Hongkong, 8-9 November 2007

This is actually a traceback of my previous trip to Hongkong in 2005. Funny enough, when I planned to stopover in Hongkong on the way home from Chengdu, my original idea was just to revisit places that I dropped by in 2005. In particular, I wanted to go to Avenue of Stars in the evening, as well as The Peak. And it turned out that my stay was purposeful in the context of souvenir shopping since I could not find good items in Chengdu. So the Ladies Market at Mong Kok came into my list.

Hongkong has not changed much since my last visit. The skyscrapers, the food, the crowd, the markets... However, new buildings have been added into The Peak complex. One of the building has a special terrace, making it convenient for viewing Hongkong from the top of the hill. As more and more people go to The Peak, it is very crowded, especially in the evening. It took me almost 30 minutes to get into the Peak Tram. On the way back, I lost my patience and took a cab to go back to my hotel, since the queue was probably more than 100m long (and lost my HK$ 33 return ticket...)

The Tsim Sha Tsui area where all types of souvernirs are sold was still like 2 years ago: vibrant, busy, and demand high skills in bargaining. Unfortunately I don't have the latter, making my task seemed very difficult. Shopping for souvenirs is the most difficult task whenever I go. If not for some people that I love, I would not do this job... Well, I finally completed this daunting obligation, but I was not really sure I bought correct items for everyone. What I was sure was that I paid too much for every thing I bought :)

Anyway, I was very pleased with my two-day stopover in Hongkong. I could realize my expectation, I could see and admire beautiful views of this city, and I managed to make good pictures (at least better than those I made 2 years ago). The only thing I missed was someone very special to me... I wished I could sit beside her while enjoying the glamorous lights of Hongkong in the promenade... Next time, my dear...

Photo collection is at Google's Picasa web album.