Getting Lost in Central Hong Kong

The tranquil part of the trip was over. We were headed for the thick of it. The bright lights and crowded streets of Central Hong Kong.

We stayed in Kowloon, which is across the harbor from Central HK, but turned out to be the best location for all the street markets. I was even able to find a book shop right across the street from our Airbnb. I tried to limit myself, but  I think I bought at least four.

Eating out was tricky. Not everyone took credit cards, so unless you had HK dollars, you were out of luck. (I had to eat McDonald’s at one point after running out of cash!)

We enjoyed the tourist life and hopped on a tour bus. We explored Kowloon the first day which helped us get our bearings in the city.

It reminded me of my New York weekend years ago, seeing the city from a bus.

I had no idea what to expect from Hong Kong. It wasn’t until just before I left that I even realized it wasn’t part of China. The buses came with headsets with preset narration for at least ten languages.

Victoria Harbor was pretty impressive. I love how close the hills are to the city.

If this tall building looks familiar, that’s because you’ve seen it before! This is the building Batman jumps from in The Dark Knight. Vigilantes have no jurisdiction, right?

Central Hong Kong felt overwhelming at times. There were so many places to look (most of them up)!

Speaking of looking up, we took a trolley up the hillside (this was mega steep, and they packed the trolley full of people!!). There was an entire shopping center plaza at the top. After a zillion escalators, you are finally at the top of the building and able to enjoy the beautiful cityscape and harbor.

Coming back down the hill, we had two more destinations before collapsing into bed. We were headed for the Man Mo Temple via the longest, covered, outdoor escalator in the world. It stretches 2624 feet, climbing 442 feet in elevation taking all of twenty minutes. Go watch this video, which shows you quite a lot of Hong Kong. If you just want to see the escalator, start at 38:42.

After exiting the escalator, we were slightly lost, but luckily a nice man sensed our confusion and directed us in the right direction of the temple.

Man Mo Temple was nestled in the city, hardly noticeable if you’re not looking for it. We knew we were getting close once the wonderful aroma of incense floated by.

The rest of the trip wasn’t planned. Just free wandering, which I love. I explored the Temple Street Market, which was mostly food.

Then got a foot massage (which somehow became a neck/back/upper thigh one?) for super cheap. It felt great, once I got over the whole stranger-touching-me thing.

I really should’ve bought this shirt. Not only is this my favorite movie and album of The Beatles, but one of my favorite scenes! The artwork is terrible, but charming. I couldn’t do it though. I don’t wear pink.

As I searched for the Jade market, I came across this sign!
It was such a nice little bit of home.

My final day was spent in the Ladies Market. It was mostly clothes and jewelry, but I managed to stay focused and only get what I needed. (which was a new pair of sunglasses – I had broken two pairs already – a piece of art, and a jade bracelet for mom)

My bartering skills were pitiful at the beginning of the day, but by the end I was a pro. I paid the same amount of money for my painting as I did for sunglasses in the morning. It was fun!

I never thought I would see so much of Asia before Europe. I never had much knowledge or desire to explore any of it. I’m glad I did though. I can now say I’ve walked alone in the busy streets of Hong Kong, window shopped in Seoul mere miles from the North Korean border, and danced the Bachata in a Japanese motown bar. Life is funny and special and fragile, and I’m trying to be more grateful each day I experience something new.

The Magic of Disneyland Hong Kong

I never thought I would go to one Disney Park in my lifetime, let alone four. I have so much good to say about Disneyland Hong Kong. Forget the U.S. parks, this one is amazing.

I relented and took a photo with the old boss. They were so cute and the line was short.
Disney-Regular Note: There are no ‘cut offs’ to lines here. They have breaks every 15 minutes!

This must be Sleeping Beauty’s Asian Holiday home…

One of my favorite parts of the park was Fairy Tale Forest hosted by PANDORA. It was perfect for little ones with tons of interactive storytelling and a meet and greet with Tink.

Mystic Manor is Hong Kong Disneyland’s version of The Haunted Mansion. I loved the story line and characters. I hope they make a movie about it! The little monkey is adorable! There was a callback to Haunted Mansion hidden in one of the galleries, the staring busts!

Something brand new that was awesome?? Toy Story Land!!

I felt pea-sized and ecstatic to be in Andy’s World.

Next up was Theater in the Wild for The Festival of the Lion King. This varied slightly from the WDW version in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. They had the same floats (perhaps a bit fancier) but instead of an interactive circus performance, they told the entire story of The Lion King. I was so happy to see Scar (who looked great) sing Be Prepared with the hyenas.

Everything was beautiful and the dancers were so great! The singing could’ve been better, but I’m guessing there aren’t many who can do The Circle of Life justice in Hong Kong.

One experience I wish would come to the States is Mickey and the Wondrous Book. This is a thirty minute production with singing, dancing, and incredible graphics. You go down south with Tiana, Let it Go with Elsa, and even witness a sing off between Rapunzel and Merida! If for no other reason than to escape the heat and rest your feet, dont’t miss it!!

One cannot leave Disney without riding Dumbo. Pretty sure it’s a rule. (oh T-Spin…)

As we snagged a few souvenirs from the gift shop, we were able to catch the end of “Disney Paint the Night” Nighttime Spectacular. Gorgeous floats with so much Pixar!!

I have become such a fireworks snob from working at Walt Disney World. If it isn’t perfectly choreographed to music, color-coded for villains and heroes, then it gets pretty hard to impress me. “Disney in the Stars” was alright, but I wasn’t tearing up about it. (anyone who doesn’t cry watching Wishes needs to ask Oz for a heart)

Overall, I loved this park. We went just after open and spent all day there. Nearly everything was walk on. If there was a line, it was never more than twenty minutes. I never felt crowded or rushed to finish an experience. It felt like what Disneyland should be, or what it must have been a long time ago. If you want to know which park is going the be the greatest experience for your kids, Hong Kong Disneyland is your best bet.

The price is good too given the exchange rate coming to about $70 US dollars. We got to do about 80% of the attractions, but that wasn’t due to lines. It was due to the fact that the kids couldn’t do some rides and most of Tomorrowland was under construction. Still though, that’s pretty high for day at the park.

Ngong Ping Village

I had one last trip to take before ending my time in South Korea and Hong Kong seemed like a good choice. That’s the greatness of Asia, everything is so close together, flights are always going to be fairly cheap.

My first adventure was riding a 3.5 mile long gondola over the mountains.
It was real high folks. It’s $255 HKD to ride the Ngong Ping 360, which is about $32 US dollars. The exchange rate made me feel like a Queen.

Ngong Ping Village is host to many tourist traps (yes, there’s a Starbucks), but its main attraction is the Po Lin Monastery.

I loved listening to the monks chanting and singing. So soothing.

It is home to more than 10,000 Buddhas, including Tian Tan Big Buddha, which rests atop Mount Muk Yue and standing 34 meters high (111.5 ft). I saw the golden room of Buddhas and it was breathtaking, but photos weren’t allowed. (cough-google-cough)

No, it wasn’t fun climbing 268 steps.

But the view overlooking the monastery was beautiful.

You can go inside the structure and learn more about Tian Tan and its history. It’s not that old, finishing construction in 1989.

The Big Buddha is surrounded by six smaller bronze statues known as The Offering of the Six Devas. They represent the six perfections: generosity, morality, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. 

I didn’t fully grasp just how big it was until I saw it from the gondola.

This turned out to be my favorite part of the trip. I prefer seeing the nature/architecture of a city, rather than the city life, but for the first time ever, I was just along for the ride and the itinerary had other plans. But, lucky for me, our next stop was Hong Kong Disneyland Park!