Big.. Bigger.. HONGKONG

Tag 154

Hello everyone

I hope all of you are well and healthy. Everything is going well for us, we are currently in the casino capital of the Chinese, in Macau, but more on that later.

What have we been up to in the past few weeks?

So, we continued our journey by bus to Cat Ba Island, near Halong Bay. The transfer, hotel, everything went great, except the weather was really bad. We decided to rent a scooter the next day and explore the island, including a small but very steep hike in the national park. The next day, the weather gods were kinder to us and we finally took our boat trip to Halong Bay. We set off early in the morning and first visited a floating fishing village. I always find it very fascinating to see how people live there. After that, we drove through a breathtaking landscape, the sea is lined with huge limestone cliffs and small islands. We even got to kayak for 1.5 hours, which was incredibly fun. After a meal on board, the crew took us to a beautiful spot where we could jump off the boat, swim, or just relax. Finally, we made a stop at Monkey Island. The island is not particularly beautiful, but the many monkeys are fun to watch. It was a really wonderful experience and I would recommend it to anyone planning to visit Vietnam.

After 3 days on the island, we headed to our last stop in Vietnam, the capital city of Hanoi. We took the bus and arrived in the early afternoon. After checking into our room in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, we took a walk through the city. First of all, I have to say that the traffic is really chaotic and as pedestrians, we have to be very careful because they drive like crazy. But the city is quite manageable and walking through the streets allows us to experience the real Vietnam. Street vendors, markets, honking motorbikes.. In the center, there is also a beautiful lake and on the weekends, the area is completely closed off, so you can relax there. We spent four days in Hanoi and really enjoyed it. We spent our days eating, shopping, and walking around the city.

Our flight from Hanoi to Hong Kong was relatively early. After everything went smoothly with the transfer and check-in, the trouble started. When we were about to board the plane, the flight attendant told Lars that he had to report to security 15 minutes before departure. So we ran there and showed him our documents. After a brief conversation with his colleague, he said everything was okay. So, alright, we ran back to catch the flight. Luckily, we made it, but we were still unsure about our luggage. Lars asked the flight attendant again and she said they couldn't take his luggage but she didn't know the reason. When we arrived in Hong Kong, we still had a glimmer of hope, but unfortunately, his backpack was missing. Well, at least the good news was that Lars was able to negotiate a free night for us at the Peninsula through his connections. The Peninsula is the oldest and one of the best addresses in Hong Kong. At the airport, we were even picked up by the hotel's own chauffeur in a Rolls-Royce. From the luxurious car, we admired the huge skyscrapers and the gigantic skyline of the city. Much of the city has a strong British influence, as Hong Kong was a British colony for a long time. When we arrived at the hotel, we were escorted to our room and shortly after, afternoon tea was served in our room. We really liked our room, it was perfect. We discovered more and more features like an automatic mirror that comes out of the table when you press a button, a coffee machine, printer, entertainment program, and there were even three tablets in the room. With the tablets, you could control everything - lights, radio, temperature, and even order food. In the evening, we tested the spa area, which was also incredibly beautiful and luxurious. Our night at the Peninsula will remain in our memories forever, it was very beautiful. The next day, we had to pack our bags and move on to the next hotel, as the Peninsula is unfortunately a bit out of our price range. In the evening, we went to the horse races that take place in Hong Kong every Wednesday night. Lars enjoys betting and we followed all the races with excitement. In the following days, we explored the city. We went on the Ferris wheel, rode the longest escalator in the world, visited The Peak (amazing view), and went to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. Oh, and after four days of waiting, Lars finally got his luggage back. The problem seemed to be his power bank, which was simply missing. I think it's a shame that they didn't inform us about the situation in the four days. Well, in the end, we're happy that the rest is here. My conclusion about Hong Kong is definitely very positive. The city is clean, safe, and the people are relaxed and friendly. I also think it's cool that everything is so well connected, you can reach everything by subway, even the other islands. I also really like that there are beautiful parks and green areas scattered among the huge skyscrapers. The five days went by way too quickly, but our next destination wasn't far away.

At the moment, we are in Macau, a 1-hour boat ride from Hong Kong. What can I say, the Chinese are crazy, the casinos here are insane. Our hotel is nice too, we're staying at the Sheraton on the 32nd floor. The hotel even has a mall and a casino, like almost all the casinos in Macau. You can really get lost in the hotel, it's so huge. Furthermore, many of the hotels are connected to each other, so you don't even have to go outside. Yesterday, we visited the neighboring hotel, The Venetian, where Venice is recreated with canals and gondolas. Another hotel even recreates Paris with its own Eiffel Tower at the entrance. It's really amazing and impressive here. Lars enjoys playing and can indulge in it here. I'm not much of a gambler, but it's fun to watch the Chinese lose their money. We still have one more day here and then we're off to the next country, Taiwan. I'm excited and looking forward to it.

See you soon

Anita