Our real last day in Hong Kong was full of packing in the morning. I was determined to get done as fast as possible so we wouldn’t be stuck in the apartment on our real “last day” in Hong Kong. So, as soon as I stuffed and weighed and then stuffed and weighed again, we headed down to good old Prince Edward Station – our MTR gateway to the rest of Hong Kong. First stop Yue Hwa Product store. We were told before coming to HK, that we should try and visit this 7 story store because it has everything from authentic Chinese teas to traditional Chinese clothing to fun ping pong paddles. I could have spent more time there, but anyone who knows Andrew well, knows that 30 min is his shopping max :(. So, all too quickly I was being prodded toward the cashier and out the door. Next stop, Kowloon Park. A beautiful Park in the midst of Kowloon, with fountains, a maze and serene walkways. Our kids enjoyed playing hide-n-seek in the maze while Andrew and I rested on a nearby bench.
We decided to spoil ourselves for supper and headed back to the Italian Pizzeria in Tsim Sha Tsui that we had enjoyed a week before. The views and the pizza were truly memorable!
That night, after we went back to the apartment, we got everyone showered and then pulled out our special treat. Frozen fruit-flavored mooncakes! Gladys was so sweet to give them to us on Gotcha Day and we wanted to enjoy them on our last night in this amazing city.
The next morning we got up early (5:30), threw last minute things into the lighter suitcase and rolled out….in 2 groups….we couldn’t fit all of us, plus our luggage into the elevator at the same time. We walked 20+ min (in the heat…dressed for the cold airport…ugh) to get to a handicap accessible metro station so we wouldn’t have to haul 4 - 50 pound suitcases down multiple flights of stairs.
We had to switch train lines several times, but eventually we made it! And we were greeted by Ka Hei’s best friend and his mom, Gladys and 2 teachers (Miss Liu and Miss Fong) from his school who all wanted to see him off and wish him well. It was heart breakingly sweet! Ka Hei loved seeing them there. What a gift!!!!
And then we were off….our first leg was Hong Kong to Tokyo – 4 1/2 hrs. Once we got to Tokyo, we worked our way to the Admirals Lounge (remember those tickets??) where the helpful staff was completely befuddled – further confirming Mom’s statement that American doesn’t typically hand out day passes. We were starting to wonder what they would do (as they read over our cards and invitation letter multiple times) when they said, “Sorry for the wait :). You and your children are welcome!” Woohoo!!! We enjoyed our on-the-house snack break, electrical outlets and down time immensely as we tried to communicate to Ka Hei that our travels had just begun!
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