Ryan and Erica visit Hong Kong
David met the kids at the airport. Both Ryan and Erica looked pretty darn good for flying from Atlanta to Sacrament to perform a quick handoff of the girls to Erica's parents to watch, and then fly on to Hong Kong. Erica brought a beautiful rock and a picture that Camryn had made me. I displayed it proudly on my shelf.
I gave them enough time to unpack (see Ryan's backpack of "essentials") and shower. We then hit the neighborhood. We walked down to Hong Kong park.
About mid afternoon the kids hit a wall. Jet lag settled in and we decided to take the trolley to meet David for dinner rather than walk.
I was excited to treat the kids to some great "street food"; however, the place did not serve dinner until 6:30 and we were all hungry. We decided to go to a little restaurant that Jake discovered in Lan Kwai Fong. This is the place where Ryan began his love affair with "Beef Noodles". He couldn't get enough. Everywhere we went the following week, he would ask, "do they have beef noodles".
The next morning I took the kids on my morning hike to the Peak. We start at the front of my building and only walk a couple of blocks to begin the trek up the mountain for some spectacular views. Unfortunately, clouds started to roll in and the views weren't as spectacular as I was hoping for.
We ventured out in the rain the next day to the bus terminal to go to Stanley Market. It's a tourist trap on the south side of the island, but it does have a great little market.
We had to try various forms of transportation: Bus, MTR, Ferry, and a LOT of walking
After one of our day trips, we took the ferry to Kowloon to have a suit hand tailored for Ryan. He looked very handsome!
Enjoying Kowloon
I convinced the kids that no trip to Asia was complete without the signature pose. They did me proud.
The boys lucked out by scoring tickets to The Sevens from Bill Wade. This tournament is like the Superbowl of Rugby.
Erica and I? Well we stayed home sick in bed for three days.
David entertained Ryan and Jake while we recuperated. The boys hiked Lantau Peak to the Buddha.
Fortunately Erica was a little better for her flight to Thailand (only threw up once on the plane). The kids said they had an amazing time. When they came back, we had a couple of days for a few more activities. We went to the zoo and David took the kids to another fishing island.
We walked "Bowen Road". This is where David and I take our Sunday walk.
We rented a lane at the Pacific Club and enjoyed a night of bowing with Cody and Nicole Rowland
Jake takes his bowling very seriously.
The last day in Hong Kong the kids were ready to leave for their 8:30 a.m. flight....only to find out after some quick calculations from David and Jake that the flight was 8:30 p.m. We didn't skip a beat and we headed out on our last days adventure: Shopping
We took the kids to Time Square in Causeway Bay. Erica was thrilled to explore the four floor Forever 21. Yes, we were in there forever.
Erica and I enjoyed our last meal at McDonalds, while David and Ryan went for his beloved Beef Noodles. However, the noodle place did not end up having the noodles he like.
I was very relieved to receive a text from him at the airport, reporting that they arrived safely and he indeed found a place that served beef noodles.
The trip was a success!!!
