We woke up this morning sailing into Hong Kong. It felt great to be back, although the weather wasn’t the best it could have been, we definitely made the most of our day. The ship arrived and we began disembarking a little after 9am and the ship wasn’t due to sail until after 11.30pm, so we had the whole day to do as we pleased. There were many shore excursions that we could have booked, but having been to Hong Kong a couple of times before, we decided to do our own thing.
We disembarked from the ship, and there were shuttle buses, moving people from the cruise terminal to three different MTR (train/subway) stations closeby. These shuttles were free of charge, so we jumped on one to Plaza Hollywood, which is a shopping centre and also has the Diamond Hill MTR Station inside which is on the green line. We took the train to Nathan Road, where we checked out some of the stores we don’t really have at home. There were a lot of people camping in Nathan Road too, they were part of a protest against joining the People’s Republic of China. Such an interesting sight to see tents setup in the middle of the street!
We kept walking down Nathan Road and checking out some of the shopping centres, side streets and other sights along the way. It eventually started to pour with rain in one of the big deluges that Hong Kong is famous for, so we snuck into Starbucks for some wifi and coffee. After our break we jumped back on the MTR and rode towards the Peninsula Hotel. I had heard that they have a famous high tea there, so we wanted to try our luck. Unfortunately we didn’t make a booking, and the line was a mile long, so we decided against it, but promised ourselves that we would pre-book the next time we were in Hong Kong to experience the luxurious service in the foyer of one of the most famous hotels in Hong Kong.
From the Peninsula Hotel, we walked down to the waterfront and the Avenue of Stars, we also took some photos along the waterfront looking towards Hong Kong Island. Then it was back on the MTR towards Hollywood Road on Hong Kong Island. Hollywood Road has a lot of Western restaurants and stalls/shops, so we got some pizza for a late lunch. By this time, the weather had got really bad – pouring rain and we weren’t sure if it was going to let up. We also had no rain coats and no umbrellas, so we got soaked as we went back towards the train station. As we were running back, we managed to catch a glimpse of the actor Owen Wilson, who was walking the other way – it was one of those ‘run past and then realise’ moments.
We caught the train back towards the cruise terminal and then got the shuttle bus back to the ship. Time to get out of these cold/wet clothes and into something warm. After an hour or so (with a quick rest and a shower) we left the ship again, this time we were aiming for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Ozone Bar, which is the highest bar in the world – located on the 118th floor. It was a little bit difficult to find, especially when we were going via public transport and foot – it might have been easier if we were travelling by cab, but we finally made it! It was a shame that the weather was so bad, because the outside deck area was closed and there was zero visibility due to the rainclouds. But if it was a clear night, it would have been an awesome view. The drinks weren’t the cheapest – about AUD $50 for two cocktails, but you pay for the experience and location.
After our drinks, we went back towards the ship to rest our weary feet – we did our fair share of walking today. At least we have the next two days to rest it off!
