A Visit From Maggie and E.J.

E.J. and Maggie enjoy barbeque pork buns at Tim Ho Wan

In May we received another visit from family.This time, my niece Maggie McCray and her boyfriend E.J. Crawford made the long trip from their home in Austin, Texas.  Their week in Hong Kong was marked by a lot of rain, but Maggie and E.J. dodged the downpours to see the sights. Although our time together went by too quickly, we were thrilled to have them here. This blog post was written by Maggie and contains their photos.

Well it's been a month now since E.J. and I had the chance to spend a week in Hong Kong. 

Neither of us had ever been to Asia before - and we had a great time experiencing this wild city!
It was such a crazy mash-up of East meets West and was a great beginner's version of Asia. We would love to come back and explore more. 

Fresh fish at North Point Wet Market

An assortment of dried seafood

I feel like we got to experience such a wide swath of the city - temples, dim sum, steep hills, beaches, subways, buses, fancy bars, egg tarts, tailors, foot rubs, gardens, red rain storms, night markets and more. I guess maybe it took me a month to recover! 

Maggie inspects tiles in Macau

Dodging the rain at 10,000
Buddhas Monastery

There were times that I easily felt like I could have been in New York City in lower Manhattan - narrow winding streets full of trendy bars and restaurants with English speaking ex-pats spilling out the doors. Then there were so many other moments that reminded me I was somewhere completely different - the temple under the stairs on Carolyn's commute to work, shopkeepers putting food at the shrines in front of their stores, the meat and fish displayed in windows, and all of the unexpected smells - incense and one that I kept smelling and could never place (definitely a spice we don't use here). 

A bowl of noodles at Tsim Chai Kee

E.J. tries a local soy drink

I was wowed by the incredible public transportation system - the multiple types of buses, trams, ferries and subways all paid for by the Octopus card. I also couldn't get over how well the MTR runs all of these services and how you can use your Octopus card at 7-11 and other small stores around the subway stations and cities. It makes all those impulse egg tarts even easier to eat. I especially loved the escalator that carries pedestrians downhill in the mornings and uphill in the evenings in the steepest part of the city. Genius!

Maggie & E.J. brave the weather to cross Victoria Harbour
for a view of Central Hong Kong from the Kowloon promenade

The rain that fell off and on for our entire visit really didn't slow down our sightseeing. I absolutely loved going to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastary and actually think that the rainy atmosphere made it even more amazing. Hiking up and down that steep tropical hill surrounded by the golden Arhan statues in the drizzle is one of my favorite memories of the trip. Our experience eating at the vegetarian restaurant at the temple was also memorable and hilarious - perhaps the first meal where I realized just how varied the soy products can be in a Hong Kong restaurant! 

Orchids at the Hong Kong Botanic Garden

E.J. makes a new friend

Speaking of rain, I was unprepared for the tropical landscape - this city that cascades down a mountain to an incredible harbor, skyscrapers surrounded by rubber trees and banyan trees and so many green leaves. We loved exploring the aviary and the botanical and zoological gardens (I've never seen such a collection of monkeys!!!) and going to see the Big Buddha in the middle of a jungle-covered island. 

An army of figurines at one of Hong Kong's many antique stores on Hollywood Road

We are so glad we made it to Hong Kong to visit - thanks for hosting us and showing us around!

Bicycle rickshaws await passengers

Incense coils burn at a temple