The Garsson kids have two week off for their spring break, so this trip to Hong Kong became possible. We were entertaining a side trip to Bangkok, but decided to nix the idea as logistics seemed a bit daunting. Tim had just vacated the apartment at Repulse Bay, so we could make use of it, saving on accommodation expenses, and have enough room for the seven of us.
Saturday 3/15. First time pre-ordered Uber to leave our house at 4 am. Worked very well. While upgrade for our LAX-HKG segment was confirmed a few days ago, we didn't expect to be upgraded for the EWR-LAX portion, so I was pleasantly surprised that we did get it. The flight was full, so Reid and Maisie had a "stranger" next to them - they were okay. LAX's United Club was strict about guest policy, so Anne used one of her Club passes to get all seven of us into the lounge. They served a reasonable breakfast. Our flight's gate was at Terminal 6, and the United Club is at T7, so it took a few minutes to get to the lounge.
We actually had the same aircraft for both flights, they managed to fix the clogged toilet during the layover. The LAX-HKG flight wasn't all that full, Ellie's family had one empty seat between them. However, a family with two babies managed to disturb all of us during most of the flight. (Of course the parents didn't get any rest either.) The three kids managed some sleep, Apple Watch said I had less than 2 hours. There were strong headwinds that made this a 15:30 hours (airtime) flight. On the same day flights in the other direction took 12 1/2 hours.
Premium Economy on the EWR-LAX flight offered a meal at takeoff, and one before landing. They were both breakfasts. So the breakfast at LAX United Club was my third one. The prearrival meal on UA801 was also breakfast, so four altogether.
Taken at EWR at 5 am on day of departure.
Three egg breakfasts for this trip. This was served on EWR-LAX flight after takeoff.
Another meal was served before landing at LAX.
LAX-HKG had two full meal services. For lunch it was beef, this was pre-arrival HKG breakfast, somewhat puzzling as flight landed around 6 pm. Including the one at LAX United Club, I had 4 breakfasts during the trip.
Sunday 3/16. Plane landed at 6:15 pm. Anne decided to go with Ellie through the visitor lanes, while I zipped through the HK residents lane. All quite straightforward. Since Repulse Bay is not an area you can readily get food, we stayed at the airport to have dinner at Crystal Jade. Then it was buying Airport Express tickets and Octopus cards before we took the Airport Express to Hong Kong Station. From there two taxis brought us to Repulse Bay. Tim had the beds made up, some food (instant noodles and bread, mostly), and a car ready for us.
Dinner at HKG Crystal Jade before we left the airport.
Everly unpacking at Repulse Bay apartment.
Accommodations: Repulse Bay apartment (entire trip, except for two nights in Tung Chung).
Monday 3/17. The Garssons took a walk down to Repulse Bay while Anne and I got groceries from Market Place at Repulse Bay. Tim has given me use of his car, and I am reasonably comfortable driving to Repulse Bay. Market Place is a subsidiary of Wellcome, while things seem expensive, I am told they are priced the same as Wellcome stores.
Peak adventure was next. Taxi's to the Central Peak Tram station, and then the Tram up: it really felt like an amusement park ride now. Lunch at Mak Noodles at the Peak. The Garssons (except Everly) walked around the Peak on Lugard Road. Anne and I stayed behind with Everly.
After the Garssons left, Anne and I went to CWB where we met Ruth and Stephen for a short while, and we then bought some takeout food back to Repulse Bay for dinner.
Over thirty years ago Joe and Ellie would run around the parking lot. Now it's our grandchildren's turn. The apartment building is being renovated, this is the ground level.
View from the Peak hasn't changed all that much over the years. Of course when I was a kid the only skyscraper was the Connaught Centre (now called Jardine House), visible on the right side of the photo. It's now dwarfed by the IFC a bit to its left.
Three generations Everly is holding a clover leaf, plucked from the drain in the back.
Tuesday 3/18. Lunch was at the Hong Kong Yacht Club, hosted by Kenneth. We then took the MTR and the ferry to go to Kwun Tong where Anne got her HK ID renewed - the process itself took about 15 minutes.. We then joined the Garssons for "vegetarian tea" at JaJa in Wanchai.
Reid slept on a sofa in the living room for a few days. Eventually he moved to share a bed with his parents.
Kenneth and Anna hosted lunch at the Yacht Club.
Vegetarian afternoon tea at the JaJa Restaurant.
