Part 2 - Hong Kong

Day 6 (half way there!) -- We headed to the Tian Tan Buddha and Po Lin Monastery on a nearby island (Lantau).  We had to ride 2 subways and then a 25 minute cable car (over numerous mountains!) It was a great calm ride and we got to see some men "fishing", the HK airport (which we learned was created by adding dirt to the land -- so it is man made land that it sits on!) and a hiking trail, complete with a few hikers!!!  Trevor always loves to have a map so he helped "direct" us to the Buddha! It is 250 steps to the top and we all made it! Once up there the view was beautiful....one Asian family was so enamored with Trevor they requested a photo with him (and not the Buddha!!!!) Going down the steps were a bit easier (lol) and we headed to the monastery.  As you enter the temples you are to bow 3 times and Trevor quickly abided.  We also got free Buddhism books, so Trevor proceeded to "read" them to us in "Chinese" (well his version of Chinese!!!)  The temples are always beautiful - so ornate and full of tranquility.  I can't remember why incense is burned but many people bought a bundle and lit them to place in front of the temple.  Trevor liked learning how the Buddha is some people's God and the book he had was stories about the Buddha, just as we read stories about God in the Bible. We all went back to the Ladies Market to do more shopping (see I told you we would return!) and got everyone souvenirs and more! Since it was my sister's Birthday this day - we ended the day with Haggen Daz ice cream as we watched the bustling city streets of people shopping and walking.

Day 7 --- Today we headed out to see where my dad grew up and went to school.  Since we were staying on Nathan Road (which is a popular and main road) it was only a few blocks away where Dad had grown up.  The school he attended from Kinder to 6th is still there and allowed us to come in and visit.  Just down the road from there was a "tourist" shopping area.... Everything was in English so you know it's meant for tourists! lol  We spent the rest of the day resting before heading over to Uncle David's again for the Mid-Autumn moon festival.  The boys played a version of mah-jong (which is much like rummy just with  tiles) and Trevor got some goodies from  his cousins.  After we ate the yummiest home cooked meal (I think there were 6 dishes!) we headed out to walk with lanterns (and glow sticks for the boys!)  Tradition is that the ladies carry the lanterns and it used to be a "courting night" for the young adults! ;)  We just walked around the neighborhood then headed back home!  We ate moon cake and enjoyed spending time with family.  Trevor's cousins really looked out for him all night.  I think we'll need to be pen pals to keep up with Andis and Justin!

Day 8 - Disneyland with just Trevor and me.... We just couldn't come to HK and NOT go to Disneyland, plus once Trevor heard they had a Stitch ride (from Lilo and Stitch) we had to go! No one else wanted to tag along so it was just us.  The rest of the family went to some more known markets in the area for more shopping. (if you know me this was nothing I cared about really doing! lol)  We had to ride a total of 3 subways to get there. You can guess by the end of our stay in HK Trevor was pretty savvy at subways and buses!  Anyways.... we immediately hit Tomorrowland and rode the Buzz ride 2 times, watched the parade and then saw Stitch.  It's an interactive video type thing -- but of all the people in the crowd Trevor got picked to be talked to by Stitch.  He kept saying "Trevor from TX."  Trevor was shy but LOVED that Stitch talked to him! I wish I could have filmed it! It was precious :)  We of course rode the small world ride, tea cups and stood in line to see Mickey! They have a Toy Story area and we rode "slinky dog" (a roller coaster!) After watching a few shows and shopping we rode the 3 subways back home to the apartment and then met up with the rest of the family to eat on Temple Street - authentic Chinese street cuisine! Yum!

Day 9 -- LAST full day in HK
We headed to Macau, an island nearby that is deemed the "Vegas" of HK.  The WHOLE family went (MahMah, David and his family, plus the cousins) on a hovercraft boat.  It was huge and you felt like you were in an open airplane the way it was decorated and how the seats were.  But the flying over waves reminded you it was a boat!!! It was about an hour ride there.  Once there we went to the downtown area to eat some yummy dim sum.  This place had fresh seafood in all these tanks right up front.  We got to see fresh crab be delivered and some of the biggest crab and lobster I have ever seen.  On the streets of Macau we saw a lot of dried fish, fresh jerky and homemade almond cookies!  The island was once largely a Portuguese colony so it has a diverse culture.  Since it was October 1, it was also China Independence day -- therefore a LOT of people in and around the area!  At one point I feared I had lost track of Trevor in the crowds but his cousins had him close by the whole time! We got to see a Lion dance as well as traditional Portuguese singing and dancing show.  This cool wall was there from an old church ( built in like 1850) - the place had been destroyed yet only one wall stood and has stood since! AMAZING! The grown ups hit the casino at the Sands while the kiddos went to a mid-way area.  My dad was the big winner in our family (lots of slots there) winning about 200 HK$ and I walked away with 34HK$.  My cousin won big too!  As we were coming back from Macau we got to see the fireworks from the harbor celebrating Independence day... let's just say the Chinese know how to throw a show -- as they should!! lol We walked thru a SEA of people (think NYC NYE crowd!!!) to get to a restaurant to eat and it was a GREAT meal! We finished it off with a visit to see a TMNT statue next door!!!

Day 10/11 -- We met up with David, Yuanita, Mah Mah, Yuen Ming, and Ko Chui for a last dim sum meal at a place my grandmother used to come to eat at when she was younger! It was traditional old dimsum. After that we loaded up the car and we jumped on the airport bus to meet the family at the airport.  Then boarded the plane for our 14+ hour flight to Toronto.  My head cold had really hit me this day and I was feeling horrid, therefore had a miserable plane ride.  Once we got to the hotel in Toronto I stayed in bed all night - even skipping dinner with the family. Plus we had to be up by 5 am to get to the airport on time.

