Hello all!

First off, I want to thank ALL OF YOU for your ideas. I was humbled by how many people replied with their great ideas. Your ideas could easily fill a Guide Book!

One obvious realization is that 1 full day in Hong Kong is NO WHERE NEAR ENOUGH! Seems like 5-7 days would just start to scratch the surface of this great city. This being my first trip to HKG, it will serve as an advanced scouting mission for what I’m sure will be a return trip in the not too distant future.

To arrive at the winning ideas, I had to factor in the time that I have available, the locations and travel time, hours of operation, etc. I tend to be a “hit and run” traveler when I go on mileage runs trying to squeeze in as much as possible during the short time that I am at a destination. From the 43 ideas that I received, I chose 3 covering different themes. One for Food, one for Shopping and one for Sightseeing. So without any more rambling, here are the winning ideas for my itinerary:

Shopping Winner: Buy Chinese Porcelain for Mrs. LufthansaFlyer – Mrs. LHFlyer has quite the Asian Antique collection (jade incense burners, silk paintings, authentic porcelain dolls, etc.). Bringing back something to add to her collection will make me a hero! An initial “Google” search suggests antique shops on Hollywood Rd, and “cat” street? We’ll see what I come up with!

Food Winner: Wonton Noodles at Tsim Chai Kee. After watching countless Bourdain and Zimmern episodes showing them eating authentic noodles, I’m grateful that I have a specific place that I can try. I know several of you suggested various noodle shops, but this one just sounded “right”. And after “Googling” it, I found that Mak’s is across the street so I can see why Bourdain liked it so much.

Sightseeing Winner: Nature Walk @ Victoria Peak Garden. This was a tough category to decide. I loved the idea of the NP360 Tram, but with time constraints, I couldn’t see doing it on this trip though its at the top of the list for my return trip. I love to take pictures when I travel (took over 2000 on our recent 9 day trip to Italy) so Victoria Peak Garden sounds like a great idea. I also like the fact that the Peak Tram starts service at 7am so I can get up there early, walk around a bit, take some great pictures, and be back in Kowloon mid-morning for a Tailor appointment. The early weather forecasts are suggesting sunny weather for my visit, so thats encouraging. I know some of you suggested the Peak Tram, but the idea of the additional hike to the Garden was the “tie breaker”

To the winners, I’ll bring back a souvenir from HKG as a thanks for taking the time to help me plan part of my trip to HKG. If you have an idea of what you would like to see as a souvenir, please let me know but please be reasonable!!

Again, thanks to everyone for suggesting their ideas and for reading my new blog project. Please visit often, or subscribe to be kept informed of other contests and travel related news. I’ll put up my trip report shortly after I return. The only thing left for me to do is keep offering sacrifices to the upgrade gods in the hope that my upgrade clears!