Morning arrival in Hong Kong
Heading out to explore when three of my students (from China) asked me to join them for a photo.
Later that day I took the metro to Hong Kong Disney where I spent two nights at the Disney Hollywood Hotel. I normally don't seek out Disney in foreign lands, but having already explored much of central Hong Kong on previous visits, I decided it would be interesting to see how Disney looks in a different country.
The hotel was Avernger themed.
Hong Kong Disney is the only park that has a Frozen themed land.
Caught a fun musical show while waiting to meet up with other SAS voayagers.
The towers, I later learned, are representative of all of the Disney princess movies.
SASers gathered for a group photo. There were plenty more scattered tbhorughout the park.
Fun lunch with fellow voyagers. Lisa on the right is our Executive Dean. She and I also sailed on the same voyage 10 years ago.
Hong Kong and the Star Ferry
Indonesian goodbye (Selamat Jalan) on the left.
Pretty fun. We were soaring in around and over Hong Kong to save it from some evil threat.
Like Buzz Lightyear. My phone dropped from between my legs, down on the floor of the car. I thought it would remain there, but there was no lip so it slid out. The ride may have been shut down once or twice for willing workers to find it.
Since ghosts of deceased ancestors are to be revered and not feared in Eastern religions, the Haunted Mansion was turned into the Mystic Mansion, where an archeologist's home is filled with artifacts from around the world that come to life when a monkey lifts the lid on a cursed trunk from Borneo. Clever and fun.
The Hong Kong version of Thunder Mountain was the best ride of the day and better than the one in California.
The fireworks and laser show lasted about 30 minutes.
Next morning I headed back to the ship for a day date with my next cabin neighbor and travel buddy Magaly. She is the art professor. We headed out with a vague plan of visiting some art galleries and seeing what we could see. It was a delightful day. She has a great eye for architecture and art. It was fun to see a city through her eyes.
Opera House (above two phtoos)
I introduced Magaly to the feng shui influences of the Hong Kon Shanghai Bank building.
Two days earlier she had brought her architecture students to this building as part of their field class. It was designed by an Iranian woman noted for her use of curves in buildings. Magaly wanted to go back to see more of the building.
Looking out on the HSBC building.
By a famous sculptor. Next to the coffee shop where we rested.
Unique use of candied toffee as art.
Snuff bottles at the city art Museum
Later that day we enjoyed an evening of Chinese Opera highlights.
For my fourth day in HK I joined an SAS excursion to Lantau Island.
Bridge from Kowloon across to Lantau Island.
A prison on the isolated south coast of Lantau Island.
Fishing village on the south shore of Lantau
Artistic manhole cover.
Creative Christmas decor.
In our pre-port meeting the night before arrival in Hong Kong we were told that we should avoid all talk of politics and any criticism of China's increasing erosion of democracy in the Special Autonomous Region of Hong Kong. Not sure who these candidates are and for what jurisdiction, but I'm assuming they have all been vetted by Beijing or at least are not running on any sort of anti-Beijing platform.
Entrance to the amazing Po Lin Monastery with its huge, hilltop Tian Tan Buddha--the world's tallest seated bronze Buddha statue.
Year of the Monkey (my year) guard.
Grand Hall of 10,000 Buddhas
Delicious vegetarian meal.
From the long tram ride down to the northern coast.
The newish airport in the distance.
We docked next to a huge mall. At one entrance was a Christmas/Disney display that was a popular photo opp.
Heading out on the Star Ferry to catch a speed ferry to Macau--for an amazing day.
Feliz Natal (Merry Christmas) from Macao. Portuguese Natal is also the word for Christmas in Indonesia.
Portuguese style tiled roads and architecture abound in this former Portuguese territory--now a Special Autonomous Region in China--like Hong Kong.
Flags of China and Macau.
It was a crazy crowded Sunday.
Notice the blue and white tiles in the window sides.
Such pleasant and delightful travel companions. Magaly, plus Business professor Kieth and his wife Ann.
Random photo by Magaly
Two for lunch.
Photo by Ann
Sunday afternoon culture fest with Filipino and Indonesian performers (who are migrant workers)
I chatted with the Indonesian troupe.
We walked by all of the casinos (which show up often in spy thriller movies).
Ended up at the city art museum with lovely displays and a string quartet concert.
The beheading of John the Baptist?
Dinner at a delicious Portuguese restaurant.
Star Ferry back to our birth on the Kowloon side.
Installing bamboo scaffolding. It was scaffolding like this that may have accelerated a disastrous fire in Hong Kong a month before we arrived.
Nice message on the main mosque in Kowloon
