Day 38 - Exploring Hong Kong
Stanley Market
Today we were booked on a tour of Hong Kong Island. It was certainly well worth it as not only was it informative, the tour guide was a genuinely funny person and had us in hysterics for most of the trip. For those not in the know, of which we were one, Hong Kong is 1 of many Islands that make up what is generally known as the province of Hong Kong. The name Hong Kong actually stands for fragrant harbour. The Island that our hotel is on is called Kowloon which stands for 9 dragons as it is believed that 9 dragons live in the mountains behind the city and protect the city from evil. Another interesting fact is that the Chinese believe that our children are actually enemies from a previous life reincarnated and sent to us a a means of making good before we pass on to the next life. This may actually explain a lot.
Whilst we are on facts, whilst driving to our first destination we passed a cemetery. Our guide explained to us that graves are leased for only 7 years. It is believed that there are 7 tests that the deceased need to pass before moving onto the next life. Once these tests have been completed (ie after 7 years), it is believed the soul has moved on so the bodies are exhumed, cremated and the ashes provided to the family for disposal.
Our first stop was the floating village in Aberdeen. Here the old ways are still maintained with the fishermen living on house boats on the river with Sampans used as a type of water taxi. As part of the tour we had a chance to hire a Sampan and take a tour of the floating city. This certainly was an eye opening experience and gave you an appreciation for the life we lead and how lucky we are.
Just up the road from the floating village was a jewellery factory where some award winning pieces of 18ct, 14ct and 9ct white and yellow gold jewellery are produced. This was always going to be a dangerous visit and we ended up making a reasonable donation to the Hong Kong economy. We received a tour of the factory including a demonstration of the process from design to final product before being strategically ushered into the showroom and the waiting sales staff. Jacq noticed a very nice Chinese Zodiac pendant (she was born in the year of the snake) so after some negotiation a deal was struck and she is now the owner of some more gold and diamonds.
After the jewellery wholesalers we made our way to one of the famous open markets called the Stanley Markets. This is situated in Stanley bay and is a great place to buy lots of branded goods (not all genuine of course) at a reasonable price. You do need to be careful with what you buy and I think the guide put it best: "You can buy polo shirts for $10 HKD that will last at least 3 generations; well 3 generations of washes at least..." We walked around, grabbed some lunch in a restaurant with a beautiful view of Stanley Bay before getting back on the bus.
We then headed for the hills and up to Victoria Peak to check out both North and South Hong Kong Island. The weather and a recent typhoon has left the sky extremely hazy and visibility is extremely limited so although the destination was exceptional, the views were not the best as the haze was thick. We were able to see varying buildings and take some snaps however it would be great to go back on a clear day as it would be simply amazing. Our transport back down the mountain was via a cable tram which led to an interesting ride as at times the terrain was very steep.
Having survived the tram trip down we then boarded the bus and were taken back to the hotel. As above, it was great to do the tour as we learned a lot more about Hong Kong, the islands, the culture and soem very interesting facts. As the temperature at the moment is low 30's with >90% humidity it is extremely hot and sticky so we were glad to get back to the hotel room for some air conditioning.
The afternoon was spent with me helping Zac create his games page and Jacqui and Talia hitting the gym for a workout. Post that we all hit the pool for another swim and more relaxation. In the evenings in Hong Kong there is an amazing 15 minute light and laser show that takes place across Victoria harbour and includes buildings set along the harbour on both sides being Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. We headed down to the waterfront to catch a glimpse of the show. It was an amazing light show and rather than select specific photo's, I have created a new page where you can view them all.
Today we all struggled with jet lag and at varying times were ready for a sleep however we managed to stay awake. An early night is in order tonight with a sleep in tomorrow morning to help adjust. As Jacqui, Talia and Zac all had a snooze yesterday afternoon, they were all awake at 3.30am this morning and did not get back to sleep until after 4.30am so hopefully they will sleep through tonight. The good news is that Hong Kong is only 2 hours behind Melbourne so if we can shake off the jet lag before we get home we should be in a good position to head back to school and work reasonably uninhibited.
Whilst we are on facts, whilst driving to our first destination we passed a cemetery. Our guide explained to us that graves are leased for only 7 years. It is believed that there are 7 tests that the deceased need to pass before moving onto the next life. Once these tests have been completed (ie after 7 years), it is believed the soul has moved on so the bodies are exhumed, cremated and the ashes provided to the family for disposal.
Our first stop was the floating village in Aberdeen. Here the old ways are still maintained with the fishermen living on house boats on the river with Sampans used as a type of water taxi. As part of the tour we had a chance to hire a Sampan and take a tour of the floating city. This certainly was an eye opening experience and gave you an appreciation for the life we lead and how lucky we are.
Just up the road from the floating village was a jewellery factory where some award winning pieces of 18ct, 14ct and 9ct white and yellow gold jewellery are produced. This was always going to be a dangerous visit and we ended up making a reasonable donation to the Hong Kong economy. We received a tour of the factory including a demonstration of the process from design to final product before being strategically ushered into the showroom and the waiting sales staff. Jacq noticed a very nice Chinese Zodiac pendant (she was born in the year of the snake) so after some negotiation a deal was struck and she is now the owner of some more gold and diamonds.
After the jewellery wholesalers we made our way to one of the famous open markets called the Stanley Markets. This is situated in Stanley bay and is a great place to buy lots of branded goods (not all genuine of course) at a reasonable price. You do need to be careful with what you buy and I think the guide put it best: "You can buy polo shirts for $10 HKD that will last at least 3 generations; well 3 generations of washes at least..." We walked around, grabbed some lunch in a restaurant with a beautiful view of Stanley Bay before getting back on the bus.
We then headed for the hills and up to Victoria Peak to check out both North and South Hong Kong Island. The weather and a recent typhoon has left the sky extremely hazy and visibility is extremely limited so although the destination was exceptional, the views were not the best as the haze was thick. We were able to see varying buildings and take some snaps however it would be great to go back on a clear day as it would be simply amazing. Our transport back down the mountain was via a cable tram which led to an interesting ride as at times the terrain was very steep.
Having survived the tram trip down we then boarded the bus and were taken back to the hotel. As above, it was great to do the tour as we learned a lot more about Hong Kong, the islands, the culture and soem very interesting facts. As the temperature at the moment is low 30's with >90% humidity it is extremely hot and sticky so we were glad to get back to the hotel room for some air conditioning.
The afternoon was spent with me helping Zac create his games page and Jacqui and Talia hitting the gym for a workout. Post that we all hit the pool for another swim and more relaxation. In the evenings in Hong Kong there is an amazing 15 minute light and laser show that takes place across Victoria harbour and includes buildings set along the harbour on both sides being Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. We headed down to the waterfront to catch a glimpse of the show. It was an amazing light show and rather than select specific photo's, I have created a new page where you can view them all.
Today we all struggled with jet lag and at varying times were ready for a sleep however we managed to stay awake. An early night is in order tonight with a sleep in tomorrow morning to help adjust. As Jacqui, Talia and Zac all had a snooze yesterday afternoon, they were all awake at 3.30am this morning and did not get back to sleep until after 4.30am so hopefully they will sleep through tonight. The good news is that Hong Kong is only 2 hours behind Melbourne so if we can shake off the jet lag before we get home we should be in a good position to head back to school and work reasonably uninhibited.
