The View

Let's start from the very beginning... a very good place to start. (Kudos to you if you sang those last two lines a la Julie Andrews.) I arrived in Hong Kong, greeted by my aunt Mare. We took the train and bus back to her apartment. Their apartment is above this gorgeous shopping mall. Hong Kong really knows how to shop. When I told my friends in Thailand that I was going to HK, they replied, "Oh you're going shopping?" Anyway the apartment is absolutely beautiful. I was beside myself. Then I saw the floor to ceiling windows. Then I looked out the big windows. I started laughing it was so cool. The picture above is from ground level, but their view is exactly the same only 30 floors up. I'd need a pan-a-panoramic photo to get it all in; this is just a small part of the skyline that goes on and on.

I must be becoming more Thai because I remember events in terms of meals. We went down to their pier and had dinner at an English Pub-style restaurant. We sat outside and enjoyed the light show (more on that later) and the skyline and the water. I was finally able to catch up with Doug and Mare and they gave me a quick run down on their experience living in HK versus Japan and the differences between mainland China and Hong Kong (more on that later, too).

It was a lovely welcome and we went back to the apartment where a big bathtub was waiting for me! Mare had asked if I had any requests for when I arrived, and the big one was a bath. It was better than I expected! She even set me up with a basket of shampoos and soaps along with a candle. Not to mention the other goody basket on my nightstand filled with edible treats... What a welcome!