Christmas in Hong Kong - wow, what an experience! More about our actual Christmas day in the next post...for now, I'll just start with our general/first impression of the city...extremely crowded. Just close your eyes and picture yourself in the most crowded setting you have ever been in. Now, multiply the amount of people in that setting by 20. Finally, imagine yourself being pushed in the back or elbowed in the ribs by nearly every person that you encounter. Did you do it? Good! Now you've experienced Hong Kong for yourself! ;) OK so maybe I'm just slightly exaggerating, but seriously, the place was nuts. The aggressive manner of many of the people there (be it locals or visitors) definitely took some getting used to, but it also made it fun! We looked at it as "part of the experience" and were able to laugh about it...in most cases :) We really did enjoy the trip!
Our first day in Hong Kong officially started around noon after we checked into the hotel and started to explore nearby areas. First things first, we were on a mission to find some lunch! We wanted to start off with something authentic so after aimlessly wandering around Kowloon (the part of HK that we stayed in) we ended up deciding on a place that looked packed - always a good sign! We requested a table for two and were quickly ushered to a small round table where 3 other diners were already seated. Talk about awkward! Strange for us, but the others hardly seemed to notice so we decided that the seating arrangement was probably not out of the norm for that particular restaurant. Once we left the restaurant, we spent our time exploring Tsim Sha Tsui, checking out the many, many stores and restaurants along the way. Finally, it was time to meet our friends, Jason and TJ, for a Christmas Eve candle light service (at an English speaking church). Jason is a good friend of Matt's from college. They met several years ago and have stayed in touch ever since. Jason was born in HK and his parents still live there so he and TJ visit often. It was SO much fun to meet them there and see some familiar faces! We were thankful they thought to invite us to church. It was just a great way for us to shift our focus away from the crowds of HK to what the real meaning of Christmas is. We were admittedly feeling a little homesick, knowing that had we been in the states, we'd be surrounded by family and fun Christmas Eve traditions. But the best part about Christmas is that you can celebrate the birth of Jesus no matter where you are! It was such a joy to sing our favorite Christmas songs among so many other people :) After church, we joined Jason's parents for an authentic Cantonese meal where I was brave and tried fish and lamb (two things I don't normally eat)! When the meal was over, we said goodbye for the night and Matt and I made our way back to our hotel. As we got closer we could NOT believe the massive crowds of people that were walking around. There was loud music playing, lights flashing and groups hanging out everywhere. It was certainly different than any other Christmas Eve either of us have ever experienced! Finally, we made it back to our hotel and settled in for some rest so we'd be ready for day #2 in HK...Christmas day... :)
Our hotel in Hong Kong, The Langham
After checking in to our hotel, Matt took a quick second to plan our agenda for the afternoon.
As we set off for lunch, we immediately found ourselves surrounded by tons of people. This was just an average sidewalk...nothing too special about this particular area.
Wooo, we found a place to eat lunch!
...and see that girl sitting right next to me? Yeah, I definitely don't know her.
Typical street in HK.
We walked up and down Nathan Road, a popular spot for shopping for tourists and locals.
Christmas Eve candle light service at Island ECC in HK. Not sure if its OK to take pics in church, but we did anyway, just for the memory :) It was so cool to be at a church service in Hong Kong!
Us with our sweet friends, Jason and TJ.
I thought people were supposed to be at home with family on Christmas Eve? Apparently, that's not the case in Hong Kong!
...but after a long day of walking around, we viewed the crowds more like this ;)
This is exactly what McDonald's looks like at midnight on Christmas Eve back in the states ;) We got a kick out of the lines and had to step in for a quick picture!
Random, I know. I just took it b/c I used to watch a lot of Jackie Chan movies with my bro and the memory is fun.
Wow. Not sure I'd be able to handle those crowds - good for you to chalk it up to part of the experience! And that blurry pic is really cool - is that a camera effect? Can't wait to see more about the trip!!
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