Hong Kong

We left the warm blue skies of Tel Aviv and arrived in Hong Kong Airport the next day.

The airport is nice and efficient although as we walked in the kids were scanned by a woman in a face mask with a device that either checked their temperature, or for lice, or for a long lost implanted microchip. Either way I guess they passed because we weren’t detained.

We took the MTR into Hong Kong Island. The train system is very nice, clean and efficient.

We exited the train station and started our trek up to our Airbnb apartment up in the Mid-Levels. Hong Kong is built on a hilly island and to get up to the higher levels there are stairs and escalators. Our trek, stroller and suitcases in tow took a bit of time but we finally arrived at our destination.

This Airbnb apartment was our most disappointing to date. We expected it to be small (so glad we’re down to one suitcase, but we still could do with less), but it lacked all of the personal touches we usually rent apartments for: kitchen supplies, host communication and recommendations and the comfort of feeling at home. The cleanliness level was also well below any other we experienced thus far. Grime’s the word. All of that, coupled with constant noise pollution and lack of decent shades made for a less than ideal stay but we made the best of it. (In another obnoxious first, this was the first time an airbnb host asked for a “5 star review”).

I am not sure if Hong Kong was ever paradise, but most of it now is paved over and densely built up from the commercial harbor center up to the residential towers that go up the mountain tops. The skyline makes New York seem like a spacious small town and the streets, in the canyons of the skyscrapers, are dark and narrow. Hong Kong is in the midst of the greatest real estate bubble on our planet and is completely immersed in it. Every other storefront is a real estate office and on the sides of the streets and escalators real estate brokers stand selling multi multi million dollar apartments. Bubbles inflate from time to time and it’s hard to predict when they’ll pop, but when this one comes back to earth look out below…

Between the narrow, crowded streets, the stairs and the escalators we basically ditched the stroller for the week. Sage was either in the carrier on V, or walked, or carried by Abba. She mainly prefers walking on her own while yelling at everyone or singing:). It is hard to believe that she took her first steps only a few days before we left New York. She really is growing up on this trip.

Near our apartment was the Zoo and botanical gardens which were very nice and free. The kids loved visiting the monkeys almost every day and made up incredible stories about them.

We also found a great coffee house with bulletproof coffee and a great space to spread out and read just down the escalators from us in Soho. Elephant Grounds became our spot to escape the noisy city. Besides great coffee they also have very good breakfast and brunch food and nice kid friendly service.

On Halloween we ventured out to the “suburbs” to visit school friends from Chelsea who are in Hong Kong on an expat assignment for a few years. Our friends were extremely generous in extending an invitation to their community Halloween pot luck party. They even found costumes for our kids: Sage refused to wear hers but Myla was a witch and Jude was a Banana named “Mustard”. The kids had tons of fun and we got a taste of the expat life which constitutes a very large portion of the residents of Hong Kong.

The following day we hiked up to Victoria’s Peak. The hike was fun, mostly green and not overly strenuous (for the seasoned hikers in the family). When we finally reached the top we expected more greenery and/or history. Instead we were sad to find out that once you reach the top what awaits you is is a shopping mall complete with a Sunglass Hut and Bubba Gump Shrimp Factory, all crowded with tourists.

We made our way back down and went to lunch at an Indian buffet. Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city where east meets west and you can find a great variety of restaurants and bars. Finding high quality food and ingredients coupled with sophisticated food is another matter. The food here was excellent and the kids made Mama proud by trying new foods and flavors. We have noticed a huge improvement in the kids stepping out if their comfort zones and trying new and local flavors since we started the #bigtrip. Their palette is getting developed while they learn and taste new flavors and connect them to the local culture and history. Score one for the #legerworldschool.

On Saturday we had a laidback day. We started out at Elephant Grounds, then wandered around the city streets, stumbled upon a science and medicine museum and two buddhist temples and went out for a great vegan dim sum and tea at a traditional tea house: LockCha Tea House.

We had a super nice family dinner at home. Despite all the challenges and limitations V continues to be creative while cooking and keeping us healthy while traveling. We added some sides from an Australian place down the block and had a great family meal. Then we called it a day.

Hong Kong: interesting stop over, but we and our lungs and ears are glad to move on.

Japan here we come…

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