Adventures in Hong Kong and Beijing
From May 16 until May 30, my wife Mary and I joined her sister Lily (from New York) and their mom and dad (Nancy and Steve) on a trek to visit Mary's relatives in Hong Kong. We stayed in a two bedroom apartment loaned to us by some of Mary's family.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our time in Hong Kong, and greatly appreciated Mary's family's hospitality which extended way beyond the usual. They drove us everywhere, fed us everyday and escorted us around Hong Kong and its environs. They were all extraordinarily nice.
For a few days during our stay we took a trip up to my old stomping grounds of Beijing. You can scroll down to read about our time there!
Please enjoy the photos!
P.S. One important place I wasn't able to add to this blog, mainly because i forgot my digital camera that night, was the spectacular view of the Hong Kong skyline from Victoria peak. I have video of it, and Mary took film of it, but I have no shots from my digital camera!
Mary's mom (Nancy) and Mary sit awaiting our connecting flight from Tokyo to Hong Kong. 'Disjointed' United Airlines caused us to miss our San Fran to Hong Kong direct flight, which forced us to stop in Tokyo. 
Spotted in Tokyo's Narita Airport: I can't read this sign, but it's obvious ham and sausages aren't welcome here.
The magnificient Tsing-ma bridge at night.
Myself and Lily flash our Japanese tourist poses as we prepare to venture out on one of our first days. Mary's aunt and uncle prepare our itinerary for the day.
My beautiful wife Mary rides the escalator down to the MTR (Subway). The MTR was one of the coolest parts of Hong Kong, in my opinion.
Lily on the subway.
Never shy when food is involved, I reach for some tastey morsels.
Lily and Mary pose with their grandfather.
One night, we had dinner at a relatively famous Hong Kong restaurant called the "Lung Wah Hotel". One of the specialities here is deep fried pigeon, which made Mary's sister Lily a bit traumatized.
The path out of the Lung Wah Hotel/Restaurant. If you looked to the right behind the lanterns, you could see the cages of the pigeons biding their time before becoming deep fried culinary treats. Also, a friendly parrot (not meant for consumption) would serenade you with 'Hellos' (in English) as you'd walk down the corridor.
Hong Kong at night, a glowing gaggle of neon signs.
Mary with Hong Kong in the background. Taken near our apartment.
Mary's dad, mom and sister snap photos on the waterfront near our apartment.
Fortress Hill. This is very close to where we lived while in Hong Kong. The subway stop is below that concrete construction you see in the center.
Central Hong Kong
A side street in Hong Kong. Bamboo is still used in city construction, as you can see to the left.
Mary rides the world's longest escalator with her family. It is actually a series of escalators that take commuters up towards Victoria Peak. Along the way, you can stop to eat or shop in several areas. People use the escalator as well for their daily commute to work. Once we got to the top, we discovered that the escalator runs uphill only until the evening! So we had to hoof-it back down. It runs downhill in the morning so people can get to work.
Here is a view looking down at some of the segments.
One of the shopping areas (I believe this was SoHo) off of the escalator.
Close up of me riding the escalator.
An odd sculpture spotted on the wall as we made our way up the escalator.
A small terrace on the way up the escalator. You can hop off the escalator and relax for a bit.
Old and New Hong Kong
Mary and Lily point and discuss something simultaneously.
Some of our colorful bird friends in the aviary.
