Having
had a full day of sightseeing and enjoying Hong Kong it was time to
return to the hotel and find Ken and Darla who should have arrived
by now. We were looking forward to their arrival as we always have
a good time with them. We have traveled to Europe and the British
Virgin Islands with them and they share two of our favorite hobbies:
visiting the world's exotic enclaves and good food. I knew with Ken
and Darla present we would have some wonderful experiences (especially
in the eating department) ahead of us.
When we arrived at the hotel we found them almost immediately ...
standing next to the panoramic window in the hotel. |
Ken
and Darla at the J.W. Marriott Hotel |
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Night
photos taken in Kowloon
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With Ken and Darla now in tow and nighttime having arrived we headed
first for that magical ride on the Star Ferry across to Kowloon where
we walked and enjoyed the brightly lit streets from the canopy of
neon signs that cover the area. Kowloon is known for its shopping
district. You can find almost anything in the world you want there.
But, unfortunately, one thing had changed in the ten years since we
last visited. The prices had gone up dramatically. In 1984 everything
was downright cheap. You could have custom made suits of good quality
material for about US$ 175 and custom shirts for about US$ 20. Those
days have obviously passed as the prices were much higher now. I have
to admit that we weren't really in a shopping mood because we still
had three weeks left to travel and I didn't feel like lugging a lot
of stuff around with us from country to country.
Having walked around Kowloon for some time we developed a healthy
appetite and headed out to a restaurant for a good Chinese dinner. |
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Several
years earlier Ken had worked in Hong Kong for several weeks and was
familiar with the city and its restaurants. He also contacted a friend
and got an A-list of the top restaurants to visit in Hong Kong. As
you can see (right) our first dinner consisted of an exquisite Peking
Duck entree at the Peking Garden restaurant. It was excellent. With
Ken around there is one thing definite: You are going to eat and drink
the best. After dinner, feeling a bit heavy, it was time to walk it
off, another tradition following our big dinners. We headed to Victoria
Peak for some night views of the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
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Carving
the Peking Duck |
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Hong
Kong and Kowloon at night from Victoria Peak |
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Kong is truly a beautiful city and when night falls it's even more
beautiful. When viewed from the lookout atop Victoria Peak the entire
city lights up right before your eyes. |
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Anne,
Ken and Darla on Victoria Peak |
For
our next day's activities we had scheduled a private car to take
us on a tour of the New Territories. The New Territories is the
land lying between Kowloon and mainland China. This is something
Anne and I had done in 1984 and thoroughly enjoyed. We were trying
to recreate the magic of that trip and, I think, we were successful.
On our list of things to do and see were several temples, a walled
village, a fishing village and Lok Ma Chau which overlooks mainland
China.
Our
first stop would be at Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple.
Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple is a large temple located near
Tuen Mun with room after room of different shrines and immaculately
groomed grounds. One of the attractions for Anne and I are the hundreds
of dwarf shrubs that are there.
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Anne
and I standing under one of the gates
at Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple
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A
statue in front of an elaborate
rock garden at Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple |
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Pictures
taken in the garden at Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple
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The
intricate roof patterns and decorations of a gate |
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Anne
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Two
things I can never resist ...
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A
pretty girl and a Ming Lion statue! |
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Ken
and Darla in front of a beautiful glazed
glass sculpture |
Close-up
of the ceramic figures on the sculpted
wall at Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple |
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Anne
and I |
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Having
enjoyed roaming the grounds of the Ching Chung Koon Taoist Temple
it was now time to move onto our next destination, the Walled Village
of Kai Hing Wai and Lok Ma Chau. |
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