The first leg of my WW tour: Hong Kong

Our first meal in Hong Kong
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I arrived in Hong Kong after a stress-free 14-hour flight from SFO feeling completely elated and excited.  I had 5 hours to kill at the airport before my sister, brother in law, and nephew flew in so I ended up people watching and snacking on a pineapple bun, coconut tart and fresh watermelon juice.  What a great way to start my worldwide trip! As most of you know, eating/snacking is my favorite pastime.  Since we didn't arrive at the Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon CIty until 11pm, we didn't officially kick-start our Hong Kong tour until the following day.

Our favorite place: Ladies' Market-Mangkok district
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The next morning, we took a 20 minute taxi ride to Tsim Sha Tsui, one of Hong Kong's major tourist shopping destinations, to eat our very first meal. Since most restaurants don't open before 10am, we almost had to eat at McDonalds. That would have been a travesty!  I'm so glad we avoided that and found a restaurant that served noodles/shrimp dumpling soup instead.  Afterwards, we walked along Canton Road and stumbled upon Harbour City Center, where you can walk for HOURS inside a shopping mall - a perfect reprieve from the stifling heat.  This center is adjacent to the Harbour City Ocean terminal, where you can catch breathtaking views of the Hong Kong skyline.  I took plenty of photos to capture the moment.  While we planned to see more of the area, my sister quickly became ill and we ended up taking her back to the hotel.  Shortly after, my brother in-law felt queasy and both were bedridden for the next day and a half. We only had 2 days in Hong Kong, so you can imagine how unfortunate this was for the both of them.

The best thing about staying at a hotel that's slightly off the beaten path is that you get a better feel for the local culture.

Outdoor street vendors in Mongkok
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While my sister and brother in law were recuperating, my nephew (Ryan)and I used this time to explore the city and spend quality time together before he heads off to college in August.  The best thing about staying at a hotel that's slightly off the beaten path is that you get a better feel for the local culture. We roamed the streets in search of Gatorade to bring back to the hotel and discovered many mom and pop shops (bakeries, hardware stores, fruit stands, and grocery stalls) along the way.  I purchased 2 lbs of fresh lychee fruit from one of the local grocers--the woman snarled at me when I attempted to 'self-serve' like we do at a local farmer's market in the US. My bad!

Our dinner was only $6
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We eventually ended up at the Carpenter Road Park, where we took a few snapshots and then headed back to Regal Oriental. While there, we decided to have a quick drink at the hotel pub (by the way, drinking age in Hong Kong is 18). The first drink on the menu was aptly called, "Around the World" (vodka, mint and melon juice) so I ordered that to commemorate my first WW stop.  After checking on my sick family members, we took a taxi to the popular town of Mongkok.  Our first stop was Ladies' Market, where we discovered blocks and blocks of goods-ranging from Hello Kitty paraphanelia to professional makeup cases.  My nephew purchased a "Dolce and GLABLAZA" watch for $2 (you don't need to be a fashionista to know that they definitely butchered the D&G name).  After Ladies' market, we continued walking past numerous food stands, where they sold an entire gamut of food items ranging from skewered sausage to sauteed TRIPE (yucK!!!).  I couldn't believe how MANY people were out on a Wednesday night.  Many of them were locals hanging out on Sai Yeung Choi Street.  The area was thriving, and you can definitely feel the energy (somewhat tantamount to Time Square in NY).  My kind of place!  We wanted to stay much longer, but the stores start to close around 11pm so we sadly headed back to the hotel.

Capturing the HK skyline from the ferry
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On our last day in Hong Kong, Ryan and I took a taxi to Star Ferry terminal to catch the ferry to Hong Kong Central.  Once there, we walked a short distance to the Exchange square and caught the #260 bus to Stanley market.  It was a much longer drive than I had originally expected, but well worth the commute.  We passed numerous points of interest including the main business district, Deep Water Bay, several parks and so much more.  After 30 minutes, we arrived at Stanley Market.  I have to say that I was slightly disappointed - It didn't help that we visited Ladies' Market the night before.  Stanley Market is definitely a tourist spot; whereas Ladies' Market is a local hotspot.  I preferred the latter.  We strolled along Stanley Waterfront Mart, enjoyed a couple of San Mig Light beers and roamed around a bit more before taking the bus back into town.

Still groggy, my sister and Paul on our last night.
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On our last night, my sister and brother in law were able to join us for a SUPER quick (they were still a little groggy) night on the town.  We made our way back to the Star Ferry Terminal to see the HK skyline, The Old Clock Tower (landmark from the Age of Steam) and the Honk Kong Cultural Center.  This is definitely a must see!

Our stay in Hong Kong was way too short!  I definitely want to come back to visit key places (i.e. Victoria Peak, the Man Mo Temple, Po Lin Monastery) I missed this time around.  Next Stop:  My home town--Philippines.