Good deal. No penalties.
A Marriott convert ? Next you'll tell us is that you'll be moving to Needham. HA!
Have a great time.

So glad to read that you're traveling. Have fun!

Keep it coming. Haven't been there since 1984 - still part of the British colonies at that time.

panda... I hope you and Beth have a fabulous time!! Thanks for 'taking us along with you' (via fodors, of course). Do enjoy enjoy enjoy!
Carol (see you in BOS)

I'm glad to hear you've arrived safely.

This Marriott Courtyard has 32 floors? Not like any courtyard I've ever seen!

Well, you've been there a good 24 hours already. Any food report? Any soup dumplings yet? Peking duck surely? Have a great time.

Report is noted and acknowledged.

If you haven't found a place to watch Pats-Jets, I am sure that the game can be blogged in this thread.

I don't think the nay-sayers were necessarily doubting if this report would begin in a timely manner, but if it would be periodically updated or would conclude in a timely manner. And of course the jury is still out on that!

BC

YOU CALL THIS A REPORT????

Hope this is the start of a fun filled and well deserved holiday.

Of course we're thrilled you made it there and are about to embark on another adventure. That said, I wait with baited breath for your section of the trip report on the Hong Kong outlet of Pizza Hut.

Have a great trip...both of you!

Bravo for starting on time Andy- hope ALL those guide books prove handy!

After breakfast, we took the tram to Admiralty walked up to the skywalk and went into Pacific Plaza. Upscale retail, but air conditioned. Walked through Hong Kong Park, which was delightful, to the Peak Tram. Up the funicular we went and into a mall. WE walked a long hot way down Lugard St, but it was very hazy and the views were obscured. Trudged back and walked down Findlay Road to a brief overlook. Again the view was very hazy. We were dripping and cooled off in the mall to reverse back to the hotel.

I know it's heresy, but we were not impressed with the Peak. Tooday had the best forecasr and we could hardly see anything. It was hot, humid and uncomfortable. Very tiring.

The tram was great. Both ways. It moves at a slow speed and the street life is easy to observe. Rain the next two days, so we may spend some time taking the entire ride.

Quick showers back at the hotel and Beth popped out to bring us some food. Potstickers, cream filled Bao and some ham and ceese something. Plus, a grapefruit Manao soda, which I don't like as much as the lemon-lime.

Andy- I like the views from the peak (when you can see) but i wasn't a fan when they built the "mall" type thing at the top. The tram ride is cute though.
Glad you are doing plenty of things in HK, those malls are AMAZING. The shopping in HK is great (Shanghai Tang on Pedder and Lane Crawford are my 2 favourites)
Looking forward to updates.
N

It’s not heresy to say you don’t like the Peak on a day like today, as temps are about 96F, it’s fairly humid and worst of all, the air pollution is very bad. About the worse we have had this summer, when skies have been very clear otherwise. I could not see the harbour from my house on the Peak. A small bit of this is caused by a typhoon sitting to the north east which tends to cause all the air pollution coming from the PRC to just sit over us, but really 95% of it is just awful air pollution.

On a good day, the views are great. Try to get up on evening as the city lights make it through the pollution and the view is actually better.

I can give you an address to write to the Tourism Board to tell them you are not coming back unless the air pollution situation improves. Tell the hotel as well. Better yet, tell the Tourism Board that you are going to go to Singapore as the air is clear there…that really scares the heck out of the tourism people!

Glad you liked the mooncakes!

Gpanda, sometimes stuff happens. I went to the top of the Washington monument once and was, from the sound of your report, as underwhelmed as you were. Pity, but it happens. Glad other elements of your trip are progressing smoothly, and looking forward to hearing more from you.

BC

Sorry to hear about the air pollution obscuring the view. When we were on the Peak in Nov., the views were clear and lovely. I think it is just great that you are able to take this trip and be active enough to walk the Peak. Hope you have a wonderful trip. Stay well. See you at Similian's at the Boston GTG where you can entertain us with your Hong Kong adventures (and muscle tricks?)

I haven't been a fan of The Peak since they turned it into a shopping mall 15 years ago or so, even when the air is crystal clear.Yeah, the view can be terrific, but only if you have no peripheral vision.

HK Park is easily one of my favorite places in the island when I want to chill out & do nuthin. Hang out by the fish & turtle pond and watch land and water-based creatures do their things. Often various weddings are going on, with the mandatory photo stuff taking place in that area.

Did you see all the phillapino maids on their day off today, covering all the walk ways etc? I was amazed at the sight of them all chatting, knitting etc

There was only one day clear when we were there for a month in the spring of 2008. It's usually really humid as well, but it's a fabulous city in any case. We got the bright idea to take a cab to what we thought was the Peak. The cab driver took us all the way up to the top of Peak, which turns out is some sort of weather station. We walked back down to the shopping mall in the early morning and had breakfast. There's some high-priced real estate up there and a peaceful, jungly sort of environment.

Glad to hear you arived in good"condition". Sounds like you are off to a good start. At least you are eating something other than Italian for your first meal.

How big is the room at the CY? How far away from star ferry is it? Any places to eat right there? Shopping?

if you have a clear day go to the top of the bank of china building for a fabulous view of the surroundings...

you are eating take out in your room in one of the best food cities in asia??? figures

Figures that Mister Need'em would have you spend your vacation in a bank.

Glad you enjoyed Hong Kong Park. There is a charming little Tea Museum there that we enjoyed. The Parks in Hong Kong are a delight.

Too bad about the hazy view from the Peak. When it's clear it's amazing.

Aren't the trams great? Like matchboxes on end with wheels.

The OP has done very, very well to be nowhere near a television for the Pats-Jets game.

Patriots dominated the 1st half statistically, but led by only 4 at the half. Pats took the opening kickoff on a long march down the field, then the drive stalled around the 15. FG was good, except they're called for a 5-yd penalty, and next kick was wide right. Jets were then 3 and out, followed by another long (8-min) drive by NE for a TD. Game then evened out, but Pats had a good drive with 2 mins left in half for a TD, capped by a great Moss one-handed catch. But then they let the NYJ move upfield for a FG as time expired.

