Hong Kong...noodles and elbows

What a better way to spend your 30th Birthday then in Hong Kong with your fiance, ample noodle soup, and a city that is usually cloud covered appears with blue skies and puffy clouds! It was a great way to start the next decade, minus the fact that there is no such thing as personal space or being first in line (you will inevitably be last if you don't stand your ground or give a little elbow) in this country.

We started our first night off with Noodle Soup from a Mak's, crazy that this restaurant has its own Wikipedia site! We had just one bowl so we could save room for dinner number 2! And that we did but that was a guilty pleasure we came across in SoHo, iCramba. It was probably the best Mexican food we have had in Asia! I even told the waiter that as I gushed over our nachos but I'm pretty sure that white girl, mexican loving didn't translate to Chinese. Sigh. We had just enough energy after dinner 2 to do the Temple Night Market where I found a lot of my Christmas' presents past. My Mom apparently has been shopping this market for years! Who knew...well now I do!

View from our hotel!

Our pretty hotel, Harbor Grand View Hong Kong, complimented by a Tsingtao beer of course!

Mak's soup

The TP on the table is there version of napkins...how appealing

Soup magnets

he is writing "Hesse" in Chinese for us

Chinese medicine

The next day, my birthday, we headed for umm well more food. Dim Sum at Maxim's which was super yummy and we spoiled ourselves with dessert first, egg tarts! Then it was off to Victoria Peak for a view of the city and what seemed like an endless line to get up to the top in a cable car. A few hours and elbows later in line we reached the top! It was a beautiful day with a beautiful view!

View from Victoria Peak

I think we're getting good at the self portraits!

One of the many MTR (Subway) stops

We took the AquaLuna boat trip in the Harbor that evening and sailed around before sunset. It was relaxing and a good way to see more of the city from the water. Good thing it was only an hour because we had more eating to do. We tried to go to an Oyster and Wine bar but that didn't work out so we resorted to plan B, find anywhere because we were starving! Down stairs in the Marriott with no ambiance would have to do. Surprisingly that was our best meal - complete with bird's nest soup but not to mention the most expensive! Noodles, soup, rice and two beers set us at $100, happy birthday to me and thank you Jason. We concluded the night with watching the Hong Kong buildings set to music light up - not sure where they came up with this idea but entertaining none the less, and of course some more food and a night market.

There's no ambiance...

But they have beer...

and Birds Nest Soup

He did it - found a Chocolate, Raspberry cake in China!

Our final day we took a very top heavy double decker bus out to Stanley Market and briefly checked out Aberdeen. It was a great trip and we'll see how we do on mainland China in a few weeks, keeping the elbows to a minimum and the noodles to the max!