Yesterday, July 1, marked the 12th Handover Day, the anniversary of Hong Kong's independence from Britain. Some other people from the program and I decided to celebrate it by renting out a boat for the day. There were like 30 of us and for HK$600 a piece (roughly $80 American) we got to go out from 11am to 6pm with an all-you-can-eat and drink setup. Yes, I just said that, all-you-can-drink.
Many of us were worried that they would not be properly supplied for the onslaught that is 30 American college students who love drinking bargains; how terribly, terribly wrong we were. We got to the boat roughly on time, I stepped on and was immediately greeted with a friendly hello and a cold beer: I knew it was going to be a good time. The boat itself was a pretty good size, not a megayacht by any standards, but perfectly suitable for it's purpose. Should anyone ever come to Hong Kong I HIGHLY recommend you try it. It's called the Jaspas Party Junk, ask for a crew that at LEAST includes Joey and Toby.
Anyways, we casted off and immediately set out for a beach called "Millionaires Bay". The scenery on the way was simply perfect, we passed a bunch of islands with cool rock formations and some nice plantlife. The food itself was also amazing: quesadillas, chicken satay, Doritos (they know Americans SO well), and meatballs to start out with. Not to mention the fact that the crew was always on patrol with fresh beers or vodka mixed drinks. At one point I told the guy to give me a five-minute break from drinking. He came up to me four minutes later and told me "one minute left, be ready". I almost hugged him.
We finally anchored near the beach and began swimming. The water was a little salty but temperature-wise it was just right. We jumped off the boat a couple times and swam out to shore. It was seriously beautiful there. I thought getting away from the boat would give me the chance to take a break from the booze: wrong again. The crew brought a speedboat to shore with a cooler packed with water, booze in water bottles, and more beer. At one point I was walking down the beach minding my own business when a crewmember ran at me, switched the beers in my hand, said "I'm sorry to keep you waiting", and left. My heart melted. I started working on that beer and waded out to the water about chest high. The same crew member followed me out there when I was almost done with that beer and gave me another one. I told him he was my favorite person that I've met in Hong Kong so far.
After awhile on the beach we went back to the boat for lunch. It was, suprisingly, delicious. Beef tenderloin, potato salad, salmon, chicken, bread, salad, and all-can-drink wine. After lunch we got back in the water and hung out before going back home. The ride back was just as beautiful as the ride there, especially with the sunset over the islands. We got back to the dock and made our way home by cab. The group I was with decided to stop in Tsim Sha Tsui for the famous light show. We thought it was going to be amazing given the holiday but alas, we were somewhat disappointed. No matter though, still an awesome day. Pictures to come soon.
Hope you are all doing fantastic. Love and miss you all.
J
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