I got up at 6 AM (my usual weekday wake-up time) and had a quick breakfast before heading to the airport. There was enough time for a final stop for souvenirs before boarding my flight to Newark. After just one additional connection, I arrived back home at 6:45 PM on the same day (regaining the day I lost on my departure from home).

In spite of the crazy traffic and the frequent security checks, with its ancient history and architecture, modern sophisticated urban areas, beautiful scenery and fantastic food, China is definitely a country that was worth seeing and experiencing first-hand.

My room at the Ritz-Carlton was on the 108th floor and had great views of Hong Kong.

We had beautiful weather for the final day of our China tour. Today we drove to Hong Kong Island and had an open-air double decker bus tour of the city. Hong Kong has the highest population density in the world, and there’s nowhere to build but up.
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Hong Kong City Tour

International Commerce Center

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After the bus tour, we took the funicular to the top of Victoria Peak, where we had great views of the Kowloon District and Victoria Harbor.
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Victoria Peak

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We drove back down the Peak to the Central Star Ferry Terminal and took a ferry back to Kowloon.
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Victoria Harbor and Ferry Transit

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After a brief stop at the Hong Kong Cultural Center, we enjoyed a dim sum lunch at the adjacent Symphony by Jade restaurant.

Hong Kong Cultural Center

Symphony by Jade Restaurant

I visited the Hong Kong Museum of History with its natural history, cultural, archeological and local history galleries. Again, this is a place where I would have liked to have spent more time.
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Hong Kong Museum of History

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The day ended with our farewell reception and dinner in the Ozone Bar on the 118th floor. There were lots of hugs and best wishes for a safe trip home.

See more photos:

• Hong Kong City Tour
• Hong Kong Museum of History
• Victoria Peak

Today was a long day in transit which started with a ride on the maglev to the Shanghai airport. The Shanghai maglev travels at a top speed of around 268 miles per hour.

We flew to Hong Kong and drove to the Ritz-Carlton, located off Victoria Harbor. The highest hotel in the world, it occupies floors 103-118 in the International Commerce Center (ICC). After getting settled in our rooms, our local guide gave us a quick tour of the Elements Mall, located in the lower levels of the ICC, and the adjacent Civic Square with its shops and restaurants. I opted for dinner in the hotel’s Lounge and Bar, which has great views of the city.

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Views of Victoria Harbor from my hotel room

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Views of the International Commerce Center and adjacent high-rises from Civic Square

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Elements Mall

Sunset in Victoria Harbor

Lower Lobby Entrance to the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong