Back in the USA (BOSTON)

I have returned!  After having circled the globe, I arrived in Boston on Sunday afternoon.  My original flight from Hong Kong to Boston, via Chicago, was cancelled.  After waiting in the airport in Hong Kong for 14 hours, I was able to catch a flight to San Francisco on Saturday night, with a connecting flight to Boston on Sunday morning.  It is good to be back home.  I return with wonderful memories of every city I visited during the more than 5 months that I was away.  Since returning, I have been asked which was my favorite city. My answer is Vienna and Singapore.  But, as I wrote in one of last postings, there is no place like home!  And home for the moment, before I move to Chicago the first week in July, is Boston.  

One of the first places I visited upon my return home was to the memorial to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.  The photos attached to this blog are from the memorial, including the photo of the American flags above.  I found it to be a very moving experience to be at the memorial site, so close to my community on Newbury Street.

My blog is not yet over, so don't leave me yet.  I still have several days of photos from my visits to Greece and Istanbul which I promised to post on my blog.  Check in periodically to see if they have been posted. Until then....it is good to be back home in the USA!

A Day in Hong Kong Airport! (HONG KONG)

Well, it looks like this posting will not be from the USA!  I am now in my 10th hour at the Hong Kong Airport!!  After periodic updates for close to 3 hours from United Airlines that the flight was only 30 minutes delayed, then 30 more, then 30 more, the flight was officially canceled. It was to leave at 11:40 AM.  At 3:00 PM, United cancelled the flight and re-scheduled it for 6:30 PM TOMORROW night.  And even at that, they informed us the time was subject to change.  I was able to get on a flight out of Hong Kong at 11:00 PM tonight (it is now 7:00 PM, Saturday) on Singapore Airlines.  The flight is to San Francisco, with a connecting flight on United at 10:30 PM on Saturday night, I know it is confusing with the time change.  Rather than getting to Boston on Saturday night at 11:00 PM, I get to Boston early Sunday morning, hopefully!!  Hong Kong is a beautiful city, but an airport is an airport, and it is getting tedious sitting here, now into my 11th hour!  

Can you believe it?  Every connection and flight I have taken for the last 5 and a half months has been on time with no hiccups.  Now the very last leg of my journey, a major delay.  Just another 3 hours before the boarding process begins...

If all goes according to the new schedule...the next posting will be from the USA!

Hong Kong Potpourri (HONG KONG)

The clock is ticking toward the midnight hour of my trip, as I prepare for my return home tomorrow morning. Soon it will be all pumpkin again, which ain't too bad!  I have seen the world, and Dorothy was right!  There's no place like home!  [Not bad, in three short sentences, two classic cinematic allusions.]

The photos in this posting were taken during my walk near the harbor.  They are primarily of the former Marine Police Headquarters, which is now a luxury hotel with high end shops, restaurants, and fanciful decorations on the property, like the Cinderella coach pictured above.  Here is a small potpourri of photos before I begin to pack for the long journey home.

Every city I have visited had McDonald's.  This one is near the Star Ferry Terminal in Kowloon.

Bus stop near the Star Ferry Terminal.

Former Marine Police Headquarters, with fairy tale themed motifs throughout the complex.

Mother taking photo of son.

Son taking photo of mother.

A tree planed inside a tower? Or, a tower built around a tree?

Since we are looking at a tree, I thought I would add this photo of the roots of a banyan tree.

A vestige of the building's former life, overlooking the chess set.  It would be very risky to make a false move!

Inner courtyard of the former Marine Police Headquarters.

Next posting...from the USA!

Hong Kong Harbor, Victoria Peak, and In-between (HONG KONG)

I've been to the mountaintop, or, at least, to the top of Victoria Peak, overlooking Hong Kong Harbor.  The first part of my adventure was to cross the harbor since I am staying on the Kowloon side, and "The Peak", as the locals call it, is on Hong Kong Island.  I used the Star Ferry Line to cross the harbor.  It was just as much fun as it was 20 years ago when I used it for the first time.  Rather than taking the famous Victoria Peak Tram to the top, I rode on the upper deck of a city bus, No. 15.  It had all of the thrill of an amusement park ride, similar to taking the tram to the top of the peak.  The road to the peak is VERY steep and narrow, some of the turns are hair-pin, and as you look out the window of the bus, you soon see that the bus is so close to the edge of the road with inches to spare from a sheer drop of several hundred feet.  Once on top of the peak, there are only spectacular panoramic views of Hong Kong.  I used the tram to descend.  The tram's track is almost a vertical drop at some points!  What a rush!  I returned to Kowloon by ferry, just in time for a late lunch.  Today's photos are from my "peak" experiences of today. 

A big rubber ducky was perched next to the ferry terminal.

Entrance to the ramp leading to the upper deck of the ferry.

The upper deck of the ferry.

Now you see me....

...now you don't!  (The photo of me was taken by a British family who were seated behind me.  I took this photo from my seat.)

Central Pier, Hong Kong Island - where the ferry docks.

All of the ferry crew wear "Navy" uniforms.

Bus No. 15 is a double decker bus which goes to Victoria Peak.  The next several photos were taken from the window of the bus where I was seated on the upper deck.

A Sikh Temple, at this point the road to the peak becomes more steep and the landscape beneath us along the road more lush.

The road will eventually curve, continuing up the hill, and will soon be much higher than the height of the solitary tall building!

Now we are gaining some altitude, still on the double decker bus!

As you can tell from this and other photos, it was a very hazy day.

We have now reached the top of Victoria Peak.  This is a model of a vintage tram car on display near the observation deck.

What a view...of Hong Kong!

One of the observation platforms.

There were 2 Madame Tussaud's Wax Museums at the tram stops, one at the top and one at the bottom.  Bruce Lee (I think!) was at the one on The Peak itself.

And the former President of China was there to greet you at the museum at the bottom tram stop.

The modern tram cars.

Inside the tram as we go down seated backwards.

A view as we descend.

One of the many souvenir shops at the tram station.

Taken on the bus ride back to the ferry.

A ferry approaches Central Pier.

The skyline of Kowloon is less dramatic than that of Hong Kong Island.  I took this photo on the ferry ride back to Kowloon.

...and now we are back to where we started our excursion to Victoria Peak.