All day on a Chinese tour bus not knowing Chinese...

So today was the day for the big Hong Kong tour. My dad had asked me and my siblings well in advance if we'd be willing to go on one of those bus tours as a family to see all the major Hong Kong attractions. Now usually, that's not the way Will and I like to travel. We don't need to Have a tour guide or ride in an air conditioned van just to walk around landmarks in a large group. We can take care of things on their own. However, in order to appease my parents and because Hong Kong is so brutally hot and humid and many of the stops on the tour are a pain to get to via public transit, we agreed to go. I specifically told my dad though that the tour needed to be in English. Now you would think I wouldn't need to tell my dad this since he knows I don't speak Chinese and especially since 6 of the 7 of us don't speak Chinese. However, I made this clear because my dad once exposed me to days of a tour guide in Thailand, all in Chinese. Well, low and behold, we start the tour, and it is in Chinese!!!!! I was really annoyed because this doesn't make any sense to me but my dad did translate for me. For example, the tour guide rambled on and on and on at one point and when I asked my dad what she said, he told me, "There's traffic". We also passed a beautiful old school traditional building and when I asked him what it was, he replied, "an old house". So while I don't know any fun tidbits or facts about today's stops but there are many fun pictures.

First we stopped at the Expo Center on Hong Kong island. We saw beautiful views of Kowloon and saw this sculpture China gave to Hong
Kong when it became a S.A.R.









Next, we jumped back on the bus and rode it up the mountain to the Peak. The peak is a tower of shops, restaurants, and an observation deck that is 428 meters above sea level. We were able to get some of the most amazing views. It was neat driving up because you were able to get a really good sense of the mountain geography of Hong Kong. It makes for a very impressive back drop.




On the way down the mountain, we stopped in Aberdeen for lunch. It was tasty Chinese food tat was included with the tour. Next, we went to Repulse Bay. This is the local beach area in Hong Kong and apparently was used as a base for pirates back in the day before the British were able to "repulse" them away.




In this picture I'm eating a melon flavored drumstick. It was awesome!



Near this beach area, there were also tons of Buddhist sculptures and fun architecture. Apparently each time you cross over this bridge, you add three years to you life. I found Will running back and forth a million times.




Afterwards we went to Stanley Market. It is another beach area but is more famous for the market place that sells fun souvenirs and trinkets.





Then we went back to Kowloon where we walked along the Avenue of the Stars. It is a basically like the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the stars and handprints but it is for famous Chinese actors. It is also right along the water separating Kowloon and Hong Kong island so you get an amazing view.








In this video, you can see Hong Kong's awesome skyline!

After the tour ended, we hung around Mongkok for a bit before going to dinner. We saw a big crowd of people around a video/cd store and we went to see what the commotion is all about!! The rapper Jin was there!!! Jin is an Asian-American rapper that Will and I are both fans of and even went to see once in NYC. He happens to be Chinese though and was in town for what we think is the promotion of his Chinese album. What a coincidence!





We also went back to the Avenue of the Stars right before dinner because at 8pm every night, the buildings on the Hong Kong end create a light show. The light show isn't anything spectacular but the buildings all take turns lighting up or pointing spot lights into the sky. It's also neat to see the skyline at night.




Then, we headed to the Intercontinental hotel that was right on the water on the Avenue of the Stars as well. My aunts, uncle, and cousin Cassie who live in Hong Kong took us to dinner for the evening. We went to this awesome buffet!!!! It was really fancy and it had all this delicious seafood. I think I ate 2 whole lobsters all by myself as well as other delicious yummies. It also had the fanciest assortment of deserts including all different types of cakes, macaroons, two chocolate fountains, and gelato! It was a nice and relaxing way to enjoy the long day we had!

Now we are packing up to leave for Manila in the morning. We have loved Hong Kong but are ready to head to to the beach and relax!! We are having a great time on our trip and it is only a little more than half-way over!
See you next time Hong Kong!! It's been swell.

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