We said our goodbyes to Beijing on Wednesday, after a great week and a half.  Again, the trip out was full of drama.  If you thought flying in the United States could be challenging, it’s even tougher here.  Thank goodness we got to the airport three hours before the flight.  Even though we stayed in China, going to Hong Kong is like traveling to another country.  We had to go through customs, immigration and extra security checks (Sarah will have more on that).  We had a great flight on Dragonair.  It was a spacious plane with good food and it was quite smooth.

The arrival in Hong Kong was also really smooth.  Immigration was short and sweet.  The bags were waiting for us.  The ride to the hotel was quick and easy.

Then the shock set in.  Hong Kong is truly a different place than Shanghai and Beijing.  It’s hard to describe.  My first impressions… Hong Kong is Shanghai meets New York meets Los Angeles meets Miami. 

Here’s why I bring up that eclectic mix of places.  It feels like Chinatown in New York City.  While all of the signs are in Chinese, there is plenty of English too.  It also has the energy, bright lights and crowds of New York.  But wait, then there is a big difference – the mountains!  They’re everywhere.  Suzy compared it to Southern California.  It is beautiful.  But wait, there’s more.  It’s tropical, aka humid!  So, so humid.  Think Florida in the summer.  This is going to be a neat town to experience.  We’re going out to explore much more of Hong Kong today.  So more details are ahead.

The view from Terry's room at the Cityview Hotel in Hong Kong. It's the big city and the mountains all in one!