Second half was all Jets. Sanchez has been excellent. Moss and Welker have been non-factors. Overall whomping by Jets.

For NE fans, this is a game that is best unwatched.

Our feet barely fit on the winding stairway to the top deck of the tram. I felt like "Andre the Giant and His Wife Go To Hong Kong."

There's an old building in Western, three-story red brick place built by the Brits. We went there one Sunday, went to the top floor on the escalator, found ourselves dumped into the midst of a restaurant with HK folks eating their Sunday meal. We tried to make a discreet exit. There's no "down" escalator, so we went out the back down the stairs like a couple of lepers.

After being out in the heat for 3 hours, I was having some issues as Bob days and that necessitated the take out by the ever-loving Beth. Good

For dinner, we took the hotel shuttle (this runs quite often and is very helpful to get to the MTR or elsewhere) back to Pacific Place. We wandered through a grocery store that was filled to the brim with upscale treats. We went to Thai Basil in the basement of Pacific Place I. The food was very good. Pomelo salad, smoked eggplant and a chicken with noodles. Beth kept asking if that was enough and we could not finish it. Total was 320 HKD. Took the tram back to the hotel. It was much more crowded that earlier. Plus, I'm too tall for the ceiling so whne stading I was a pretzel.

On several tram rides we noticed groups of women sitting and talking on blankets on the sidewalks. We had no idea who they were until Smeagol cleared up the mystery. Thanks.

Glad I missed the Pats game. I was awake but found nowhere to watch it.

Good for you for starting while you are there!
I haven't been since 1999 but even then remember seeing all the Philipino maids sitting together in the parks on Sundays.
Have fun!

yes, its in all the guidebooks but evidently the OP is unable to read...

i remember there was no walking room in the star ferry area as these ladies were spread out all over the place eating and having fun talking and listening to music.. its quite a site.

how's the italian food...?

as usual beth is doing all the heavy lifting, and i suspect the light lifting as well...

Up ar a decent time. Breakfast in executive lounge. Much more compatible with digestive system than yesterday.

Today we went on a Frommers walk through the western district. It said it was a five hour walk and we did 1/3 of it in five hours. From our hotel we walked east on Dos Voges and took a right onto Sunderland. Lots of dried fish and other sea creatures. The aroma penetrated even my disabled sense of smell. Mushrooms and other fungi were also dried and on beautiful display. We walked onto Ko Ching Road and were further amazed.

Left onto Queen's Road and it was chock full of lanterns for the upcoming holiday. A vivid display. Beth brosed in many of the stores. I pulled s Kimball and looked for a chair in every store. Slight right onto Hollywood road where there were fantastic displays of antiques. There were several stores with amazing "carved Mammoth tusks" The work was exceedingly intricate and pretty. I wondered how many Mammoth tusks were available to commercial interests. I've seen them in museums without carving, but it's hatd to imagine the quantity of tusks that were for sale. My cynical mind wondered whether this was a ruse to sell ivory from elephants. I'm sure someone can tell me.

Some amazing Buddhas were up for sale, but unlike Craig and Jeane, we only buy what we can carry back, so we don't go crazy. The stuff was stunning.

Beth brought us into a store selling silk embroidery and she went wild. The store was on the Bob end of Hollywood and I'm guessing the rent was less than in the prime spots because we bought some small ones for 100HKD and in the prime district they were 1600 HKD. There was no discount or bargaining, but we still got a very good deal. The work is done in Suzhou, a water village outside Shanghai. Both shopkeepers were very pleasant. The sales pitch was softer than the usual in BKK..

We walked up to Man Mo temple. It was small and built 400 years ago. It is dedicated to two different deities. Think Andy and Bob. Man is the god of literature. Mo, the god of war. I bought some incense and candles and wished for my good health to continue. Beth bought some items in the small gift shop.

We went doen to Upperlascar Road and began walking back. This street has some wonderful antique shops and some stalls like a market. A nice mix. Meanwhile, we had misplaced our Fodors guide book that supplemented the Frommer Walk. It was in the shop where we had left Beth's massive purchases so sll is well.

Back down Hollywood gazing at the coffin shops and onto Queem's Road. We went to Sammy's Kitchen at 204-206 Queen's Road. Both had roasted chicken sandwiches. The crust was cut off and the chicken flavorful. Beth got some chips and we both ordered fruit salad. For some unknowm reason, there was a mayonaise sauce that we wiped off. Total with iced teas was 236 HKD.

Walked back and it started to rain. Apparently there is a Tai Fun in store for us. I'm told that the categories of Tai Fun are one, three, eight, nine and ten corresponding to our 1,2,3,4 and 5. They go a long way to avoid the use of 4. Now it's category three. Rain pelting with lightening and thunder. Nothing visible from our 32nd floor. Do you think I can get a refund because it was supposed to be a harbor view room and you can't see anything?.

Glad you are having a great time, we have done that walk (well much of it) M too pulled a Kimball. I saw some amazing doors in one shop that i was desperate to buy, but alas WAY out of my price range!!!
Keep the updates coming.

Andy-If Bob were with you you might not have gotten a refund, but you would have gotten at least a discount on the room, because it was not "harbor view", and been comped for drinks at the bar.

Enjoying your descriptions of the same walks we took . . .

We were told that mammoth tusks are not taken from an "endangered species," being already extinct, so that they can be used with a "clear" conscience. Sorry for so many quotation marks, but I'm trying for nuance . . .

Bad joss on the weather. But you still have a harbour-view room, it's just that the harbour is in the form of raindrops. No optimism on the short-term weather, either:

Here is the latest weather bulletin issued by the Hong Kong Observatory.

Weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow

Fresh to strong west to southwesterly winds, occasionally gale force over offshore waters and on high ground. Cloudy to overcast with heavy rain and squalls. There will also be thunderstorms. Temperatures will range between 24 and 27 degrees. There will be swells over the sea.

Outlook : Remaining rainy on Wednesday and Thursday, heavy at times at first.

Find some Museum to go to, ...I gave Beth the name of one that we liked. Bob even went thru the whole thing. Don't think the ride out to Stanley would be very good in the rain , and once you got there the market, etc would be wet. Sounds like you are getting around. what's was for dinner? Rooms..what are the Rooms like?

water is water, ain't it?? so you have a water view room...

seeking a chair is noble... walking behind the purchaser is merely more man-servantish....

i loved our day on that walk around hollywood road area....so much to see and do.....we adore our red chinese lunch basket which we bought there for wayyyyyyy toooo much $$---from hobbs and hobbs....

don't forget some gifties for the GTG---think pink compatible..

it looks like things are going really well...that's great.. a little rain is good, a lot of rain not so much...

I remember landing at NRT in the sort of weather you are having. It was a cat #1, I believe. Rain was coming down sideways... FAs had to sit down during the last hour of the flight... what an experience! And THEN what did we do, we got on another plane and took off for ORD... about two hours later!

There's a great museum on the Kowloon waterfront with lots of carved jades and good stuff like that --- not for sale though!

I didn't find much in Stanley to thrill me and it's a long shag. Can you take the ferry to Lamma? Takes about 30 mins. from the HK pier and is a whole different world -- no cars or buses. A little fishing village with a wind mill, a few temples, sweet little cemetery, dragon boats, great seafood at the pier.

Panda: So happy to hear you are visiting HongKong, you know there is no bamboo to chomp on so go ahead and eat yourself silly!

Andy- my pal in HK just texted me- she said she can't sleep because the rain/wind is soooo loud! hope it doesn't dampen your hols

Glad to know you're surviving the heat and humidity. You've done the tram already, so now just take a taxi to go places.

We did find a laundry place west on Dos Voges, but timing is wrong because we're switching to Kowloon on Wednesday.

Raining too hard to go out, so we ate at the MoMo Cafe in the Courtyard. I had Hong Kong Dumplings and Beth had chicken with pesto. Both were good, but not extraordinary. There was only one other person in the well-appointed room.

Breakfast at the lounge. I stayed with bland items, e.g., toast, muffin. Beth had another omelet and some bacon and potatoes. The lounge is comfortable and nicely laid out. Better than the ROS lounge in BKK. Sorry Kathie.

Lol... it's been a number of years since you were last in the lounge at the ROS, and they have done a complete remodel of the lounge, it's more than tripled in size, but the arrangement of a series of rooms keeps it feeling cozy.

Nonetheless, I'm delighted to hear about your stay at the Courtyard in Hong Kong. We may have to put it on our short list for our next Hong Kong stay, whenever that may be.

will it never stop....another segment....fantastic...

but evidently there is no spell check in HK

sir---remember what your nurse told you about eating---protein, ruffage, etc.....not MORE TOAST, bagles etc...

i'm sending a dozen pensils for you

NO spell check in BOS Bob?

Just lost entire day's report. That's ahat a panda gets for staying at a Marriott when Bob lurks about. WE wnt out, got wet, got a massage and ate lunch. More later after I assault someone.

Ha! Ah, Gpanda, so glad to hear about your travels, and so sorry for your travails. On the breakfast front, protein can be difficult, I know as I've been there. This may not work for you, but I'll throw it out there--I was able to eat some "light" cheese to get something into my system at breakfast that had a protein component. (As you know, I have an egg allergy. Given the recent bad press plaguing eggs in America right now, that's probably my survival instinct.) Anyway, many a morning in hospital was spent consuming a small portion (think of a size between a golf ball and a tennis ball) of cottage cheese. But I'm thinking even mozzarella or a mild provolone would've done the job.

Hoping the weather gods are kinder to you and Beth on the remainder of this trip,
BC

naw, i see that the words are wrong but some of the fun of my posts is figuring out just what they say....or mean..

i misspell many words to see if you really see the errors...

I'm enjoying your report, Gpanda! Hope the rains stop for you! It's making me very anxious to get to Hong Kong--I've done three plane changes there, but never have actually been into the city. Maybe next year...

Have a wonderful time!

Of course you do Bob!!

For heaven's sake, it's Des Voeux.

It's all part of Bob's plan to help me in my new career as a freelance proofreader. BTW, I just completed an assignment today, found several mistakes, and found TWO mistakes in the legal disclaimer!! Yikes! (I'm hoping Gpanda will tell me he's proud...)

BC

It's typhoon not tai fun, although tai fun sounds Chinese.

Found on the wall of a ladies' room at Indiana University:

"Life is one big practikle joke."

"It's a good thing for you it isn't a spelling bee."

Florida1-We too had skipped Hong Kong, but it's wonderful even at a snail's pace.

I'm still mad about losing the post, so I'll describe the modificatiobs to our travel that we've been forced to make. In the past, I would be up early every day and go out exploring the surrouding area to see things that Beth and I might enjoy. That's over. No energy.

Normally, we would make a list of things we were going to do in a day and attack from first light. Now, we have one thing we want to do and need lots of rest while we're out. My fatigue requires me to sit often and gather myself so I can appreciate those things we do see.

My nausea dictates when we can go out. It's never at the same time of day so we ait ubtil it gets to a low level and off we go. This has also changed our eating habits. Instead of the starving panda always on the alert for a goody or two, we eat by my watch. Beth orders a lot and I scavenge from her plate.

Plus, one of the side effects of my chemo is blisters on my feet, so walking can be painful. Howvwe, walking is a big part of our enjoyment, so I just do it and take care of my feet when we get home. I did note that hwen I got my massage, the masseur didn't touch my feet. He was probably scared off by the red blisters.

I'm not complaining, just reporting. These same things happen at home, so there's nothing extra. I had to give this info to provide an accurate picture of our days. Beth has been a rock. She goes with the flow and enjoys what we can do.

