Happy Hour!

We could usually sit and enjoy Happy Hour the whole evening; it's casual and relaxing. Also, Happy Hour from the hotel has a great view! And it's free!

At first the reflection was an issue, but it has grown on us as it gives more of an idea of the place.

The Peak Tram

I previously posted about taking a walk along Lugard Road on Victoria Peak... but I did not comment on how we got to Victoria Peak. There are several options; however the only tourist way is to take The Peak Tram. The tram was built long ago (service started in 1888) when Hong Kong was still small (<200,000 people) and very few people lived on Victoria Peak (30-40 families).

We got on the tram at Garden Road where there is the main Hong Kong stop... and a grand entrance.

The tram route was fairly steep in places and unlike some of the funiculars that I have been on the seating did not exactly account for that.

There are a total of 4 stops on the tram... but I only remember one stop other than the top and the bottom. Perhaps there was nobody to get off.

Some sections of the track were almost built in the tree tops... when on the tram you could not tell, but once you got off it was pretty amazing!

From the top to the bottom the route seemed more adventurous since you could not see the track all the time.

But mostly it was just steep!

And there is a section, about half-way if you can imagine, where you pass the tram going the opposite direction. Yes... there were two trams even though it was mostly one track.

Yeah, I would do it again.

El Cid

Some people would probably call us food snobs because we like to eat well. But part of it is just the fun of going to the different restaurants. This time our first night (yes, we got two!) we went to a tapas restaurant, El Cid. It was fun, not too loud and the food was good. Plus they had music!

 These guys were hilarious... playing music, watching the ladies, and just playing around in general!

And Spanish wine…

And at the end… we were very satisfied!

Like the subtle name drop so we don’t forget it?!

**Oh yeah, that wasn’t our table (hence more than two sets of silverware), but it made a good photo of “finished”.

Lugard Road

We went to Hong Kong again… it has really grown on us and we quite like it there. Since this time we didn’t have much shopping that “needed” to be done we were able to be tourists a bit!

One of the things we did was take a trip up Victoria Peak. When we were up there the weather was good and we felt like enjoying some exercise without the noise of the city. Turns out, people had already planned for that… a long time ago! Lugard Road was built on Victoria Peak mostly as a scenic drive. Most of the road is actually a bridge as the hillside is too steep to build a true road. But it certainly gives good views!

The “entrance” to our walk around the peak on Lugard Road.

There were not too many buildings along Lugard Road, however the residences that were there were amazing. Even the entrance gates had appeal…

There were some crazy trees too…

There was a really large spider with a web at the side of the road; however the photos did not turn out. This section of the road felt really tropical since it was very mossy and had lots of funky trees and plants.

Some of the original benches still exist at various places.

In case you are wondering… she said it wasn’t very comfortable!

Here you can get a better view of the sitting area… I’m not so sure about this backrest!

Yes, I know I commented about the views… turns out I didn’t take too many pictures of the views, but at least I have one or two!

I would certainly go back just to take a walk and enjoy the view. Maybe next time we'll walk down into the park on the back side of Victoria Peak.

Chinese Wedding

Last night we (UOP coworkers) attended a coworker's (customer employee) wedding. Although we were not sure what to expect we figured that it would entail plenty of drinking and very loud music... just like we see and hear at the hotel.

The Groom (customer's employee)

The Bride (pretty?)

I wish I could have understood what was being said since they bowed to each other many times. I believe it was something along the lines of respecting each other. And it was not only bowing... it was how low and how long you bowed. I think the groom bowed lower, but it may just have been because he wasn't wearing high heels so his over-all height was shorter.

How low can you go?

I'm used to the marriage being commenced with a kiss. We did not see them kiss, although at one point they turned their backs to everyone and may have kissed then, but we did get to witness the "punishment" (as seen here with the first, of many, shots of baigyu... just look at the cringe on their faces!) which may also count as commencing the marriage.

Yum!

And yes... there was a flower toss!

Who is going to get it?!

The winner appeared to be very determined... I am glad I'm not her boyfriend!

I don't always follow the roads...

Sometimes when I'm biking I don't always follow the roads... it's more interesting that way and you can find cool locations and things.

I think these may almost count as roads.

I think this is some of the poorest living I've seen... yet it's still not the poorest.

Bamboo looks cool!

Local sights

I like to get to know where I'm living and I find that the best way to do that is to see every street. My current city is a bit big to do it all by foot, so I'm using my bike. Yes, I bought a bike... hard not to when you're going to be someone for what feels like forever!

Here are some photos from around my "home".

 

Welcome All

I decided that I'd finally start doing something like this. Now I'm not going to guarantee that I'll be timely and or regular at making posts, but I'll at least try! You may ask why I will even start if I'm not sure that I'll follow-through? Well, that is an easy answer... my wife has been doing this for about 5 months so I figure I may as well too! Also, it'll allow us to compare how we remember things differently when we're together.

My inspiration!

yes, this post is back-dated.