Needle in a Hay Stack!

I survived my first night without freezing! Sooo glad there was a thick wool blanket in the closet. I had cranked the heat but Im sure the thermostat on the wall is only for decoration. I had washed a few articles of clothing, including my long wool socks that I was sure could crawl on their own, but they hadn't even begun to dry yet. So you know me, I magivered the very large, ancient wall mounted blow drier provided to dry my socks. Thank heavens I awoke around 4 AM so that provided me with a lot of time to have a hot bath and dry my articles of clothing before proceeding to my 8:30 AM tour.

Victoria Peak

The tour was great. We went up to Victoria Peak via a tram and WOW what a view. I was so lucky that the fog had lifted. Took many photos and learned interesting information on the history of Hong Kong. Then it was off for a tour on a "Junk", a chinese fishing boat, through the harbour. It was interesting how the fisherman live and fish on the boats. Considering the amount of pollution in that bay it was amazing that the water was a beautiful teal color. Speaking of pollution the air is terrible, I feel as though I  have taken up smoking. Some people walk around in masks like the ones I wear at work. Makes me appreciate Canadian air quality.

Floating fishing village

After the harbour tour it was off to a jewellry factory where they make everything by hand. Amazing to see but unfortunately, as with many things here, everyone is trying to sell you stuff. They will grab your arm, "You like...I give you good deal" so I've learned a lot in the last 2 days about the bartering system. On the way back from the factory we stopped at a market. It was in the ritzier area of town where the beach resorts are and Bruce Lee's house was just around the corner. I decided to get droppped of at the largest mall in Hong Kong and made my way to Victoria Park. It is Chinese New Year and they have a very large fair there every year. I decided to go earlier in the day as I was told it is crazy busy at night. Well it was only 1 pm and there had to be a billion people making their way through the streets. I just let the crowd carry me and I  felt like a "needle in a hay stack" and a very tall needle for that matter! First time ever that I among the tall people, it was great, I actually got a view!

New Year Fair

Everyone is so happy celebrating and decorating. The colors are vibrant. The fair had many celebrations going on. There were many booths and tons of flowers for sale. People buy flowers and trees for the holiday so the variety was great. There were booths with different kinds of food that I did not recongnize. I ate some mystery fish? and drank coconut milk from a coconut with a straw and well...so far so good! And I took your advice Tom and I stayed away from the Squid!

 My big adventure today had to be getting back to my hotel via the subway system. I had to figure out which train, which route etc. I had to connect 2 trains to get near my hotel and it took some navigational skills, I thought Momars were bad enough! On my way to the hotel I went into a Temple. During the Chinese New Year it is common to go and light incense and from what I understand clense yourself so you can start the new year fresh. I plan on having a great year so I figured what the heck! Outside the temple there were stray kittens scrounging for food and no I didn't try and rescue them but I must admit  I thought about it. Earlier in the day it was puppies and well, that took everything for me not to just stop and try to pet them.

Coconut drinks

The city has such a great vibe today. With all the celebrations the city shuts down tonight and tomorrow. People treat this holiday like our Christmas so they stay home with their families and have dinner etc. Tomorrow is the parade but unfortunately I will miss it as I have to leave to the airport. The streets are closed so it is even hard to get transportation to the airport. I have made arrangements so I will be able to get out of town.

Sorry I have not uploaded any pictures but we are not able to at this cafe. Surprisingly with all the technology around, it is very hard to find internet cafes here. Next time I make an entry I will be in Thailand and from what I understand there are many cafes and uploading pictures should be easier.

Street New Year morning

I am having a wonderful time!

Until next time,

Natalie