BTW, for the regulars, there was a repeat of my Luang Prabang digestive issues at breakfast one day. It was the chemo and not drinking from tap water. The staff was very apologetic and helpful, but I waved them off. Misery may love company, but nausea wants solitude.

Bravo for figuring out how to adapt as your world changes. Yes, it can be extremely irritating during the figuring-out process, but there it is. Sounds like you have a heroic travelmate, as well.

Hong Kong does a have a very special character, unlike anywhere else, does it not? It's a combination of Asian big city frenzy, business tycoons each trying to build a skyscraper taller than their rival did, plus a non-stop onslaught of sights and smells.

I'm glad you've been able to make modifications to your travel routine so you can go and enjoy even though you do less and do it slower.

There is a very nice museum on the Kowloon side right on the waterfront that you and Beth would enjoy. It will be even better if it's hot and humid, since it is well air-conditioned.

On Tuesady, we went out walking even though it was saining. We picked up on the Frommers walk. First we went to the China Construction Bank to get some cash. I was given a choice of HKD or RMB. No keyboard, so I was unable to send rhem my thoughts.

Went to the Western Market. The first floor was soulless. The second floor was all shops with bolts of cloth. No one asked me about suits, so I assumed they were not tailors. In whole, I would give this a miss.

On to Man Wa Road and the shops of chops. Nothing different than Beijing, so I would give thie a miss.

Next on the tour was the bird shop and snake shop. No bird shop to be found, but there was construction on sevetal shops, so it may be gone, the snake shop had people waiting for doses and a guy reaching into wooden drawers to get the particular item sought.

We began to walk up to Hollywood Road when Beth suggested a massage. Got one on Queen's Road, it was great. Really loosened me up. The whole staff loved the muscle trick.

Up to Soho to wander among the upscale boutiques. Nothing in panda style or size. Ate lunch at Lil' Siam on Elgin St, I had a good Rad Nar and Beth had good Fried Rice. Walked down to Queen's Road and a taxi back to the hotel.

For dinner, I wanted Italian. Only good fortune kept us from falling prey to a Kimball trick. We asked the concierge to write the address and when he called, it was closed with a branch now open on the Kowloon side. He recommended Isola in the IFC Mall and off we went.

This mall was very high end with young, well-dressed men and women. The restaurant was hopping, but they gave us a table near the door. The whole time we were there people flitted to and fro with lots of European kiss/kissing. The chef/owner talked out front the entire time we were there.

Beth had an ordinary Arugula salad. I had a very good strozopretti with asparagus and beth had a very good Fresh Pea Soup. It's worth a stop for the people-gazing.

On entering we had seen a lengyjt taxi line at the amll entrance, so we went to the Four Seasons at the end of the mall and quickly caught a taxi back.

Switching to Sheraton later today. Don't know about internet access.

You can easily find distilled water in HK. Hotels and the better restaurants cater to tourists serve distilled water I believe. The bottle usually says 'Watsons'.
Ginger is great to counteract nauseaness. Research shows that ginger works better than medication according to my doctor. I am sure you can get a cup of ginger tea made of fresh ginger for room service. You can also get ginger candy for the road, my favorite kind is the soft candy made in Indonesia wrapped in blue, white and red paper.

The thypoon is just about over according to the Globe this am ..Yes it made the paper here it is so bad. You picked a good week to go. Weather here has been beautiful. How is the Sheraton? Rooms small or decent size? Try the ginger tea for your nausea.

Good reporting. Glad to hear you're adapting. The difference between "loser" and "winner" is that when a loser is knocked down, they stay down. A winner picks themselves up again. You've kept going, and it's beautiful to me. Hope you do get a beautiful view of Kowloon.

Hope you're able to report some more before your trip ends, but if not, I know we'll hear back from you as soon as you have access to a computer.

BC

I think that we will have to start calling you Trooper Panda for all the fortitude that you are showing. Glad to hear that you and Beth are enjoying yourselves.

Sheraton internet is akin to being good.

I ate a more full breakfast and Beth had her usual breakfast and 1/2, Packed, internet and went over to the Kowloon Sheraton about 11:30 am. Thy had a room available for us and we went right uostairs. Room caoparison is that while the Courtyard room was a bit larger the Sheraton room is slightly more funcional. In C, e two small armchairs. At the S, one large chair w/ottoman. Rge view from the S is of central, much better than the C. The C was a little more contemporary, but both were solid. No executive club available at S. We'll have to forage for breakfast. The ride took 25 minutes and cost 127 HKD with 70 HKD for tunnel. Almost all highway.

Wandered around looking for a laundry. Found Happy Laundry on Hart Lane, off of Mody. Went back to hotel and got laundry. They said it would be ready in 2 hours and they were open until 8:00 pm.

Went to Spring Deer for the duck. Unfortunately I had another Laotian episode. I will explain because it happened twice now. In Laos, I was nauseous and vomiting uncontrollably. It happened once at bteakfast here and again at the Spring Deer. So no duck or anything for me. Beth ate 1/2 duck and said it was very good, but not as good as the obe we had in Beijing.

Walked back to the hotel and my stomach quieted down. Befoe my illness, I niver vomited. Ever. Now, when I take twp chemo treatments (5 days out of 28) my stomach is very iffy for the 4th and 5th days. Don't care. It takes strong drugs to fight cancer.

Went out for a short stroll on the promenade behind the HK Museum. Talked at length with an Australiab couple and exchanged E-mails. Beth's search for nail glue went unsatisfied.

One thing we noticed was that HK and Kowloon were full of high end European cars and Toyota Cambrys and Acuras. This is in sharp contrast to Shanghai and Beijing where almost all the cars had Chinese brand names.

Nail glue: there's a Watson's on the opposite side of Nathan Rd from the Sheraton, about a block or two toward Mongkok (away from the harbour). They might fill the bill.

