Hong Kong

Aberdeen harbor sampan

We were in Hong Kong Oct 21-24 and again, just overnight, on Oct 30-31 for the flight home. While there, we toured the city on foot and by bus, visiting a temple, Victoria Peak, Aberdeen harbor, the Temple Street night market, and bid a tearful farewell to our tour group and guide.

Two systems. The first thing you notice when traveling from the rest of China to Hong Kong is that you cross a border. Hong Kong is part of China, but has retained most of its systems, including immigration, customs, and currency. The electrical plugs change to UK-style. Google can be reached. In addition to those differences, we'd moved into the Cantonese belt in China, where the names are different and strangely more familiar to my eyes, as most Chinese Americans came from southern, coastal China.

On our own. We had more time on our own in Hong Kong. And it seemed we were finally ready, too. It helps that there is more Pinyin signage and it also helped that the subway was excellent. We visited the fabulous Hong Kong Museum of History and wandered into restaurant nearby for a light lunch. It was a little awkward, as we were the only tourists in there and there was no English anywhere. We did have a few tasty dishes, but I'm sure they looked like weird selections to the completely-polite and solicitous waitstaff.

More to see. I can see returning to Hong Kong. It's modern, dynamic, and diverse. While I was ready to return home on our brief return to the city from Phnom Penh, I found myself wishing for a few more days, or a quick dash to something nearby. We'll have to figure out an excuse for another visit.

Flickr has an album of photos.