Category: Hong Kong

Leaving Vietnam was bittersweet as it signalled the finale of the Asia leg of our trip. We’ve been travelling through Asia for the past five months–arriving in India mid-October, travelled from south to north, then to Nepal for the Everest Base Camp trek, got drenched by Monsoons of Thailand and dried ourselves off in Vietnam’s sunshine. It was now the end of January and before heading to Australia to work on the other side of our tan, we wanted a stop in Hong Kong to celebrate Chinese New Year 2017!  We’ve heard and read many stories of epic celebrations and wanted to see and experience this ourselves.  We scheduled three days in Hong Kong to take in festivities to welcome the year of the Rooster.

Arriving on the eve of Chinese New Year, we checked into our hotel in Kowloon, unpacked and found a dinner spot. The restaurant was close to our hotel and we arrived just in time for the last seating. The place is known famously across Hong Kong for their Peking duck, so that’s exactly what we ordered to complement our Chinese New Year’s eve dinner.

On new year’s day, we wanted to commemorate our adventures to date and begin our new year on a good foot by hiking the scenic Dragon’s Back trail along Hong Kong Island’s coastal side. From Kowloon, we took Hong Kong’s Star Ferry and then a bus to our starting point. We didn’t expect crowds being New Year’s day, however, there were quite a few like-minded people enjoying a hike too. It turns out to be auspicious to start the new year with a hike.  The expansive views as we hiked allowed us to see across Victoria Harbour and the South China Sea.

The hike lasted two hours, not too strenuous, with opportunity to see a side of Hong Kong not many people associate with this large densely populated metropolis.   After some time on Nepal’s EBC, the hike along Dragon’s Back was welcomed by us.  We hiked through lush greenery while breathing in the salty sea air, spent time daydreaming out onto the sparkling sea and took more photos than needed of the beautiful coastal beaches as we meandered to the finish of  Dragon’s Back.  The kids were famished by the end and wanted to get a hold of a steam bun!

That evening we wanted to be in the thick of the excitement for Hong Kong’s extremely popular Chinese New Year’s parade in Kowloon. Held annually, the parade route stretches from Victoria Harbour and up along Tsim Sha Tsui to the centre of town. Locals and tourist alike start jockeying for prime spots hours before the official start time.  Even an hour before the parade starts, finding a spot three feet deep would be fortunate.  Luckily for us, we squeezed ourselves into a tight spot and, with help of people around, the kids managed their way out front for a prime view.  Fortunately, our spot afforded us a great view of a massive screen to preview upcoming floats which allowed us to watch the last half of the parade.  By the time the last of the floats reached us, both kids were ready to go.  With a big hike and a busy parade that day, we finished our night with a feast at a lovely authentic street-side restaurant before walking back to the hotel.  We were all zonked and looking forward to our comfy beds.

The Monday of Chinese New Year weekend, there’s the annual fireworks display over Victoria Harbour. The firewok’s dazzling pyrotechnics are reflected off the sky-high gleaming towers surrounding the harbour .  Getting a front row spot requires a pre-booked dinner seating or a hotel room with harbour view – both we found needed to be reserved well in advance.   The kids, however, ended up making small talk with Julian (the hotel manager) the previous day and bumped into him again chatting up difficulties of finding a spot at any hotel or restaurant to view the fireworks. Their new friend showed genuine interest in their concern and asked how they would like to spend the evening in a prime spot to see fireworks?  Both kids immediately got excited when they learned they’ve been invited to their club lounge with panoramic views of the harbour (and didn’t have to stand outside in the crowded streets especially after our many outdoor adventures!)  And so we did…spend a wonderful evening with an open bar of treats and drinks where we viewed the spectacular Chinese New Year fireworks.

Being in Hong Kong to see and experience the most famous Chinese New Year festivities in the world was a wonderful treat and something we would remember annually as we continue to celebrate each year.  Making new friends, seeing different cultures and enjoying a variety of foods were all met again in Hong Kong.  With the help of the children’s new friend, Julian, Hong Kong capped a wonderful tour of Asia for us.  Up next is Australia, but before reaching our destination, we had a 24-hour layover in the city/state of Singapore!  While Singapore was a short layover, it was a place where Elliot’s mystical creatures came to life.  More to that in the slider.

We’re onto Australia next to soak up the sun and work on our tans – a breather in Lennox Head and then RVing up the sunshine coast of New South Wales and Queensland.

Hong Kong was a short stay for only 3 days. Then Singapore, then Australia. Hong Kong is the biggest place to celebrate Chinese New Year and so we did!

We celebrated Chinese New Year and for dinner we went to this fancy place. The main dish they sell is Peking duck. The entire place was full and there was only one place for us.

At our hotel they did a dragon dance to welcome the new year and bring good luck.

These are some things you are suppose to do on Chinese New Year. On Chinese New Year you wear tighty whities (but they’re red!), pray at a temple, don’t wash your hair on the first day, no cleaning on the first and second day so you don’t clean away the good luck and no crying. Chinese peeps believe if the Chinese New Year day is bad, the whole year is bad. Eating lucky food increased luck in the next year. 2017 is the year of the rooster.

The manager of our hotels was Julian and he was so, so nice. He gave us two red stuffie roosters and a super suite with a view to watch the fireworks over Victoria Harbour. It was pretty cool.

After Hong Kong we stopped in Singapore for 24 hours before flying to Australia. We spent some time in Singapore Zoo that’s suppose to be very famous. The lines were so long, but we got our tickets online so we didn’t have to wait. Here are some photos of what I saw at the zoo:

We spent Chinese New Year’s in Hong Kong because supposedly it’s the best place to celebrate the lunar new year.

On Chinese New Year our hotel organized a dragon dance to bring good luck to the new year and everyone in the hotel. There was also a fireworks display in the city and we had an amazing view of it from the top floor of our hotel. From the top floor you can see a huge crowd of people on the street gathered to watch the fireworks. If we weren’t at our hotel we would have been down there with all those people! 🙂

The night before the fireworks there was a parade! I didn’t really like the parade because first of all it was really crowded and second of all we were at the end of the parade route so it took forever for it to come our way (we waited at least one hour!).

Chinese New Year is one of the most important traditional festivals in the world and one of the most important celebrations for Chinese families. The main reasons families celebrate Chinese New Year are to work, have a good rest and relax with the family and to wish for a lucky and prosperous coming year.

Chinese New Year is a time to celebrate and spend time with the family. On New Year’s eve the entire family comes together and has a dinner that is called the reunion dinner. This dinner is believed to be the most important meal of the year.

During Chinese New Year, streets, building and houses are decorated with the lucky colour red. Red is the main colour of the festival. It is believed to bring good luck to the new year.

The main traditions for Chinese New Year are eating dinner with the family, giving red envelopes with money to family and friends, lighting fire crackers, wearing new clothes and decorations for the home.

Each year there is a new zodiac animal. 2017 is the year of the rooster.

After Hong Kong we were travelling to Australia, with a 24 hour layover in Singapore. We spent the day visiting the Singapore Zoo, admiring the supertrees at Gardens by the Bay and eating burgers at midnight!