On my 1st trip to HK, my Former Beloved and I went to Spring Deer for the Peking Duck, and it was not an overly pleasant experience. We both thought the duck was way too fatty (though we were later told that's considered to be ok in Cantonese cuisine), but the real turn-off was watching the wait staff hock lungas into the tray where used plates got stashed.

ok, now we have a choice....staff spitting on the trays or gpanda throwing up all over the table, patrons and beth...your choice...

i'll take the spitters...

great deal at ROS: $66/night incl tax/service and breakfast...they must be in trouble for sure... is it the bedbugs or the brown water, or some other unknown problem...

I've become ill just reading this.

What about some typical Cantonese food like steam fish and saute vegetables with less oil? Congee (rice soup) is easier for digestion. It's the best comfort food you can find in HK.

common sense, but remember who you are dealing with....

Sorry to hear you have been feeling ill Andy, hope the nausea passes.

Enjoying your wonderful trip report! You might consider the YMCA for breakfast. The cafe is not bad! Also, stop by a grocery, wellcome or park n shop, where ever is convenient and pick up a tube of McVities digestive biscuits. Eat one or two in-between meals so that you don't have an empty stomach for too long. These are easy to carry in a baggie if you have one - or you can buy the box of "to go" packs that are easier to take with you. I think its 4 crackers in each pack. Should help!
Now that you are in Kowloon, please tell us how you are handling those "suit mister?" "handbag madam?" "copy watch?" guys! Enjoy!!

Gpanda, you are my hero. I rarely use the word "awesome" because its use has become so commonplace that for me for a while, it had no meaning. But when I use it, I mean it, and you are absolutely awesome.

BC

nothing better than mcvites digestives....lots of fibre and delicious...

mcvites digestives is a good choice. If you don't feel like sweet, you can get some HK made soda crackers. There is a variety of toppings like black sesame, white sesame, seaweed etc. They tastes better than the saltine crackers here in the States.

did you know they were invented to aleviate flatulence?

Chicken congee is the traditional curative food for those who are ill. WHen Cheryl had food poisoning, the hotel manager sent her chicken congee. It was just what she needed!

McVities chocolate digestives are best (there's even a teensy bit of protein in chocolate).

I'm tempted by your report to fit in some shopping in HK. I'll let my husband know that chairs are available...

Glad you made it to HK - maybe an inappropriate place to ask this question - but I took a great anti-emetic during chemo called Aprepitant (brand name EMEND).... have you tried it?

For dinner, we went with Matzoh Ball soup for me and a veggie sandwich for Beth at the Main St. Deli in the Langham Hotel. Lobby was beautiful. Soup did not have enough scmaltz, but was soothing. Sandwhich was good.

I went to the laundry at 7:45 and it was closed, even though they had tod us they were open 8-8. Next morning, I went at 9:00 am, still closed.

Talked to Ciiccerone on phone and she agreed to meet us in the Sheraton lobby. Grabbed a quick muffin and criossant breakfast.

We're waiting in the lobby for C...to be continued.

At Panda’s suggestion, I am contributing the below as a joint report on our “mini” GTG yesterday:

This was perhaps the one “nice” day which Beth and Panda have had in terms of weather. It was slightly cooler and less humid than it had been earlier in the week, and it was not actually raining, although it was overcast.

I arrived a bit later than scheduled at the Sheraton to meet Beth and Panda in the lobby. Panda had told me I would recognize him as he had “the worse haircut in the world”. He may have undersold himself on that, so I was able to find them easily. After swapping some brief histories, we headed out to the first of our goals for the day: the Wong Tai Sin Temple in north Kowloon. I promptly got us a bit lost as I was confused as to where we were supposed to switch lines on the MTR (as regular readers know, I hardly use the MTR as IMO there are far more scenic ways to get around most of Hong Kong), but we managed to make it to the temple in fairly short order. The temple was pretty active with worshippers due to the Mooncake Festival holiday. We bought some incense from a little old lady in pajamas at the entrance, made our obeisance to the Gods, and then observed the real worshipers in prayer with their many offerings, including several roasted suckling pigs. The main temple is a riot of reds, blues, greens with virtually all surfaces painted or carved. The were a dozen or so monks inside the temple in dark blue silk robs and hats chanting, which together with the wafting incense everywhere, lent a nice atmosphere. We wandered around to some of the minor shrines and then proceeded to the “fortune tellers mall” outside the temple gates. It seems that all of them were taking the day off, as their stalls were closed, but the retail shops were open, and we perused the offerings. Beth bought a pair of wooden sing pui, the crescent-shaped blocks which are used to first ask the Gods if they are ready to provide answers via the I Ching sticks. She also bought a very nice shellacked dried gourd with a God of good health painted on it.

We then proceeded to have some refreshment at the nearby Café de Coral. Panda tried the milk tea, which I think was not such a hit, as he then proceeded to get an ice tea, which Beth and I had (perhaps wisely) chosen for our ourselves. After enjoying the air con for a bit more, we headed out one more subway stop to our next destination: the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Gardens in Diamond Hill. http://www.chilin.org/ http://www.nanliangarden.org

The Gardens were our first stop, and they were really in lovely form today. Not crowded, and very peaceful. We admired the large variety of trees and plants, the “misting mountains”, the giant carp in the pond and the waterfall, all set serenely in the midst of huge tower blocks of apartments, with Lion Rock and Tait’s Cairn mountains peeking out from among the towers. We stopped for vegetarian dim sum made by the nuns at the Chi Lin Vegetarian restaurant, which was quite enjoyable in a pleasant setting by the waterfall (the air con was again appreciated). After lunch we looked into the very nice gift shop, and also looked at the enormous “scholars rocks” set aside in their own rockery. They looked like hand-coloured and polished rocks, but are in fact created naturally underground by tremendous heat forcing the coloured striations and lending the rocks a highly-polished gloss.

