Hong Kong

We left Guangzhou at about 9:30 this morning and arrived in Hong Kong at around 11:00 am. It was kind of surreal thinking we were bringing Leah back to the United States and wondering if she’ll ever visit China again. I’m sure she probably will, but it was still such a strong emotional feeling as we left her home land.

After we cleared immigrations and customs, we made our way to our hotel, checked in, and had our bags delivered to the room. We quickly freshened up, got Leah’s diaper changed, prepared a day pack and a couple bottles for Leah, and we left for downtown Hong Kong.

We had so much fun in Hong Kong. We talked tonight that we would each rank it near the top of our lists as one of the prettiest cities we’ve visited. The views are spectacular and the night lights are awesome.

First, we took a bus to “The Peak” a.k.a. Victoria Peak. The Peak is Hong Kong’s number one tourist destination. At the top of this city high point, there’s a unique “wok” shaped tower with viewing terraces from different levels. Each level offers a spectacular view of the Hong Kong and Kowloon skylines including Victoria Harbour.

After we took in the sights and snapped many photos, we took a Tram back down to the city center for dinner and some sightseeing. Downtown was very clean and VERY busy. Lots of people... Deana, Leah and I had a blast walking around and checking out the sights. We stopped at a small Cantonese restaurant for dinner. We had a noodle soup made with some sort of fish broth the Leah absolutely loved (Deana didn’t care for it that much).

After dinner, we made our way down to the Central Pier and booked a ferry ride on the Star Ferry. We took an hour long cruise around Victoria Harbour. Victoria Harbour is the harbour between the Kowloon Peninsula and the Hong Kong Island of Hong Kong. It’s famous for its fantastic panoramic views! At night on the hour they have a fifteen minute light show throughout the city. All the skyscrapers have neon, laser and strobe lighting synchronized to music and the city turns into one big light show. It was awesome.

Well, we’re back at the hotel now. Leah’s fast asleep and Deana and I aren’t too far behind. I wanted to put a quick post on the blog before we called it night. Tomorrow’s the big day. Hong Kong to Chicago and then to Washington Dulles!!! Home sweet home. We’re so excited that Leah’s finally going to meet the rest of the Stone – Mason family!