The Roberts in Korea

More Hong Kong

Here are a couple of pictures of me with the International Finance Center.  This building is the tallest building in Hong Kong and it is the seventh tallest building in all of the world.  It is the prominent landmark along the Hong Kong skyline and it is interesting to note that it is the same height as the former World Trade Center.

After viewing the skyline and the harbor from the peak we took a tram down to the streets at the very base of the buildings.  It was a real contrast in perspectives.  We came upon some rickshaws for sale and finally we took a "cheap" ride across the harbor to the mainland.  Then we took a very crowded subway ride back to our hotel.  It was a great adventure.

Friends in High Places

On Saturday night in Hong Kong a bunch of us got in taxis and took a trip through a tunnel, under a waterway and up a winding road to the top of a peak on Hong Kong Island.  Our friends, Jeff and Robyn live there and we had a blast visiting them and their two precious little guys.  We shared a delicious dinner of take out Thai food with them and enjoyed part of the evening viewing their portion of the city from the rooftop of their apartment building.

Later in the evening we took a trip to the peak of the island and enjoyed a most incredible view of the lights and buildings of Hong Kong Harbor.  Our time at the peak was particularly special because Jeff and Robyn showed us a "secret" trail that we could take around the top of the peak for an exquisite view of the harbor. 

The view of the city was beyond description.  We had a good time walking, talking and enjoying the sights of Hong Kong.  At one point in the walk we came upon a bug that looked like a stick and we took advantage of a street light along the path and took some group pictures without the flash.  What a great memory.

A Temple Visit

While in Hong Kong I, along with some others in our group, did a fair bit of sight seeing and one of our jaunts included a visit to a Taoist Temple.  Taoism is a "mainline" Chinese religion that reveres and worships many things, with a particular emphasis upon nature and ancestral spirits.  

The temple location was a beautiful respite in the midst of the towering city of apartment buildings and skyscrapers.  The temple area was full of people purchasing and burning bundles of incense and offering up prayers at various shrines that were located throughout the temple area.

The temple experience was laid out in the form of a "walk" and at the latter end of the temple walk was a "garden of peace" where people could enjoy sitting quietly in meditation and worship.  In this area were some beautiful flowers, shrubbery, gazebos, man-made waterfalls and lots of turtles.

Upon exiting the temple area and the "garden of peace" we found ourselves in the midst of many fortune teller booths.  Many of the fortune tellers beckoned to us but we declined, took some pictures and headed for the subway station.

Hong Kong Harbor Cruise

During one of the evenings that I was in Hong Kong we went on a dinner cruise around the Hong Kong harbor.  There were about three hundred people on the ferry/cruise boat that we went out on.  The dinner was a delicious buffet, but I don't really remember the food that we ate.  All I remember were the sights that I saw and the karaoke music that was sung.  One of those things I remember because it was so good and the other I remember because it was so bad.  I hope by looking at the pictures you can tell which was which.

 The dinner cruise lasted just over two hours.  I spent most of my time up on the outer deck of the boat taking in the sights of the amazing city of Hong Kong.  The Hong Kong skyline at night is a collage of lights, lasers and illumination.  The pictures don't really do justice to the experience.