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March 11, 2002
Hong Kong and Beijing in a Nutshell
What follows is a day by day summary of what I did on my trip. Although I plan to write more detailed accounts of each day, I'm throwing this up as a general overview, in part to keep my own head straight on when things happened.
Day 1
Flew to Hong Kong. Arrived without a problem and was met by Mom and Sister, Sheree. Took two buses back to Grandmother's place in Sha Tin, where we stayed for the length of the trip. Had a big home-cooked dinner with family and settled in, starting the "catching up" process with relatives.
Day 2
Sheree and I met up with Uncle #7 ("U7") for some touring. We went up to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island, had some McDonald's (McWings!) and visited Madame Tussaud's wax museum. We took the bus down to Wan Chai and got some snacks and bubble tea and saw where Chow Yun Fat gets his groceries. Heading over to Kowloon, we hit Sham Sui Po around dinner time and had snake soup. We then slipped over to Temple Street for a brief drift through the Night Market and some exotic casseroles.
Day 3
My nuclear family went to dim sum with Grandmother, Uncle #1 ("U1") and wife ("A1"), Uncle #2 ("U2") and wife ("A2"), and U7 at Maxim's Palace Chinese Restaurant. Since Chinese New Year had just passed, we spent the afternoon going from house to house to pay New Year's respects ("Bai Lin") at U1's, U2's in Kowloon and later at U7's in Aberdeen. On the way to U7's, we stopped in to check out his office, which sells industrial lighting and does importing/exporting for nautical replicas. Joining up with the rest of U7's family, we had a big seafood dinner in Aberdeen.
Day 4
My sister hurled overnight... a lot. It was bad enough that she was taken to the hospital. I hurled shortly before noon, felt good enough to diddle online for awhile, long enough to retype the in-flight blog post, and then passed out for the rest of the day.
Day 5
Still affected by the digestive instability of the day before, both my sister and I spent the day in bed, sleeping a hell of a lot. According to the doctors, it was some kind of stomach flu. Very runny. TMI.
Day 6
Felt better this morning, both of us, and got some very safe and mundane toast for brunch, then went down to the Marriage Registry in Tsim Sha Tsui (in Kowloon) to witness my cousin Denise (daughter of U2) get married to Danny Chang, in the eyes of the law. After pictures, my nuclear family broke off to go shopping at New Town Plaza, a major mall near Grandmother's place. I broke off later in the afternoon to join U7 for a tour of an area in Mong Kok where they sold a lot of models, toys, and replica guns. Later, for dinner, U7 and I met up with U1, A1, and Aunt #5 ("A5") and her husband ("U5") who had arrived from Toronto earlier in the day. We had excellent wonton noodle soups that sat well in my still slightly quesy stomach.
Day 7
Grandmother's 85th birthday! Actually, it isn't. Her birthday falls on 2002.02.26 this year, but the party was held on the Saturday prior to it. Before the big banquet at Maxim's Palace, though, A6 and my nuclear family went down to visit Tseng Tai Uk ("Tseng's Big House," an ancient walled house/castle), where Grandmother and A6 used to live. We also visited a Shrine for General Che, who had been attributed with eradicating the plague many centuries past, and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Day 8
U7 chartered a bus for the family to take a tour of Hong Kong. We took a closer look at the new suspension bridge built as part of the Lantau Link for the new airport, then went to a restaurant reknown for their goose dishes. Later, the bus tour took us down along the southern side of Hong Kong Island, stopping in Repulse Bay (beaches) and Stanley (a giant flea market, lots of White people and Western style restaurants and pubs). We then took a chartered boat from Aberdeen out to Cheng Chau, an Outlying Island where we bought seafood and had it cooked up for dinner.
Day 9
Woke up bloody early in the morning to depart for the airport to fly to Beijing, People's Republic of China, with a tour group. Toured around the city by bus for a bit and stopped at Wangfujing for awhile, a popular shopping district. Saw a Chinese acrobatics show. Went to bed early.
Day 10
Stomach bug came back for a rerun. Missed out on the early morning activities, but was able to rejoin the group by mid-morning. They went to Tiananmen Square and visited Mao's Memorial. I just did the former with Mom, who stayed with me. After lunch, the group visited the Forbidden City and the Eternal Garden. The evening found the four "core" expatriate cousins (myself, my sister, Dixon, Nelson) at an American-style bar and grill.
