So we had a Chinese language lesson on this trip - I believe that this was Cantonese - the dialect spoken in mainland China - not Hong Kong (which is Mandarin Chinese). As he explained this, one word has different meanings depending on the inflection of the voice that is used when the word is said. For example, in English, MaMa has one meaning - Mother. But in Cantonese, it has 3 meanings depending on the inflection of the voice when the word is spoken. For example, "Ma" spoken flat with no inflection means "mother", while "Ma" spoken with a rising inflection as the word is spoken means "shout", and "Ma" spoken with a decreasing inflection as the word is spoken means "pony". So in Cantonese - Ma (flat inflection), Ma (rising inflection), Ma (decreasing inflection) means "Mother is shouting at the pony"! This was fascinating. You have to be very careful HOW you pronounce words in Chinese. I'm enjoying this.
We also learned that "knee how" means Hello - or Good Day in Chinese.
So on this day we had breakfast in the Executive Lounge - fabulous spread of food. We took the bus to Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island and took the tram to the lookout post at the top. The views were magnificent and it was a clear day with not a lot of smog. The bus met us at the top and took us to Hollywood Road where we toured the Man Mo Temple - a Buddhist temple and we got to window shop along Hollywood Road which is loaded with antique (fake) and souvenir shops.
Then we went to a fancy restaurant in the Central Business District of Hong Kong. The dim sum and other Chinese delights that they served to us were fabulous. But they are giving us too much to eat. I don't understand how the Chinese stay so thin!!!!
After lunch the bus took us to Hong Kong International Airport and we checked in with Dragon Airlines (a subsidiary of Cathay Pacific) for our flight to Guilin. The checkin was uneventful and everything went smooth. The flight was just a little over an hour and we arrived on time. The Chinese government has 3 levels of entry - a health check, an immigration check, and then a customs check. In Hong Kong, they even has a station to check your temperature as you walk through!
The tour company retrieved our bags and we loaded on a bus for the Guilin Sheraton Hotel - about a 30 minute drive from the airport. Our river front room was ready and we got unpacked and then headed to the lobby lounge for a night cap and a very small sandwich. There was a terrible piano player providing entertainment (if you can call it that).
Had a good night's sleep.
Larry
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