Hong Kong

After Evan's baseball tournament ended on a Sunday afternoon (see below) we sent the team and some other parents on their way to the airport, but Lauren and I stayed for another 24 hours in Hong Kong. It was not much time, but we took advantage as best we could.

I had to get back to the hotel to clean up as it was so hot and I was very sweaty. After spending some time planning our evening, we went off to the Mandarin Oriental, one of the nicer hotels in "Central" for a cocktail. It was not far from our hotel, and we took the cable car that runs in downtown Hong Kong. It was quite cool.

After our cocktail, we went off to a little cafe type restaurant that was recommended. It was french and we had a nice meal. The neighborhood was quiet, but then again, it was a Sunday night. After dinner it was time to fit in a couple of touristy things to do. We made our way down to the pier and had a cruise on a replica "junk" boat. There were only a few others on the boat and we enjoyed a cruise around Hong Kong harbor (or harbour).

Finally, after our cruise we headed up to "the Peak". Hong Kong is very hilly and the Peak is an area on top of one of the larger hills that provides a great view of the city. Unfortunately, it is also quite commercialized with a mall up there, among other things. We took a tram up to the peak and it feels like you are going at a 45 degree angle much of the time.

That was all we could fit in and so it was off to the hotel for some rest.

The next morning, we got up early and made our way back toward the Hong Kong International School and trekked along a trail known as the Dragon's Back. It was a great trek and it was up and down just like you were climbing over a dragon's back. From the higher spots you had nice views of water on both sides. It really is quite nice that in such a busy city, there is a trail like this where you can get away from it all. We trekked the round trip and it took us most of the morning.

We had to make our way back to the hotel and clean up for the trip to the airport. In the neighborhood of our hotel, we were able to walk around a bit and taste some local fare. Their were local bakeries and, of course, we had to try some of the specialties. The best items were the egg tarts, which were freshly made. Lauren and I also enjoyed the local coffee and tea respectively.

Hong Kong is known as a busy and vibrant place. I know there is much more to enjoy there, but we did our best to make the most out of our 24 hours after the baseball tournament.