Hong Kong - Buildings, Nature & Food!

We continued our adventure after leaving Disneyland Saturday evening. Mel had visited Hong Kong a few years ago and really wanted to go back to the Bubba Gump restaurant as she didn't get to eat there last time or take an iconic picture. If you are not familiar, Bubba Gump is the restaurant Tom Hanks opens in Forrest Gump, it is a chain with locations all over the world. Mel loves Forrest Gump. Conveniently the restaurant is located at "The Peak" or Victoria Peak which is home to a huge tower with a great view of Hong Kong. Being that it was a Saturday, the line for the tram up was HUGE but worth the wait. Except it was a bit scary because people almost got trampled getting on cause everyone was in a rush and pushed. When we got to the top, there was already an hour wait to eat at the restaurant but we put our name on the list and headed to the outside deck for some pictures of the city from above.

Lost and tired in the sea of people 

So pretty! It looked like I'm standing in front of a photoshopped picture 

After this we went back down and took some pictures outside of the restaurant. We only had to wait about 30 minutes to get a table after all. This place was decked out in Forrest Gump stuff, it was really well done. Bubba Gump is known for its shrimp, but I opted for a chicken sandwich. Fish are friends!!

Sitting at the Forrest Gump bench wearing his shoes

Forrest Gump's outfits

Part of the menu was on the other side of the racket. As for the "Run Forrest Run" sign, this was a neat part of the restaurant and a cool way to communicate with the staff. You kept the sign flipped this way if you did not need anything from the staff ....

... And you would flip it over to "Stop Forrest Stop" if you wanted anything from the staff. It was nice to not be interrupted for no reason and just a cute addition using the classic phrase. 

By the time we left here and took the tram down it was after midnight so we called it a day, grabbed a taxi back to the hostel and got totally ripped off by him - but hey it happens.

Sunday

Our flight was later in the afternoon so we wanted to make the most of the day. We were up early and found our way to Man Mo Temple. Unfortunately it was under construction but we were still able to go inside. We did not spend very long here as it was small, and although well known, more of a local temple. This temple pays tribute to the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo). 

Some streets we walked down

Graffiti

Man Mo Temple

Man Mo Temple was on Hollywood Road so we decided to wander to see if we found anything of interest. We ended up finding a French Cafe called Agnes B where we had breakfast as it was the only busy/open place around. It seems as if this was a foreigner area in Hong Kong though.

After eating a delicious grapefruit, avocado salad we took off to find the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. We only had Google Maps to guide us, and after only one wrong turn, and asking a Police officer for confirmation of directions we found it! It was a relaxing spot to spend the rest of the afternoon before heading to the airport. 

The entrance

We saw flamingos and other birds

.. and turtles

... And an orangutan. Seeing this Orangutan was heartbreaking for Mel and I, especially since we had just been in the Malaysian jungle weeks prior seeing orangutans living free and naturally. This cage was small, and did not have any structures made of anything other than metal - despite having a sign stating that they "rarely leave the trees for the ground, swinging from branch to branch." Yet this poor animal is deprived of trees and the ability to swing from branch to branch or anything for that matter, and is stuck in a small metal cage. It made me really sad. 

Not in the park, but this is the Bank of China Tower which is lit up and part of a light show at night. This is Hong Kong's fourth tallest skyscraper.

Funny story about our flight home. We arrived at our departure gate an hour early. Finally we hear over the PA "Final call for immediate departure flight ..." - OUR FLIGHT! Somehow, despite sitting right next to our departure gate an hour early, we missed all of our boarding calls and didn't board until this announcement, potentially almost missing our flight! We still have no idea how we managed to not see or hear an entire flight of people boarding around us!! Unfortunately we still waited on the plane for an hour and a half before it actually left the airport. They said there was a document issue and they seemed to have kept counting the passengers. But we left eventually. 

The not so funny part. Due to the recent Ebola outbreak, before we landed we had to fill out a health questionnaire so the quarantine officers in Korea could see if we had symptoms or not. When we landed we were still stuck on the plane for an extra thirty minutes while they did quarantine procedures. I had a lot of empathy for all of the Nigerians who were called to the front of the plane over the PA during this time. When we finally were allowed to get off the plane, we were questioned individually by quarantine officers before being able to proceed to immigration and baggage claim. 

I really enjoyed my time in Hong Kong and of course, loved Disneyland. I feel completely satisfied with the amount of time I spent there and the things I was able to do and see! 

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