They arrived late Wednesday night, so I didn't get to see them until lunch time the next day after my last class of the week. We started their time here with me getting us ridiculously lost because I couldn't remember what station to get off of for dim sum (it was the first stop we went to by the way so I totally could have avoided this whole debacle) but after nearly an hour of walking- I really just us wanted to walk off lunch... before we ate it,,, we finally made it to my and my friend's favorite dim sum restaurant Tim Ho Wan. It is really cheap and has a Michelin star so its fantastic. They are famous for their bbq pork buns (which we all love but I don't think my parents were a fan, they called it bbq wrapped in a donut). Other than trying those, I had my parents try a variety of dim sum dishes, and they must have liked it, because we went to a different dim sum restaurant later on in the week. After that we made our way back to my parents hotel, where my dad took a short rest and mom and I got to talk on the 40th floor of their building that had a really neat view of the Harbor:
From there we made our way to the harbor so they could see the views up close and walk some of the other attractions. We made our way down the Avenue of Stars, and watched the Symphony of Lights, and say a cool light display om the side of several buildings, ready for Christmas
From there we went to make our way to dinner, and we managed to find this tribute to William Shakespeare that was beautiful and had a very Mardigras feel
on the scroll were some quotes from a sonnet- which one, I can no longer remember. After taking some pictures in front of the statue we made our way down Nathan Street in search of dinner, instead we stumbled upon a beautiful roof top bar, called Eyebar that has incredible views of the harbor. So we got a table on the balcony and the three of us chatted for a few hours before we really went out to dinner.
Friday evening I had a Finance midterm so I didn't get to spend a ton of time with my parents that day but I did see them for a small adventure and lunch. A friend of mine, Pedro, very kindly lead us to a tailor on Nathan Street so my dad could get some custom made button ups, and so I could finally own a blazer that fit well. The man -Sam of Sam's Tailor- was very kind and had a variety of pictures of him with everyone from the Bushes, and Clintons, several famous stars like Bruce Willis and the Jacksons all over the walls, showing that he had made suits for some very famous people. I've got my dads shirts, they only took a week and I will send them to him soon, and my blazer is still in the sewing process, but it looked very nice at my first fitting. After that and a delicious and fun lunch, Pedro and I headed back to school to study and my parents look a boat tour of the harbor on a traditional Chinese boat that they said was lovely.
Saturday was another adventure, I met my mother mid morning and together we went for coffee (even here Starbucks are everywhere) before heading back to met up with my dad for lunch at the same restaurant as the day before (I think that was my parents favorite place to eat from the entire trip) then later that night we made our way to Temple Street Market where my parents got to see me barter with shop keepers for goods and we all came away with souvenirs and gifts for my brother back home.At the market, we found an open air restaurant that had the most deliciously seasoned crab! Dad had the chili crab and mom and I shared the ginger one, but we were all nearly sucking on the shells for more of the flavor.
Sunday was an early start as we made our way to the Big Buddha. I took them on the same trip I did with my buddies here, starting with the gondola ride to the top. We got some beautiful pictures, and had a great time walking through the small town and up to the top of the Big Buddha. This time around the town was more colorful, with flags of every color placed throughout the town, and more interactive entertainment like cutouts for you to pose with your face in:
this time around we also made our way into the temple next to the Buddha and it was absolutely beautiful, with an ornate outside and a golden worship room
Monday I was unable to see my parents due to school (it is really getting in the way of my fun here!;) but mom and dad took the ferry to Macau to see the Vegas of Hong Kong. They said it was neat, but never played a hand since the minimum bet was $65 US!
For their final full day here in HK, I took them to the highest point of the island, The Peak. This time around I got to spend more than 5 minutes up there, and we even took the tram up with some incredible views:
From there we went all the way up to the 360 degree sky terrace, where, though it was hazy (as is incredibly common here) the view was still breath taking
We walked around,explored the malls up there, had dim sum for lunch and the headed back to the bottom.
We ended my parents adventure with a trip to another market, this time, Ladies Market. Though a little more expensive, it is much larger, with a greater selection of merchandise.
The whole week with my parents was incredible! I loved being able to talk to them, and to once again see the sights I enjoy, plus I got to share them with people I love. The whole week was just what I wanted and I loved every minute of it. It was sad to see them go, but I have less than 6 weeks here left (saddening I know) so I will see them again soon!
If you have made it to the end of this rather long post, thanks and I will talk to you again soon!
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