We went to a chain restaurant that also has locations in Macau. It was delicious and I will definitely be going to the one near our apartment asap. The eggplant was the best but everything was really good.
Afterward we caught the bus that would take us to an apartment owned by Angie's uncle, Tony. It's way out on the Western side of the New Territories - far away from the bustling downtown area of Hong Kong Island. (Hong Kong includes a number of islands, in addition to the part that's connected to the mainland.) It took us about an hour to get there. When we arrived, Uncle Tony met us and got us settled in. He'd brought blankets, snacks, house shoes, you name it. Very sweet guy and so cute. He's one of those people who smile constantly and with their whole face.
YouTube refuses to load the video that's supposed to go here and blogger can't seem to handle it either. Will try to show it to you tomorrow. (sigh)
As I've mentioned before, I love all the crystal chandeliers and light fixtures in Asia. Isn't this one pretty? Totally sweet little place to crash for a weekend of fun, huh? Carol and her friend, Winnie, got in super late because they'd been at a wedding in the early evening. Angie and I waited up for them. And waited... and waited...
This is the view in the morning. Despite the huge apartment buildings, it's fairly remote. Hence the mountains. We got up and grabbed some breakfast and then took off on a hike that Angie's cousin had told us about. It took a couple hours and we basically climbed a huge hill and then went back down. We all had sore legs for the rest of the weekend, but it was fun and beautiful.
People really like to write graffiti with whiteout here. There were a bunch of messages written on the guardrails, and I thought this one was especially for me, but it turns out it's just a list of 3 names. Not a secret message to me at all. :(
When we got near the top we were shocked to see hibiscus and other fancy plants. Since it was sort of barren and dry this seemed strange. (My mom has one of these and I think it needs to be watered every day to flower.) Our theory is that some of the many, many old people who passed us by are probably caring for them.
I can't explain how creepy this tarp in the background was. See the greenish-blue thing that looks like a lake? No, it's an enormous tarp on a construction site. Not sure what they were constructing.
I liked how this tree looked - half green and half burned.
And I liked this plant.
Many of the old people were walking backwards up and down the hill for an extra challenge. Carol's friend Winnie is demonstrating here.
This shrine was near the beginning of the trail. It's probably not completely legit to take pictures of such things, but since this one had the waving prosperity kitties included with the other statues, I figured it can't be too serious.
After our hike we took the bus back into the downtown area. There are a lot of lovely decorations up in HK and a number of places to pose for photos. We took advantage of this one for a quick shot. Angie is holding Carol's arms because she likes to give people bunny ears in every photo she appears in.
We went for lunch at a place nearby. I got milk tea and a shrimp dish with noodles. It was good, but not nearly as good as what you see in the background. It's toast with butter and sweetened condensed milk on top. Crack has nothing on this stuff. I wanted to order a plate just for me but Carol didn't think that was a suitable choice for an entree, so I let her talk me out of it and we just got one order to share for everyone. Big mistake.
And what shopping trip would be complete without a visit to the gourmet food section? Hello Kitty even has her own advent calendar - of course.
Tomorrow, more about our visit to Uncle Tony and the family...
Looks like you had a nice time in HK - I bet it was nice to be out of the city! It looks lovely and not cold! It's been very chilly here, but still no snow. It's a little hard to get in the mood for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteActually, Elloise is pretty into Hello Kitty right now...a handy-down shirt from Alex and a pretty cool happy meal toy helped to spark her interest. So silly.
Oh - and that toast business sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteToast with butter & sweetened condensed milk on top---never heard of that before. I take it that it is good? Will have to try it! Hong Kong looks like a more than full area! Sounds like you have a good time there.
ReplyDeleteaunt jackie