Southeast Asia Trip - Day 3

Overnight, I'd been kept awake for much of the night be crew doorways opening/closing and had actually stayed up (reading) from 0200 to 0400.  Fortunately, I was able to get back to sleep again and made it all the way to 0600 before my alarm told me I needed to get out of bed.  I spent some time organizing and getting ready for the first excursion of the cruise.  Also did some reading and puzzles.  Even though I had some lingering indigestion from the previous few days, I went to breakfast (eggs, breakfast sandwich, sausage, beans, fruit, etc.) at the World Cafe (0700).  The venue was so crowded that I ended up eating my food on aft patio (outside) of Deck 7.  One side benefit of this, though, was that I had a great view of Hong Kong.  Afterwards, I went to Guest Services and made a reservation at Manfredi’s for my evening meal.  Since I'd brought my mini backpack with me when I left the stateroom, I was able to leave the ship by 0735.  Throughout the morning, there was chatter about how Typhoon Fengshen (T3) was approaching - hopefully, it won't affect our trip...  At 0745, I met the tour bus (#36) on the ground level of the Ocean Terminal - Angie was tour guide for the "Postcards from Hong Kong" tour.  During this window, I accidentally signed up for another day of AT&T International Plan.  Our tour departed Kowloon, which means "nine hopping dragons", at 0800.  We drove to HK via the Cross Harbour Tunnel and learned about the surrounding Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China.  There are as many as 250 islands in the area and we got a real feel for the history and architecture of the city.  Before long, we were parked at the Victoria Peak Tram, the quickest way to the top (via a 30%ish grade) of the city.  There was a lot of confusion among the older couples in my group about use of the QuietVox (assists in allowing the guide to talk to everyone through an earpiece) but I could hear Angie just fine.  We were encouraged to use the restroom before boarding the tram and then got onboard.  On the way up, we were serenaded by Mickey Mouse Club music.  Upon arriving at the Peak, I went walking around on the trails (including Pok Fu Lam Country Park) while everyone else took romantic-style photos from the viewpoints.  We all had to assemble again at 0940 so that we could board the tour bus again.  We made our way down the mountain but the bus had to stop repeatedly due to narrow streets.  We learned that the whole area is comprised of granite hills.  We had great views of city on the way down and Angie pointed out landmarks, including a “purple donut” that houses a sports stadium built on site of the old HK airport.  I learned that the city's name comes from the Chinese for "fragrant sandlewood (Hong)) and "harbor" (Kong).  Our next destination, Aberdeen, was the original settlement on Hong Kong Island.  It featured a busy wholesale fish market, fancy yachts and messy fishing boats.  After parking at a business building (Hing WaI Centre) along the waterfront, we rode the elevator to the 23rd Floor.  On the way, I had to listen to the Boomers correcting the guide’s English - this could be a long trip... The Aberdeen Jewelry Factory turned out to be the "daily racket" that I've heard about before; the tour guides and bus drivers take a captive audience of shoppers to a place where they obviously get a cut.  Most of the other passengers were in heaven, though, since they apparently came on this trip to shop.  For my part, I took advantage of the free drinks that were offered.  We finally moved on at about 1100 and drive a short distance to the harbor (located on the south side of HK Island), where we rode in a Sampan for 10 minutes.  The ride was simply a closer look at what we'd seen from the road but I found it fascinating to make our way between the slips and wharves.  At one point, I started wondering about a castle-looking building on a nearby hill but no one said anything about it (I figured out later that it was probably the Holy Spirit Seminary).  During this time, I met a few of my fellow passengers, including Anthony & Ruth, who were convinced that Viking cruises (including the Antarctica Expedition) were for "older people who weren't in shape."  I tried to disabuse them of this notion but don't feel I was successful...  At 1130, departed for Stanley - on the way, we passed Repulse Bay beach and Deepwater Bay.  When we arrived at our destination, Stanley Market, I once again blew off the shopping opportunity and went walking on beach.  While I was experimenting with the Merlin app, I learned that it was only 40% reliable in HK.  It's too bad because there were several interesting looking (and sounding) birds that I couldn't identify.  While exploring the old town, I found a few temples (including Tin Hau and Pak Tai), marveled at the many old (Banyan) trees and stopped for photos along the waterfront, Ma Hang Park and George Murray House.  After working up a sweat, I sat down for a beer at Somersby/Spiaggia (1235) because of persistent manager who accosted me on the street.  The tall beer was good and I managed to exchange some dollars for HK coins.  My last 20 minutes was spent with a quick trot through Stanley Market.  