No idea whether there is any significance to these stuffed animals.
Wednesday 3/19. It was Ellie's turn to get her new HK ID. Since she lost her ID, she could go to Wanchai for the equally quick process. While she had to pay HK$370 for the replacement cost, it would save two trips to Kwun Tong.
The seven of us then went to Shatin, the Garssons walked up to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, while Everly stayed with us in the Shatin Plaza area. She really enjoyed playing at the Dino Land Playground. Reid and Maisie also spent some time in it after they returned.
Justin invited the Garssons to the Jockey Club for dinner. Anne and I ate at the food court at Hysan Place. We also bought a few books for the children at Eslite.
At the base of the walk to Temple of 10,000 Buddhas.
Everly stayed behind and had a lot of fun at Dino Land located in the Shatin MTR plaza.
We were used to this view of Middle Island and Ocean Park when we lived in Hong Kong in the early 1990s.
Thursday 3/20. Anne and I went to Lingnan Club for lunch with friends from Cornell. I have joined them on several occasions, this was Anne's first time. Elaine (a year ahead of us at Cornell) also joined the gathering. We ate for free as they insisted that people from overseas are guests. It was good to catch up.
For the Garssons today was Ocean Park day. Anne and I joined them after lunch. With an MTR station nearby the park was easy to get to. Seniors over age 65 can visit for free. I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the place looked. We got on only one ride, though (the "skyview" - not sure what the actual name is).
For dinner we had BBQ at 20/F. Tim and Whitney were also invited. There was a lot of food, expertly prepared over a grill.
Since we decided not to go to Thailand during this trip, we moved our flights up by a day. Not only did we get back a small credit ($45 and $12 for us), we also got confirmed upgrades to Premium Economy on the HKG-LAX flight.
Cornell Lunch at Lingnan Club. The "newer" faces are Abraham, Tony, and Ronald.
We caught up with the Garssons at Ocean Park afterwards. Free entrance for senior citizens. A bit overdressed for the place.
View of South Hong Kong from the Ocean Park cable car.
View at sunset.
Friday 3/21. The Garssons went to Kowloon, Anne and I joined them at the Star House Jade Restaurant.
Hope International had a fundraising dinner at the American Club. The main guest was Christine Braingana from Rwanda. Tim and Whitney also attended. They gave us a ride home.
Our Uber driver to Exchange Square was an interesting character. He is retired, lives in Sai Kung, drives a Tesla (which works well in Hong Kong), and - most surprisingly - is a member of the rather exclusive Hong Kong Yacht Club. He mentioned he would be in a yacht race on Sunday, and sure enough we saw groups of yachts leaving Middle Island for races.
Star House Jade Restaurant.
What we ordered at Jade.
Shrimp toast and French toast, Queen's Cafe, The Southside.
Saturday 3/22. Visited Stanley Market in the morning, then taxi to Aberdeen Boat Club to get on Tim's boat. Traffic was so bad that there wasn't enough time to pick up Whitney, so she missed the trip. Kuau, Ellie, Reid and Maisie were dropped off at Sok Kwu Wan to hike to Yung Shue Wan (with Tim). Those who didn't want to hike stayed on the boat. We had a late lunch/early dinner at the Man Fung Seafood Restaurant. The boat then swung by Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay before heading back to the pier. We had enough at the restaurant so ate only snacks for dinner.
The Uber driver told us about yacht racing from the Yacht Club (Middle Island) on Saturdays. We saw groups of yachts leaving the marina this morning.
Writing out Reid's Chinese name, Stanley Market.
Stanley Market.
Fishing boat towing some sampans along.
Late lunch at the Man Fung Restaurant on Lamma Island.
Crab over rice is the signature dish.
Sunday 3/23. Lunch at Country Club with the Koo's. Altogether about 24 people. Larry brought Anne and I back to Repulse Bay while Ellie's family stayed behind so their kids and Justin's can play together. Dinner was hosted by Tim at the Pacific View Club House Restaurant. We also used the occasion to celebrate Alyson's passing her Royal College of Surgeons exam. Whitney and Tim drove us home.
We also decided to travel to Tung Chung for a couple of days to visit some sights in Lantau Island: Ngong Ping 360, Tai O Village, and Disneyland. We have time probably to see two of the three as we need to be back by early afternoon on Wednesday.
Lunch at Country Club hosted by Larry and Elaine.
The younger generations (well, Elaine joined them).
