I looked East. I saw that Delta has a direct flight to Hong Kong. Ok, that sounds fun, but we need some beach time. There are some beaches near Hong Kong, but no Hotels near the beach. I wanted to stay on the beach.
So, where can we go that is close to Hong Kong that has beach? Vietnam and the Philippines are not far away but both not really stable right now. I don't want to go to sleep and wake up with a new government! Then I saw this island in China called Hainan. It has several beach resorts in its Southern city, called Sanya. A plan was hatched.
We flew to Hong Kong on Saturday, July 15. The flight left on time at 4:30 pm and we arrived on Sunday at 9 pm,
Right away we recognized a very modern and very large airport. We got through customs and immigration quickly and were now in the main concourse. I saw a 7-11 and went in. I came out with two beers which we opened and drank as we walked to the taxi curb. As soon as we stepped outside, bam ,hit with high humidity. It looked like it had rained recently. Everything was wet and hot.
We got into a taxi, with our opened beers, and headed to the city. The taxi ride was dark but we did see huge towers every where we looked.
We got checked in, but first they made us go to the lounge and have another beer. The lounge is on the top floor. It has a great view of the city. Most the buildings have moving lights and across the water, one building had two huge video screens. We could see the screens perfectly. The view of the city was amazing.
We got to our room finally and were equally stunned by the view. They brought us a bottle of Champagne as I told them we were celebrating our honeymoon. I didn't want the Champagne, i wanted the harbor view room we got! I read that the lower rooms have a blocked view due to construction. There was so much construction in HK, even more than in Seattle!
We ventured out to find food. It was getting late, close to 11 and things were closing up . We finally found a Japanese restaurant! We had some sushi rolls and some skewers. It was really good.
We picked up some more beer on the way back to the room, wound down and easily fell asleep.
The next day we got up and went upstairs for the complimentary brunch.
They brought me green tea, which turned out to be Twinnings. Same exact tea we have at my office at home. The eggs were Truffle eggs, not really a Truffles fan but I was hungry. Brunch was ok
We headed out for our Tram tour. We decided to take the subway to the tram station starting spot. It was after rush hour but still crowded. We left an hour early. The subway was very easy to use. You select your start station and your end station then put in the money it requests. Cash only. As are most places in Hong Kong, cash.
We easily got to the stop and found the tram line but we could not figure out where the tour starts. We walked around for nearly an hour before we figured it out. We went and got some tea and coffee and waited.
We boarded the tram and put on the headphones. It was raining on our walk to find the station so we bought a second umbrella. It rains hard here. The tram was fun ,it went through Happy Valley and by the horse race track. It gave us some history as we passed through the neighborhoods. Best part is, our pass works for the next day on all Trams, which they call "ding dings"
After the Ding Ding tour, we went for lunch at Tsui Wah. It's a chain, kinda like a Denny's I suppose. they have a huge menu and its crowded so they seat you at at shared table . We sat with a Chinese man who basically ignored us for the first 20 minutes then right at the end of his meal, he began to speak to us in perfect English. He was heading to US in a few days to visit family. We chatted for a few with him before he headed off.
Lunch was good, I finally tried Shrimp and Eggs, or did I have the Hong Kong Noodles. Drat. I don't recall.
The next day we went out for breakfast to McDonalds! I had to try it. They all use a menu kiosk but the weird thing is, there is two restaurants in one Mc Donalds and Mc Cafe. So you can order from both but have to go get your food from different places.
I ordered an Egg and Cheese burger. It was Egg, Cheese, Bun with Mustard and Ketchup. yuck. I saw they had the Fillet of Fish on the menu too but I assume it's the same exact Fish fillet we get in the states, meaning it might be good or it might be gross.
B ordered a cup of coffee from the Mc Cafe. It came in a real ceramic coffee cup!
We then took the Ding Ding downtown to get to the Peak Tram. We got off on the wrong stop but it was still close. We found a cool trail to it and it went through a park. We saw some birds.
The Tram was cool, an old rail tram that goes straight up the side of a mountain. It was used for commuting back in the day. One car had a special reserved spot for the Governor, who could show up whenever he wanted and get a seat.
The ride up is crazy, so steep. I can't imagine how people got on and off in the stops between the top and bottom.
We got to the top and you are directed through a mall to get to the top view point . We passed a Bubba Gumps. At the top, the view is amazing. You can see the whole harbor as well as other sides of the Island. It's quite impressive but then the rain started again. We went in and did some window shopping, Then the sun came back out so I wanted to go take more pictures. B was done and was going to wait inside. When I came back inside, she was gone. I went all the way down the escalators and all the way back up the escalators. She was nowhere. I kept riding escalators till a security guard approached me and asked if I was the guy who lost his wife. I said yes. he took me to the elevator and soon reunited me with my wife.
After the tram it was time for lunch. We wandered through the markets in Central district. A man came ip to us and asked if he could show us his mens suits. I said sure and the next thing you know, we are in a tiny elevator going to his shop. An older man is sitting in there, smoking. They have a full bar set up too, but no one offers us a drink. They show us pictures of Al Gore and George Forman, apparently customers. They showed me a lot of stuff but I finally convinced them I was not interested at this time. We left.
We boarded a train for Sham Shui Po, the big market area in Hong Kong mainland. our first trip over to the mainland. Hard to tell though since the subway whisks you under water to the other side.
We were immediately blown away by this place. Stalls lined the roads, and small shops lined the buildings. You could find just about anything here. We watched locals haggle over tools, light bulbs, cordless phones and auto parts.
We still had not eaten. We found a hole in the wall place in the auto parts market part of town. They had an English menu too! I ordered Shanghai Noodles, plain. They came with Tofu and Pork of course. I also ordered Calamari. It was the freshest Calamari I have ever eaten. It was amazing.
After lunch we found a fish and meat market . It was a tall, 4 story building with no windows. We went in and there were all these stalls where they cut meat or fish on a block of firewood, and most had a cigarette hanging from their mouths! It was kinda disgusting, but we had to see it. We wandered through all the floors. Hot, sticky, bloody and smelly. The smell of a cow carcass is something I won't forget. The fish was amazing. In fact, I bet my lunch came from here! Lots of live seafood and dead seafood. I even saw live eels.
After that we took a taxi to the Star Ferry. It's a classic ferry that runs between Hong Kong Island and Hong Kong mainland. They are cool old ships with lots of wood. One area is even air conditioned. The trip is very short, maybe 10 minutes
When we got to the other side, the skies opened up. It was raining really hard but we were on covered walkways. We worked our way out to the Ding Ding and took that. it was packed and wet. But after a few stops it got lighter and we were able to sit for a while. We were soaked.
We got off in our hotel neighborhood and checked out the big "Wellcome" grocery store.
I don't recall our dinner that night, but we did go to the lounge for happy hour.
The next day we went to Macau! We took a cab to the ferry dock. I wanted to get there early since I had no idea where or how to catch this boat. Turns out I booked the wrong departure terminal! I had to pay cash to change it. Luckily I had the cash on me. We barely made the boat. The boat was really nice .We chose First class as it wasn' that much more money. The boat screamed out of the harbor. As we approached Macau, the skies darkened and we couldn't see anything.
When we arrived, we were directed to an immigration area that was the size of a sports stadium! Not sure why, but it was huge! I suppose they get cruise ships here, it was set up for thousands.
We got through then found a cash machine and then a taxi. he didn't speak any English so the best i could do was ask him to take us to a Temple which was close to the Restaurant we wanted to try. He dropped us off practically in front of the restaurant ! it was Macanese food . It was amazing the best food we had on the trip.
B had the African Chicken and I had Curry Crab! My fingers were yellow for days.
After lunch we went to the temple. A Ma Temple built in 1488. It was very quiet here with a few Chinese burning incense and praying. The Temple was very cool but it was super hot and humid out.
After that we found another taxi and went to St Paul's Ruins. This is an old Catholic church from the 1500's Only the face of the church is left standing. There are unmarked graves and many artifacts from the church.
We then walked to the Senado square via small streets filled with vendors and candy makers offering samples. We just wanted water!
We found the old library and toured that, then walked to the casinos. I read there was a strict dress code and B brought a nice shirt to cover her tank top but the security guard opened the rope for us and let us in as is.
The casino was weird. We tried to find a bar but it was nearly impossible. We found a place to get a beer at least. Then we looked at the games. I tried video Roulette . I picked red 6 times in a row and lost ever time. The slots were too confusing, I couldnt figure out what to do. It was about 3 pm and we looked around and NO ONE was even drinking. The servers were carrying platters of coffee and tea.
We checked out the jade and wood sculptures in the lobby of the hotel Lisbon. It was pretty impressive.
After that, we hired a bike guy to drive us around till it was time to go . We were not sure if we had a correct return ticket so we got their early and walked on to the 7 pm departure as it was about to pull away.
When we got back we walked up and took the subway back to our neighborhood. We went out and had dinner at a restaurant that saw us coming . They brought food we didn't ask for and tried to sell us even more. They stood by and hovered over us most the meal. We were a spectacle apparently. Two tired, slightly drunk Americans with lots of money.
The next day it was off to Sanya.
The airport is huge. We got there later than I wanted and the line for Hong Kong airlines was a mile long. B got in line, while i tried to use the kiosk. I even had a HK employee help and we couldnt get it to work . So, by then B was getting close to the ticket agent. I rejoined her in line and we finallyt got to the line. I had screwed up this ticket too. I only chose one extra leg room seat. I needed cash to fix it, again, luckily I had cash. I'm not sure what happened next but we were in teh far end counter and the small petite Chinese lady helping us suddenly looks to the other end of the service counter, about 200 feet away and starts shouting to someone there. They have a small conversation across the entire service counter. Then she says "follow me' and takes off for the other end of the counter. Here they finished our check in. We didn't have much time to get to the gate. We got through security and tookd a train and i think 6 escalators to get to the terminal. Ours was the last gate. We moved fairly quickly to get to the gate only to find out once we got there that the flight was delayed. sigh. It was about an hour late.
