Day 30: Goodbye, Dad!

Location: Hong Kong

Before we left for our adventures for the day I had to pack up most of my stuff. We weren't exactly sure when we would be back to the hotel and I couldn't be late to board the ship if we were running late. When Yuki and the driver picked us up from the hotel we went to the largest (or most popular) temple in Hong Kong. Buddhism and Taoism are both practiced at this temple making it pretty dang popular.

We weren't able to take pictures inside of the temple and it was raining so these are all I have.

Yuki thought that this "market" would be a pretty cool place for us to see. She called it a "market." I would consider it was more like going to a fair. It was set up especially for the New Year celebration.

The market/fair that is only held during the Chinese New Year Celebration. 

There were rows and rows of stands selling all kinds of flowers. 

These are a few of the many plants and flowers that were for sale at the market. 

The orange plants are like tangerines. They were everywhere decorating for the Chinese New Year Celebration.

A few rows of food. The rest of the stalls were selling much of the same things such as t-shirts, key chains, purses, dresses, and other trinkets.

We got done with the market/fair just at the peak of the lunch hour. We decided that it would be too chaotic if we went to lunch now so we drove up to the top of Victoria Peak. By the time we got up there it was way to foggy for us to even see a few feet in front of us. But heck, now I can say that I have been to the top of Victoria Peak!

Dad wanted to have a little bit of Korean food. We had barbecued Korean. It was quite tasty. We cooked the meat ourselves in front of us on a grill. They gave us rice that was freshly cooked. And then gave us 6-8 cold dishes containing vegetables, meats, salads, and fish. We had about an hour left until I would have to head to the ship. We went back to the hotel so I could quickly write my postcards and finishing packing. I made sure to get all my stuff done as fast as I could so that I could get a little bit more ice cream before I had to get on the ship.

When we got to the terminal dad and Yuki walked as far as they could with me to the ship. They were stopped just before I got in the line to board. By then, I had about an hour to get on the ship before I would be "granted" dock time. I said "good bye and thank you" to my dad. He traveled half way around the world just so that he could hang out with me in China. He's pretty great! I was so excited to see him and hang out with him. It was nice to see a familiar face and get to talk to someone. Thanks, Dad!! I got on the ship in time faster than I expected and did not receive dock time. <Whew!> 

Dock time is given out for multiple reasons. In this case if you have not dropped your passport off at the purser's desk and swiped your card by "on ship time" (typically 1800) you will receive dock time. You may recall that for every 15 minutes you're late getting back on the ship, you receive 1 hour "dock time" at the next port. AND, they broadcast your name for all to know!! If you have 12 hours of dock time from India then you won't be getting off the ship for 13 days (because you will be stuck on the ship while we are docked in Mauritius). That sounds terrible to me!

Story time is pretty much a necessity when we all get back on the ship. We all share our adventures with our friends. Dinner is a pretty good time to share our adventures.

After dinner, I grabbed my camera and went out to the sixth deck to watch us pull out of Hong Kong. We would have to travel down river with the cityscape in the background. At 8pm, we were all told that there would be a light show. The light show was kinda lame without music. But lots of buildings would light up at different times with laser lights.

Tidbits about China: 
1. I never want to actually drive in China. Sitting in the car is just an experience in itself. 2. Now I want heated floors at my house. 
3. Seeing the Chinese culture prepare for their New Year was definitely an experience (as they decorate or prepare to travel to spend time with their family). 
4. We saw people doing their "business" and throwing up on the streets. 
5. Purchasing/picking out wallets was far more overwhelming than I had ever expected. 
6. Eating meals in China was family dinner like. 
7. When grabbing something from one of the "family dishes" you are expected to use the bigger end of your chopsticks. 
8. Google, Facebook, YouTube, and other sites are not accessible in mainland China. 
9. Hong Kong and China are two very different places. 
10. I will be very interested in seeing Hong Kong as it transforms and goes farther under the Chinese rule (especially in 50 years).