Just Here for the Pandas: Breaking the Piggy Bank

Our next stop was Hong Kong. I didn't really talk about the economic situation in Lhasa, which was very poor. There were thousands of beggars in for the New Year, when generous pilgrims are at their peak. Many of these beggars work as cattle herders in the countryside. They can be quite aggressive. There is an interesting cause-effect relationship between the many pilgrims in Lhasa aiming to gain positive karma, and the multitudes of beggars hanging around the religious sites. All that is to say we left Lhasa, a mostly impoverished city, and arrived that night in one of the most wealthy and expensive cities in the world - it was quite a day.

We caught a taxi (yes, they drive on the wrong side of the road) from the train station to our hotel and were quite surprised to see that people were out at 10 o'clock at night! Not only that, there were lights on, the city was clean, and alive! Like every big city, Hong Kong has different neighborhoods. We stayed in the Kowloon area, which is across the bay from actual Hong Kong island. Kowloon has most of the glitzy hotels and shopping markets. It also has the best view of the main island, as you can see below.

Hong Kong has one of the best, if not the best, public transportation systems in the world. There are buses, subways, pedicabs, taxis, trains, ferries, everything needed to get somewhere in a short amount of time. We were only a short subway ride away from the main island, so we hopped on and went to our first destination, Mt. Victoria Peak Tram. Hong Kong still enjoys most of the freedoms it had with the British since the handover to the Chinese in 1997. The Chinese yuan can be used, but Hong Kong has the Hong Kong Dollar. It has roughly the same exchange rate, but the currency is the coolest I've ever seen. It can't be burned!!

Here's a little example about how Hong Kong is crazy expensive. Kendall got almost all his clothes laundered by the hotel in Chengdu for 42 yuan. In Hong Kong, to wash a single T-shirt cost 40 HKD (remember, they're basically the same rate)!! The Peak Tram runs passengers up the side of Victoria Peak, and at one point, the tram is almost vertical. Below you can see the tram rushing past us.

To help out a little more you can watch the video below. We're going down the peak in the video, so imagine leaning forward a good deal, and you'll get a better feel.

The tram was built a long time ago by the British, and now operates as a renovated tourist attraction. They've built a shopping mall at the top, but the real treat is the view of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, there's rarely ever a clear day in Hong Kong, so here's the best we could come up with.

As you can see from the picture, there is a suprising amount of green in Hong Kong. Beautiful gardens and parks are scattered throughout the many neighborhoods. We enjoyed walking through parks and not having to pay! They're pretty strict about what goes on in their parks. Darbie was lying beside a fountain, and a park security guard told her it was forbidden. She decided to walk through the topiary maze instead.

We did a lot of walking through Hong Kong, we got to visit the Temple St. Night market where they have all kinds of souvenirs and knock-offs, the Jade Market where hundreds of vendors explain why their jade is the best, and eat all kinds of delicious food from a hole-in-the-wall fish and chips place to a Mexican fiesta complete with a Mariachi band. There really is too much to say about Hong Kong, it's an amazing city. Darbie likes to say that the Brits learned what was wrong about London and perfected it in Hong Kong. The city really is one of the best we've ever visited.

Above is the clock tower that stands near the piers on Kowloon. Below is the Avenue of Stars with a great background. The Avenue of Stars is a Chinese version of the Walk of Fame in Hollywood where everyone has stars in the ground. Not too many recognizable names, save Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Hong Kong features a nightly lights show, and the Avenue of Stars is the best place to watch it. Once it gets dark the buildings across the bay on Hong Kong island put on a light display to music.

It's not quite Stone Mountain, but it is worth seeing. Also around the clock tower were giant Olympic Friendly Lanterns. Each lantern is a friendly performing a different Olympic sport. It was really impressive. Here's my favorite of the lanterns.
I'm not sure which sport Jing-Jing is representing here, but it's clear to see he means business. Below is shot of the lanterns all lit up. On our last day in Hong Kong we visited Hong Kong Disneyland! It was a lot of fun, though quite smaller than the real deal with less attractions of course. But, considering the good price, it's actually one of the best deals in Hong Kong. We got to meet a few of the characters in their festive New Year outfits. Another cool thing about Hong Kong Disneyland is that there is a special metro line especially for park visitors. They've even Disney-ized the train! There's just enough stuff to keep you entertained for one day, especially if you ride Space Mountain multiple times. We stayed around long enough to catch the fireworks show and then headed home. No, the castle isn't on fire. Unfortunately, Jimbo had to head out early the next morning, but we're pretty sure he had a good time on the trip. We had been a little skeptical about Hong Kong before we visited, now I would highly recommend it to any type of traveller. Although it may not be an authentic Chinese experience, it's definitely one that keeps you entertained.