Hong Kong

Hey All,
Just doing a quick report from Hong Kong. We've been here for three days and not too much to tell about. Hong Kong is pretty much very similar to other B.A.A.C's .Big Ass Asian Cities).

We've been to Beijing, Bangkok and Tokyo and they are pretty similar. They all have awesome train systems (our main way of getting around) and the people and food are great!!! When I say that the train system is great, you can't understand how efficient it is!!! There are automated ticket counters pretty much everywhere in the stations so that there are no lines, there are "customer service" people wandering around to help us folk who look/act lost and the trains are simple enough that Forrest Gump could get around!!!!  I love Asian trains!!! We were able to navigate all around the city with no pain! My absolute favorite part? The Airport Express line. It is a dedicated train line all the way out to the airport (normally a 1hr drive with light traffic). The best part? They put airport check in desks at the train station!!!! WTF?! I wish NYC/DC would do the same!!! So our hotel was directly over one of the main train stations. All we did is go downstairs, check our bags at the airline desk, got our boarding passes and then got on the train for the smooth, 20min ride to the airport. That meant no check in counter, just straight to security...I swear, these people are brilliant!

For those who aren't familiar, Hong Kong is a small city/state in the southern portion of mainland China. It used to be a British Colony (until recently) but then reverted back to the control of mainland China. Its very obvious that there was a long history of British colonization here. Almost everyone speaks English and lots of street signs are in English too. Most people also speak Cantonese and Cantonese food and culture are still very profound. But to echo what Bruce says, some of my non-adventerous friends and family would really like it here. They even had a Popeye's chicken in the mall!!!!! Its half a world away but feels remarkably the same. (Except for the 20 million Asian people and the occational dead ducks/chickens hanging in windows)

MMM, MMM GOOD!!!

We got here after a hellish day of travel from the Maldives. It literally took us a boat, a plane, a 10 hour layover in Sri Lanka, another plane, another 3 hour layover in Bangkok, a 2 hour plane trip to Hong Kong followed by a 30 minute train ride. It was quite a long day. When we arrived here we didn't smell too fresh, we were hungry and exhausted. Our first day in Hong Kong was pretty much spent at the famous Victoria Harbor and then in our room.  After a nice hot shower and some noodles we were DONE! We slept for over 12 hours, which is rare for us.  I haven't done that since medical school!

The next day, we did the typical tourist stuff. We started out from our hotel, and got on the train at the famous Kowloon station. Can I just tell you, the train stations in Hong Kong are the BEST!!!! OMG! Its like every train station have a 5 star mall/shopping center in it!!! I cannot be any more convenient. We weren't even looking for shops but somehow you just "fall" into one after getting off of the train!
The train system in Asia is something we should all aspire to have. There is no reason to own a car in either Hong Kong or Tokyo! We literally got from one end of the city to the other with no problem! And we don't speak a lick of Cantonese!!! The stations are well lit, very easy to read instructions and pretty much idiot proof. Here is a picture of Bruce looking at the station map:

We ventured a ways out of the city to the Ngong Ping Village which is home to the worlds largest outdoor Buddha and a monestary. It also has a long cable car ride that gives you a spectacular view of the city beyond.

After our time there we ventured back into the city to check out the Temple Street Markets. These are local markets where everything under the sun, real and fake is for sale. It is a very gritty place (to put it nicely).

Upon entering the Temple Street Market, you are assaulted by lights, sights and sounds (some not so nice). The markets are unreal. Think of it as the worlds largest outdoor flea market/street fair with millions of people wandering around. I have to admit, it was the exact opposite of the sterility and the super clean shops markets in the "nice" parts of Hong Kong.  People had laundry hanging out of 40 story windows, there were people cleaning fish in alleys, and folk just hanging out, watching the world go by.  It reminded me of the heart of any big city. (Once again, except for the dead poultry in every window...DELISH!!)
It was still fun and I got some nice Bvlgari shades for only $5! (Do you think that they are real?...hmm?)
The plan was to eat at a local establishment in the heart of the "local" area. There were all kinds of street stalls and very "ma and pop" restauraunts all over the markets. None of the menus were in English (not too many tourists around here) but they all had pictures. I am a point and eat kind of girl...I will eat ANYTHING!!! And like Bruce says, if i'm hungry and you're in my way, you will get left (or eaten). Needless to say, my fearless leader Bruce, chickened out big time about eating in a local food stall. He gave some excuse about smelling decaying something or other.  I'm a carnivore...I have a heightend sense of smell. I could smell the good roast duck and fried crab smell OVER the decaying smell... Any good carnivore should be able to do that! Starvation is NOT an option! Anyway, we found our way back to the train station (did I mention that you cannot get lost in Hong Kong?) and headed back to the food safety and security of the harbor (for Bruce).

