Cruising into Hong Kong

12-Day Southeast Asia Cruise on Diamond Princess December 7~19, 2018

Day 7 - At Sea, December 13, 2019 

Nothing much to report on our sea day between Taiwan and Hong Kong. I was exhausted from the long day in port while at Keelung and was able to totally relaxed after the responsibilities of safely completing our tours for the day. Slept well and woke up later than usual. We did go to Club Fusion to watch the zumba class, but did not participate with consideration of our old bones. We also went to the port talk about Hong Kong, just for fun. Lunch was at the buffet. No more ramen station there but they had some really delicious lamb chops. 

Kept forgetting to take pictures. Just this one photo of the scallop ceviche with avocado this evening.

12-Day Southeast Asia Cruise on Diamond Princess December 7~19, 2018

Day 8 - Hong Kong, December 14, 2019 (7:00 AM~6:00 PM)

Without a doubt this was the port we most looked forward to, our hometown, Hong Kong. We were born there but left almost fifty years ago. I have been going back a few times in past years with the most recent trip last April but the last time ET went back was close to ten years ago. We woke up early this morning with much anticipation even though it was still totally dark outside. ET and I decided we would not go to breakfast this morning since we will be meeting up with DC's family for dim sum. Got coffee from the Atrium Bar and enjoyed them on our balcony as our ship slowly sailed into the harbor.

Pilot boat leading the way around Cape Collinson.

Getting closer!

Into Kowloon Bay.

Must be Chai Wan or North Point area of Hong Kong Island.

Docked at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal which used to be the Kai Tak Airport with North Point on the other side of Kowloon Bay.

Diamond Princess docked at the beautiful cruise terminal.

It was really easy to enter Hong Kong. I don't remember having to go through any inspection. 

I did not even have to swipe my HK ID card.

Complimentary shuttle that takes passengers to Diamond Hill Plaza Hollywood.

Very organized. We boarded the bus after the young staff put a sticker on us. We had to wait for the bus to fill up before leaving the terminal though.

I believe the shuttles were sponsored by the mall (Plaza Hollywood) instead of the cruise or the terminal.

It was about a 20-minute bus ride, longer than I expected. 

Fifty years ago when I was still living in Hong Kong, Diamond Hill was a slum area with modest wooden shacks all over the hillside. Dad and mom used to take us there for the famous Wing Lai Yuen (詠黎園) "Dan Dan Noodle" that was operated out of a humble shack. It is now a fancy restaurant relocated in the Whampoa area. Like many things in Hong Kong, Diamond Hill is totally new to me nowadays. Very well-developed with tall buildings and fancy malls around.

After we arrived at Diamond Hill, we found the MTR station and took the very crowded green line  to Mongkok. Of course, it was morning rush hour. We then switched to the red line to go across the harbor to Central and then changed to the blue line from there for Sheung Wan Station where we met up with my eldest brother DC and his family. They happened to be spending a few days here from California on their way to visit JC, my youngest brother, who was an expat banker in Hanoi up til the end of December. This would be their last day in Hong Kong before flying out to Vietnam so we made sure that we would spend the day together doing things that can possibly remind us of the good old days. It was a bitter-sweet experience as we, all seniors now,  reminisced on our years growing up in this amazing city. 

DC lead us to this old fashion dim-sum restaurant that I have heard so much about but never brave enough to try. I have asked him and MC (my SIL) to take us there since they have gone to the other branch a couple of times. This restaurant is called "Lin Heung" in the Sheung Wan District.

Long stairway leading up to the restaurant...

...where you would have to find your own table, if you are lucky, or find spaces to squeeze yourself in and share a table with strangers. The waiters do not bother helping customers since every single table is occupied. We stood around and waited for a good 15 minutes before a small table was available and hurriedly settle down before anybody else get to it.

Customers waiting around the kitchen door for the food to come out.

Fighting for food! When the carts of dim-sum came out of the kitchen everyone would rush over and grab whatever there is on the cart. You will go hungry if you are not fast enough. Thank goodness for MC, who was our 'food grabber'. With those cameras taking pictures we pretty well knew that most of the customers were tourists or overseas Chinese coming for a taste of 'nostalgia'.

