Hong Kong Epilogue

Thirty years ago Mike went to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant with his buddies Gary Lawler and Mel Woods.  He wanted to take me there for our anniversary dinner so after our break, we headed to the Jumbo about 4:00 pm.  By the time we finally found the place it was already dark but the pier is very well lit so that it's hard to miss.

 There is a ferry for the customers docked and ready to take anybody across to get to the restaurant.  The restaurant itself is hard to miss - because of its shimmering lights that's amplified by the water's reflection.  In fact I was tempted to put my shades on because of the brightness.  Once you get in the boat you can't help but notice the typical Chinese decors lavishly painted red and gold.  Like the two giant dragons at the entrance to the stairs that lead to the main receiving area.  We enjoyed a good meal of soup and shrimp and authentic Chinese tea.

After eating we took the ferry back to the pier and headed to Central Piers to take the Star Ferry across the harbor. The view of the lights from the ferry on the harbor is so beautiful, and compared to the pictures from 30 years ago, Mike had a much better camera.

About 30 years ago

Star Ferry pier about 30 years ago

About 30 years ago

After our trip across the harbor on the Star Ferry we headed back to the hotel.  Our flight was the next morning at 8:30 am.  The buses and subways do not start running until about 6:00 am which was cutting our check out time close.  We were unsure if we could get a cab at 5:00 am, but did notice on the map that the subway station appeared to be within walking distance of the hotel.  So, we planned on checking out of the hotel at 5:00 am and walking to the subway station to catch the first train.

Some final thoughts about Hong Kong:

While waiting for the shuttle one morning we picked up the day's paper and came across the editorial that showed how that newspaper felt about President Trump's visit to the region.

Not without controversy, there was a sign about how dangerous the Falun Gong occult is. By the drawing in the picture, one would think they are dangerous vampires. However, and with some superficial research, it appears Falun Gong is a new wave spirituality quasi religion that is at odds with Chinese communism and the Chinese government is trying to quash them. Even though I do not agree with the religious beliefs of the group, I believe, and in America, they would have the right to practice their religion.

As most sites are within walking distance to subway stations, it is recommended to print off a Google street map (for the technologically inept) with your destination and nearest subway station for reference.  For the technologically savvy, you can use your I-Phone.  Or, I am sure there are some good travel guides that can be purchased.  When Mike was in Hong Kong 30 years ago he had the benefit of the Navy providing travel guides.

 

We checked out of the hotel at 5:00 am and walked to the subway station. Got there with time to spare to catch the first train.  We made it to the airport on time and started our trip back to the Philippines. We arrived in Manila about 10:00 and exchanged our left over Hong Kong dollars back to Pesos. We had lunch at the Army Navy Burger and Burrito restaurant in the airport and waited for our flight to Tacloban. We arrived in Tacloban about 5:30 pm and took a jeepney to the the bus terminal. The jeepney driver kept goosing the throttle and we were jerked back and forth the whole trip. At the terminal we found a van for Hinunangan . The driver wanted to wait to see about filling the van. About 7:00 we were still the only customers so we went ahead and left. Mike has not had motion sickness very often, even when at sea, however, Mike started to feel motion sickness at the half point in the trip. Again, the driver was goosing the throttle and the speeds he was driving made for an erratic drive. The driver made the trip in under 2 hours. It takes us about 2 ½ hours when we drive it and that is with Mike pushing it. We were glad to be home and out of that van.

It was a good trip (with the exception of the van ride). Thinking back to when Mike was there 30 years ago, he had the benefit of being there several times and for 3 – 4 days each time.  The 2 days that we had there this time was nice, but Hong Kong needs more than a couple of days to explore. We found we could do one attraction in the morning, have lunch in that location then head to another attraction. At the second attraction we could enjoy supper. With the subway systems the way they are, it did not even matter if the attractions were across town. And, if you are really adventurous, it appears the subway ties into light rail going to Peoples Republic of China. Thirty years ago Mike had the unique opportunity to go to Peking, the Great Wall, Forbidden City and Tianamen Square and Mike recommends these areas.

Thank you for following and God bless y'all.