Hong Kong with kids and friends (Part Two- Lamma Island)

On our second day in Hong Kong, we finally fulfilled another goal- hiking in Hong Kong! We followed these instructions and took a ferry to Lamma Island to try the 'Family Trail.' My friend wasn't feeling so well, they were mostly carrying their toddler, and it was really hot at 2pm when we were doing the uphill part, so they may never go hiking with me again, but hopefully they still had fun.

This outing is great in that you take the ferry to one side (Yung Shue Wan), hike for about 1-1.5 hours), finish at an area with a bunch of seafood restaurants (Sok Kwu Wan), have a great lunch/dinner, and take the ferry from that side of the island. I mean, really, that is my kind of hike. You could do it the other way around, too. 

It starts out with an easy walk through the town, where you can stock up on snacks and drinks, and buy a hat or two. It's a cute little town! You keep walking down an easy path and arrive at a lovely beach pretty soon (maybe 20 minutes?). 

The beach is well equipped with nice changing areas/bathrooms and some shady spots. The water was so refreshing!

After an hour at the beach, we headed up the mountain, hugging the shore. This is where it got more intense. It was HOT and quite steep, but luckily, at the top of the mountain, there was a guy selling frozen pineapple and drinks. The view was exquisite. I don't think the uphill part was more than 20-30 minutes, but I could be wrong. 

Then you start going downhill to Sok Kwu Wan village and end up there for lunch. 

I really loved Lamma Island and would like to do this hike again in cooler weather. HK just has so much to offer. 

Hong Kong with kids and friends (Part One)

Over Labor Day weekend, we went to Hong Kong again, this time to meet up with my dear friend who served with me in the Dominican Republic and her family. It was wonderful to see them and their adorable baby! We lucked out with warm, sunny days. This time, we stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel,  one of the few hotels I could find that provided 2 queen beds in a room and didn't break the bank. It's about a 10-15 min walk to Causeway Bay MTR station; they also provide shuttles to some major spots. If only they included breakfast I would stay there every time- the room and beds were very comfortable.

After breakfast, we headed to the Peak, one of Hong Kong's top tourist attractions but a place we had never been. It was a long, hot wait in line by the time we arrived, but it was worth it! Again, cool transportation options are key, and we all loved the tram ride up. I didn't realize there would be so much at the top- shopping, food, even a park and playground- and you could easily stay there for hours. What a view! I'd like to come back early in the morning and at dusk and watch the city change.

 During our weekend, we also ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Din Tai Fung, a chain famous for its soup and other dumplings. We have a branch here in Guangzhou and I just love their soup dumpling mascot!

We also saw the daily 8pm light show at Tsim Sha Tsui promenade, which honestly, wasn't anything to write home about. The view is gorgeous at any hour without a bunch of lights trying to shine to the beat!

Hong Kong Disneyland!

The next day, we went to Disneyland! We took the metro (MTR), and I'm really not sure who was more excited- me or the kids. Once we got on the special Disney line, we were beyond ourselves! 

Mango pudding!

We didn't take that many photos, because let's be honest, we were too busy having fun!

We didn't get tickets to meet the princesses for real, but this was close enough!

We only had time for a few rides, in addition to lunch and the amazing Lion King show. The park is a really nice size for small kids. It was pretty crowded, so next time we will try to come on a U.S. holiday. Overall, a perfect day!!

P.S. I know the photo placement is a little quirky. I've spent way too long trying to fix it.

More Hong Kong

Time to finish blogging about this Hong Kong trip!

We met up with our friends the R family at the Middle Road Children's Playground, a delightful playground overlooking the harbor. Then we walked down to the TST promenade and took the obligatory group photos (which of course, I love!!). The kids, who last played together when they were 2, 3, and 5 (the littlest one didn't even exist!), became fast friends immediately. Too cute.

My son took this shot- not bad, right?

We went to dinner and then split up so that they could get some sleep and we could head to the Temple Street Night Market. Our airbnb apartment was right near the market so we figured we just HAD to go. I'm so glad we did. What an awesome place!

Great shopping- we bought the painting in the upper right

So many amazing things to buy! I plan to go crazy with gifts when it's time to leave here!

Spicy Crabs seem to be the thing at this market. There were like 5 restaurants. 

Checking out the dinner options. 

Oh, Hong Kong, you are so magical....

Hong Kong 2015

D is standing where the shower is

A few months ago some A-100 friends told us they were coming to Hong Kong in January and invited us to come down and meet them. We hadn't seen them in nearly four years, so of course we said yes! They were planning to go to Hong Kong Disneyland so we thought it would be a great time for our first visit. We rented a tiny apartment in Kowloon (the side of Hong Kong that is connected to the mainland) and explored a new part of HK. The apartment was the size of my hand but we didn't mind that aspect- the hard beds (for me) and the tiny shower space (for D) were the aspects we didn't love. It is hard to find lodging for 4 people in HK that doesn't literally break the bank!

We spent Friday pm and Saturday am exploring until our friends arrived. As an amateur photographer, I could not get enough of Kowloon! What an incredible place! The crowds are intense, so we took refuge in Kowloon Park, which has a fabulous maze, flamingos and fish, an aviary, and lots of benches for resting. The weather was exquisite!

Night shot of the same place as above. HK at night is amazing!

Playing in the maze

It was chillier than expected by nightfall!

Yummy chocolate buns

Last time we didn't make it to the famous Tsim Sha Tsui promenade and only had a quick ferry ride. This visit, we rode the ferry back and forth (without our luggage!) and just really soaked in the views on the promenade. I love having bigger kids who can keep going past dark. We walked all around the city and they were troopers!

I think I'll save the rest of the photos for a future post. 

Incredible Hong Kong

Last weekend we took the train to Hong Kong and like many people before us, fell in love. What an interesting, beautiful, vibrant, place! And oh, the food! I can see why many officers go there frequently. We were there for a First and Second Tour (FAST) officers weekend, but we mostly did our own thing and joined the group for dinners.

We arrived on Saturday morning and made our way to the Airbnb apartment we had rented, right in Central. Our first stop was lunch at an American style diner. Then we walked over to the Central-Mid-Levels Escalators, and the IFC Mall. The escalators are the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, and as you travel up, the street scenes and restaurant options are amazing.




















Later we took a cab to Deep Water Bay Beach for a BBQ. The kids took a dip in the warm water. I was surprised at how close it was - I thought it took hours to drive to the southern part of the island, but it was only 15 minutes.

On Sunday morning, we decided to take the Cable car to the Big Buddha, because it sounded like a fun outing, and it was. We chose the cable car with the clear bottom, and the kids were enthralled! It's a good 20 minute ride over the bay.

Upon arrival, there is a nice (albeit touristy) area where you can have lunch and buy souvenirs. After lunch, we headed over to climb the 268 steps to the Buddha, a major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong. It symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. The kids were impressive and made it easily to the top. We were very proud of them.

(*note: if you do this, buy and print your tickets in advance. The lines were long!)

View from the top of the stairs

That night we took the Rainbow ferry to Lamma Island for a seafood dinner. It was definitely not what I was expecting, but awesome all the same. Then we headed home and fell into bed!

The next morning, we took the Star Ferry with our bags over to the train station. The whole trip (Hong Kong-Guangzhou) took more than four hours door to door. But it was so worth it.

I can't wait to go back.