Picture of the famous, busy Victoria Harbor

We ended our long day of sightseeing with a big ol Thai meal (can you tell that we love Thai food?).
We are off to the Philippines in the morning, Bruce's birthplace and home of some seriously cheap eats!!!
We will keep you all posted!!!

Check out the rest of our pictures from Hong Kong here.

Hong Kong Dreamin'

Hey everyone just touching base... We have been in Hong Kong for 3 days trying to do a rush job of seeing everything.

There is not too much to say.  It is another overcrowded asian city.  Although, everything is very, very effiicient and getting around on the subway is very easy.  Listen up ladies: If you like to shop this is the place to be.  Probably a little better than Tokyo, because it has Mainland China to import from right across the way and definitely not as expensive.  When I was in High School in DC, a lot of the rich girls I knew, would come her with their mother to shop.  The reason why is that this island has been under British control since 1851 and has a very British way of life.  That means even though it is connected to Mainland China, it is very much westernized.   So they wear the same clothes, and have a penchant for consumerism just like US citizens.  In every subway stop there seems to be any retail store you can think of.... Why do you need a Cartier and a Hermes in the subway stop (as opposed to a proper store in the mall; is Cartier jewelry or a Hermes scarf really an impulsive buy on your way home from work on the subway)?  It wouldn't be there if someone was buying this crap! The shopping at the Temple Street market was excellent because you could haggle and get good deals on almost anything you wanted.  However there is a lot of fake merchandise in the outdoor markets, so be careful if you want authentic merchandise. It is very raw down there, with high rise ghettos right next to the market that look like Cabrini Green in Chicago!  This is one of the most densly populated places on earth, so you will feel claustephobic when walking or on the subway.  Carmen and I tried to find a place to eat in the outdoor market, but I chickened out.  Visions of drying laundry hanging from 40 story balconies over my fish or crab just wasn't that appealing to me!  The pollution was also starting to affect me, I wasn't feeling so good after trekking all over the city all day.  Of course Carmen was undeterred.  For those of you who know her, she was in full hunt mode, like the female leader of a lion pride, she was pointing out her prey. "Look, there is a duck in the window. Oooh, how about that wildabeast carcass in the middle of street!"  She is so greedy yall; and can be very dangerous when she is hungry.  So I made the quick decision to remind her of nice restaraunts that we saw near our hotel (they were indoors in the ac). I could tell by the look on her face, she had already imagined what she would eat when we got there, then sprung into action,
"OK let's move.  The subway station is this one block up and to the left. Get it into gear!" 
My response, " Please don't run, I have on dress shoes!"
Carmen,"Ok, you are gonna get left dammitt". 
"Ok baby I'm doing my best, you know I have old sports injuries".  I gotta make those excuses or she'll leave me for dead somewhere while she is on the hunt! You'll never starve when you're with Carmen......:)

If you are not very adventurous and want to feel Asia, this is a good place to start.  There are night clubs and shopping just like he US.  You can get a burger anywhere, and have a nice dinner at Ruth Chris' Steakhouse.  It is the crossroads between the far east and the west.  There is no jungle and very safe, with malls and suburbia.  Not my cup of tea, but I know many of my friends would enjoy this city because its close enough to the American way of life that you get almost anything you want from home right here in the city.  They have Disneyworld, Taco Bell, Burger King, and Toys R Us!  So ladies  save some room in your bags, because you will be buying a lot.  Fake quality LV purses go for $15!

What is ironic is they have a cable car ride that takes you high up into the mountains to the largest Buddha statue in asia.  Buddhaism is a religion that is very close to nature, and they shun consumerism and teach you to do without the material wealth that life has to offer. Only minutes away from unlimited shopping! Wow, what a world we live in?  Overall, I liked Hong Kong, but would never live here.  Might as well stay in NYC or Miami or LA.  This is also the first time we met any americans on the trip.  A nice couple from San Francisco we met drinking in the hotel. Shout out to Stephanie and Charles.  Good luck on your move to Hong Kong guys!

Check out the rest of the pictures from Hong Kong by clicking here

Holla later headed to the Phillippines tommorow...

Peace and Hairgrease:)