We woke up to another day of gray skies... The weather hasn't been ideal due to the effects of a typhoon that hit Taiwan, but we're trying to determine how much of the gray haze is weather and how much is smog. Although I have to say, we've been pretty lucky as it hasn't really rained much and the forecast indicated differently when we arrived.
We started our morning exploring Victoria Park where we got to see a group of elders practicing Tai Chi. We wondered east into Causeway Bay, home to one of Hong Kong's best shopping streets & packed with restaurants and bars. Even though it was 10am, we could picture the scene pulsating at night. We hopped on one of the cute double decker trams to save us some time heading west. Whether or not it saved us any time is debatable, but what it did provide was a really intense and unique experience as we were wall to wall people, packed into this narrow, rickety old tram with no air conditioning and you board from the back, but can only exit from the front. That's if you can get to the front... we immediately regretted our decision once we realized we were essentially stuck. But after a few stops, we were able to push our way through to get off. Phew! Then it was off to explore the Western district, the one part of Hong Kong that has been least effected by Western influence. We enjoyed browsing the dried delicacies for sale as we headed back towards our hotel. We detoured through Hong Kong Park, known as one of the more beautiful green spaces in the city, with rock gardens, a lake and leafy pathways. It was a peaceful escape from the hustle and a bit of a break from the heat.
We checked out of the JW Marriott and headed over to Kowloon, where we're staying for our last night in Hong Kong so we can go to bed and wake up to those highly coveted panoramic harbor views. The Intercontinental hotel offers the city's best skyline eye candy for rent with their waterfront real estate and our room does not disappoint!
We headed over to the infamous Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea and were treated to a nice bonus when NBA star Steph Curry walked in with an Under Armour entourage flanked by a ton of Asian fans and paparazzi. It was awesome to see him in person... and crazy to see the following he gets even on the other side of the world!
After our relaxing and enjoyable tea experience, we headed back to the hotel for a quick dip in the infinity pool, which looks out over Victoria Harbor and across to the eastern end of the city skyline. We watched the Symphony of Lights, Hong Kong's daily light and sound show, with a glass of wine from the gorgeous lobby bar featuring floor to ceiling windows with more jaw dropping views. We couldn't be in Kowloon and not experience the Temple Street Night Market, a mile of stalls selling trinkets, garments, gadgets and everything else you can imagine, creating one of the city's liveliest nighttime shopping experiences. So off we went to "stall" shop...
Then we headed to the Ritz Carlton, the top 15 floors of the International Commerce Center, the tallest building in Hong Kong and the 10th tallest building in the world standing at 1,588 feet. The roof top bar offers a bird's eye view of Hong Kong below and the opportunity to say you've had a drink at the highest bar in the world. Check.
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