Day 12 - we arrived in Houston around 11 am and went to my mom/dad's house to drop off the girls/luggage and eat lunch.  If you can believe it -- after all that traveling - I drove home to Austin that day as well!!! Needless to say I did not function much that evening - as my feet were swollen, my head was pounding and my ears would not pop!  So I was just a hot mess!  Trevor was feelin fine and already back in full steam at the house!

We had a great trip - some minor things flared up but all in all it was an experience I am so honored to have been given.  I created a journal of all this for Trevor as well -- so that in the future he can look back and recall what a special trip he was given with his family! 

Hong Kong 2012 (part 1)

What a great experience we had! We survived the plane rides, bustling city and each other! lol  Here's how it all went down......

My dad paid for all of us kiddos to go visit family and his hometown in Hong Kong.  So my sisters, parents, nephew and son loading up (with I think 17 bags in all) and headed to the Houston airport on 9/22 at 5 am.  24 hours and 3 airplane rides later (we stopped in Calgary and Vancouver) we made it to Hong Kong and our 3 bedroom rental.  The beds were hard and the one bathroom was daunting at first -- but it all worked out.  Trevor did great on the plane -- enjoying the inflight movies and sleeping!  Since we were all whacky on time we just headed to bed!

Day 2 - our first meal was ........ McDonald's breakfast - lol!!! It was conveniently right across the street and seemed easy enough. My uncle David came over to help us around town (get our "octopus card" - public transit card which coincidentally acted like a debit card at most stores too!), show us where bus stops were located and how to get over to his place.  We then journeyed over to St Gabriel's Catholic cemetery to pay respects to my grandfather who had passed 15 years ago.  The pics you'll see of his headstone are what was there for the past 15 years -- while we were in HK it was most likely demolished and his remains were placed in the wall behind it (just like the other family members from the pictures.) Because so many people are in HK the cemeteries get overcrowded so you are only allowed to be buried for 15 years, then you are exhumed and placed in a wall.  The are a handful of plots that are "grandfathered" and can stay buried (hence why a great grandparent is still buried with her headstone.)  I hope that all made sense... so we walked up (and I say UP with great emphasis) to section 62, said a few words to YahYah, bowed 3 times and placed flowers on his grave site.  If you look close at the pic of me you'll see how hard I worked to make it there.... yes I am out of shape, but I was glad I accomplished the hike and was able to share that moment with my dad! Then we visited 3 other family members, paying our respects to them as well.  After that we ran a lot of errands around town and ended the day at Uncle David's house eating a home cooked Chinese meal and visiting with Mah-Mah (Trevor calls her Taipa) - my dad's mom.

 

Day 3 - We did a lot of walking and public transit this day! We were heading to Downtown HK to eat (via the subway) and go to the Peak but didn't quite have a good "game plan" so after roaming a bit we finally settled in to have a traditional HK breakfast (fried egg, ham (lunchmeat), and noodles!)  Let's just say Ramen is a normal thing here!!! Def not something we "Americanized!" We headed over to Victoria Peak - one of the highest points in HK.  The original lookout place was there but we rode a tram up the mountain to the "newer" look out which looked like a bowl!  The view was great but smoggy!  It was neat to see and learn about the history of the tram.  We stopped into The Pearl restaurant to enjoy some seafood appetizers (crab, lobster, escargot, abalone, shrimp, oysters......) yum yum! After that we headed to the ferry to cross back over the bay and walked the "avenue of stars" (their version of Hollywood walk of fame!)  Dinner was at a place in the mall (more ramen!) and then we went to the boardwalk to enjoy the light show of the HK cityscape.  We were all very tired from the walking but unfortunately we had not quite mastered the subway and did a lot of walking to find the right subway station!  Needless to say our "dogs" were pooped and so was poor Trevor!!!

Day 4 -- Being exhausted from all the walking we got a late start, so we ate some Dim Sum brunch.  Trevor wasn't in the best mood so he and my mom went back  to the apartment while the rest of us hit the Ladies Market for some bargain shopping.  Tons of jewelry, knock off purses and more were available for buying! My sisters got a Marc Jacobs purse and Alexander McQueen (knock offs of course! but very cute!) , some Beats by Dr. Dre (again knock offs) and I got a pair of shoes! We were sure to return.... We headed home to rest before going to Mah-Mah's birthday celebration banquet.  At the banquet we met a ton of family - many who came over from China.  Lots of cousins and more! 3 hours later we finally settled in to eat but Trevor passed out! So that's why he is missing in some of the pictures!!! We enjoyed a 10 course meal.  If you ask why are the heads of things still there - it has a few meanings (to prove it is fresh and Chinese leave nothing behind - everything is possibly edible...not that anyone chewed on the pig or chicken head!) We looked goofy taking a picture of each dish but our table companions quickly understood our silliness and would pose the dishes for us!  It was a great night!

Day 5 - Ocean Park Adventures..... This is the local theme park.  Think zoo + Seaworld+ Six flags!  Complete with cable car over a mountain!  Trevor loved this place! We got to see aquatic animals, polar animals and panda bears!!!!! Plus ride a few rides! It was a busy day !

Read part 2 to hear about the rest of our adventures!!! Check out my Picasa album via your email link to see more pictures!!! If you didn't get the link comment me (email me) and I'll send it to you!