Hong Kong July 2016

My trip to Hong Kong started off with a bang on Cathay Pacific's First Class from LAX to HKG. Talk about an amazing experience in the sky. It's hard to put into words how far into another league Cathay's product is compared to anything we have here in the United States. Caviar, champagne, steak, top notch desserts and breakfast, incredible luxury and comfort in the skies. I hope to one day have the means and reason to fly them again or a similar airline experience. I know I probably will.

Once I arrived in Hong Kong, I marveled at the world class airport, the smells and sights at the gate. As usual for me, I did not adequately think through in advance how to get from the airport to the hotel so that ended up being a bit stressful. It is more so when I have lots of bags to carry through the airport. I found the train to Kowloon and got a taxi from there. This was the first of what became many experiences of a really good transportation system in Hong Kong.

As I'm writing this months after the fact, I am going to summarize the parts of the trip that still stand out in my mind. My general exploration of Kowloon went very well. I took a foodie tour the first day but unlike many other similar tours, I don't know that it really gave me a great sense of how and where to eat in Hong Kong. I did nail down a cafe for breakfast that I visited for several consecutive days for their tasty "pineapple" buns which I grew quite fond of. The temperature in July in Hong Kong was stifling, as was the humidity but I didn't let that stop me. The Dorsett Hong Kong hotel was my accommodation in Kowloon. My biggest regret is that I did not spring for a better hotel on the Hong Kong Island side. I have a feeling my experience in Hong Kong would've been vastly better had I picked a better, more central location. While I liked Kowloon, I found it less than enthralling. Sitting here now, very little of the trip really stands out on that side. I cant recall much of any food that I found particularly memorable either.

I went back and forth across Victoria Bay to Hong Kong island several times. Sometimes by ferry and sometimes by subway. I found the subway system to be excellent, well organized, clean and modern. Although also packed. I think the island is a much larger area to explore but with the heat and rain I did not get to go as far as I would've preferred and if I ever return to Hong Kong (not likely unless it's a layover), I will make sure it's in the winter or spring. I did really find Stanley to be a beautiful area and the parts of Hong Kong

on the south side of the island are stunning and reminiscent to me of what you'd see in the South of Spain. It was really a surprise.

Certainly visiting Victoria Peak is a must for any visitor to Hong Kong. The views are stunning and expansive. The downside is that it's a massive over-commercialization up there. Complete with two multilevel shopping malls! Overall, I think I found Hong Kong to be an expensive, ultra modern, less charming, mega city. It's stunning to behold visually with perhaps the most impressive skyline of any city I've visited to this point but I was sadly unable to grasp the soul of the city and I'd say my trip to HKG might be my weakest visit of 2016. Still, I'm in awe of the place and I'm very happy I went.