Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a pretty extraordinary destination. From cheesy knock offs to scenic views, this place has everything and there’s something for everyone.
Our first stop in Hong Hong was to walk along the Victoria Harbor, right on the Tsim Sha Tsui East Pier. This place is very picturesque and shows you the crowded city life everywhere: there are tall buildings on the other side of the water and they seemingly go on forever. It’s a great place to take in the scope of Hong Kong and go on a nice walk. This spot is much like the walkway along the East River in New York City. I enjoyed it very much and I loved the view, and also loved taking a pleasant walk as a quick way to start off exploring Hong Kong.
We then took the Star Ferry, which made me a bit seasick, and arrived across Victoria Harbor, and took a cab to Victoria Peak. From here, we found the observatory and took a look around. This is a number one picture spot, because it’s up on 
a big peak, so you can look down upon Hong Kong and see the massive amount of buildings. The scope is pretty darn amazing. Hong Kong is just so so so big. It was a cloudy day, so it looked like it was about to rain. It was still really crowded, but we managed to get a good spot. The view was astonishing! You know how I wrote earlier that it looked like it was going to rain? Well, it did. Who saw that coming?
After this, we headed to Hung Tao Restaurant. The food was not remarkable, but we met some children who were! They were about six years old and spoke perfect English! We conversed with them a bit and found them to be super friendly. We swapped ages, favorite colors, and our favorite things about school. That was one of the best memories of the trip. Once we had filled our bellies, we headed back to the hotel for a night of good rest.
The next day, we took some time to explore the city, not just look at it from a mountain. We started out at Kowloon Park, 
a nice park with beautiful greenery and a charming little pond. It wasn’t that special to Hong Kong, but it was quite fun to run around with my brother and friends. We also took a detour to Antique Street on Upper Lascar Row, which is one of the many places crammed full of shopping stands, where we found a few 
good gifts for friends. There were interesting playing cards and wood carvings. It’s a nice place to shop for souvenirs.
We then took a lengthy walk to Man Mo Temple. This ornate place of worship took my breath away. The many candles give the temple a glow and red and gold scrolls cover up every stone wall. The place is just astonishing! I would definitely go here if you have the time.
Later that night, we ventured to the bay and got onto a junk boat from the company Aqua Luna. There is a famous light show every night, which can be viewed from the harbor, but we wanted to watch from the water. The Hong Kong light show is pretty much a bunch of buildings 
throwing LED beams into the air. There are also lights on the actual buildings. The lights also go along to music that you can download onto your phone through an app. I couldn’t see a story, but it is an iconic thing to do in Hong Kong. I personally didn’t find the light show that amazing, but the boat was a fun way to experience it. Don’t let the name junk deter you! Junk boats are a pretty well-known chinese sailing ship that my brother was researching at school. They date all the way back to the Han Dynasty. It has a distinguishingly large sail and are usually made out of wood. It’s a fun way to get around. As opposed to a regular boat, we were floating in a piece of history. Because it had to be dark to see the light show, it was past our bedtime. We headed back to the hotel, a luxurious place called the Kowloon Shangri La, and fell right to sleep.
The next day, we hopped on a ferry to Macau. We were expecting another chinese city, but Macau is anything but that! There is a lot of Portuguese influence left over from when Macau was a colony of the Portuguese empire. Now, it’s a special administrative region of China, but in many ways it feels like a Spanish country – the buildings and language and food all seem more European than Asian. Once again, the ferry ride made me sick (what is it with Hong Kong and their ferries?). Our first stop was the Ruins of St. Paul’s. This church was nearly destroyed by a fire during a typhoon. However, the facade remains alone, and it is beautiful.
Next, we explored the streets of Macau. There are large squares and brightly colored buildings in every direction. We walked by the Tap Seac Square, a landmark. It’s quite beautiful in and of itself, but combined with the buildings, it’s just breathtaking! After this, we went to a restaurant that we found on an out of the way street. I ordered grilled salmon, and it was delectable. You could really taste the Portuguese influence. The seafood was nicely seasoned with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. These are main components of portuguese dishes. After this, we took the ferry back to Hong Kong.
The day after that, our first stop was Pottinger Street, a larger version of Upper Lascar Row (mentioned above). There was a large selection of trinkets, but mostly crafts. It was amazing to see the vibrant colors of each little stall all lined up next to each other on the narrow, steep street.
We then headed to the Central Mid-Level Covered Escalators. This is the longest stretch of outdoor covered escalators in the world. We took this all the way to Cafe Claudel, located on the Barrack Block, an old prison. It is now a museum with a killer cafe´ The fries there may be the crunchiest I have ever had! (This is a good thing- they were not burnt.)
A little while later, we stopped by the Wangjiao Pet Street. This is a fun little spot to check out some cute animals. It’s much like Upper Lascar Row and Pottinger Street, just with animals, not trinkets or crafts.
After this, we stopped by the Ladies Market. This was the best market of all, mostly because of all the knock-off brands. There was Star Wart legos from Lele (not Lego) and Tuna (not Puma) shirts. My brother wanted a replica of the Canton tower, a place that we had visited earlier in the trip, and had to bargain with the shopkeeper. The vendor’s price was insanely high, so he walked away. May parents had given him a little money and told him to bargain to get a good deal. They had heard that this was part of the experience at the Ladies Market. When my brother walked away, the stall owner came running after him, bag in hand, saying she would give him the price he wanted! He said that he loved doing the bargaining.
The next day, we hopped on the train to get to the Ngong Ping 360 cable car station. These cable cars were the fastest way to get to the Tian Tan Buddha, a large statue of the buddha. The cable car provided great views and (as I would wish for later) some seats. Once on Lantau Island, we purchased our tickets to see the Tian Tan Buddha. We walked up
the steps and took a detour through the museum built inside. The buddha is 112 feet tall! It is also fairly new, at 26 years old. The views from the top were wondrous. This is truly a must see. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch at the monastery. The food wasn’t great, but it came with our buddha tickets and seemed to be the only option.
After this, we decided to walk back instead of taking the cable car, although decided may not be the right word. It was my mother’s idea. The rest of us were reluctant, but she thought that it would be a short, 
pleasant walk with places to get water and snacks. Big mistake! We barely had any water, and the walk was 5.7 km- this is about two to three Central Parks lined up next to each other. This, along with the steep ups and downs, tired me out after half an hour. The sun was turned to broil (it was 90 degrees and humid). There were large spiders. It was certainly not the kind of walk I’d recommend for people who are out on a hot, humid day and don’t have a large supply of water. Even though at some points I was questioning if I would survive, I still remember it quite vividly. After this, we took the train back to the hotel and packed our bags.
All in all, Hong Kong is a pretty extraordinary place. Most cities tend to have the same industrial look and feel, but Hong Kong is covered with ancient places and unique culture. My favorite memories are talking to the children in Hung Tao Restaurant and seeing the knockoffs at the Ladies Market. These were things that I didn’t even expect or plan, and yet they were the best. I found myself longing to be back in Hong Kong weeks after the trip. Even the bad memories- like climbing a mountain in insane heat- still have a place in my heart (kudos to my mother), and I look back on them with joy. Hong Kong had truly given me an experience that I will never forget.
