Oct. 12, 2018 Hong Kong Day 24

We were up early this morning as we had our excursion Highlights of Hong Kong at 7:30a.m.  After disembarking we got on our bus and when it was full we took off to Victoria Peak. I took so many pics along the way though my seat wasn’t ideal for pic taken i did my best. Our tour guide Lilly was excellent telling us about life in HK, pointing out buildings and things of interest and she was quite humorous too. The Chinese people have a very good sense of humour.

We arrived at the tram station and were given a ticket. We had just missed a tram but the next ones would take our group. The scenery going up was spectacular and the tram a little scary. It had to stop 3 or 4 times climbing the steep hill and when it stopped it rolled backwards a few feet each time which made everyone say “OOOOh” every time. Finally safe at the top we were on our own for 30 mins to climb higher or lower into little gazebo type viewing stations for different views. The scenery was absolutely beautiful with some mist in the distance which made it even prettier. We could see our ship docked and it was so small seeing it from there. There was a new very large building being built there at the top, possibly including a restaurant. All around was the damage from the typhoon that had happened on Sept 16: the day before our ship set sail from Vancouver. Huge trees had broken and fell and we saw all the pieces waiting to be removed. It was very sad to find out that they won’t be replaced. At the appointed time we climbed onboard our bus which had been able to drive all the way up there. I remembered visiting Victoria Peak in 2002 and i thought we had ridden up to the top in something like a ski lift but Lilly our guide said i was mistaken because the tram has been in use for a lot longer than that.

So we drove down and headed for a beach area with a beautiful view and there too was a lot of damage and piles of debris from that typhoon. I asked Lilly if those trees would be replaced and she said no, typhoons are getting more common and they’ll fall so they won’t be replaced. During our drive Lilly was very honest about the crowding situation in Hong Kong. As it is now the city is so densely packed they generally cannot permanently bury dead people anymore. But for a steep price they can be buried for 7 years, dug up and then cremated. I think she said this applies to all of China as well but i found that hard to believe being as the mainland is enormous, but then again, what do i know? I was probably mistaken and maybe it doesn’t apply to all of China. Whatever; there was so much info given that i can’t remember or probably didn’t get straight. I was so happy to be in Hong Kong i was totally mesmerized by the city and the people. Did i ever tell you I feel like i was or am Chinese? I’ve felt this way since i was 3 years old believe it or not. I’ve visited mainland China 3 times and Hong Kong twice and i feel a connection with both.

My dad was a Metis and my mom Swedish which made me and my siblings an odd bunch. One of my sisters had curly red hair and freckles, the other had curly blond hair and i had straight dark brown hair which is now dyed light brownish blond. I guess they got moms genes and me and my two brothers got dads. None of us were adopted. I suspect there was some Chinese way back generations ago passed on by my dads mother. OR......maybe i really was Chinese in a previous life.

Back on the ship my room mate and i had an amazing and wonderful gift given to us.........would you believe a pass for the the Spa for the duration of our cruise. OMG we have 10 days of being spoiled and pampered. There’s a wet sauna, a dry sauna and 3 whirlpools, two hot ones and it’s very large and one ice cold pool that the Japanese especially like to use, heated tiled loungers, showers of several types, lockers and infused water to drink while we lounge listening to serenity music in the forward of the ship with floor to ceiling windows across the entire width of the ship so we get the best view available on a ship every time we go there. I get cold easily and often so nothing can beat this for me, bar none. It’s amazing and this is my best cruise ever!

We can go there anytime and stay as long as we like and quite often the place is empty.  One day i got so cold after sitting in an overly air conditioned room listening to a talk by some of the ships brass that i went and got my IPad and a sweater and i settled into one of those heated loungers and it was heavenly. Nothing beats this awesome gift for me as i don't think i'd ever buy a membership to the spa on a cruise as it's really a super extravagance. As much as i loved being able to enjoy it i would just never indulge. Well, never say never; one just never really knows do they?