My first day was spent exploring the Central District, Hong Kong's business area. Got up early and watched the nearby medicinal shops set up with the help of their cute shop cats.
Visited parks to watch people practice their morning Tai Chi and wandered alley ways checking out street art. Visited Man Mo temple, sandwiched by high rises, and then took the mid level escalators just to see where they went, stopping to explore a mosque and some side streets. Wandered into the zoo and botanical garden on the way back down and hit up an art gallery showing an exhibit by a favorite artist of mine (Vik Munoz of the documentary Wasteland). Wandered the antique shop area and stopped for lunch at Dim Sum Square on Jervois Street. Headed to the Peak Tram to ride up to Victoria Peak. Long lines of people pushing and shoving, but luckily my Octopus Pass made it so I didn't need to buy a ticket and I got to cut part of the line. 
Took a hike around the peak along Lugard Road which was full of plant, bird, and butterfly information. Enjoyed my first Hong Kong eggette, this waffle cone made with a fluffy, thick waffle instead of hard cone with a scoop of mango ice cream and syrup. Enjoyed the free views from the top of Peak Galleria to watch the sunset and the nightly city light show before heading back. 
Didn't eat at the overpriced tourist restaurants at the Peak, so I stopped in an alley way and found plastic tables and chairs set up for dinner at a little place with a menu I was unable to read. When they came to take my order, I just pointed to whatever the guy behind me was eating and said "That!" I ended up with yummy noodles and some kind of seafood... cuttlefish, I think? Feet and legs are tired after walking 15 miles around the city, I headed back to my hotel to plan out my next day.
The next day, it was sunny and warm. I decided to get out of the city and head to Lantau Island. Took the subway to Tung Chung and then a bus to Tai O stilted fishing village. The island is so lush and green! I felt an instant weight lifted on the bus trip while admiring the view over the hills and around curvy roads. It was nice to escape the city hustle and bustle. 
I arrived before the hordes of tourists and jumped on a local boat tour with four other Chinese women to see the village from the water and to try spot a pink dolphin. Alas, the pink dolphin remains elusive after my many attempts in many countries to no avail (this search only cost me $3.90, so worth it I guess). 
Wandered the little village, which is a sharp contrast from the city. No cars, only bicycles and boats. Stopped for a yummy street lunch of grilled seafood (mochi fish cake, scallops, garlic oysters). I then walked across the long pier and behind another village for a quiet hike to the Man Cheung Po waterfall and "infinity pool" which is really water reservoir. 
Supposedly no swimming, although the two government official guys had a life saver buoy, which I presume they would only need if someone was swimming? I thought about trying to sneak a soak in as it looked so inviting, but thought better of it as I am still trying to preserve my run of not ending up on the TV show "Locked Up Abroad." I had the place to myself for a few minutes and only passed a few people on the hike.
Hard to believe in a place this populated, you can get away from it all. There also appears to be a hiking trail all the way around the island with some nice camp sites. Maybe some day I can come back with my hiking gear and camp out. By the time I got back to Tai O, the hordes of tourists had arrived and the line for the bus back to the subway was super long. I took a chance and opted for another bus, sans line, to the halfway point Ngong Ping. 
