"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #63 Hong Kong, People's Republic of China March 3, 2017 Friday Sunny & 75 degrees 87 Pictures Day #2 Part #1 0f 4

Sometimes it seems like you just closed your eyes, and the entire night has flown by. That was true this morning, although we did go to the dining room for breakfast an hour later than usual. It was so good being welcomed back by the wait staff we have come to know and love. As nice as our trip was, we missed these guys.

Today was the beginning of a new segment, as we found another log of the cruise to add to the collection. Will have to ask Presty how many left and how many joined.

To our surprise, two baskets of laundry we had turned in yesterday, were returned this morning. Terrific service, we have to admit.

We needed to work on catching up mostly on photos, so we hung around until 11am. Also a good time to do some emails, since most everyone was off of the ship.

Unfortunately, the day would be short, because all aboard was 4pm, followed by another mandatory passenger muster drill. Oh goodie…..

The good news was that we could put our shorts back on. The weather was much warmer here, although we still needed a sweatshirt or a fleece vest going outside. Making our way thru the Harbourcity Mall, we began our walk towards Nathan Road. The plan was to make it as far as the Jade Market. Normally, if we had a full day here, we would hike all the way to the Flower and Bird Markets, with a stop on the way back at the Ladies Market. We did not have the gift of time on our side today.

At the Jade Market, we intended to take some photos, mostly for the colors and variety of items they sell here. For the first time, we felt there was little pressure to buy. Very close by this market, is the fresh food area of Kowloon. Located on the side streets, were the meat, fish, chicken, and produce stands. One large building offers live seafood and fresh produce. If you can handle the fishy smell, then you will see the vendors chopping and cleaning the fish.

From here, we continued walking the side streets through more food vendors and clothing stalls. Great photo op.

Since we needed to make it back to the mall, we figured it was time to head back. A perfect place to visit on the way back, was Kowloon Park. It is an oasis in the center of busy Kowloon, where we found garden beds, mature trees, a swimming pool, and a bird aviary. Wish we had more time to enjoy all of this, but it was time for lunch. Did manage to take many good photos along the way.

Ending up at the pond area with ducks, geese, and flamingoes, we walked across the bouncy bridge that connects across the road to the hotels. A few years ago, we discovered a set of elevators in the adjacent hotel to the mall. By taking the elevator down a few floors, we found ourselves at street level, close to the entrance to the mall.

Perfect, from here, we navigated our way to lunch at BLT Burger. Having bought a bit more Hong Kong dollars, we knew we could use up all the money, including change, that we had left. We ordered two BLT classic burgers, one order of skinny fries, and beer. Doesn't the name "skinny" just crack you up? Skinny in size they are, but are forever on your hips, so to speak. Food is not cheap here, as you might expect it to be. Our burgers, which were ½ pounders, were the equivalent of over $13 USD. So by the time everything was added up, our bill, including tax, was over $43.00 USD. Way more than what we pay at home. Always good to keep in mind, that high prices can be part of traveling. Here in Hong Kong, you can bet on the cuisine to be ample and safe to eat. Worth the money you pay.

The time came too quickly for us to head back to the ship. At least it was better than having to walk to the pick-up at the Peninsula Hotel.

Speaking of walking, here is a fascinating fact that we learned from watching the Discovery Channel in the hotel yesterday. Did you know that on average, a person will walk the equivalent of enough miles in their lifetime to take them around the globe four times? Believe it or not, we feel it will apply to us, since we walk everywhere we can. And no days off, rain or shine.

In addition, everyone was required to turn in their passports with the departure slips clipped inside to the Hudson Room onboard the ship. Going between 2 to 4pm, turned out to be a good idea, since not everyone was filing off of the ship. Later at the sail away, we heard an announcement for one lady to contact the office. She happened to be on deck six, and did not respond to the message. Guess she never made it back. As a matter of fact, many folks did not make it here, due to delayed flights. Must have been the weather that prevented smooth take off and smoother landings. The number was around 15 people, who got caught up in the delay. They will be joining us when the ship arrives to Singapore.

The official sail away was held in the Crow's Nest. We prefer to stay outside, getting views from every angle possible. One of those views included the sighting of a fishing bird, possibly a kite. It did get chilly once the lines were dropped around 6:30pm, but well worth it to see the lights of the city buildings as we sailed out of the harbor.

Dinner was fun as always. We think we are at the end of the Chinese entrees, as we head towards Vietnam and Singapore next. But there is more…….when we got back to the room, we found two black carry on travel bags, complete with two zippered clothes pouches, shoe bags, and a TSA lock. Upon a closer look, we found one set of locks were missing. Reporting it, one was delivered to our room the next day. No problem.

We are looking forward to two hopefully lazy days at sea.

Bill & Mary Ann

Look at how much these plants have grown