Hong Kong

Today we got to go into Hong Kong, with an early start to the day. Hong Kong is a fascinating city. It is the home of mainly Chinese people, but it is so large and populous and you can see the British influence as they were a colony for so long.  

7.1 million people live in just over 1000 square kilometers. I can't say that I have a frame of reference for that number, but they said NYC is slightly bigger in area. That is equivalent to over 6000 people per square kilometer. However they cannot inhabit the whole area, so it's even more densely populated than that. One area had over 50,000 people per square kilometer. It's just crazy to fathom. Well because of this, the city is filled with over 8000 skyscrapers. The mountains and skyscrapers are in harmony together, but it is just amazing how they are built. The Chinese believe in fung shay and are superstitious  (I know, bad spelling) so some tall buildings have holes in them to allow the dragon to get to the water. Dragons are a sign of power and wealth. Very interesting. 

We started today driving up to Victoria peak. Victoria peak is one of the tallest if not the tallest point in the city to look out. It was quite the drive up there, mountainous and on smallish roads. Travis made it up and eventually back down with no issues...he's afraid of heights. There were some amazing drops down while driving. We stayed at Victoria peak for a brief period to take pictures on the overlook. 

Victoria harbor

Victoria peak panoramic 

Then we headed down the mountain on the tram. This tram was very steep at times and we rode down facing backwards. It was short, but fun. We found a very long line at the bottom of people waiting to go up, so we were very glad to be riding down, with no line. 

Steepness of the tram going down. 

Next we drove to the old shipping village called Aberdeen. We learned that when British men found the village they couldn't understand the natives when asking the harbor's/cities name. The only thing they understood was Hong Kong, which actually means favorite pier. So that's how the city got its name and why the area of Aberdeen got its name...they had to name it something different. 

Next we boarded a small boat to go get Dim Sum lunch. We ate at the famous Jumbo floating restaurant. The Dim Sum was good, lots of new things to try. 

After lunch we went shopping at a couple of markets. At the last market, Travis and I had a scroll like thing made with our names. We watched them make it. An unexpected purchase. 

Created for us...love

Finished, or nearly finished. Jerilyn is on the left, Travis is on the right.

Then eventually we went on a harbor cruise around the famous Victoria harbor. Then back to the ship. This was a full day and we were tired upon our return, but we enjoyed sitting in the balcony as we sailed away from Hong Kong. 

Goodbye Hong Kong

It was a wonderful day learning and experiencing the city of Hong Kong. 

Tomorrow is another at sea day. There are a couple of things we want to go to, which should be fun. 

Until later. 

Much love!