We then headed up to the temple which forms the public part of the nunnery. The temple is completely constructed of wood using no iron nails, and is a lovely brown colour with soaring rooflines; the single use of colour being quite a contrast to the polychrome temples usually found in Hong Kong. We made the circuit to see the Buddha’s and the goddess of mercy installed at each point in the square second courtyard. There was chanting over loudspeakers throughout the temple, which lent it a serene air. We then exited via the bookshop downstairs, where we noticed the roomful of worshippers who were providing the live chanting. Panda admired a large bronze statue of the goddess of mercy, but after re-doing the exchange rate, realized that US$8,800 was perhaps more than he wanted to spend on this (and Beth pointed out that an entire new suitcase would be necessary to bring it home in any event). They bought a nice picture book of the temple and we headed back to their hotel in TST.

They very kindly gave me some books and a red lobster stuffed animal as mementos, which I really appreciated. As it was about 6 pm by this point, we decided to call it a day, and they walked me to the Star Ferry as I pointed out various sites (like the famous YMCA Salisbury, the Hullet House restoration and the Chinese Arts and Crafts shop). I left them on the pier as the sun -- which had a actually appeared at bit through the clouds at this point -- was setting. A great day which I really enjoyed and hope that they did too!

Cicerone

How cool is that? A guest trip reporter? Not named Bob! She did a much better and more accurate report than I could ever do.

Ciccerone was unbelievably generous with her time. It was a great day. The temple and nunnery were spectacular. However, the garden was the show stopper. Perhaps the best garden I've ever seen. In the rockery, they had Duhua Rocks, also called scholar rocks. They had a feel like silicone. Stunning.

The mathe error was even more complicated. C and I saw these two statues of the Goddess of Mercy. The larger was a light brown about three shades lighter than bronze, 68,000 HKD. Beautiful. The smaller was another nice shade of brown, 27.000. My calculator-likr mind figured $900 and $300. The larger would require buying a new suitcase and payind for uverweight, maybe $1100 total. My plan was to show Beth the large one first, tell her I really liked it and then if she balked to settle for the smaller one. Unfortunately, when we brought her over to show her, I/we realized my miscalculation and I gave up. Foiled again.

C kindly skipped the part where I lost the umbrella and had to retrace my steps. But, I found it. The milk tea was good, but the iced tea was more refreshing. Here in HK, when you order iced tea, they pit 4 or 5 slices of lemon in your glass which makes it better but not bitter.

WE were among the first Fodorites that C ever met. Nice choice, eh? She pretended to be fascinated by our tales of GTGing with other Fodorites. Time will tell whether I broke her of Fodors or she comes back for more punishment.

Our entire day was extraordinary. The dights were staggering. The feel of the temple, nunnery and garden were soothing. Most of all C was a perfect host. She was energetic and engaging. She clerly loves HK and was happy to show it off to two guests. Another triumph for the Asia Forum Community.

Thanks C. We loved the day we spent with you.

Glad to hear the 3 of you had a lovely day of sightseeing and decent weather. Ciccerone was so helpful to me in planning my days in HK. I know she must have been a wonderful guide and companion. When we were in HK, we enjoyed seeing the Wong Tai Sin Temple, but missed seeing the monastery because we ran out of time. Isn't the subway impressive? It is so user friendly. fast and clean. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Hope the weather stays decent and you feel well, Andy..

What great reports - fantastic stuff. The Worldwide Fodors Community comes through yet again.

I hadn't known about the Nan Lian Gardens, but they're on mu list for the next trip.

And it's a good thing that you got thee to a nunnery.

Sounds like you're seeing some amazing things. If this is a slow pace, I can't imagine what you're like at 100%!

Hope the weather continues to improve. HK is so beautiful on a clear day. Your day with C sounds like a tourist dream day...inside info. See you BOS next week.

Very happy that you are having a good time apart from a few snafus, which would probably have happened in Boston as well.

Terrific to hear of and from Fodorites meeting "on the road"! Thanks to Gpanda and Cicerone both.

BC

weather here in boston is fantastic...warm and bright..

hope the rest of the trip is fun

If we didn't know it already, this proves that Andy is a VIP (very important poster), as he even has an esteemed guest poster in his trip report.

What a wonderful report. Cicerone always has wonderful ideas of places to go in Hong Kong (I'm putting this on my list as well).

finally something we can read with no mistakes in it... she must proofread or else she did not skip that class in law school...

Wow, you met the great Ms C and spent a day with her? I am so envious!

gpanda: You're a gutsy guy! I hope your trip continues to be rewarding.

Proof that Fodorites, with a few Needham exceptions, are a wonderful group. C was too modest to mention that she had arrived on a plane from Hanoi at 11:30 the night previous to our excusion.

Rizutto, the garden is a must see and I spent a little time refering to both Beth and C as Ophelia. Twisted minds wandwe alike.

RhkKmk-the amazing thing about that post is I had no glasses and had to guess what key I was stabbing. I checked more than regular.

Friday, I sort of woke uo tremendously fatigued. No energy whatsoever. This happens every so often and we just went with the flow. I remained abed and beth set out for the Art Museum.

3 hours later, Beth appears and reports that she never made it to the Museum. She wandered down Salisbury Road. Popped in to Shanghai Tang, where the stuff was great, but the prices greater. Might have turned out different, if I had bought a $9,000 xculpture.

Then she went into Chinese Arts and Crafts and went wild. Spent 1 1/2 hous with a saleswoman and bought two silk tops and two silk pants. They look great on her. She slinked back home.

Under the panda needs fuel theory, we went to Jade Garden on the 4th floor across from the Star Ferry for lunch. We had to wait at 1:45, but it was worth it. We got Set A, 168 HK, 3 Dim Sum, a snack and a dish. Eggplant with Sesame, wontons, Pork Bun, chicken with noodles were all top drawer. The chicken spring roll was second tier. The whole place gats an A.

Staggered back to the hotel. Beth actually went to the museum. I went online and up to the pool. It was actually a beautiful, sunny day. Both enjoyed ourselves.

