My son Alex could hardly stay in his seat as our plane made its descent into the wondrous city of Hong Kong, China. The bright lights off the gleaming skyscrapers made it all seem like a wonderland to him, and he could hardly contain his excitement with bursts of, “Mommy look at that one!”
“Yes Alex, I see,” I replied, hoping he would be as thrilled with the nature and cultural sites we would also take in on our journey into this land of many contrasts, such as its penchant for the latest in technology set against amazing scenery and centuries of tradition.
Once settled into the hotel, we ventured out for dinner – the variety was endless, but I wanted Alex to experience true traditional Chinese food, so we chose the Jumbo Kingdom, one of the largest floating restaurants in the world. Alex thought it was great fun and even tried to act like a grown up and drink tea. He also liked the noodles and I went for the congee, which is rice porridge.

 

After a good night’s sleep, we were off to the countryside to explore this world-class area’s amazing ecological system. Visits to beaches, wetlands, marine parks, nature preserves and the most beautiful botanical gardens would fill the next two days of our trip. Like most kids his age, Alex likes tales of dragons and dinosaurs, so his favorite spot was the Hong Kong Global Geopark, which was like a visit to Jurassic Park. I was enthralled by the Kadoori Farm & Botanical Garden, which boasts exotic animals and the most gorgeous gardens. But its real attraction for me was the fact that it pioneered organic farming and actually provides food to the city.

 

Hong Kong, China is on the cutting edge when it comes to technology, especially its young people. Of course Alex was taken in by all the state-of-the-art gaming offerings and want to buy everything in sight. But I had been forewarned that prices vary in this massive mecca of shopping, so I pulled him from store to store seeking out the best bargains.

 

I had waited for this trip to get a new phone and I was glad I did, as the selection was not only amazing, all the new models and some I hadn’t even heard of yet were already available. Needless to say, it pretty much took me all day to finally choose. Of course I was distracted by all the other bargains for computers, laptops and anything digital.

Hong Kong, China is an amazing city to explore – the food, the sights and sounds, and the shopping are incomparable. Alex and I agree – we are coming back soon!