Hong Kong

We were really looking forward to Hong Kong. It didn't disappoint as it was an amazing and vibrant metropolis city. Hong Kong is Asia's financial center and a growing urban core. Everything looked new and modern from the unique convention center on the water that is supposed to emulate a bird's wings fluttering through the air to the superhigh-tech IFC Center featured in the newest Batman movie. It was a real treat to look into the skyline and see all of the high rises on both sides of the water.

Temperature check at airport

The metro system was really convenient and extensive which helped us to get to all corners of Hong Kong. We purchased the 3-day pass, which got us everywhere. The metro also had tons of stores at the different stops including 7-11. 7-11 had tons of iced tea just like Thailand, so I had to take advantage once again. They even had Rachel's favorite Jasmine iced tea so we were once again on the iced tea drinking fix thanks to 7-11. Hong Kong is probably the most Western influenced of all Chinese cities, as it had most brands we're used to back home: Starbucks, McDonald's, KFC. Of course, Hong Kong also needed to have the most American of all restaurants as Hooter's was a feature spot. Speaking of a nation needing Hooter's, during our stay China was in the midst of a tainted milk scandal that ripped through the nation. Millions of gallons of milk product were being recalled and women had to go back to feeding babies the real thing.

Streets of Hong Kong

In light of the milk crisis, we were hearing left and right about the financial crisis that was rocking markets globally. It was unnerving seeing some of the biggest institutions implode. Names like Bear Stearns, IndyMac, Lehman Brothers, Merrily Lynch, AIG, WaMu, Goldman Sachs and Wachovia all had big time troubles. Stock markets across the board got crushed and created angst. But enough of that because we had to enjoy our time in HK.

The first night we decided to go out to the posh area in Hong Kong's SoHo district and Lan Kwai Fong. To get there we first had to take a metro to the financial district and got to see all of the high-rises up close and personal. We ooooed and awwwwed to the building's especially the IFC buildings which were the buildings in the recent Batman movie. After taking our pics, we jumped on the longest escalator in the world to get to the SoHo and Lan Kwai Fong districts. Rachel insisted that we go all the way to the top which had to have been close to a mile of escalator action. After we got to the top, we made the trek down to the SoHo area and had a refreshing drink at one of the swanky bars to relax. The whole area was ripe with really top notch restaurants and bars. After SoHo, we made our way down to Lan Kwai Fong which is the nightlife hotspot of Hong Kong. Lan Kwai Fong is the hotbed for all of the nightclubs and cool bars in Hong Kong and it's right down the street from SoHo. Walking down we ran into some Hong Kong University students that were nice. One of them was from the States and spoke Mandarin fluently and knew his way around. We followed him talking about the cool things to do in Hong Kong and throughout China. Eventually, we arrived at Lan Kwai Fong and he pointed out a couple of popular bars giving us tips in which ones are cheaper than others. The cheapest club he told us was 7-11. He said college students will go and buy some cheap beers or wine coolers and just sit outside and people watch. Kind of like a more pathetic version of Jay and Silent Bob. After we had some drinks we decided to call it a night. You know you're getting older when you're ready to go back home at 9PM and you consider it was a long night of partying after 2 drinks.

World's longest escalator (this isn't all)

Pheww...finally made it!