Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Hong Kong 2009

May 2009 - Hong Kong

Toronto to Beijing
Beijing to Xian
Xian to Chongqing
Yangtze River Cruise
Shanghai
Guilin


13. Fri 15-May-09
Yangshuo to Guilin to Hong Kong, China Southern Airlines CZ3031 Dep 5:30PM - Arr 6:35PM (Economy class)
Our guide and driver will escort you from Yangshuo to Guilin airport for your flight to Hong Kong.

Friday 15-May-09 to 18-May-09 Hong Kong

We spent the day in Guilin and were taken to the airport for our 5:30 PM flight to Hong Kong.



We loved our tour guides but it is nice not to be scheduled for anything the next few days.
We check into our hotel The Royal Pacific Hotel and Towers No.33 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.




A member of our group has a business contact in Hong Kong who has kindly provided us with a personal tour guide of our own. However it turns out she didn't know Hong Kong.
We still enjoyed our time with her.






It was around 8PM when we got to our hotel and we met up with Sarah for dinner.


We found a Thai restaurant in the hotel overlooking the harbour that became our evening dining spot.








I am posting this in no particular daily order as I can't remember the sequence of events.

We did use the Hop On Hop Off to get around in the rain on the first day. We walked to the pick up spot.







The kids, hamming it up for us.










I love this sign!

We make our first stop at the Walk of Fame, Avenue of Stars. This was a great vantage point to see the incredible skyline.

You can see it was a foggy damp day.







Starbucks!




Leon Lai-ming, BBS, MH (born 11 December 1966) is a Hong Kong actor and Cantopop singer. He is dubbed one of the "Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong. He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."


And what is Cantopop, you ask?

Cantopop a contraction of "Cantonese popular music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong popular music") is a genre of Cantonese music made primarily in Hong Kong.

Cantopop is influenced by international styles, including jazz, rock and roll, rhythm and blues,electronic music, Western pop music and others. Cantopop songs are almost invariably performed in Cantonese. Boasting a multinational fanbase especially in Southeast Asian countries. Hong Kong remains the most significant hub of the genre.






We'll come across more weddings on our stay.




Jackie Chan.




 Back on board and we continue around the city. Hong Kong skyscrapers are an icon of the city. There is nowhere in the world that has more skyscrapers; no, not even New York.

HSBC quite a contrast to their building in Shanghai.


International Commerce Centre.



On the left is the Bank of China Tower and the Cheung Kong Centre is on the right.



2 International Finance Centre.



Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.





We decided to take the ferry ride.




Another wedding.



The sun comes out as we head back.







Hong Kong is one of the world’s most densely populated cities. With seven million people living within 423 square miles, space is scarce.







Wedding car.


A late lunch.







Time to stretch our legs with some retail therapy,

I love the sign over the guys' heads "Shake 'Em Buns".







 We watched the Symphony of Lights from our hotel, our photos are not great but I found a video on Youtube.


 The next day was bright and sunny and we spent it walking around.









I don't know why John didn't buy this!









We head over to Mong Kok, Hong Kong’s most congested shopping and residential district, but don’t let that scare you away. The neon-bathed historic streets that wind through one of the densest parts of the world are worth visiting - just for the ‘people watching’ alone.

The neighbourhood includes one of Hong Kong’s most popular markets, the Ladies' Market, and also has a ton of shopping streets, which are a common feature in southern China.











Time for lunch.


















We go back to the hotel and change and head out to the Irish pub we had spotted earlier.









We head home the next morning and we use the rapid transit right from our hotel to the airport, 20 minutes!!







Hong Kong to Vancouver and there is a delay in Vancouver and our friends get bumped up to business class with us. Too bad it was on the short stretch of the trip.




LOST IN TRANSLATION


6 comments:

  1. A beautiful city- and yes, it does feel quite dense. The Lost In Translation is quite bizarre!

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  2. I enjoyed your sunny day walking around photos, that is one of our favourite ways to explore. Some of that food looks inviting too. Did you find ordering food easy.

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    Replies
    1. We had tour guides with us so that made it easy to order. And pointing always works as well!!

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  3. I feel like Hong Kong will awaken all your senses. I will be looking all around, twisting and turning my head. I feel excited just by looking at your pictures. This is a place I want to visit for sure.

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  4. Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities in the world! Great pictures!

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  5. What an amazing selection of fantastic shots documenting your trip. Brought back many memories of our time in HK. Quite a few changes there, as I see!
    Thank you for participating in the Travel Tuesday meme.

    ReplyDelete

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