The big day finally arrived. A visit from Shayne. Ken and I went to the airport to meet her and so did a few other people.
Actually, just before her arrival a Korean pop star arrived. We can't be sure who it was because we could only see hordes of screaming teenagers and camera flashes and security guards. And boy could those kids scream!
After checking out all of the arriving passengers, we finally sighted ours.
She arrived looking incredibly refreshed and ready to start exploring. It will be a fun two weeks.
On Tuesday we were on a tropical cyclone 1 alert. That means that there is a cyclone in the area and winds are picking up. This particular storm would not strike Hong Kong but go past us to the South. By Wednesday we were at a level 3 alert with strong winds and heavy rain squalls. By Friday (today) it is sunny and all alerts are gone - for now. We may be back on next week.
Anyway, what do I decide to do on Tuesday? Take to the water. Actually, all I did was take the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui which is directly across the harbor from Central on the Kowloon side. There were some very small whitecaps and a heavy breeze but the crossing was fairly smooth and uneventful.
The ferry docks are all in a row and each ferry goes to a different island or port. The one I took was the shortest route by far. It was a great day for some beautiful views of the harbor with the clouds showing stark contrast with the sunlight peeking through.
Central Pier is just a short walk form the apartment (downhill) and the ferry looked inviting.
After boarding and casting off, it was a thrill to see both Central and Kowloon from the middle of the harbor.
We passed by the cruise ship terminal as we headed in to port.
Upon landing, you are at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. This spacious area contains an art museum, a space museum, performance spaces and more. I did not have time to explore too thoroughly, but I can tell you that the art museum gift shop is fantastic.
From there the walk along the waterfront is quite long and interesting.
The highlight of this area is the Avenue of the Stars. Think Grouman's Chinese Theatre meets Atlantic City boardwalk. This area is dedicated to the stars of Hong Kong cinema. Along with the stars and handprints are some beautiful bronze statues related to film and very popular for posing.
I even found some familiar names. There was Bruce Lee who has been immortalized in bronze as well as having his star on the walk.
And one of my personal favorites - Jackie Chan.
Walking back along the water one of the old style tour boats was sailing while another was at anchor. It brings to mind all of the stories of the harbor being filled with junks and sampans long ago. Although they still are in use today, modern ships outnumber the older vessels by far. They coexist quite nicely.
After another relaxing ferry ride it was home to the apartment with the winds picking up. Even at level three there was little to interrupt the flow of things as long as you had an umbrella. The only tough part was the window in our apartment which whistled constantly all night long. Hopefully it will be adjusted before the next gale force day.
The last place on our agenda to see was the Singapore Zoo. Caslin told us it is a world class zoo and she did not exaggerate. There is the standard zoo and the Night Safari which we could not do since we had flights to catch. The first thing you notice is that very few exhibits are side by side. Most are in an individual area with lush vegetation all around.
We began our Safari without realizing how much there is to see. I have so many great photos that I will just put in some of my favorites. I am a zoo lover so I tend to go overboard with photos when I get the chance.
There was the giant tapir.
And I could have watched the snow tigers all day.
The pygmy hippos could be viewed both in and out of the water.
Where's Timon?
Onward mighty adventurers to the primates.
The baboons were quite fun to watch. We even got to see a family squabble.
Moving onward.
This little guy kept changing his facial expressions and raising his eyebrows in response to our talking to him.
There was a great elephant show. They impressed the crowd with their prowess and their antics. It was quite entertaining.
Each zoo seems to have a signature animal. The orangutang fulfills that role at the Singapore Zoo. The amazing thing about this exhibit is that there is no caging. In fact, the animals can travel freely through the trees overhead of the guests. It is like being in the enclosure with them - actually it really is that. Toward the end of the day two of the keepers came out and moved a log. It was the signal for several of the orangutang to come down to the pedestrian path and walk over to the night safari area.
So big and so sweet.
An up close look at a cheetah.
Twenty-five sizes bigger than an A bra. (groan)
There was even a giraffe feeding station.
Lots of lions...
...and lizards.
A somewhat crazy bear. And then there were the fiercest of all the animals...
... the tourists!
It was a great day at the zoo and a nice way to celebrate Father's Day. We headed for the airport where I flew off to Hong Kong and Ken went to Kuala Lumpur for the week. It was a short visit, but one will will not forget.