Day 11
Visited a jade carving workshop and the Ming Tombs in the morning. Had excellent hotpot for lunch. Imodium was my friend. Visited the Great Wall at
Day 12
Visited the Lamasery in Beijing, the largest outside of Tibet. Visited the Tak Shing Gate north of the Forbidden City. Ate Mongolian grill for lunch. Visited the Summer Palace. Missed out on the porcelain workshop because of delay by other tour members. Returned to Hong Kong.
Day 13
The expatriate families (my family, A5's family, and A3) went to pay our respects to Grandfather, who passed away in 1984. Went to the Ladies' Market in Mong Kok with Mom and Sheree. Met up with Dixon and Nelson after they were done paying their respects to their paternal grandmother and the "core" went to the mall at Kowloon Tong for some shopping and to meet up with Dixon and Nelson's old family friend, Pearl, for dinner at a Spanish restaurant.
Day 14
Met up with Dixon, Nelson, and Pearl at The Landmark on Hong Kong Island and went to lunch at Pacific Place, another mall. Shopped around until mid-afternoon, then parted ways with Pearl to head over to Times Square, a mall in Causeway Bay. Rushed home within an hour to get changed for cousin Denise's wedding banquet at the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel. Afterwards, the "core" went out to Lan Kwai Fong, a popular hangout, especially for Westerners, with U7 and Jimmy (cousin Antoinette's husband).
Day 15
Saw my sister off at the airport. I was supposed to leave today, too, but I had visa issues that required me to stay longer. Dixon and Nelson also left this day, but they left later in the afternoon. I went to the Po Lin Monastery with Mom, A6 and her husband ("U6") and saw the largest, seated, bronze, outdoor Buddha. We also had some of the best Tofu Fa (sweet silken tofu) in the area. Dinner, for the first time in awhile, was home-cooked back at Grandmother's.
Day 15+1
Stayed at home and played on the computer all day. Had another home-cooked meal, then hopped out to Tsim Sha Tsui to meet up with Jimmy for drinks at Felix and Schnurrbart.
Day 15+2
Climbed down Victoria Peak from Magazine Gap Road with U1, A1, U7, A3, A6, and Mom. Ate dim sum at Jumbo Floating Restaurant. Missed the boat to take us to Lamma Island for freshly rolled egg rolls (not the same as egg rolls found in most Chinese-Canadian/American restaurants). Stopped at Times Square mall on the way home to pick up a toy and then went home for another home-cooked meal. By now, felt a lot better digestion-wise.
Day 15+3
Had dim sum with Biu Yee Ma (Mom's cousin). Visited the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence with Mom and U7, then took the tram from Tai Koo down to Causeway Bay where Whacking Day festivities were well underway. Had a quick snack with U7 and Mom and then broke off from them to head over to Tsim Sha Tsui to join cousin Antoinette, her husband Jimmy, and their daughter Claudia for sashimi and other assorted Japanese delicacies at Garlic Factory Kamo. Had dessert and drinks afterwards at the Inter-Continental Hotel, overlooking Hong Kong Harbour.
Day 15+4
Went to see U2's little apartment in Tuen Mun, New Territories, with U2, A3, Mom, and Grandmother. On the way back, Mom and I shopped for a bit in Mong Kok. Dropped and broke my digital camera. Calmed down once I got home and had dinner with the usual home meal family (Grandmother, Mom, A3, A6, U6, cousin Gar-Ho) and U7, A5, and U6.
Day 15+5
Ate dim sum with U1, U2, U7, A3, A5, Mom, and Grandmother. Went to visit Chi Lin Nunnery (Lotus Pond Nunnery). Went to visit the Hong Kong Museum of History with U1, A3, A5, and Mom. Went to Biu Kau Fu's (Mom's cousin) 62nd birthday banquet. at Heichinrou. Received my visa, so I can go home!
Day 15+6
Mom, A3, A5, A6, and U6 left for Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. U5 returned to home. Went shopping in Mong Kok with Jimmy. Grabbed egg tarts at a bakery in SoHo that former Governor David Patten really liked. Wandered around SoHo and Lan Kwai Fong some more. Had dinner at Washizawa's Kitchen Michi in Tsim Sha Tsui with cousin Antoinette's family. Had dessert and drinks at Davidoff's at the Peninsula Hotel.
Day 15+7
Stayed up late packing. Got up after three hours' sleep to go to the airport, partly accompanied by Gar-Ho. Picked up a few last knickknacks and flew home. Didn't have much trouble getting home, but had to buy food for the cats as they had totally run out. First order of business after that was a big Italian meal at Margherita's with kung fu buddies, Bill and Kevin.
Posted by KinCross at March 11, 2002 07:52 AM