Dinner at the Pacific View Club House. Alyson passed her FRCS exam the day before.
Monday 3/24. We got to Tung Chung via Uber to Hong Kong Station, and then MTR to Tung Chung. A relatively easy journey to navigate, even with luggage (2 rollers for the 7 of us). While others wait at the MTR stop, Kuau and I got a taxi to go to Sheraton, where we have 2 room reservations. Given how early we were, it was no surprise that no rooms were available. We were given a pass key to the Executive Lounge and decided to check it out before heading back to City Gate (next to MTR). This time we took the hotel shuttle, which was quite full.
After lunch we headed to Ngong Ping 360 for the 25-minute cable car ride to NP where Ngong Ping Village (a tourist attraction) and the Big Buddha beckon. The Garssons climbed up to the statue, and I did that towards the end of our stay.
When we passed by the bus terminus, I noticed there was a line waiting for Bus 21 to Tai O, which meant the bus was about to show up. The Garssons didn't want to go, so Anne and I went on a side trip by ourselves. At Tai O we joined a "heritage and dolphin tour" which in 20 minutes took us through a waterway lined with houses on stilts, and then out into the bay to look for dolphins. The latter is a hit or miss, and today it was a miss. (I had seen the dolphins on prior trips.) We had a simple dinner at a local restaurant, and then took the 6 pm ferry back to Tung Chung.
It was a short walk along a promenade from the ferry terminal to the hotel, even though Google suggests a circuitous route that would take 35 minutes. As "supplementary dinner" we ate at the hotel's lounge.
Reid would stay with us during our stay.
Gondola on NP360 on way to Ngong Ping from Tung Chung. It's a 25 minute ride covering over 3 miles.
NP Village caters to tourists. There are items that seem available only at this location.
The Garssons preparing to climb the 250 steps to Big Buddha. Everly joined the hike.
Anne and I had Tofu dessert. HK$22 for a bowl.
I decided to climb up the steps also.
On the Scenic Tai O and Dolphin tour.
We had a quick meal (fried noodles and tofu) before we left Tai O. (Photo from web.)
Ferry from Tai O to Tung Chung.
The Gang-Zhu-Ao bridge tunnel system is 34 miles in length. By comparison, the Chesapeake bridge tunnel is about 1/2 the length.
Accommodations: Sheraton Tung Chung (2 nights).
Tuesday 3/25. The hotel offers free buffet breakfast to Platinum Elite guests. So we all ate to our hearts' content this morning.
Anne left with the Garssons at around 9 am to go to Disneyland. They mentioned long lines for park security. I started my trip with the 10:20 am shuttle to MTR, took the MTR to Sunny Bay, then the Disney MTR to the park. Including security and admission, I was in the park at around 11:05 am - no complaints.
During our park visit, we basically stayed together as a group. Anne and I did peel off every now and then to do our own things: It's a Small World being one of them. At around 5 pm Anne and I were to take Everly back. She wouldn't be able to stay in the park long enough for the 8:30 pm fireworks. We did hit the Jungle Cruise and It's a Small World with her, which she enjoyed. One of the highlights for her was the Caramel Popcorn we bought before we left the park. Both the Disney and Tung Chung lines were quite crowded, but we managed. Anne took Everly back to the hotel to prepare for bed while I stopped at Cafe de Coral for dinner.
The others stayed for the fireworks - which Reid said wasn't that impressive - and came home via taxi. Anne and I then went across the street for takeout; she hadn't eaten yet.
Kuau, Reid, Maisie and I were seated in the first row in this RC Racer ride.
The cars go back and forth on a "horseshoe."
Anne and I went on It's A Small World. The line was short.
All of us a Adventureland.
On the Jungle Cruise conducted in "English." The River Guide wouldn't let his lack of command of the language curb his enthusiasm.
Everly kept telling us afterwards that things were not real.
Riding It's A Small World with Everly.
This meal at Cafe de Coral cost HK$89.
Anne's dinner (what's left of it).
Wednesday 3/26. After breakfast at the hotel Anne and I were ready to return to town. We had to rush a bit so that we could first drop off the luggage at Repulse Bay and then to the HK Club to meet up with Larry and Elaine for lunch.
After lunch we went back to Kwun Tong to collect Anne's new ID card, we had to use MTR as the North Point to KT ferry did not run in mid-afternoon. We did catch the ferry on the return trip, then stayed in the NP area to have "tea" (mostly to while away an hour or so), and then it was to The Southside for dinner with Tim+ and Ruth+. Whitney dropped us back at RB.
