Victoria Harbour

One of Hong Kong's famous destinations is Victoria Harbour, which is actually the waterway that separates Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. Boats and ships of all sizes pass through here daily, from one-man rowing boats to cruise ships and cargo ships. The area across the water is actually quite small and can be crossed via a 7-minute ride on The Star Ferry or underground via the MTR system. A tourist must-do is to take The Star Ferry, as these boats are very old and have served residents in Hong Kong since 1888 (not a typo!)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Ferry

The second major attraction to Victoria Harbour is the skyline view. Many skyscrapers line the Harbour and it is simply fascinating to view both day and night. Every night, at 8pm, Hong Kong puts on a laser-light show. Many of the buildings participate in this show with lasers of various colors flashing through the sky. Many buildings also have either large lights cast onto their building or change the lighting in the windows to make various shapes and sayings to go along with the season. There were Santas at Christmas, Snakes for Chinese New Year, etc, etc. 

We took my parents down to the Harbour for a waterfront dinner and view of the show, which you see in the pictures. 

This is the International Finance Center, or IFC building. It's the second tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong. It was opened in 2003 and has 88 stories plus 6 basement levels. It is supposedly similar in size to The World Trade Centers. The IFC is 418 meters tall! This building houses a MTR station (subway), 55-story hotel, a shopping mall, offices, and restaurants. The picture of Mom and Dad was taken across the Harbour opposite the IFC. The one of the IFC was taken on the same night, just about 100-200 yards from the base.

That's all for my cultural lesson today! I am hoping my computer will be fixed soon, so I can catch up on the blog. I've been doing it on the iPad, but its a little difficult, hence no postings for 3 weeks!