I always wear two watches when we travel. One is my traditional Boccia watch. It is set to the time back home. I didn’t need to reset it, because Hong Kong and Connecticut are 12 hours apart. I also wear a Fitbit. In addition to telling me the time, it keeps a record of the steps I take each day, and also of how much sleep I get. When we crossed the International Dateline and “lost” a day, the Fitbit got confused. Nick was able to straighten it out.

Our plane from San Francisco landed in Hong Kong at 7:30 PM. We were staying at the Hotel Icon in Kowloon.  Nick booked this hotel because each guestroom comes with a phone filled with apps, something Nick would enjoy. We had directions to get to the hotel using the mass transit system, which is what we call the subway back in New York. The  entire mass transit system was so spacious, contemporary,  and immaculately clean that it seemed fictitious! We first took an express train to Kowloon, and from there, a special bus took us to our hotel.

We had booked a room with a view,  and the view was absolutely spectacular. We were overlooking the river. On the other side,  each skyscraper, of which there are far too  many to count, was ablaze with lights.

We decided that we didn’t want to go out in search of a restaurant.  That wasn’t a problem, because the Hotel Icon has three restaurants. One is very stylish, and another is very elaborate. Since it was late when we arrived, we opted for the third restaurant, called Green. It’s described as a brasserie in a vertical garden. The menu is limited,  but that wasn’t a problem. We learned that the restaurant was affiliated with the local culinary school, so the menu is constantly changing as different students get to make their presentations. I ordered “Street Food,” which consisted of various dumplings, fish balls, and other yummy bites. Nick chose Red Thai Curry with Chicken, which he demolished. Nick loves dessert. The restaurant had a selection of unique desserts, made on site,  of course. Nick chose Vanilla-Rose-Chocolate Cake. The lobby was full of teenagers all dressed up for big event.