hong kong
11.16 - 11.19, 2017 | 15 YO | FUJI X-T2
We went to Hong Kong following my Uncle Sam + Kendra’s wedding in Phuket. After the wedding in Phuket, my family visited Bangkok for three days. We then went to Hong Kong to meet up with Uncle Sam + Kendra to spend a few days more days with them in the city. We only spent a measly three days in Hong Kong but we were able to understand the city quite well thanks to Kendra who grew up in Hong Kong as a kid. This entire trip to Phuket for the wedding and then to Bangkok and Hong Kong was very enjoyable. And from the quick changes from crowded city to crowded city I now know more than ever before that this is what I want to do; to hop all over the world and to live in very dense and alive cities.
プーケットとバンコクの後には香港へ行った。プーケットでサム＋ケンドラの結婚式があって、その後バンコクで三日過ごした。そして香港でサム＋ケンドラとまた会った。香港で三日だけいたけどケンドラのおかげで香港がどう言う街か分かった。全ての旅行の中では、多分この忙しい旅行を一番楽しんだ。早いペースで街から街へ行くのはすごく楽しかった。将来このように旅行をしたい。
Arrival
Flying in from Bangkok, we arrived in Hong Kong at noon and took the Airport Express into Hong Kong Island. We then took a taxi to the Kew Green Hotel where we began to settle in.
The hotel room itself was tiny as expected of Hong Kong but the decor of the entire building was quite odd and strange. We looked for a place to stay at the very last minute so it was also a little pricey, but in retrospect it probably elevated our experience. The view outdoor was gorgeous with perfect lighting throughout the day and towering buildings with great clothes hanging from the windows.
バンコクから香港へ着いたら空港から Kew Green と言うホテルへ電車で行った。思ったとうりにこの香港のホテルは小さかったけどアートや部屋の家具はとても変だった。それに値段はかなり高かったけど窓からの景色はすごく美しかった。
After some time of unpacking, we went out and took a taxi to Victoria Peak’s trams station where Sam + Kendra met us. The lines for the trams there were ridiculous so we called one of those 7 passenger Ubers and went up the mountain.
The Peak
The view from the peak was wonderful. And although the view is one of the most iconic parts of Hong Kong, I never saw any photos of it before. We arrived during sunset and so we got to see the city below transition from being lit by the sun, and lit by apartment buildings.
山頂からの景色はとてもきれいだった。写真を撮っていた時、ズームをして色々な写真を取られる事が楽しかった。
Wander
After the peak we went back into town where we enjoyed a banquet with Kendra’s family. We gathered around a large circular table and ate at a hotel with great food. We also had a chance to see Kenda’s mothers apartment that Kendra used to live in as a kid.The pig was probably the best dish of the night.
二日目は一日中美味しい料理を食べられた。食事の間に街の中に歩いたり色々なブティックへ行った。ケンドラのおかげで本当に良いレストランに行けた。
The next morning my father was craving some Irish pub food because of the history and all in Hong Kong and so we walked to a nearby pub, with beans, blood sausage, the full experience.
We then met with Sam + Kendra + Kendra’s mother for our next meal at a simple noodle shop. We all ended up ordering the same dish of duck noodles with incredible broth + noodles.
After those two meals, we spent the rest of the day walking around and eventually stopped for a bit at a repurposed industrial police academy building filled with many little boutiques.
After our little break of shopping, we once again ventured towards our next meal, this time to an American Cuisine restaurant with some history. We split up after supper and my family took a tram back to the Kew Green Hotel.
Last Day
For our last full day we made it over to Kowloon, saw the iconic view from Victoria Harbor with the skyline illuminating the waters, and ate a bunch of food. We started the day off by taking a train to City Hall where there was a supposedly excellent Din Tai Fung. When we got to City Hall and walked up a few flights of stairs to find the restaurant we were met with a crowd of people waiting. We ended up waiting for a little less than an hour and once we began eating it was worth the wait. There are many kinds of Din Tai Fung restaurants ranging from traditional cheaper places where you wash your own dishes with tea to high-end ones, all of which are great experiences and we had something around the middle.
After brunch we made our way to Kowloon by riding an MTR that briefly went underwater and back up to ground level again. Over in Kowloon, we roamed around a bit through a shopping mall and eventually headed to The Peninsula Hotel where we spent a little over an hour for some high tea.
最後の日には Kowloon の方へ行った。始めに香港の市役所の中にあるすごく人気な Din Tai Fung のレストランへ行って、それから MTR で香港の向こう側へ行った。そこでデパートへ少し行ってその後に Peninsula ホテルでハイティーをいただいた。
Victoria Harbor
This time around we took a ferry instead of the MTR to return to Hong Kong Island so we could experience the iconic view.
Hong Kong島に戻るのにMTRを使わずフェリーで有名な香港の景色を観ながら帰った。
Walk to Last Supper
For our last supper of the trip, we met with Uncle Sam + Kendra + Kendra’s mother once more at a Night Market.
Night Market
We met with the group at a train station near the place and then walked together towards the building. Once we arrived at what looked like a warehouse we took several elevators up and entered a massive room. From one end of the room to the other was quite a long stretch and there were no walls to divide the space. There were a dozen or more so of restaurants lined up and small stools and tables organically flowing down the room.
The food was delightful and the atmosphere maybe even more. There were huge speakers blasting music with a tv accompanying it to show the lyrics to the songs. And even though the songs were common, the sheer volume, and of course environment had me in awe.
この旅行の最後の晩御飯は Night Market で食べた。みんなとまた会って、大きいビルの中に入ったら一つの大きい空間の中には色々なレストランがあって、すごく混んでた。料理は美味しかったけどそれより Night Market の雰囲気が見事だった。
Travel Back
After waking up in the morning and having our luggage packed, we had breakfast at a local congee shop. It was the simplest of our meals yet it was so good. Back at the Kew Green Hotel we called an Uber for Hong Kong Station and checked in our bags there at the station so we wouldn’t have to deal with it later. At the airport, it turned out that Uncle Sam + Kendra had the same departure time as us. They were flying to Tokyo to continue their journey following their wedding. We spent the remaining time to departure at a Din Tai Fung restaurant in the terminal.
ロスへ帰る朝早く起きて帰る支度をした。そしてみんなは近くのおかゆの店で朝ご飯を食べた。空港へ着いたら東京へ行くサム＋ケンドラと会って出発の時間までみんなで空港の Din Tai Fung を食べた。
After our 15 hour flight back to L.A. I knew even more than before that I wanted to be somewhere else other than L.A. and probably America as well. This trip to Hong Kong was special because it wasn’t just another visit to our default Asian city Tokyo, and it brought a different perspective and showed me how different a relatively close city can be.
ロスへ着いたらロス以外の所に住みたかった。私の家族はいつも東京へ行くけど、アジアの中で他の国に行くのは珍しかった。帰って分かったのは私の人生の中で写真と旅行の二つしかしたい。
