honeymoon, part 1: 48 hours in hong kong

we got married a few years ago and had never really gotten around to going on our ‘official’ honeymoon (but really, when you have our schedule and no kids, our lives are a honeymoon all the time). we did receive money from friends and family for our ‘honey fund’ so we figured it would be prudent to actually utilize it and finally go on the trip of our dreams. and we sure did.

the itinerary: hong kong, vietnam, and the maldives. i had never had a great amount of interest in hong kong, but it was one of the stopovers on the way from new york to vietnam, so we figured we might as well see it so we could say that we had. i’m glad we did it, but 48 hours seemed like enough for us. i’m sure a great many people would beg to differ but there it is.

(let me just preface the next 3 blog entries by saying that mat is a points magician, and we were able to fly business class to every country and it was incredible. we were also able to stay at fancier hotels than we’re used to, which was also a nice perk. many hours and spreadsheets and phone calls took place in order for these things to happen, for which i am eternally grateful i married mat. )

after a long night of flying (and almost missing our connecting flight in japan due to our phones not updating a one hour time difference- rookie mistake trusting your phone to automatically change times) we arrived in hong kong very early in the morning. so early, in fact, that the train was not running into the city just yet. we got some terrible coffee from the airport 7-11 and waiting until 6am when the first train was scheduled to depart. we were able to navigate the train system (which was not hard- it’s very english friendly) and get to our hotel, the grand hyatt. they were kind enough to let us check in super early, and gave us a very nice upgrade, too. a note about this hotel: it’s awesome. their customer service is top notch, everyone is super friendly, their club lounge has fantastic food, and they have the softest hotel robes ever.

we hit the ground running to try and stay awake all day, which proved to be very challenging. we decided to first hike to a temple that a friend had recommended, which involved taking the subway to the kowloon side and walking up what i would call a small mountain. we did find a temple, which wasn’t the one we originally set out to find, and we’re still unclear as to the name of it, but the people there were nice and one man noticed how lost/confused we looked and explained to us the history, significance of the number of lamps hanging (9, for good luck/prosperity) and that the eyes of the painting at the front will follow you wherever you go (which was true).

we hiked back down the small mountain and made several attempts at going to dim sum but the lines at 10am on a saturday were just a bit too much. conversely, everything else doesn’t open or get moving until much later on the weekends, so don’t think you’re getting a jump on everyone else by showing up to the ladies’ market at 8am, because no one will be there, particularly the vendors. we ultimately found a restaurant to eat at, and then got foot massages during which we both fell asleep,

one thing i found particularly interesting about hong kong was how clear they are (the country as a whole, that is) in their escalator instructions. don’t walk up them, just stand still; don’t bring your suitcases, use the elevators; don’t wear dubious footwear (crocs seemed to be the most common of the ill-advised options for escalators, and life in general for that matter). another legitimate question we had was about phone usage. people appear to record their messages, send them to their intended recipients, then receive a recorded message back. they also never actually hold phones to their ears. why is that?

the next day we hiked (yes, hiked. this was no stroll) up to victoria peak, then walked the circle trail. it was at times challenging to figure out which way to walk to get up the mountain, but after several wrong turns and turning up in dead end driveways, we figured it out. it’s about a 3-4 mile walk mostly uphill/stairs, so bring your activewear and WATER. the top is very beautiful but crowded, so be prepared for slow moving crowds. we took the tram back down which was enjoyable and a nice treat after spending so much time on our feet. we were later walking through the city and noticed there were groups of ladies sitting in groups everywhere. they all appeared to just be sharing food and hanging out, not waiting for a parade or protesting something, which is what you would expect where we’re from. it was very perplexing, until we began chatting with some people at this fantastic bar the old man where one of them told us that all the ladies hanging out are domestic workers and they picnic on their day off, which is sundays.

we later finally found mat some dim sum at tim ho wan , which was a well oiled machine where you decide what you want while in line, present your selections when seated, and then they just start arriving. this is a very efficient system, the caveat being that if you are vegetarian, you should probably eat ahead of time or prepare to leave still hungry. even if it sounds vegetarian, trust me, it isn’t. they even had a sign on the host podium (in english) instructing guests to inform the staff of dietary restrictions/allergies, which i did so, but my comment was met with a very blank stare. in all fairness, i should have been better prepared and learned how to say “vegetarian” or at least have it written out, which was pretty ignorant on my part. mat loved it though. he ate everything he ordered, as well as everything i ordered too.

at this point we now had to head to the airport to catch our night flight to ho chi minh city, our bellies mostly full and our pants mostly tight.