I am enjoying traveling along with you and am especially charmed by the collaborative description of your day with Cicerone.

You are bringing back some memories, including those of shopping at the Arts and Crafts store and looking at Shanghai Tang. Also of a delicious meal at the Jade Garden. Are you riding the Star Ferry a good deal or does being on the water worsen queasiness? Hong Kong is such a delightful place because of the close proximity of high-energy urban areas to relaxing open green spaces and fabulous places to be on or near the water.

Best wishes for best possible health in your onward travels.

Beth glad you are getting some retail expierences in. I loved the Arts and craft place. Hope the rest of your trip goes well and safe travels home.

Great trip report. Am catching up after a few days of not checking in to Fodors and am so impressed and encouraged by the way you are doing so much in spite of nausea, fatigue, and bad weather thrown in. I guess it makes you both really have to be ready for "instant change". I would imagine that some of the areas that have pungent odors, such as the dried fish markets etc would be hard to deal with especially as it's easy to get queazy even when one is not dealing with chemo.
It's been almost 40 years since I visited HK and have only changed planes there since, but, remember it fondly as one of the most vibrant and exciting places I had ever visited. I should imagine there have been a lot of changes since I met up there with my husband of 6 months who had 4 days leave while serving in Vietnam. I tend to remember HK as our honeymoon spot. You have made me want to go back there (all except for the spitting/hawking in the restaurant part) and I need to investigate the time of year for the best weather for an Anniversary return.

Hope that the remaining part of the trip rewards you with good health, excellent retail therapy and a safe smooth trip back home.

Back at home. Flight was good. Trying to readjust, but jet lag won't be such a problem, if I don't have to work. More of the report to come.

Welcome home! Get some rest, then come back and tell us more.

Life is simple. No need to change the time on your watch.

Take your time. It usually takes me 2-3 days to realize I'm back in America. This confuses people who have to deal with me in those 2-3 days, especially when I speak French or Italian to them! Anyway, thank you for letting us know you've arrived safely back home. Finish up by the end of this week, or penalties will attach.

BC

Take a few days off and start planning what to order for the Sat. night GTG at Similan's. You did a great job ordering 2 years ago, when I attended. Let's see if you can do as well this year. And no excuses about jet lag getting in the way. You have 2 weeks to get back your east coast vibe. Anyway, welcome home. Sounds like you had a lovely trip.

Friday night, we decided to get soup dumplings at DTF. Walked over there and it was a madhouse. Jammed with young people. They give you a number and then immediately try to take your order so it will be ready when you sit down. Too pushy for us, we walked downstairs and got snacks at the Breadtalk. Enough for dinner and breakfast on Saturday.

BTW, we had met an Australian couple, Barbara and Peter from Melbourne, on the promenade on Wed. afternoon and arranged to have dinner with them Sat. night. Peter was clear that they were "not welthy paople" and we asured them that moderat cost was good for us.

Saturday, we set out with three goals in mind. The first was to return to Chinese Arts and Crafts tyo buy some presents. This store is great. Museum peices mixed in with affordable ones. No clothes in my size.

Next stop was PageOne in Harbour City. This mall is gigantic. Goes on for ever and ever. Lots of foot traffic. Found Page One and bought a book, so I would have enough to read on the plane.

While we were in there we stopped in Crystal Jade for the soup dumplongs we had missed the night before. They were deliciaous as was all the food. It's a chain with outlets in many Asian cities.

Then our final destiantion was the Star Ferry. It was really nice to be out on the water. Cool too! The signage makes it so simple, even a panda can't get lost. Walked a little on the island side and returned to Kowloon. Definitley worth the time investment. All the ferries to the other islans seemed exotic,

Back to the pool for me and Beth went off to the Hong Kong Cultural Center.

Did you travel First Class on the Star Ferry?

Even first class it's still the cheapest mode of transport.
.......Museum peices mixed in with affordable ones.........
They were Museum replicas. But still, Arts and Craft is a good store. There are several locations and the merchandise differs slightly, it's worth going to all the them. Silk with embroderies and linens with crochets on the edges are the best buys. Shanghai Tang is too much hype and overpriced imo. Glad you made it home safely.

Oh i love Shanghai Tang - modern take on chinese classics and gorgeous quality, although granted some of their stuff is really expensive.

Andy - so glad you had a great time, loved reading the updates.

Glad to know you're home, and I hope it was everything you wanted it to be!

Dinner with the Australians was fun. We went to the Harborside at the Intercontinental and got a table overlooking the harbor. It was fun to see everyone line up to watch the 8:00 pm light show. None of us went for the sumptious, yet expensive buffet. Usual western fare was the norm. It was fun to hear about their trip to China that day and their impressions of how the PRC differed from Hong Kong. Neither Australians nor Americans are shy about expressing their opinions, except for your faithful author, of course. We followed Beth and Peter back and naturally they got lost in the SOGO mall.

Packed for our departure, realizing there was much that we hadn't seen or done. Something to which we can return.

Sounds like it was a very nice trip for both of you. Will we see Beth wearing a Shanghai Tang outfit at the GTG? Pretty stuff, but I agree... expensive in some cases. Guenmai and I shopped at ShTang in Honolulu several years ago. I bought a very nice eyeglasses case and a men's style long sleeved polo shirt (guenmai had one just like it... we dressed as twins). I can't recall if it was on sale or not. Nice stuff though.
Anyway, welcome home. See you soon.

One of the things that I noticed is that Hong Kong does malls and public transportation much better than we in the US. The malls are lively and well-populated. The stores are booming and not closing. We live in Boston where the public transportation is pretty good if you're close in, but in Hong Kong the MTR was great, fast and easy.

Plus, the idea of air conditioned walkways under busy intersections is alien to the US.

I think that we do better at setting the teperature in malls and restaurants. I froze several times in short sleeves. It was horrible to go from a cold mall into a colder restaurant.