See the tea cup floating in a bigger cup of hot tea? 

That was for cleaning your own utensils before using them. 

With food that was 'meh' and the awful dining environment, I don't think I will ever come back in the future. Been there, done that! I was certainly glad to get out of there. Thanks to DC and MC for taking us on this adventure.

After that dim-sum experience, we took a short walk over to the Mid-Level Escalator, the longest escalator in Hong Kong.

I was surprised to find out that none of my family members have been here before. 

This series of escalator save a lot of walking for people who live up the hill on their trips down to town.

The very famous vendor "Lan Fong Yuen" selling Hong Kong style silky milk tea, is near the escalator.

We then walked down to Li Yuen Street East and Li Yuen Street West for some shopping. These two alleys between Queens Road and Des Voues Road, have better bargains on souvenirs than Ladies Market or Temple Street in my opinion. I bought a Chinese jacket for ChC. ET and CiC also bought some Chinese kids costumes for their grand children. 

As for lunch, we enjoyed a delicious meal at one of our favorite restaurants in Mongkok on Nathan Road. A meal with roast pigeons and all the good stuff only can be found in Hong Kong.

After the wonderful meal, we walked around the Mongkok area and eventually ended up at the Ladies Market. None of us bought anything here though but it was fun just the same.

Vendors at the Ladies Market in Mongkok. 

Some of us stopped here to get the famous warm Bo Lo Yau (菠蘿油), crispy "Pineapple Buns" with a thick pat of butter inside. Super yummy but definitely not good for our health. 

By now, it was about time for us to get back to the cruise terminal. We were told by the staff that the last shuttle back to port from Diamond Hill would be 3:30. Thinking that there would be a lot of passengers getting back at the same time, we decided to look for the bus #22 which we saw at the terminal that morning. We figured out the route using our smart phones and took the MTR to Kowloon Tong Station where we said goodbye to DC and family then found the stop for the #22 bus on Waterloo Road and took the bus back to the terminal all the way. It was a nice bus ride with very few passengers and we got to see some sights along the way. It only cost us $2.00 HKD each with the senior concession card, same as taking the MTR. Much more fun than riding the subway though.

They even have charging ports on the bus.

Inside bus #22.

Back at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, we went up to the roof top for a look before getting back on the ship. There is a nice garden up there and the view around was magnificent!

Kai Tai Terminal rooftop with Diamond Princess docked along side.

Looking out to Li Yue Mun on the east.

Lion's Rock and Kowloon City to the north.

Last picture before leaving Hong Kong. Straight ahead is Victoria Harbor and the Central District in the south.

So that we could see the sailing out we decided not to have dinner at the main dining room that evening.

Zooming in at the Tsim Sha Tsui East direction from our balcony. The tall building on the right is the K-11 Mall where the Hyatt Regency is. If I am not mistaken, the tallest building on the left is Element, where the Airport Express station and Sky 100 Hong Kong Observation Deck located.

Right in front of us is the Wan Chai District.

Leaving Kai Tak Terminal

Goodbye, Hong Kong!

I think that's the Tseung Kwan O area.

Million-Dollar night view, the Pearl of the Orient.

Too bad our ship was too big to sail into Victoria Harbor.

A huge cruise ship sailing towards Kai Tak as we sailed out through Li Yue Mun. I believe this was one of the newest Star Cruises ships.

Beautiful!

Music in the Atrium

Dinner at the buffet

Four siblings spending the day in our hometown was as precious as can be after all these years. Before taking the bus back to the cruise terminal, we stopped at the Kowloon Tong MTR station, exactly where our house once stood, trying to remember all that had happened in the old neighborhood. Our house was taken down to make space for the subway/train station. The once quiet and tranquil neighborhood is now transformed into a busy transit point for subway, trains and buses. Years have gone by and there are many changes in our lives but the sweet memories of our childhood growing up in the loving care of our parents in that quiet neighborhood will forever stay will us. 

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."     I Peter 1:24~25