First Visitors

The in-laws arrived very late on Thursday night after many delays due to the typhoon last week. The delays proved to be a blessing is disguise, because their flight was virtually empty. They were able to stretch out and sleep, and as a result, they have done remarkably well with jet lag. On Friday, Erik and I had to work, so the in-laws bravely and successfully navigated the streets of Hong Kong and walked all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui and back. Friday night, we had drinks at Aqua and then dinner at Dragon-i--both never fail to please.

Saturday, we visited the wet market in Yau Ma Tei and the Jade Market. For lunch, we went to a super local style dive for Chinese noodle soup. Then we went to SoHo to visit Hollywood Road, Cat Street, and the Man Mo Temple. For dinner, we had Mediterranean tapas at Enoteca followed by a drink at Feathered Boa. Of course, we had to show them the seedier area of Wan Chai, but you can't get the full effect until around 3:00 a.m. Don't worry, we were home by midnight. On Sunday morning, we visited the Chi Lin Nunnery and surrounding botanical gardens. The nunnery is a fairly popular tourist spot, but Erik and I had never visited it. It is a Buddhist temple and was very beautiful and serene. Luckily, we stumbled on a nice Chinese vegetarian restaurant within the gardens and had a fabulous lunch. Next, we headed to the mayhem of Mong Kok, which proved to be a lesson in contrasts for the day. In Mong Kok, we saw the Bird Market, Flower Market, Goldfish Market, and Ladies Market all of which can be very overwhelming. It was a long day, so we opted for a simple dinner at Delaney's, an Irish pub, and dined on fish and chips.