Another thing they do well in Hong Kong are public parks. I've walked in Hong Kong Parks at all times of the day and find they are well utilized. I love the parks in Hong Kong!

I was just amazed--and quite frankly taken aback--at the rampant consumerism, which I thought hit the peak in HK (though Singapore ain't shabby). And the proliferation of homogenized, brand-name high-fashion stores: Dior, Chanel, the usual suspects. Who's buying this stuff? A handful of Chinese superrich? I thought American shoppers, who make up something like 70% of the U.S. economy, were over the top. Compared to the HK-ese, we look like pikers.
Being from L.A., where local transit is a laugh, HK was so luxurious. But, again, Singapore has them beat.

The Octopus card in HK is wonderful -- good for subways, buses, trams, even the cable car on Lantau. Just top them up at a 7-11 and you're in business again. The only transportation we paid cash for was the taxis which are cheap and plentiful.

Welcome back...and I agree with bookchick - you are my hero. This has to be the most inspiring trip reports ever on Fodors. So where to next?

A/C - People have been complaining for years, and while everybody in HK are talking about earth-friendly, the buses and malls still have temperature set way too low. Different from Japan, when they deliberately set A/C to about 28C/82F, which I find a bit too high, to conserve energy use.

Interconnected and A/Ced malls and walkways - With the heat and humidity, that's the only way. Similar to Montreal with its interconnected malls in downtown, all heated.

Highend shops - Yes, newly superrich from mainland China. But not a handful. More like planeloads, busloads and trainloads. Handful is the local superrich. The measly "very rich" locals in HK fly to Europe or US to buy their luxury goods which are often a little bit cheaper.

rkkwan: " Different from Japan, when they deliberately set A/C to about 28C/82F" - but in hotel rooms you need to set the temp WAY down so you can sleep under the duvet.

thursdaysd - Absolutely. I love my AC cold, and definitely need to turn everything down in Japan in the summer. On Tokyo's subway trains, there is a "weak A/C" car on each train, which is even warmer than 82F. I was sweating like a pig until I realized why that was the case.

if you have two volvos who needs public transportation?

Please help. I have to find a way to sell 750 Rolex watches, 400 Prada handbags and 75 48L suits. I got them for really good prices in Hong Kong.

Gpanda, LOL!!! I recommend setting up a temporary sales stand in Harvard Square, one that can swiftly be moved to Kenmore Square. Try to model the business on the "portable" ones that one can see (selling usually Gucci handbags) in Piazza Navona periodically.

BC

Hk also has the most luxury cars like Rolls Royce per capita.
Who buys all that stuff? People who allow brandname to define who they are and don't know better. Good for the economy but it brings to mind something Obama said,' if you put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig'.

we often say the same thing about thailand....who buys all that lux stuff that you see in gaysorn plaza and other places around bkk??

And the luxury taxes on expensive automobiles in Thailand is like 100% or more. Makes that BMW extreeeeeemely expensive. But you still see lots of them on the streets.

I think the Hi-So Thais shop at Gaysorn, and so do the other Hi-So Asians who fly in for shopping vacations. I don't ever see Gaysorn very busy. Not sure how they even survive (and aren't they expanding???).

I've never understood the commercial model in Asia. Specifically, why do they have all those high end stores with prices above the US and very little foot traffic?

simple....they don't have a model

How can a free market/Glen Beck fan think that? It's not like there's a bunch of people who are saying "Let's spend exorbitant rent, buy super-expensive items and it will just fine if no one purchases them."

Two words: Drug money.

that had come to my mind as did some other illegal things..

leave it to a commie to bring up the profit motive thing...

So the suggestion is that all of the high end malls in HK are in reality money-laundering ventures. Unfortunately, this still doesn't compute. Drug lords are not going to take 50% losses to launder money. Even if this is involved, there must be something else. Maybe there's a Potemkin Village quality. (Bob, google this)

Go to Wal-Mart and check out how many things are made in China. It is the factory of the whole world, but the wages are still very low for the workers and peasants. So, that profit has to go somewhere. A LOT of people make a lot of money, some legit many not, but the money is there.

Some money is spent on luxury goods in HK or Macau. But the really big sum goes into luxury apartments in HK, pushing the whole housing market into a bubble in HK. That makes a lot of local investors/prospectors also very rich, and they can spend on luxury goods too.

The real money laundering happens in Macau, next door. In the casinos.

I wasn't suggesting the malls are money laundering operations (tho some of that could be true). I'm just thinking those are the people with all the bucks to spend freely, and they like the bling. This is all new money. Old money doesn't pay $5,000 for a purse.
You're probably right about Macau. I'm sure there is much less scrutiny about laundering there than in Vegas, which is now run by MBAss and closely monitored by the Feds.

Gpanda, you lost Bob at "50%". Keep tossing around numbers and figures like that, and he'll leave the Asia Forum altogether!

BC

Casino is the perfect place for money laundering by nature, and there's nothing one can do about it. No one needs to report losses at casinos, while winnings can be declared officially as "money won at casino", and become legit.

The harder part is to get money out from China into Macau. But if you go to the underground mall in Gongbei, just north of the Macau border, you'll find literally hundreds of phone and SIM card stores. There are not enough phone card buyers in the whole China to support all those stores - instead, they are all underground banks. You deposit your RMB there, cross the border, and "agents" on the Macanese side will deliver your HKD at your hotel which you can then go gamble in the casinos with.

The flow of RMB into HK makes some sense. I knew there was something operating other than supply and demand.

Getting over the jet lag, but some neighbors had a party that required me to go over at 1:30 am and 4:30 am to tell them to keep it down. Not a good night for normalizing sleep patterns.

I would say that HK is a great city and a must see for anyone addicted to Asia. As are most of us.

now he interfers with neighbors---dude it cambridge..

a student and commie refuse

A student and commie refuse
To leave Cambridge without a muse.
Refuge is sought by the forlorn
Not open to the Needham born.

LOL,guess you nailed him on that one Panda.