The flight is super short and it was fun to look out the window at China below. I saw miles and miles of unspoiled beaches. And really dirty rivers.
When we arrived, my worst fear came true, we had to get out on the tarmac and take a bus to the terminal. Ugh, it was really hot.
We got into a brand new terminal that was not air conditioned. As usual, I picked the wrong line and the immigration guy I picked was super serious and double and triple checking everything . I moved to another line and poor B was the very last person done. We still had to wait for our bags. What could take so long? I pictured the luggage handlers laughing at the hot sweaty tourists.
We were literally the last ones out of the terminal. I went to get cash but it didn't work. A taxi driver approached us and when I told him where we were going he said 120 Yuans. I thought he meant 120 USD. It took a few minutes to clear that up. He spoke more English than anyone we met the entire time in Sanya. he gladly took an American $20 for the 40 min ride to the hotel.
When we arrived, we had no idea what we were about to experience. The first thing we notice is a brand new Ferarri in the lobby as a display. The building had the same similar design as the airport terminal, almost like native American Long House.
The front desk people were giddy with excitement to check in two Americans. They told us how rare it is and as a special thank you, they upgraded us to an Ocean view suite. It was HUGE! Two big rooms, two big decks and two bathrooms! Much more room than we needed but we enjoyed it,
We went straight for the beach. The beach was amazing. It was a bit choppy but the water was perfect. The resort has a private beach with lifeguards. The beach has the little thatch huts too, with lawn chairs under. A towel stand is there too.
Not long after we got out of the water before the first beach vendor approached us. She had pearls. We told her we would be back tomorrow. The next day, she was waiting for us. We bought a few things but she wanted to sell us more. She said we could take stuff and pay her tomorrow! ok.
That night, I walked down to the local town, which I estimated would be a ten min walk. It was a long, hot walk for cash ,and of course we later discovered a cash machine in the hotel... A frog jumped out in front of me on the sidewalk.
When I got to the town, I saw a flurry of activity I did not expect. I moved past to get cash. Then I got some beer and snacks. I walked around and looked at everything, quickly as I didn't want B to get worried. It was quite a scene.
The first morning in Sanya. Weather looks perfect! We went down to our Continental Buffet and found the biggest breakfast buffet we had ever seen! They had everything! I of course went for the omelet bar. They had a sign you can point at. Fried eggs, over easy, scrambled or omelet. You point a the picture then point out the ingredients you want. They had sushi, soups, pastry, plenty of Chinese dishes, fruit, everything you can imagine, Dim sum! it was something else
After breakfast we went back to the beach where our Pearl vendor lady was waiting for us. We bought a few more things.
the next day we went to the Statue and Sanya. We wanted to take a taxi but they offered us a car for the day for about 60 USD. Deal. The car was nice ,it had it's own ac unit in the back. We used it well.
It was exciting getting out of the resort and seeing the rest of Sanya. So much to see. Tower after Tower. My joke was, why build one apartment tower when you can build 12! I saw people working in the rice paddy's and saw cows!
The entrance to the statue was packed. Before we got there, the driver handed me the phone and someone was talking. I tried to listen but I couldn't understand. Later I realized, it was probably Russian.
We finally parked and he got out and motions for us to take a picture of his car and license plate. Smart move. We head off to see the statue. It was really crowded.
the statue was really cool and the entire property was interesting. Many Buddhists burning incense.
We then decided to change course and go for the shopping center in downtown Sanya. Sanya was much bigger than we expected. Tons of motorcycles and scooters. They even have their own lane . Buses have their own lane too! very clever.
We found the shopping center and went in to check it out. I saw a backpack I wanted and made an offer and she didn't even counter, just said no. Ok, that's not how it's supposed to work . We walked out. We found a more agreeable store across the way and bought some stuff there. We found a restaurant at the top floor of the mall. It was very good. We discovered the Cucumbers with chili sauce dish that B has been making at home, there.
It started raining again. We decided to head back to hotel for dinner
the next day we went back to Sanya to do more shopping. I found a cool bluetooth music player. They wanted about $110 USD. I looked at my phone and checked Amazon. $45. WTF? Thats too much haggling for me, we got up and walked out. I found a bluetooth speaker at a Japanese store for about $15 USD.
When we flwe bacl to Hong Kong, the first thing we did was head back to Sham Shui Po. The driver dropped us off in front of the Dragon Center. A huge mall with escalators everywhere. it had one regular escalator, then express escalators which spanned three floors at a time. At the top was a roller coaster that was currently closed for maintenance and an Ice Skating rink!
We had a lot of fun going through the many stores in here. But , it was getting dark and we had to find the Backpack I saw earlier for Kelsey.
Time to go home. The flight home seemed twice as long as the flight here.
