Greetings from Hong Kong! The trip has been great so far.  The flight from LA was a bit of a marathon (I slept for eight hours and still had time to watch four movies), but the payoff has been worth it.  The city is a super interesting mix of people, cultures and activities.  In many ways it is one of the most developed cities in the world.  The public transportation system is the best I’ve ever used, the cityscape is jaw dropping and the restaurants and shopping are top notch.  In other ways it feels a bit exotic.  You can haggle for goods at local street markets, buy unusual food at street stalls or spend hours just exploring the endless streets and back lanes.

There is so much to do, that three months wouldn’t be enough to do it justice.  That’s good news though, because no matter how long your itinerary, you’ll have plenty to fill your days with enough left over to warrant a return trip.  I only had three days, so I hit the ground running.  I landed about 8 in the morning, went through immigration, picked up my pre-purchased train pass from the MTR counter and headed into town.  The airport is on an island outside the city, but the train whisks you from that island to Kowloon and then to Hong Kong.

I found my hotel with no trouble, but it was too early to check in, so I just dropped my bag (“Excuse me sir.  Is this your only bag?”) and went out to grab some food.  My brother-in-law is a pilot and told me about a local chain called Tim Ho Wan that has good food at a reasonable price.  As luck would have it, there was one nearby, so I walked there and managed to order a tasty lunch by pointing at things on the menu and hoping for the best. The food was good, but I also ended up having company.  The restaurant was crowded and I was sitting by myself at a small table when a woman and her daughter walked up and asked if they could sit with me because there were no other seats.  That’s not something you’d expect in the US, but it was great.  The woman was originally from Hong Kong, but they now lived in London and were just back visiting her mother.  They were kind enough to help me plan out my day and gave me some recommendations for things to see and do.

I eventually got checked into the hotel and spent some time in the upstairs lounge catching up on work and communicating with clients, friends and family back home.  That done, I went out for more exploring, the highlight of which was probably the Temple Street night market which is block after block of stalls selling everything from electronics and paintings to souvenirs and street food.  I’m traveling light, so I didn’t buy any souvenirs, but the atmosphere was great.

My big activity on Day 2 was a hike called the Dragon’s Back that I booked on Airbnb.  I met my guide (an ex-pat from Australia named Alex) and fellow hikers at the Shau Kei Wan MTR station and we took a bus outside the city.  The hike follows a jagged ridge line that looks like a dragon’s back for about 5 miles and it ends at a little beach town called Tai Long Wan (Big Wave Bay) where we had a cold beer and a swim in the South China Sea to cool off.  It was a fantastic experience.  Thanks to Rory, the founder of Wild Hong Kong and our guide Alex for offering such a unique adventure.

Today I’ve got some work I need to do in the morning and then this afternoon, I plan on visiting Victoria Peak (great views of the city).  Tonight I’m going to the horse races at Happy Valley where races have been held since 1846.  I’m told that it’s THE place to be on Wednesday night.  From there, I’ll hop the train to the airport where I’ll catch a midnight flight to London and then another flight to Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.  I’ll pick up a car there and head west to Normandy (I saw Paris on a previous trip) where I’ll be staying in the town of Bayeux.  I hired a guide to take me on a tour around the beaches, cemeteries and other sites related to D-Day and World War II.  It should be fun.  Thanks for following along.

Be Intentional,

Joe