It was an interesting place, filled with lots of strange-looking wares and busy shops.  I was surprised to find a Christian store (it also had a church upstairs) and spent some time talking to the clerk.  By  this time, it had gotten very warm (80s) and my shirt showed the evidence...  I met my bus at 1300 and we backtracked towards the ship.  After mostly passing familiar landmarks, we took the Aberdeen Tunnel.  This route took us past the old cemetery that had burials of people from seven different religions.  We also passed the Happy Valley Race Track.  Using the Cross-Harbour Tunnel again, we reached Kowloon and were at the Ocean Terminal by 1345.  After I cleared security and reboarded Viking Venus, I made it to the World Cafe in time for lunch (pizza, meats, cheeses, fruits, etc.) - got some beer too.  I noticed that the “China themed” meal selections continued in the dining venue.  During this time, I learned that my paddling excursion in Halong Bay had been moved and this caused a conflict with another event I had scheduled on the same day.  Hoping to easily sort out the situation, I sat down with Guest Services to try to fix things.  Unfortunately, I got bad news on the logistics and, in frustration, ended up canceling all of my events for the two days in the hope of going on standby for one or more of them.  After this delay, I was finally able to leave the ship for some more exploring by 1445.  I first headed through the Harbour City Mall until I could access the Tsim Sha Tsui.  Along the way, I saw the Kowloon-Canton Clock Tower.  After that, I walked along the Avenue of Stars (Jackie Chan hand prints, and Bruce Lee had a statue).  The harbor was busy with boats and the walkways were filled with Fine Young Things who seemed to be posing for their social media accounts.  I turned around before reaching the Kowloon Promenade and then went walking on surface streets until I could access (via a flag & statue lined staircase) the eastern gate of Kowloon Park.  It was a beautiful place, with lots of greenery, a China Garden, Aviary, etc.  Everything was so interesting and different from home and I ambled casually through quiet halls and around garden ponds.  Eventually, I found a way out of the park on the west side.  Almost immediately, I found Dolphin Plaza and good views of the harbor.  After this, I had trouble getting down to Canton Street.  All told, I logged about 8.5 miles!  It was still very warm (80s) but I walked quickly until I reached the Ocean Terminal (1600).  Unlike before, I had to clear Immigration with an "eyes on" check - fortunately, the ship's crew had my passport handy.  I learned later that I was one of only about 50 (of the nearly 900 passengers) who hadn't yet finished the check.  Back on the ship again, I headed to my room and got the tickets for my canceled excursions - I took them to Guest Services.  Once again, I encountered many pushy Boomers (line cutting, bothering the staff who were helping me, etc.).  Fortunately, I'm in relax mode and just let it all slide.  While there, I scheduled tours of the Galley and Bridge for upcoming "At Sea" days.  After finally feeling ready to take a real break, I showered in my room and then relaxed until 1730, when the ship started running required drills before the embarkation.  At 1745, I tried to attend an Enrichment Lecture related to the launch.  When it was delayed, I had some bread and wine in the World Cafe.  We finally started moving and I sat in a deck chair so I could enjoy the scenery.  The well-lit receding city skyline was beautiful - everything was alight and those lights were literally "dancing".  While we were heading east through the harbor, I was struck by the almost silent traffic on the highways paralleling our course.  I had a few WhatsApp exchanges with Steve and thanked him for the nice visit.  He was quite concerned about our ship's path because of the impending Typhoon but I assured him that I had faith we'd be OK.  At 1845, I went to Manfredi’s for my special dinner.  After sitting down at one of the "shared" tables, I met two other couples (Holly & Paul from Bend, OR) & an older couple from New Orleans).  For my meal, I ordered pasta e fagiole soup, risotto funghi and grilled veggies.  Everything was delicious and I enjoyed some red wine with the food.  For dessert, I had a tasty tort.  Along the way, Viking Venus started moving a lot (with the big waves and wind).  We lost at least one person from the table queasy feelings) and I started to make comparisons between my Viking Expedition and Viking Ocean cruises.  When dinner was finished, I went to join the Departure Celebration in the Theater (2100).  The crew offered Champagne and introduced themselves.  I was surprised that the event devolved into a lounge act - I didn't think Viking had those but I guess the Ocean voyages do.  I left the celebration (before it was over) at 2130.  Back in my room, I worked on my blog, did some reading and watched some of the “Sand Pebbles” (filmed in HK).  Bed time was at 2300.  The only sad thoughts I had while turning off the lights was that I never got to see my childhood friend, Tim T.  Oh well.  The motion of the ocean was quite vigorous as I drifted off to sleep - this should be an interesting transit to our first Port Visit: Vietnam!