AK/MN Friends Contingent Asia Tour

I'm getting behind here, time to catch up!  Back in time to December...  This year we didn't go back to the US for the holidays in order to maximize our last months here in HK, but instead great friends came to spend the holidays with us!  Tanya, Alana and Tony (and their two kids girlchild "G" and boychild "K") spent over a week with us (after an actual first stop in Japan for a week).  We became friends in college in Alaska, and years later ended up living within a one mile radius of each other in South Minneapolis, and now have great memories to share from Asia adventures. 

By now we are experienced tour guides and lined up all of Hong Kong's greatest hits, but before the tour starts, you have to start the day with a cup of coffee.  Esme wastes no time settling into laps of people she's just met (since she doesn't remember them two years ago in MN) and stealing glasses.

The first stop of the touring was the Jade Market.  The funny part is that when polled prior to the trip, no one selected the Jade Market to be on the itinerary, yet somehow in a matter of days we ended up here two times!  (maybe it was three?) Pretty things!  Bargains to bargain for!  What's not to like? 

One cool, rainy day we fit in a trip to the Wong Tai Sin Sik Sik Yuen Temple before dim sum lunch, and us three born in the year of the rabbit (what a great year) had to pose with our zodiac statue.

I had to stop by the office for the afternoon, but the travelers amused themselves with Bruce Lee and a harbor cruise on the pretty Aqua Luna boat (no pics! didn't anyone take a pic of the pretty boat for me to see?)

On another day we checked out the Tai O fishing village that we hadn't been to before.  It's famous for its residents living in houses on stilts over the water--the Venice of Hong Kong, kind of.  But first you walk through the marketplace mostly filled with dried seafood stalls, not the greatest smelling place, as Esme and K were sure to let us know.

That is one big dried piece of seafood.

 

 

 

We walked through the village and along the coastline to the far side and then looped back to our starting point on a local boat.

But not this boat...

Or this boat...

 

This boat.

 

 

Then from Tai O we wound our way up in taxis to the Big Buddha for lunch, Buddha sighting and then the cable car ride down.

 

 

The kids had a blast with each other and I love this pic of them dancing on a table, even though in real life the volume and energy level was less endearing.  Esme insisted on wearing a reindeer antler headband all day.

 

 

 

Turns out I'm the enlightened one...

We rode the cable car down and the timing was such that when we started, the sun was just beginning to set, and it was dark by the time we got down to the bottom, which made for a pretty ride.

 

 

The kids enjoyed the ride and Esme loved it so much she was French kissing the gondola.

 

The last full day of their visit in HK we shuttled the kids off to a movie with babysitters while the grown ups went out for Spanish buffet "brunch" (in quotes because it was 2pm, HK doesn't follow normal brunch timing) with free flow cava (as in bottomless, but definitely not free), bloody Mary's, a DJ, a meat parade, dishes thrown on the floor for flair, and a dessert parade.  Love that place.

 

Then we rolled our full bellies out of the restaurant, traded out grownup Paul for girlchild G, and hit the Peak.  We saw the view before the sun set and then sat and had tea at the top (aids in digestion) and then watched HK's lights come to life and enjoyed the night view from the Peak (my first time!)

 

It was a perfect ending for the day.  Then we went home to pack our bags for all nine of us to leave the next day for Christmas in Malaysia!  Next post...