Happenin’ Hong Kong

So after 3 days in Hong Kong, Nick and I can say without hesitation that we prefer to live in big Asian cities rather than visit them.  It’s not that they’re bad by any means, they’re just exhausting when you try to jam all sorts of experiences into a short period (in this case, 3 days).  Let’s just say that I always end up with a not-so-happy husband on my hands….

We were feeling quite adventurous at the beginning and proceeded directly from the airport to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car on Lantau Island, which was originally the home of “Big Buddha” before they added the cable car and made it a tourist attraction.  My only frame of reference to cable cars was a.) Minnesota ski lifts and b.) the SkyRide at the Minnesota State Fair.  Multiply those by 10 and you have this experience.  I had dreams of it being a romantic experience but with Nick blowing his nose every 2 minutes and our 8 companions talking in 4 different languages, it was more akin to a circus than a ‘magical date’.  One couldn’t deny its impressiveness though…

Happily, I did convince Nick to let us splurge for the “Crystal Cabin” which is completely glass enclosed and provides 360 degree views.  It was well worth the extra money, despite it being a teeny bit scary at the beginning until I adjusted.

Our cable car dropped us at the resting place of “Big Buddha”.  You should note by this point that we were already losing our energy, as we looked at those stairs and said, “I can see it fine from here.”

Another one of our activities was the ever-popular “Tram to Victoria Peak”.  It’s a classic for a reason and it didn’t disappoint (except for that blasted fog that always wrecks the pictures).  We enjoyed what view we had, took a walk and dined at the beautiful Cafe Deco.

One of the most magical experiences of my life happened to us on Victoria Peak.  While we were eating lunch, I happened to be drawn to a table advertisement that was highlighting Cafe Deco’s 16th Anniversary (it had 16 scoops of yummy ice cream on the front, how could I not be curious??)  I proceeded to turn it over and see (to my amazement) that if you had a birthday on the 16th of any month that you got to try all 16 flavors for free.

And guess what?  NICK’S B-DAY IS DECEMBER 16TH!!!!!  I went a bit ballistic as it dawned on me that we could avail of this.  I smacked a few kisses on my husband, thanked God for the day he was born and immediately told him to get out his passport so I could go into an ice cream coma… :)

Now, I was trying very hard NOT to get my hopes up because it sounded too good to be true.  I mean, who gives away 16 scoops of ice cream for nothing in return?  I held my breath as we asked our waiter and low and behold, the eye-popping tray of ice creams arrived in front of me 10 minutes later.

I stared at it and blinked a few times, not believing this really was true.  Then I licked one of the flavors and realized that this was not a mirage.  I had died and gone to ice cream heaven!  Happiest day of my life!!!  (ahem… after our wedding day of course, honey)

I let Nick have 4 flavors that I didn’t really like (since it was his birthday that got it for us and all) and then proceeded to annihilate the remaining 12 all by my little old self.  It was pure magic.  Here’s my proof that I did it.  A proud moment indeed.  And just in case your were wondering, it was 100% FREE.

Ahhh BLISS, I’m still on a high from it.  More stories to come tomorrow folks!