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Our first full day in Hong Kong!

Title: Our first full day in Hong Kong! We started the day with a wake-up call that was not needed by too many of us – though it was set for 7:00 AM, few people were able to sleep to that point since we have not fully adjusted to the time change yet. However, this group has so much energy it would not have been apparent to the casual observer! We met for a buffet breakfast in the YMCA restaurant. There were a few American style dishes available, but many of us tried some of the local flavors that included dumplings, fresh fruit, and vegetables.

Title: Our first full day in Hong Kong! After breakfast we met our tour guide, Moon Sun, who had prepared an excellent day filled with cultural experiences. We boarded the bus and were off for the day. She provided a nice tour on the way to our first stop. During this time she talked about the housing available for Hong Kong residents. This is quite an amazing site; almost every direction you look has numerous high-rise apartment buildings. She mentioned that housing is very expensive; a 2 bedroom apartment would be nearly $450,000 U.S. dollars to purchase – and would likely be less than 1000 square feet!

She also quizzed our knowledge about the meaning of “Hong Kong”. So now I get to quiz you – do you know what this means (I had no idea!). She explained that “Hong Kong” means “good smell harbor”. This was hard to understand at first, but she explained that many years ago the smell of the incense being produced here created a wonderful scent for all that entered the port. We had also noticed that the city is very clean. She mentioned that there are very stiff penalties for littering and disposing of cigarette butts inappropriately or for smoking in non-smoking areas – almost $900 U.S. dollars.

Title: Our first full day in Hong Kong! Our first stop was at the “Avenue of Stars”, which is similar to the Hollywood walk of fame. It is positioned along Victoria Harbor and has a star and hand prints of famous Chinese film stars. Some of the names we recognized were Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Bruce Lee. There were also statues along the way and several decorations.

Our next stop was at the TSL jewelry factory where we were given a tour of the assembly areas and given the opportunity to shop. The quality was impressive and there were many beautiful pieces. Next we headed off to a ferry ride destined for a fishing village called Tai O. Title: Our first full day in Hong Kong! The ride was nice, though the day was somewhat overcast with high fog. During the ride we were lucky enough to spend several minutes watching pink dolphins swimming at the mouth of the South China Sea. Once arriving at Tai O, we disembarked and walked the shopping areas for about an hour. There were a number of stores where you could buy dried fish and souvenirs.

Next we took a bus up a steep, winding road to the Bronze Buddha. There we found more shopping and some beautiful incense burning areas. We then had a vegetarian lunch that included lotus roots, tofu, several vegetables, and mushrooms. After lunch it was time to see the Buddha up close. The staircase to the Buddha had an unofficial count of 265 steps.

Title: Our first full day in Hong Kong!

We then took a cable car back to the start of the ferry ride, which took about 45 minutes. Despite the foggy conditions we had a wonderful view along the way. Next we headed to the Oasis Fitness Studio, owned by Mr. Kevin Rushton, a long-time friend of Springfield College. There I made a presentation where the students grouped up and performed several different modes of exercise training and measured heart rates to make comparisons between continuous and interval exercise. The studio also had a number of different types of exercise equipment for our students to test out. We were then given a presentation by Mr. Rushton where he explained the differences in the fitness industry between China and the U.S. He also discussed his very unique business and the types of services offered. Sorry I don’t have any pictures of this; since I was presenting I wasn’t taking any pictures, but there were some taken by others.

We then returned to the YMCA via the subway. This was an interesting experience at rush hour – very crowded and very fast-paced. Once we returned to the YMCA we had a few minutes to change and went for a buffet dinner at the YMCA. There were a number of Chinese dishes that included numerous fresh fish, sushi, chickens feet, snails, and noodles. During dinner we were very happy to be invited by the manager to view the evening light show from the top of the building. Immediately following dinner we watched the 15 minute show where lasers and lights were projected on and from the buildings on the skyline. It was great way to end our first day in Hong Kong. Now off to rest for another busy day tomorrow!
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Page updated on: 05/21/2008 05/21/2008