Hong Kong - Day 1: Transportation Galore and View from Victoria Peak

Today we said goodbye to Simon, our amazing Guangzhou guide and friend, and headed to Hong Kong. The train ride takes approximately two hours and felt a lot like being on Amtrak. By the way, I would like to personally thank Steve Jobs for creating such amazing technology. On the trip, we were able to Facetime with grandparents so they could "meet" Wendy while we were in China. Apple products probably saved us from a screaming toddler on the train because Wendy got to watch The Muppet Movie on my iPad while Maddie watched Hercules on her iPhone. I doubt Wendy has ever seen an iPad, and it was hilarious watching her expression when we put the headphones on her little ears. She probably didn't understand the storyline, but she bounced her little head when the musical numbers came on. Thank you, Steve Jobs!

Even though Hong Kong is part of China now, in many ways, it feels like a different country with its own currency, immigration system and overall atmosphere. When we arrived in Hong Kong, we had to go through immigration, which was a little tricky because Wendy is traveling on a Chinese passport in her Chinese name. The immigration officer really looked over our passports carefully and even questioned my signature on Wendy's arrival card. This was the first time I felt some scrutiny for traveling with a Chinese daughter. It probably didn't help that she was screaming her head off, which she tends to do when we are waiting in long lines. We definitely got a few disapproving looks from some Chinese travelers. Another family in our group had advised us to get her an American passport as soon as possible when we get home, even for traveling domestically. I think this may be a good idea.

After the train trip, we hauled all of our luggage to the Metropolis Harbour View Hotel, which is located directly across the street from the train station in Kowloon. We stayed in a suite with a bedroom, bathroom, living room with a pull-out couch for Maddie and a kitchenette. The Metropolis location is good for exploring Hong Kong, which consists of several islands connected by tunnels, metro stops and ferry rides. On this day alone, we traveled by car, train, hotel shuttle, 2 ferry boats, 2 double-decker buses and a tram to the top of a mountain. Between the exotic locale and all of the transportation modes, I felt like we were in a James Bond movie!

Here are some of the cool sites we saw on this day:

When walking to the ferry, we passed this awesome chess set.

The famous Star Line Ferry--it take about 10 minutes to cross from Kowloon to Hong Kong island.

A view of Hong Kong island

We rode an open-air double-decker bus. It was a strange sensation to be up high and to ride on the left side of the road like in England.

A huge Apple store

The tram to the top of Victoria Peak reminded us of being in San Francisco.

We have been so fortunate with the weather, and today is no exception. Normally, the skies are filled with fog, but we had a rare clear day and a beautiful view.

We ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., which was located at the top of the Peak.

Maddie enjoyed all of the references to Forrest Gump, including a ping pong paddle drink menu and license plate signs to get the servers' attention. The sign flips over to say "Stop, Forrest, Stop" if you need something from the server. We also had a great view of Hong Kong as the sun went down.

Wendy loves her noodles! Diners around us kept pointing to her and smiling as she opened her mouth wide for more spaghetti.

Hong Kong is even more spectacular at night.

Maddie loved this street performer.

The bus station at night