Jim and Gail were off the ship by 5:30 this morning and walked to a city park some 1/2 mile away to join the locals in a 1/12 hour Tai Chi exercise.
Meanwhile, Doug and Fellette were snug in their bed, nice warm and cozy until close to seven before ordering tea and coffee. The weather looks like an October afternoon in Vancouver: threatening rain and hoping that I do not have to go outside. However, it is not like that here, it just looks like that but it is far from warm.
We four had breakfast together and discussed the day. The consensus was that there is not a lot here that we want to see or have not seen and done before. So, we will disembark later in the morning and walk to the city park and get some air, then grab a Dim Sum lunch and come back to the ship and enjoy the sail away as we head south, hopefully to warmer climes.
Well, that is exactly what we did today although we ended up wandering further afield than my feet would have preferred. We started by walking through Kowloon Park, the equivalent of our Stanley Park with a much smaller footprint and more stone and marble in it.
I know that Gail's highlight today was spending some time with a Tai Chi instructor and his student. Gail did about a 10 minute routine with the instructor as he was doing the same style as Gail is familiar with.
We four had a pleasant break from the hustle bustle of Hong Kong and thoroughly enjoyed the change in pace. However it was now near lunch time and we started the task of finding a Dim Sum restaurant, this took about 10 minutes. It is always a pleasure to eat off-the-ship and also neat when we enjoy the local food. Not all ports do you feel comfortable eating off-ship, for example New Guinea. For your information, the bill came to $43.00 US$, for four or five plates, rice and a humungous bottle of excellent Hong Kong lager beer.
After lunch we headed back in the direction of the ship stopping in some shops along the way. Fellette and I went aboard while Jim and Gail wanted to ride the Star Ferry Boat one more time for old times sake. There was our compulsory Ship's Safety Drill just before sailing to orient the people who joined the ship yesterday and today regarding where their lifeboat is.
We sailed away at 5:00 PM heading south for Singapore, 1443 miles away. We will take three days to get there where we hopefully will get back to much warmer weather.
Right now there are about 60 passengers off the ship taking a four day trip to China to see the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors amongst other sights, they join the ship again in Singapore. One of the couples at or table are there and also our next door cabin neighbours.
In one of the photos below you will see some pictures of little Chinese kids from out of the area of Hong Kong. Their next stop was to a government sponsored location where they will all be shown and taught how to clean their teeth properly. Makes one think about the Chinese doesn't it. Don't underestimate them methinks.
* * *
Some information on the passenger's nationality on this 27 day segment of the cruise, Hong Kong to Cape Town…
US 707
Canadian 166
UK 40
Philippines 29
Australian 27
South African 20
Dutch 17
German 15
Balance is assorted.
TOTAL 1075, the most we have had on board so far.
Pics:
- A Muslim goat meat market. About the cleanest meat market we have seen in our travels, and we check them all out.
- Beautifully packaged but I have no idea what it is!
- Get your ears cleaned, only $10 US.
- Next four: Kowloon Park and Gail and Tai Chi
- Pond life. The Aviary.
- Palm Trees and skyscrapers, an unlikely pair.
- Kindergarten kids at the Canadian Totem pole. Mulroney, 1991.
- Poinsettias!
- Dim Sum lunch and look at that beer!
- Those are flattened duck cooked that way.
- Notice the Impark sign, [our customer] amongst all the signage, seems out of place.
- Hmmmm, Snapdragons, a sign of Spring, I wonder how things are a home?
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