Our last day in the Philippines was kind of a mess, so by the time we arrived in Hong Kong we just wanted to get some sleep. The train from the airport was efficient, albeit expensive, and before we knew it we were at our hostel. Tom had some great recommendations for Hong Kong and so we stayed at the Chung King (sp?) mansions on Nathan Road on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. If you want a laugh, check out this promotional video my friend made:
I love this guy. We got to our hostel, but unfortunately our beds weren't ready. Catie and I were flagging by this time, so we went down to the second floor of the Chung King mansions and got our first Chinese meal.
Sweet iced coffee and two dishes over rice (Ying Yang pattern)
Lunch was followed by a quick jaunt around the area close to our hostel. Looking good so far. However, our non-stop travels from the Philippines were starting to wear on us, so we went to the hostel for a quick nap while we waited for our friends to arrive.
A junk with the skyline sorta in the background
Nirali, Tom, Katrina, and Miguel, all English teachers in Seoul, got to the hostel around five and our vacation in Hong Kong truly began. After another delicious Chinese meal, we went down to the harbor to see Hong Kong's famous skyline and walk the boulevard of the stars. Modeled after Hollywood, various famous Hong Kongers have left a hand print on the sidewalk. Some of the best were Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. The boys were a little star crazy, but it was interesting to learn that most of the actors I think of as Chinese are actually from Hong Kong. The skyline was kind of a bust, however, as the fog was quite deep. There is also a light show across the harbor everyday at 8, but once again the fog kind of ruined the show. One unplanned distraction were some brilliant lanterns in the shapes of the Chinese zodiac next to the old clock near the harbor. I'm proud to be a rabbit!
Rabbits beat tigers
After the failure of a light show, we got on the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island and took the mid-level escalators (apparently the longest outdoor covered escalators in the world) up to the party district to celebrate Tom's birthday. As cheap travelers, we ended up spending much of the night drinking cheap beers outside the 711. There was quite a lot of revelry and numerous tourists in various stages of intoxication stumbling about. I think we threw Tom a pretty good birthday. Especially since we met this crazy partier who decided to molest Katrina during her one-beer-induced nap.
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