September 6, 2026
The start of our Train Trip thru CHINA -Bob and his four ladies! God Bless Bob! He is a patient man & spent a good amount of time planning out this trip, that the group was kind enough to let me jump in with them, for part of it, just days before leaving. I had been planning a similiar trip for Bosco and I, but things weren't coming together and he wasn't really excited by trip, so I thought it might be a good idea if I went with others. The five of us got off the ship in Hong Kong on 8/30/26.
Above the Queen of groupie shots - Mary Ann, Bob and Sarah , Me and Sherrie. Note, I am only going for 14 days of the 32 days they are traveling - thus my smaller luggage! We stayed at the Ramada Inn near the port and train station the first 2 nights. It was a good location, but the beds were hard as rocks! It's rating was 6.1 Pleasant! But, it was very affordable for Hong Kong!
Where my research paid off, was in the meals - I had some great food in Hong Kong!
I had read about a Michelin star, dumpling restaurant chain called TIM HO WAN in Hong Kong that was the most affordable of all the Michelin stars places worldwide. The best one noted in Hong Kong just happened to be in the train station, that we would be traveling out of on 9/1 and since it was such a big complex, I thought it would also be a good idea to get our bearings, for our early morning departure. The reviews ALL stated that the restaurant was hard to find in the station. This had caused frustration with a lot of people in the reviews. They now have new sigange for the Restaurant, but navigating the station was quiet challenging! There are multiple levels and the Station's signage is not good! We canvased quite a big area, trying to find the Restaurant and Didi pick up points - so very glad we had the dry run along with a delicious lunch!
Bosco joined us for our Bon Voyage Lunch - he too loves dumplings! And I shared with the group, the top dishes, per all the reviews.
The Baked BBQ Pork Buns their signature dish is so worth the hype! Bosco & I thought the shrimp dumplings were the best we have ever had and we ordered a second portion! Every diner has to include tea at Tim Ho Wan's ! Dumpling houses actually started out of tea houses and they honor that history. I got a mini pitcher of iced tea - fine with me! The Roselle Rice Shrimp Rolls were interesting and good and the others sampled some other meatballs and siu mai. We all left very happy and sated!
I love when we run into our CREW off the ship, especially when it is my favorite room stewart SAMI! He is such a dedicated, hard worker that takes care of me so well each and every day on board!
Above are some more images of the Hong Kong streets. I ran some errands the next day, but sadly it rained most of the day. I did sample, some again highly rated remarkable, Hong Kong baked treats- the sourdough egg custard cup and Mango muffin were perfection and later I had some yummy Mexican tortilla soup and a grilled chicken and veggie salad.
