Our First Night And First Full Day

Arrival into Hong Kong was ontime and immigration/customs processing was fast and easy. We quickly found an ATM and got our first Hong Kong Dollars -- which are currently exchanged for just under $8 Hong Kong Dollars for $1 US Dollar. It was a little odd to have the ATM spit out HK$800 while only reducing my account by US$103. We then waited for the hotel shuttle for a few minutes. The first night we arranged to stay in a nice hotel about 2 miles from the airport because of our late arrival time.

The hotel was super nice with a view out to the popular "cable car" "Ngong Ping" sky tram to one of the largest Buddha statues in the world -- a destination attraction for our first full day. We quickly crashed into the comfortable bed -- about 11:30pm local time but our bodies knew we had been up all night because of the time/date change.

The next morning we had a video chat with Staci/Martin to let them know that we arrived safely and had an extra suitcase full of stuff for them including six pounds (2 Costco boxes) of Cheez-its and 5 lbs of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar (two things Staci/Martin haven't been able to find in China and which they are craving). The suitcase also contains four pounds of Jelly Bellies and four pounds of individually wrapped Lifesavers (for classroom treats) as well as various clothing Staci wanted and some homemade cookies from Martin's dad, Randy.

We leisurely got our first day in Hong Kong started and left our suitcases with the hotel so we could venture out on the nearby sky "cable car". The walk to the cable car took us through a high-end shopping mall that was attached to the hotel -- that reminded us that high-end shopping malls all look the same, with the same stores regardless of country. Thankfully, the food court had unusual local fare and we enjoyed getting reacquainted with chopsticks over lunch.

The cable car ride was fun -- and that's an amazing admission from someone who doesn't like heights -- but the area smog/fog didn't lend itself to amazing photos. At the end of the 30 minute ride we hiked the 260 steps for an up close visit to the Buddha -- and wandered around the nearby monastery and "village."

After collecting our luggage, we made our way on Hong Kong's extensive metro/subway -- called the MTR -- to downtown Hong Kong where we had two nights reserved at the very inexpensive but perfectly located Hong Kong hostel. The private room/bath is rudimentary -- but we could stay here for 4 nights for less than what one night cost us near the airport. It's our kind of place -- the kind of place that allows us to stretch our traveling dollars. Free wi-fi is a bonus!

We made our way out tonight to find some dinner -- and enjoyed one of our favorite past times when traveling -- checking out the local supermarkets. I had to take a picture when I saw where their apples were from!