Enjoying buffet breakfast at Sheraton Tung Chung. Free for Platinum members.
North Point to Kwun Tong ferry.
Peking Duck at Huayan Banquet, The Southside.
Thursday 3/27. Today was the last full day for us in Hong Kong. Ellie went off to collect her HK ID card, and her family then went first to M+ then to Rosewood for tea (at lunch time). Anne met her sister at the Country Club to chat, I then joined them to visit their family's old homes (Des Voeux Road West) - the buildings were torn down in the 1960s and rebuilt, the street address (147 and 186) are still "valid."
I left the sisters to get to Tim's office at 1 pm for some hyaluronic acid shots for my knees, followed by a simple lunch at the Causeway Bay Cafe de Coral.
All of us then congregated in the Li Yuen East/West area to do some shopping; Anne and I managed to snack at the "Miu Miu" cafe on LY West. To my chagrin I found out the "Swiss Cafe" is just a couple of shops down - that was the one I was looking for. Maybe next time I visit.
The Garssons bought some food to bring back to the apartment for dinner; Anne and I stayed at The Southside, eventually sharing a meal at Food Lab (essentially a more expensive CdC). The taxi driver that took us back to Repulse Bay is from the same village I grew up in the New Territories (and it's a small village), and he told us where best to get cabs coming out of the Mall.
It's now time to prepare for the journey home. We booked cars for 5:45 am tomorrow morning.
Based on the birth certificate of Anne's uncle, we visited two locations on Des Voeux Road West.
These are packages of Chinese caterpillar fungus. The larger specimens sell for US$4000 per box. For the month of March a 25% discount is offered.
World's "longest" escalator is not what it is cracked up to be. Practical for commuters, though.
Friday 3/28. All things considered, it was a smooth journey home. We left the RB apartment at 5:45 am on Friday, and got back to NJ around 6 pm the same day. So about 24 hours door to door. HKG gate departure (8:12 am) to EWR gate arrival (5:01 pm) was a "short" 21 hours. No one got much sleep during these back-to-back day flights, Everly probably didn't understand why she felt so bad at the end of the journey and cried quite a bit after we landed in NJ.
Reserved Uber worked out very well, with a load of 3 or 4 (we used two regular Ubers) the price different with using Airport Express was minimal, and it took only 45 minutes as there was minimal traffic that early in the day. The motorway to the airport was surprising busy, as buses and trains start at around 6 am.
The United APP lists several Plaza Premium lounges as facilities in Hong Kong. The one located near Gate 35 said United uses the Singapore Airlines lounge (quite far away) as the one used by United customers. Anne's and my Priority Passes allow 2 guests each, and Ellie volunteered to not join us. The receptionist decided to let her in (she had to fill out some form), which was nice of him. We all gulped down some breakfast before boarding the plane.
UA153 had a light load, so the Garssons had empty seats between them. Anne and I got upgraded on the HKG-LAX flight, we all spent some time in the coach section - I to watch Deadpool and Wolverine without disturbing others, Anne to sleep as she could take all three seats. We did stay in Premium Economy for the better meal service.
We got in before 6 am, and were let out of the plane. Evidently LAX immigration starts earlier. Anne and I breezed through using MPC, ahead of Ellie with her Global Entry. (To be fair, they had trouble with Everly's photo because of camera location.) The other experiment was to see if taking the transfer bus would be faster than walking from TBIT to Terminal 7. The bus beat the walk by a minimal amount. We went through TSA precheck without using CLEAR as the latter didn't seem to provide any advantage this early in the day.
At LAX we visited the United Club, again using Anne's club pass for the seventh in our party. All the kids ate well during this trip. We were happy to see Reid enjoying the food as he tends to be picky in what he eats.
Measured by the reactions of the grandchildren, the trip was a success. Living in Repulse Bay meant transportation logistics issues, but they were not overwhelming. We got to spend close to two weeks with Ellie and her family, which was to be treasured.
Another egg breakfast on United Airlines.
No one got much sleep during the trip back to NJ.
Bangkok suffered an earthquake on March 28. We were originally thinking of visiting it during this trip, but decided to not do it. (We would have left on 3/27 in any case.)
The Garssons took a taxi back to Hoboken, Anne and I got an Uber.
