Hong Kong on Fast Forward

As far as 16 hour flights go, we really couldn't have been luckier. We all managed to sleep for about 6-8 hours, depending on who had sleep aids. (I'm talking to you, Nana.) And Mabel freaking rocked it out. Not one tear or whine the whole time. Those were from the adults. (I'm still talking to you, Nana.) And for those about to travel, Cathay Pacific was great. They fed us. A lot. And we had plenty of great inflight entertainment. I mean, freaking Frozen was an option if that tells you anything. So we arrived in Hong Kong, and Jr had hired a driver and a van to pick us up and take us to the hotel since there were five us and our 549 bags. I tell you, it was the best money ever spent. To see that precious little man holding a sign with our name on it was truly amazing. He took us to our hotel, The Mira, which was is in the middle of the Tsim Sha Tsui area in Hong Kong. It is an area known for its restaurants and shopping and is very, very busy. 

We got in around 8pm Hong Kong time so as soon as we checked in, we decided to venture out and find a quick bit. We ended up at a little hole in the wall that was very good and served the traditional steamed pork buns and dim sum. Although we were all like walking zombies at this point, we stopped for ice cream because who doesn't need that after eating spicy Chinese food. After getting back the hotel, we crashed. Of course someone (ahem, Mabel) doesn't understand how time change works and was up at 530am.

So, Hong Kong is so huge and we really only had one day, so it was kind of pointless to try and cram everything in. We would have loved to go up to Victoria's peak and look around, but the weather was crap and foggy and visibility was pretty much zero. We ended up just walking around the TST and Mongkok area and went to a bunch of crazy outside markets. After walking around the city all day, we decided to go see the the famous Symphony of Lights show along the Harbor. Of course at this time it was raining and cold and Mabel was not having it. And I don't know if it was because the visibility was so bad because of the weather or what, but the "light show"  was underwhelming to say the least. I saw one green laser light. You will be able to see from the pictures below what I'm talking about. I mean, the Hong Kong skyline is beautiful, but between a tired, crying child, the rain and our general tiredness, it was a pretty big letdown.

It's Sunday morning now and we are packing up and heading for the train station to head to Guangzhou. We will settle in our hotel there, The China Marriott, and get ready for meeting our girl Monday!! Thanks so much for all the wonderful messages and prayers. We feel them all and are so blessed to have such a wonderful support group of friends and family.

Next up, Guangzhou!!