Hong Kong

Growing up in Vernonia failed to properly prepare me for a city like Hong Kong. The city isn't that big, but has the highest human density in the world. There no typical homes in Hong Kong but only high rise skycrapers. Less than 15% of the residents own cars, so the streets were crowded with people instead of automobiles. They have a subway system that will take you anywhere you want, and a series of human walkways, etc., to get around. The problem I had was when I emerged from the subway I had completely lost my sense of direction. Fortunately, Hong Kong signs are in English and all the streets, parks, and attractions are clearly marked. To begin our two days in Hong Kong we ported right at a large mall. We literally walked from the ship into a giant mall. We got lost in the mall on our first day and took about an hour to find an exit. After exiting the mall we walked a promenade and found a playground for the kids. We rode the subway, went to a market, visited a space museum, and had dinner to round out the day. It was refreshing to be in 60 degree weather and get a break from our 2 1/2 month stint of tropical heat. On day 2 we took the subway underwater to Hong Kong island. At Hong Kong Island we got on a city bus and rode around the city and hopped on and off as we pleased. We hopped off at the peak tram and took the tram to the top of Victoria mountain. From the top of Victoria mountain you have an incredible view of all of Hong Kong. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and rainy on our day up, so the views were limited. We still had fun riding the tram up the steep hill. After the tram we got back on the bus and then hopped off to ride the world's longest escalator. The escalator is about a half mile long and moves people up the hill. The kids really enjoyed riding the escalator up and walking back down on the steps. We finished up our day with dinner at Subway and a ride back across to the ship on a ferry. The lights of the skycrapers in Hong Kong give a show every night which includes lasers and lights from each. I noticed that Hong Kong is a giant maze for the 8 million people who live there. Instead of crossing streets you go underground and use their elaborate walkway and subway system to get around. As you go through the underground walkways there are malls everywhere. Hong Kong literally has huge malls everywhere you turn. Observations of Hong Kong * There really are no buildings less than 5 stories tall in all the area we were. * There are masses of people walking in a very organized manner everywhere. * All the locals have a camera and love to take pictures. * There are signs everywhere concerned with coughing and spreading disease. Lots of locals wear the protective masks to filter out air pollution. * Most all the people we met spoke English well. * The chinese food in Hong Kong is not the same as in McMinnville.