Another tourist attraction, there is a big Buddha statue and monastery there, but the tram is shut down for repairs. I was going to skip the trip to the top, but there weren't as many tourists as I was expecting (close to closing time and I think everyone started here and then headed to the fishing village). It was fun to walk up all the stairs for a lookout and see the big statue. Grabbed a bus back to the subway and then the subway to the Jordan station to check out the Temple Night Market and grab dinner. Stopping at the first place I found for food (partially because I was afraid to turn down the yell-ey lady when she shoved a menu in my face and ordered me to sit), I enjoyed a yummy dinner at The Spicy Crab. Met a nice Australian guy in town for business, who sat at a table next to mine and he showed me around the market after dinner. He showed me the little fruit and veggie food stalls, and I looked for mangosteens with no luck, as most were closing up. While we all know I am generally a bit of a loner when I travel, we agreed to meet up the next day, as he is super nice, easy going and up for adventure and he seems to like food and ice cream as much as I do!Day three was spent exploring the city on the other side of the harbor. Met up with my new friend on Jordan Street close to where we parted the night before and then headed to Tsim Sha Tsui. We walked through a city park that had flamingos (and I saw a cute turtle) and just enjoyed the randomness of the city. We visited the Avenue of Stars (well, Garden of Stars as the Avenue was under construction and had been moved) and took silly pictures with the Bruce Lee sculpture. We grabbed dim sum at the Hello Kitty restaurant, where all food is shaped like Hello Kitty and I could check "Eating Hello Kitty's face off" on my to-do list (don't even ask... I have no idea how that even got on the list).
We then headed to Mong Kok to check out the variety of markets. Hit up the flower market full of orchids and some bonsai and such, a bird market full of old men selling caged birds, the ladies market full of clothes and purses and stuff and the goldfish market.
Between my last work week and all the exploring, I was all tuckered out and nap time was in order. Then later that evening, we headed back to the Central district to catch the slow ferry to Cheung Chau Island. It was drizzling a little, but we sat at the upstairs at the back of the ferry and I enjoyed the view from the ferry as the city lights got further away. 
We arrived in a cute little town and found the small restaurant I had heard about. But we ended up getting denied. They don't speak much English and not sure if it was too close to closing time or they only had reserved big family tables on a Sunday? No worries, we found a little spot on the water to enjoy a yummy seafood dinner. Garlic scallops, spicy chili black bean crab, curry prawns, and seafood fried rice left me full, yet again. But oh boy, it was all dee-licious! Explored the little town a bit before it was time to catch the fast ferry back to the city.
The next day, I was invited by the Australian on a huge yacht, as the yacht was being moved to a different harbor for the cleaning and clearance for customs and transport case to be made. We took the subway to Kwun Tong and then a taxi to the harbor where the yacht was moored. 
We met up with the Hong Kong yacht brokers and driver of the boat and we all headed out. It was a cloudy morning, but I always enjoy being on the water. It was neat to see a different view of Hong Kong from the water as we passed a couple of fishing boats near the rocky shoreline, a golf course, and an amusement park. We arrived at our destination, Aberdeen Harbor, around lunch time. 
A small boat with a "take-away food" came over and sold our driver some soup noodles, made on the little boat kitchen. It reminded me of the women who sold pho along the Mekong River Floating Markets, as they row up to your boat and hand you a steaming bowl of soup. 
The huge yacht was completely pulled out of the water into a warehouse and there was a quick business meeting. The yacht brokers then treated us to lunch at this nearby fabulous restaurant called Jumbo on the water. Dim sum lunch was delicious, especially the roast duck. 
We went back to check out the boat progress and then bussed back to the Central district. Later, we returned to the Temple Street Night Market for dinner and walked around enjoying the lights and night city scene. I took in all the neon lighting, as I had read an article a few years ago that the iconic neon lighting was slowly creeping out of the Hong Kong streets and being replaced by LED lighting. The city streets are a strange, constant mix of old and new. We looked for ice cream, but were sadly unsuccessful.My last day was spent wandering the Central district and near my hotel, grabbing last minute things and packing. The Australian and I met back up in the evening for my last eggette waffle ice cream. Headed up the Central mid-level escalators, which are supposedly the world's largest escalator system. We ended up in the SoHo, which stands for South of Hollywood Road. The area is full of little bars and international food (and it seems lots of ex-pats). We stopped at a little corner bar for a beer and then choose a Greek restaurant, where I had amazing lamb chops... mmmm, lamb! Lovely last night in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is like an enormous playground with lots to look at/see/and do, and was a perfect week-off adventure.
And now, back to work. Hong Kong trip photos are online or you can view them as a slideshow.
Love,
Betsy
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