Hong Kong Part Two

Back to Hong Kong we went for another adventure. Our first stop was to go and see the big Buddha on Lantau Island. Bear in mind that throughout our whole vacation, planning was not of paramount importance, but somehow we always managed to get where we wanted! It was really cool seeing one of those lampposts that show the direction of other cities, along with their distance. Safe to say, we are very far away from familiarity, but we are loving every minute of it!

We had to walk up 240-ish steps to get to the top, but it really was cool. We were amazed at just how big big Buddha is! Lantau Island is really different to the stereotypical Hong Kong. There were many many trees and winding roads, and we also passed some small beaches. It was all very peaceful, a place that we could see ourselves living if we have a ended up in the Hong Kong area. In fact, it was so peaceful that we ended up sleeping for most of the bus ride there and back. We were very tired!

After doing a little bit of shopping in the Lantau Island Outlet Malls, back to the city we went! We check into our hotel, and were very pleased to find out that we were on the 33rd floor, with a really cool view of the harbor. We felt very lucky and blessed, but then realize that almost everybody has some kind of harbor view! Still, we were delighted. Our room was tiny, but we didn't mind. We had a huge window which made looking outside really cool, but our bathroom was miniscule! If we are honest, the only way to use the toilet was to turn sideways and have your legs sticking out of the bathroom door. Thank goodness it was not our honeymoon!

One of the coolest things in Hong Kong was discovered as we were sitting on the tram headed towards Causeway Bay. In the middle of the hustle and bustle of the city, we saw a football pitch that was made of concrete, but had a stand when many people could watch, and it was also floodlit. There was a game going on as we arrived, with referees and everything. As Alastair watched for a minute, he felt like he could do really well in this league, but then a spectator sitting next to him remarked that every single player in the league was over 60 years old. We could not believe it, as we looked closer we could see that indeed everyone did look old, but they were incredibly fit and played football really well. It was amazing.

We then went on to do a little bit more shopping, which was fun. Hong Kong is a really great city with a wonderful atmosphere. There is a buzz in the air with the many many people going about their business. Neon lights and huge billboards are everywhere, and there seems to be a McDonald's in every two blocks or less. At some points I think you could see 2 or 3 golden arches signs within maybe only 150 meters. But quite possibly the best thing about Hong Kong is that at McDonald's, sausage and Egg McMuffin's are on the menu all day. Wonderful.