In Victoria park there is a large market with rows of flowers and orange trees. Wes went during the day because we were warned that the crowds can be oppressive during the evenings. Orange trees were a huge fixture at the market, and it seems like they are everywhere during the festival. Unfortunately these oranges are not good for eating.. evidently they are very sour.
CNY Market
Peach Blossoms
Orange Trees
Narcissus Plants
More Oranges
Away from the market, many shops display their CNY decorations for sale. Red paper lanterns are very popular.
CNY decorations for sale
CNY decorations
On New Year's eve there was a parade featuring Chinese dancers, Japanese drummers, marching bands from the US, Maori Singers, and many others. We decided to watch the parade on TV rather than trying to see it on the street with millions of other people.
The fireworks display was on New Year's night. We took the tram up to the peak around 5:00 and waited there for the fireworks to begin. We explored the peak and found a great vantage point.. there were many other people watching there with us, but the crowd was nowhere near as large as the crowd that gathered down below near the harbor.
Riding the Peak Tram
HK skyline at night
CNY Fireworks from the peak
CNY Fireworks from the peak
Eventually a huge cloud of smoke formed
The show lasted over 20 minutes and was quite spectacular. The crowd really got into it.. after each big explosion they would shout "woooooaaaaa!!" in unison. It seemed like they were mainly trying to see how loud of a noise they could make.
We were warned that most shops and restaurants close for CNY, so we stocked up on groceries just in case. The preparations were somewhat unecessary, though.. many restaurants stayed open through the holidays. But, many local shops are closed for the duration of the holiday.
Happy year of the Dog!
