Hong Kong Surprise


I've sung the wrong song, played ping pong, watched King Kong, and acted like a ding dong, but I had never been to Hong Kong. After saying our goodbyes to our life in Indonesia,we were on our way for a stopover at the "Pearl of the Orient".


 Was it wise to go on vacation en route to a big move from Indonesia to the United States to Dubai? Was it wise to take this much luggage to a tiny hotel room in Hong Kong? Probably not, but we made it work!


 Besides seeing Hong Kong, our secret mission was to reunite Pea and her best friend Jigmai at Disneyland. Our good friend Tshering, mother of Jigmai and her older brother Wangyel, planned with us accordingly. Penelope and Jigmai were practically inseparable while we lived in Jakarta and taking Penelope away from her friend was truly one of the hardest points in leaving Indonesia. And thus, with careful planning, the Hong Kong surprise was in the works!


Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005 and was the first in China (if you consider Hong Kong China). The subway ride in was filled with great anticipation and many, many mouse ears. 


Penelope was excited enough about Disneyland...she had no idea she was about to see her best buddy.


And the surprise was well worth it! The two embraced screaming each other's names, and then swiftly sprung away from us, hands held, marching into the Disney kingdom oblivious to anyone but each other.


Penelope and Jigmai reunited in Hong Kong...awesome!



We also sighted a variety of large bipedal organisms marching about to music. They appeared to be in some sort of trance. This picture is proof I was not hallucinating. 

From the Iron Man experience to a very fast Star Wars themed ride that left Jigmai crying briefly, it was an unforgettable and magical experience. 


 The next day, we boarded the Ngong Ping 360 cable car for a ride to Lantau island, the largest of the 261 islands that comprise Hong Kong. In somewhat blustery weather, this ride was a bit unnerving, though certainly beautiful. 


The feelings of our crew were mixed as our cable car swayed with each passing gust of wind, but our two youngest passengers took solace in knowing they had matching jelly owl shoes. 


As we approached the island, the mysterious Po Lin Monastery came into sight. Originally founded in the early 20th century by three Buddhist monks, this mystical sanctuary has blossomed into a large religious community. 


And the inside was just as cool. 


Before we could explore the monastery, however, we had Buddha to see.

 

The Tian Tan Buddha stands an astounding 34 meters high and is a truly incredible sight to behold. The 268 steps to the Buddha were well worth it. 


The whole compound area of the Monastery and Big Buddha had other interesting sights as well including holy drums to be used for specific purposes. The girls decided to bang on the drum for peace, but then ironically began to fight shortly thereafter.


It was all a great time, but then this dude dressed in blue kept getting in my pictures...oh wait that's me.


After having already experienced a successful cable car ride to Lantau island, the ride back to our metro was a bit looser and certainly more boisterous.


Another highlight of Hong Kong were the many markets that surrounded alleys and roads along the Mong Kok area; merchants shouting loudly in Cantonese selling products we hardly recognized.


Pig snouts anyone?


It was easy to get lost in this city, but the good kind of lost.


Hong Kong surprised us with its backdrop of rolling hills, blue waters and seemingly endless islands and buildings and more islands and more buildings; a massive metropolis populated by people with spirit and gumption, a worthy holiday even in the midst of a major life change. It was truly nice to pause for a moment here.


Thank-you for a wonderful Hong Kong surprise!
(That guy in blue again...who is that?)

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