Hong Kong 6
First Trip to Hong Kong With Nara
Happy New Year!
We got off the plane in the morning and
that evening was New Years. Even though I was tired, I decided
that New Years was too good to pass up so I went down to the Star Ferry
Terminal. I arrived around 6pm and the place was already full -
tripods and camera everywhere. A kind photographer let me stand
next to him and we waited for 6 hours for the fireworks to start.
People were really nice - I saw an MacBook Pro charging three iPhones
that had run low on batteries and lots of people were "saving" spots
when another person needed to go to McDonalds for food or a
drink. I was quite civil. Tour boat after tour boat left
from our location and near midnight high end boats arrived for the
party going on above us.
Fireworks from buildings were quite cool. There wasn't a lot of
variation, but it was certainly cool to see.
The neat part was what happened next. Three hundred thousand
people all decided to leave at the same time to get on the same
MTR.
The crowd was dominated by young (university
aged) and
there were certainly patent. Unlike Vancouver post fireworks
crowds, there didn't seem to be much alcohol involved. The crowd
poured into the streets and got caught in a traffic jam. We
probably stood there for 15 minutes waiting for humans in front of us
to get out. Once we got moving, I saw the extent of the crowd -
streets were packed for blocks and blocks.
Walking Around With Nara
Apartments in Hong Kong aren't huge so it's
common to
go for a walk to get some space. Nara was often in a state of
shock and awe when we went outside so I decided to take some photos of
her and the world. In all of these photos, she is strapped on my
chest (in a soft carrier) and I'm taking photos by putting the camera
behind my shoulder and just randomly shooting - no preview.
Helen's Grandparents live in a thriving neighborhood in Mong Kok that
caters to walking traffic. There is lots of competition and
stores do their best to attract customers with delicious looking
products. Nara was of course into everything.
Visiting People
We go to Hong Kong to visit people. Helen's
Grandparents live there as does her Aunt Jenny and her family. On
past trips everyone was always happy to see us, but we noticed a change
this time - everyone wanted to visit with Nara - we were just her care
takers!
We stayed with Nara's Great Grandparents who have a
traditional (in the 1970's) apartment in Mong Kok. The place has
lots of air conditioning, but not a lot of heating so when the weather
gets cold, you bundle up (or go out shopping!)
I bought Helen a new camera for her birthday and
this one includes
video! We took some video of people with Nara.
Nara's Great Grandparents were really happy to
see Nara. They have
photos of her up and every day wanted to hold her and interact with
her. She is a bit of handful, but I think they came to an
understanding.
Jenny joined us in Canada when Nara was born so
it was nice to get back
together. You got the feeling that Nara remembered Jenny, but since
Nara can't talk yet, it's hard to be sure.
We had one other lucky meet up - Sean and
Catherine happened to be in Hong Kong at the same time as Sean finished
up his term at Hong Kong University. We went out for brunch at
the Hotel Intercontential - a fantastic meal. Somehow we
forgot to take a photo of Catherine! My bad - sorry!
Tags: Hong Kong(5), night(4), fireworks(3), city(3), sunset(1), roast meat(1)
People: Nara(14), Great Grandmother Yuen(3), Jennie(1), Sean(1), Great Grandfather Cheung(1)
From: John Harvey Photo > Hong Kong 6
From: John Harvey Photo > Trips out of the Country > Hong Kong 6
Last Modified Saturday, January 21st, 2023 at 23:49:34 Edit
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