Adventures with John & Nina – Amazing Hong Kong at Christmas Time

by Nina Sabin - Travel

Our previous blog, Never a Dull Moment in Vietnam, ended with you guessing where our next stop on our Infamous Asian Tour. We mentioned it a country northeast of Vietnam. You guessed it - Hong Kong. Hong Kong is country number five and the last Asian country on our Infamous Asian Tour. The final stop on our itinerary was going back to our home country – USA for our second Christmas after moving to Saudi. It was our only year we celebrated Christmas outside of Saudi in 16+ years.

Once again, we were onboard Thai Air leaving from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam and in about seven and a half hours we arrived at the Hong Kong Airport. We had one stop in Bangkok. Those who travel know it is difficult to find direct flights. Some places and airlines don’t have direct flights. Our layover in Bangkok was four hours – not too long by the time you depart the plane and re-board the next plan. I also found my favorite delicacy at the Bangkok airport – KFC French Fries with melted cheese and Rice Krispies. You dip the fry into the cheese and then the Rice Krispies. It has an explosive taste in your mouth.

We arrived in Hong Kong in the evening, so there really wasn’t time to start exploring till the next day. Once we arrived at the airport we always look for public transportation as it is usually the least expensive way to travel and many times the most convenient. However, not always the easiest way to travel when you have luggage for six people that have been traveling for almost a month.

Our hotel was connected to the YMCA. It had an indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, fitness center, indoor climbing wall, squash courts, children’s pool, shops, and a children’s play area. We had so much to do just at the hotel. It is amazing we were able to have time to journey through Hong Kong. We only had three days to see all the sites. Which we found to be just enough time and still had time to enjoy the amenities of the hotel.

Our hotel was situated at the tip of Kowloon Peninsula and had amazing views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island – two must see places when visiting Hong Kong.

Getting to Hong Kong Island was just as beautiful as the island itself. You take the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island along the Victoria Harbour. The view of Victoria Peak is incredible. It is even better when you get to the top.

As I mentioned, it was around Christmas time when we were in Hong Kong. The decorations were incredible. At night all of the buildings on the Harbour have Christmas lights that at night reflect into the water. We were able to see it every night since our hotel windows faced the Harbour.

There was a humongous Christmas tree on Hong Kong Island. It was about 40-foot tall and had choir performance every night. It really set the mood for the holiday season. So much different than the year before when we had to make our own decorations in Saudi.

At the tree, people were asking to have pictures taken with our daughters, especially our youngest. This happened often through our Asian travels. It happened so often that John jokingly told our daughter when someone asks to have a picture taken, she should say ‘$100 to take a picture with the cute kid’. She was only four and people thought she was adorable.

Going to the top of Victoria Peak was the highlight of our experience in Hong Kong. Victoria Peak is 552m (1810ft) above sea level. The views are extraordinarily beautiful in every direction, with the vista of the business district, Victoria Harbor and Kowloon, we could actually see our hotel from that location. The actual peak is a ten minute walk west and up. There is also Peak tram you can take which is like an incline railway. The children loved riding the Peak tram up but we decided it would be a good experience to walk down. I definitely wouldn

Before we left Hong Kong and Asia we couldn’t miss the opportunity for one more massage. Our in-laws watched our children while John and I experienced a Thai Massage in Hong Kong. For those of you who haven’t had a Thai Massage it is very different. You wear pajama like clothing and they twist your body in lots of different directions. I think we prefer the traditional body oil massage.

Well, the Infamous Asia Tour is coming to an end. Next time you will read about our experience back it the USA and our final location on our itinerary. See you then.