak Lookout. This was such a cute place, it reminded us very much of the gardens at Tavern On The Green in NYC...however, the food was much better! Jeff got ribs, which I think were actually ribs, so that was good! Victoria Peak has a TON of shopping, so we picked up a few souvenirs - 4 Asian Silk Bath Robes, 1 Asian Silk Dress, 1 Oil 
Painting, and a pair of sunglasses all for $100USD! Hong Kong is less expensive if you find the right spots!
After we departed the Tram, we hustled to get back to the Peninsula. We had reservations for afternoon tea, which is a big deal here! People from all over come to the Peninsula for afternoon tea, so much that you have to make reservations in advance for a table. It's also listed as one of the top things to do in Hong Kong. Because it's Christmas time, they have live music every afternoon that accompanies tea. Tonight we had a girls choir, which was absolutely wonderful. They sang Christmas carols as we drank our tea and munched on our finger foods.
After tea, we decided to do some exploring. We walked to the Temple Street Night Market and the Ladies Market, which is about 7 blocks from our hotel. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE this was! It was exactly how you would imagine...crowded, all kinds of weird stuff, some good/some bad, and a ton of eateries along the way. Lots of purses, silk, hair ornaments, shoes, belts, trinkets, etc. The local eateries are interesting - raw fish, raw fish, raw fish....and not the kind
of raw fish I like! We saw many people eating fish out of the shell and they could actually choose which fish they wanted to eat, from a bucket on the street.This was our last full day in Hong Kong. We leave tomorrow at 12:30 for Chiang Mai, Thailand. I am so excited for this destination!
Here are some interesting facts we learned about Hong Kong from our cab driver today:
-Hong Kong inhabits 6.9 Million people, which is a lot considering that only 25% of their 426 sq miles is developed. That's a lot of people per developed square mile! Kowloon and Hong Kong Island make up almost 50% of the population!
- The population is growing rapidly - roughly 45K more people each year. 95% are Chinese.
-Hong Kong's tallest building is 82 stories high. There are skyscrapers everywhere bc vacant land within the bigger districts is limited. They are building up vs across in order to keep up with its increasing population. Literally, the people here live on top of each other.
-Hong Kong is 75% Buddhist and 25% a mix between Christian, Catholic, and Islamic. Weird thing is that there are Christmas lights, trees, carolling everywhere! Are they doing this for the tourist population? We aren't sure - bc most of them are practicing Chinese Buddhists...very peculiar.
-Hong Kong is trying to adapt to the American culture, so the government has asked people to work harder, which means Monday - Friday, with a half day on Saturday!
-11 Million Chinese tourists visit Hong Kong each year
-They are being very aggressive with "staying green" 40% of their land has been set aside for parks and natural recreation.
We haven't downloaded pictures yet, but we will soon and add them to this posting.
Till next time...
1 comment:
It sure looks like your having a great time . I have a new destination to add to my list! We miss you, but know you are enjoying every minute of your honeymoon. Since it will be Christmas Eve when you get up, enjoy the day. We are all ready for Christmas, just did all the grocery shopping, so now on to cooking.
Merry Christmas, love MOM xoxoxoxoxo
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