Day 7: Hong Kong

Any day you fly business class on an international flight is a good day. Joe Green`s Mom works for United and was able to get us companion seats from Saigon to Hong Kong for a fraction of the price of a regular seat. Awesome. We got great (for airline) meals, a few cocktails, personalized movies, and arrived in Hong Kong at 9am.

We split a cab ride into the city and arrived at the Grand Hyatt. From here on out, we are spoiled rotten, thanks to the extreme generosity of Mr. Dan Cooke, Mark and Kevin`s Dad. He booked us hotel rooms in Hong Kong and Japan using Hyatt and Hilton points accrued from his work travels. Thanks Danl! With a little bit of maneuvering (the hotel was booked for 3, not 4), we checked into the Hotel and took a much needed nap, while Mark picked up a new camera to replace his that sadly busted on day 2 in `Nam.

Then we hit the city on foot, heading through Wan Chai towards Causeway Bay and the Happy Valley Horse Racing Track. It was Wednesday night and in Hong Kong, that means track betting. We grabbed beers and dinner at a local pub. The British influence in Hong Kong is noticeable all over, from the customs to the healthy amounts of beer to the damage to your wallet. We each tried a piece of an 100-year old egg (Mark re-named it the 100-poop egg), and hit the track.

Having gambled at Arlington race track before, Joe and I believed we had some background knowledge of the sport, but in Hong Kong, things are decidedly different. We had highs and lows, but Joe and Mark came out big winners on some ballsy bets. A multitude of large condominiums tower over the race track (it is located in a valley) and bright skyscrapers make the stadium even more electric. It is hard to resist a night out in Hong Kong.

We headed to Lan Kwai Fong, sought out some trendy spots, I tried not to fall asleep on the bar, and we even caught part of the Illini-Purdue game (probably not live?). Mark and I succumbed to the exhaustion (or we were just too excited to share a bed), so we called it a night. Gotta save some energy for Hong Kong tomorrow...