Hong Kong continued . . .

It's been a rather busy few days since we last posted anything and our time here in HK is winding down. We leave tomorrow morning for Bangkok.
We've had a great time riding public transport which gets you places quickly and fairly cheaply. It's about the only thing in HK that is inexpensive. Everything else is pricey! If we weren't on the MTR (subway) we were on our feet, hoofing it around. Our hostel is is in a very convenient location as far as getting places via foot.
Yesterday we went to a wetland park out in the New Territories which is north of where we are staying in Kowloon. It was HOT but the place was well laid out and had many interacative exhibits. You walked outside on a boardwalk through the wetlands. We enjoyed the park as well as seeing a part of HK where many of the people live. The tourist places are way too expensive so they have built up skyscraper cities. All of them look alike and are actually boring-looking, kind of like giant cookie-cutter houses.
We've eaten quite a bit of HK food which is OK . . .wouldn't say it's our favorite. We've had a lot of dumplings and noodles (those we love), congee or rice porridge as we knew it in JA but they add meat to it, and various soups, one which reminded us of 'manish water ' in JA . . . it was gray water with a chicken foot floating in it. The broth was tasty but I couldn't do the foot.
Friday we spent the day on HK island. We road the peak tram to the tallest point on the island and ate dinner at a restaurant near the top. The views from above were gorgeous and we got a good view of the harbour. We then road the public tram through the busiest parts of HK island and got to see the differences . . .some skyscrapers are definitely not as nice as others. We ended up our time on HK island by taking the travelator (escalator) up the mountain. It starts at sea level and goes up pretty far. It takes you up but you have to walk down. It is so steep that I'm sure that it helps the people who live up that high. We then took the ferry back to Kowloon.
Thursday we went to Lantau Island and saw the BIG Buddha and a monastery. We missed taking the cable car to the top because of maintainence so had to take a bus. The island is very green and moutainous. From what we have been told, this is where the people in the more congested parts of HK go to get away. It is more peaceful. After geting back to Kowloon, we went on a quick walk through the outdoor markets.They are fairly simillar to markets in other countries. . . in other words, a lot of stuff and people asking you to buy. Since we have only our carry on, we resisted for a good reason. That night we went to the harbour and saw the light show. The harbour is beautiful at night and the show was nice but not spectacular. To keep this place lit up like it is, must cost a fortune . . . maybe their lighting is energy efficient. Who knows.
Today we visited an international church that meets in the YMCA. The worship was siimilar to back home and a Canadian preached. We spent the afternoon walking through Kowloon park which is close to where we are staying. It turned out to be very beautiful. There were many people out, mostly Muslim women, non-Chinese meeting together in groups. Many Indonesian and Filipino women are here for work and who knows what else.
Our kids would be interested to know that, for nostalgia, we ate at a Shakeys Pizza for lunch. We would take our family to the Kingston Shakeys occasionally many years ago and we have fond memories of the place. The one here is close to our hostel.
Our time here has been wonderful. The people have been warm, friendly, and gracious(except for the little guys who are always pestering you to buy watches, purses, ties and of course, a suit).If you love to shop, this is the place for you! High end to low end and every thing in between. You can get it here .
Partially due to the British influence, HK reminds us very much of JA. but it is far more developed. It has been a wonderful experience that we would recommend to all travelers. Now it's on to Bangkok.