Continuing a Scrumptious Habit

As I have enjoyed after returning home from each of my trips to Asia, I am awake at 4:00 am and consuming the scrumptious culinary delights known as "Cup Noodles".  Although I know it is 4:00 am, my stomach thinks it is still in Hong Kong where it is 7:00 pm or dinner time.  

Well, my stomach will have to be content with two Cup Noodles for my 4:00 am dinner.  Hopefully my bio-clock will return to a West Coast time schedule shortly.  At least I do not have to fret about going back to work since I am now retired. Alas, Kacy and Pat are both returning to work on Monday while Teri is off from school for Summer Vacation.  :-)

Yummy

Truly a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach

On my way home

Wendy B was kind enough to pick us up at the airport.  We are on the way home now. Glad to be back. :-)

Time to return home

10 pm on Thursday night here in Hong Kong while it is 7 am Thursday morning back in San Rafael, CA.  On Friday, June 28, we will depart Hong Kong International Airport at 2:10 pm.  Due to the quirks of the International Dateline, we will regain the day we lost when we flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong.  Thus we will arrive at 11:40 am on Friday, June 28.  Gadzooks, we will land at SFO before we take off from HKG.  Assuming a smooth return, we should be home in San Rafael by 2 pm or so.  :-)

Hong Kong Island from our hotel window

Here are photos from our hotel window looking across the harbor to Hong Kong Island

Hong Kong Island at dusk

Hong Kong Island in the early evening

The Bank of China Building is the one with the diagonal lines.  The tall structure on the right is the International Finance Center or IFC building  You can see the colonial clock tower in the lower right corner. 

The Hong Kong Museum of Art building participated in the laser light show as well.  You can see the ribbon of lights along the top of the building in the foreground.

Hong Kong Museum of Art

As the museum is across from our hotel, we decided to visit it.  Alas, it is closed  on Thursday so we were not able to see an exhibit on contemporary Asian art.  Oh well, so it goes.  However, we did manage to walk around the building as seen in the following photos:

Teri in front of the museum that was closed  :-(

"Embrace Tradition"

"Conceal"

"Reach for the Sky" with the Hong Kong Island skyline in the background

Teri by the museum

Another view of Hong Kong Island as seen from Tsim Sha Tsui

A tourist junk sailing by

Yet another tourist junk sailing by the Hong Kong Convention Center

Teri by the Hong Kong Cultural Center with its swooping roof

Flamingoes in Kowloon Park?

Here are a few more photos of Kowloon Park.  If you are ever in Tsim Sha Tsui in Hong Kong, be sure to check it out.

We liked this sculpture.  Alas, we could not find a plaque explaining this artwork despite our best efforts.

Teri at a lagoon that is supposedly home to many different 

species of birds. However, we only saw flamingoes.

Teri with the flamingoes in the distant background

A close up view of the flamingoes

No plaque was found to explain this wall either.  

A historical wall or simply a wall made to look "old"?

Waterfall in Kowloon Park

Aviary at Kowloon Park

There is a small aviary at Kowloon Park that we came across.  The aviary will not rival the one at Singapore's Zoo or any other major zoo.  But as a pleasant respite in the midst of frenzied shopping in Tsim Sha Tsui, it served its purpose well.

Walking by this waterfall, we noticed a sign for an Aviary

Teri at the Aviary

Some of the residents of the Aviary

This one flew about the cage for a few seconds 

before settling down in another place

Relaxing in its new roosting place

Sculpture Garden at Kowloon Park

Teri and I walked about Kowloon Park, just a few blocks north of our hotel.  Per Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department,

"In the 1830s, some westerners found that Victoria Harbour was         an ideal anchorage place for vessels. At that time, the site of the later Kowloon Park was an important military base over-looking the Harbour. In 1861, the British occupied Kowloon peninsula and named the base as Whitfield Barracks.

Kowloon Park was officially opened on 24 June 1970 by the then Governor, Sir David Trench. In 1989, the park was redeveloped at a cost of $300 million, which was funded by the then Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club." During our walk, we came across an outdoor sculpture garden.  Here are some photos of the various sculptures in the garden.

"Transformation"

"Ultimate Union"

"Nothing"

"Water Bird"

"Forged Fossil"

"Crab"

A close-up of the Crab

"Gates of Youth"

"Figure"

"Dance of Heaven and Earth"

"Growing Shell"

A view of the sculpture garden

Tranquil Areas of Wong Tai Sin Temple

Although the central area of Wong Tai Sin Temple is crowded with tourists and worshippers, there are many tranquil areas off of the beaten track.  For some inexplicable reason, there were few visitors to these areas.  Here are quiet areas where one can truly commune with the Gods instead of jostling with the crowds.  Here are some photos of the tranquil areas at the Temple that Teri and I enjoyed.