We were so lucky to have Dave and Georgia with us for the majority of April. Hong Kong, however, did not cooperate, and we had less than stellar weather with quite a bit of rain. It's kind of frustrating as hosts when your city doesn't show itself in its best light for your guests, but we still had an amazing time. We managed to do everything on our list and a few off-the-beaten-path things as well. Here are some of the highlights and things that I haven't featured on the blog before:
Sai Kung Country Park is a huge wilderness area on the eastern side of the Hong Kong peninsula It's a local favorite for the countless hiking trails, beaches, and fresh seafood. Most of the hikes are quite long, but there are a few that are kid-friendly. We did the first stage of the popular Tai Long Wan hiking trail, taking a bus to the trail head and then about 45 minutes walk to the village and beach of Sai Wan. The trail was even paved, so it was no problem for Evangeline.
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| Setting off! |
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| Views of a reservoir for the first part of the hike |
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| Evangeline, her uncle, and her stick |
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| Striking a pose as we get closer to the beach |
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| Lunch on the rocks |
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| Part of Sai Wan beach |
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| The full crew |
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Evangeline got a lift for much of the return hike, which was all uphill, poor Dave!
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| One of the few decent pizzerias in HK happens to be in Sai Kung, so we brought one home after the hike |
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| A challenge to get on the top deck of the bus, but we made it! |
We also managed a quick trip to Macau, which was lovely. We stayed in the very southern part, far away from the casino madness, right on the beach. But we made sure to swing through all the casinos, too!
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| The garish water "show" in the main lobby of the Galaxy |
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| Needless to say, Evangeline loved it! |
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| Waiting for the show to start at the Wynn, right before the security guard made E get down--"too dangerous!" |
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| The Wynn's show was more Chinese, with a dragon that comes out of the floor, a little scary for E |
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| Here we are in Europe....wait, no, that's the Venetian :) |
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| Fortifications at a cafe with our friend Victor |
Dave's birthday was going to be just a few days after they left, so we celebrated early. We went to brunch at a place we'd always wanted to go, the famous Jumbo. It's supposedly the world's largest floating restaurant, anchored in Aberdeen Harbour on the south side of Hong Kong Island. The Jumbo is also famous as a tourist trap, with mediocre dim sum at extortionate prices. But on the top deck there is a separate restaurant that is rumored to have a fantastic weekend brunch, so we checked it out. Georgia's friend who happens to work in Shenzhen tagged along.
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| You can't miss the sign for the free ferry out to the Jumbo |
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| It lives up to its name |
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| One of the dragons that guards the entrance |
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| Fun to watch the busy harbor in between trips to the buffet |
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| Before dessert and... |
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| ...after! |
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| A rain shower forced us inside, but that was lovely, too |
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| Dave making his birthday wish |
It was a great visit and it just flew by. I wish we could do it all again!
