Mid-day on
Thursday I arrived in Hong Kong. Driving along the highway I was astounded by
the architecture on the waterside. There were huge blocks of apartment
buildings looking like they could house thousands of people. There were
beautifully crafted bridges that looked more like sculptures than functional
roadways. I arrived at the hotel to meet my friend Niko, who had been traveling
India and China when we last parted ways in Krabi.
He had
spent the previous day seeing some of Hong Kong, so under his guidance we
ventured out to get some lunch and then headed to get out some markets. Our
first stop was the ladies market, which lined a Hong Kong street. They sold
everything from typical souvenirs to knock off bags. The market was pretty
typical of others in South East Asia. After the ladies market we headed to the
goldfish market, which was located in the same area. The goldfish market is
exactly as it sounds. They have tanks and bags full of fish that you can
purchase. We knew we were in the right area as the rest of the street was full
of pet shops showcasing dogs, cats and other friendly rodents. Our last stop in
the area was sneaker street. It is famous for housing stores of all the famous
athletic shoe brands (Nike, Adidas, Rebook, etc.). Not only are there flagship
stores, but also stores selling a plethora of other brands. There were about 4
stores that had Toronto as its namesake. After that we headed to a different
area, to explore the Temple Street market which comes out at night. Very
similar in nature to the ladies market selling souvenirs and all sorts of knock
off name brand items.
From the
Temple Street market we walked along the busy streets of Hong Kong to reach the
waterfront where we had a panoramic view of the Hong Kong island skyline. At
8pm every night they have a light show where lights flash from some of the
buildings along the skyline. We arrived in time to watch that, although I
wasn`t that enthused by the display.
We got
another great view of the skyline as we rode the ferry from the mainland to the
island. We then reached central station where we were in search for some food.
We stumbled across this American style eatery, which included an old silver trailer
in the restaurant. We ordered burgers with a side of beetroot fries, which were
very good!
It was then
back to the hotel where I got to enjoy the luxury feeling being in a hotel
rather than the crowded hostel rooms I had been experiencing over the last few
weeks. I managed to get one of the best sleeps of my time away, which was much
needed for the busy next day we had planned.
When Niko
and I were discussing stuff to do in Hong Kong before we had arrived, he
suggested going to Disneyland. I really thought he was joking and had dismissed
the idea, but then he expressed that he had never been so I thought why not go!
Although probably not the most “cultured” day it was definitely a very
memorable one.
We arrived
at Disneyland shortly after it opened and were greeted on Main Street USA, the
sights, the smells, the sounds of Disney just like I remember it! Our first
sight was Donald and Daisy duck lined up ready to have their picture taken. So
there we found ourselves standing in line with all the kids to have our picture
taken with Donald and Daisy.
After we
got some pictures we ran off down Main St. to find our first ride. As we were
on our way the rain started coming down. We were still game for ride going in
the rain, but when we reached the ride they notified us that it was shut down
due to the typhoon warnings the rain had brought.
For the
next 2 hours as the rain fell we rode all the indoor rides Disney had to offer.
The other thing the rain brought was Mickey and Minnie out to entertain the
children (or us) who had completed all the rides. We got to have our pictures
taken with the mouses themselves!
Once the
rain subsided we spent the rest of the day running ramped on the rides and
meeting other Disney characters. As the evening fell we got to see the Paint
the Night parade and fireworks over the castle before collapsing after a day
around Disney!
Our final
day in Hong Kong was spent climbing Victoria Peak on the tram. Although
slightly cloudy, it was still cool to see the city from the highest point and
ride the historic tram to the top.
We
concluded the final evening with a visit to one of the many Michelin star restaurants
that grace Hong Kong. We went to Ciak, which served Italian food. Certainly a
once in a lifetime Michelin star experience!
It was a lot of fun having my travel buddy Niko back for a few days to explore Hong Kong with.
