Tuesday, December 30
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Last full day in Hong Kong and it is with mixed emotions that we spent the day out shopping. We all agree that we absolutely love vacationing in Hong Kong, but I think if we’re being honest with ourselves, we all absolutely love the thought of being home tomorrow. I know I can’t wait to get off that plane in Toronto!!
We had decided not to make any actual plans for today, because we knew that the girls have had about all the large dinners and gatherings that they’re good for. So, we got up, had a leisurely start, and then headed over to the Mong Kok area to shop. We’ve really taken advantage of the free shuttle offered by our hotel this visit and it’s been very convenient to be sure. It drops us at the door of the subway station and from there virtually anywhere is easy and cheap to get to.
As soon as we got out of the subway station, Stephanie and Danny indulged in some street food. Danny had curried fish balls on a stick and Stephanie had some small hotdogs on a stick. Risky yes, but absolutely part of the fun of the area!
Mong Kok is home to the Womens’ or Ladies’ market. I’m not really a fan, as most of the stuff is really cheap junk, but it was an easy way to pass some time. Believe it or not, the only thing the girls requested was the little fans you can see in the photos. I paid about $1.80 CDN for them, so the fact that Stephanie played with hers so much today that it broke didn’t exactly break my heart.
Danny was happy to find a Chinese book store he’d wanted to visit and got a few books. I found a jewellery store that had been recommended to me and got to pick up some gifts that I’d wanted to grab, so we all got stuff done. We had a late, light lunch in a local soup noodle place and I was thrilled to find they actually had Coke Zero in glass bottles. Yes, pop in glass bottles is very ‘in vogue’ here in Hong Kong, but this tiny café is the first place we’ve found Coke Zero in bottles. Everywhere else it has been in cans.
Stephanie, as you can see in the photo, had had enough fairly early on, but she was a real trooper and kept shopping, ‘til she nearly dropped!
Emily, on the other hand, slept nice and late this morning, and was therefore dancing at every opportunity!
We had a bit of a dilemma as the afternoon came to a close. We’d had enough shopping, but weren’t really ready for dinner. We hopped back on the subway to head for dinner, figuring we’d shop in the area of the restaurant, then head in. We had made sure that Emily and Stephanie knew that our last night in Hong Kong was not going to include a pizza dinner in the room, since we knew that would be their choice.
We ended up back at Little Sheep hotpot, as our first choice was fully booked. We had a great dinner and the girls mostly behaved. Stephanie has been suffering some awful night terrors the last couple of nights, so she’s a bit of a walking zombie, and has the behavior to match. We’re trying to be tolerant, knowing the child is exhausted, but geez!!
After hotpot, we came back to the hotel. I’ve got most of our things already in the suitcase. Some last minute things to pack up and that’s about it.
Our flight tomorrow departs here at 4:20pm and with the time difference, in spite of a 15.5 hour flight, we arrive the same day at 6:00pm Toronto time. As you’d expect, I’m dreading the flight, but at least feeling hopeful that it will pass—mostly—uneventfully, as the flight over did.
Next post is from home!
