Day Three- the first day of the Chinese New Year!
Today was a full day! First on our agenda was the Aberdeen Jewelry Factory, a wholesale shop that is not open to the public. Our tour guide, Ling was able to get us a tour of the factory and give us some time in the showroom. Because it is a wholesale market, the prices are at least at a 30% discount. There was everything: jade, pearls, diamonds, stones- everything! Many of the pieces were WAY outside our price ranges however we found some beautiful pieces that were affordable and will serve as great reminders of our time in Aberdeen.
Next the captains represented us at a welcome lunch with the Hong Kong Tourism Board. Leaders from all groups scheduled to preform in the parade were there and we enjoyed a traditional Chinese dim sum meal, which means the food is prepared in bite size, individual portions. Dim sum is also served with tea. Meanwhile, the rest of the group continued exploring Hong Kong. First we stopped at Stanley Market, a local outdoor shopping area with alleyways and plenty to offer American tourists! Bargaining is expected here. We were grateful Ling made sure we could haggle; she taught us how to say “better price” in Cantonese!
Next we traveled to the top of the iconic Victoria Peak, also known as Mount Austin, the highest mountain on the proper island of Hong Kong. The roads are very windy in Hong Kong and it took some time to get there, but the view was worth it. Here Ling took us to a traditional Chinese restaurant for a delicious meal where everything was served family style. We tried many things some of us had never seen before, like siu mai and har gow, which are both traditional Chinese dumplings. We also tried some things we have heard of before but never ordered, like squid served with chicken and vegetables. The family style dining was the perfect opportunity to try a little of everything.
After lunch we did a quick stop at the lookout point for a few pictures before heading back to get ready for the parade. The view was unlike anything else we had seen yet on our trip. From Victoria Peak you could see the Victoria Harbor, Central Hong Kong and many of the surrounding islands. It was a little cloudy, but on a clear day Ling says you can see many of the over 200 small islands that make up part of Hong Kong.
Next up was the parade! It was a cold night and there was a constant threat of rain, but with all the excitement, rain was the last thing on our minds. We were the second performance, and while waiting backstage we could see all the different groups getting ready. Some of the costumes were absolutely stunning. We have to imagine people from other countries were looking at out costumes with just as much curiosity as we were with theirs but it was a wonderful opportunity to see so many different elements to the parade. When the gates finally opened and the parade began, you could feel the excitement. There were five different performing zones. In between the two-minute routine we had prepared for the zones, we had a parade march that is unlike anything we have done before in America. The parade was a once-in-a-lifetime experience; many of us described it as one of the best moments of our life. It seemed like the crowd went on forever and it was such a joy to be able to represent our country and bring our American dance routines to Hong Kong. The parade only lasted a little over an hour, but every minute was worth all the practice and travel we had put into this opportunity.
We hope you can look at the pictures to get an idea of all the beautiful things we have seen! These memories will stay with us forever, and it has been a true honor to be able to experience this trip.
For now, we’d like to leave you with these common Cantonese phrases, Sun nien fai lok, meaning Happy New Year, and Gung hay fat choy, meaning may you become prosperous.
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