Pops and the Sister Came to Hong Kong (Part I)

Hey all,
Now that my family has been gone for nearly two weeks, I think it's about time to tell you a little bit about our time together. If you are pressed for time, I can give you the synopsis: we had a blast. If you have a couple of minutes, here are some of the details...
I met up with the fam on my way back from Taipei- I booked my flight so that we would arrive in Hong Kong around the same time. My flight was delayed for a little while, but the others didn't have to wait long. Since I can go through customs as a Hong Kong Resident, I just skipped the line and was through in a flash. That's right- I live here... no big deal.
On our way back to the hotel, our cab driver apparantly hadnt gotten the memo that I'm pretty much a local. He pegged us for tourists and tried to rip us off. My father and I would have none of it. A few friendly words were exchanged, and almost immediately my father was drawn to the familiar neon lights down the street from the hotel. I didn't know how it's possible, but we had been in Hong Kong for 10 minutes and were already grabbing drinks at Outback Steakhouse. My sisters and I dont play by the rules as it is, but in the Land Down Under, there are no rules.
Between Monday morning and Wednesday evening, I was scrambling trying to balance class and family. Unlike the rest of the International Students here, my grades transfer back to Boston College (the others can take their courses pass/fail). As the week continued, my priorities progressively shifted toward my family, where they should have been all along. We had a lot of fun.
It took them all a day or so to get adjusted to the time difference and the food situation, but they never complained. They bounced around the city, from the Jade Market to Stanley Market (and everywhere in between), without missing a beat. I was glad to see that they enjoy the city as much as I do.
Some of the highlights with each of my family members:
Dad- My dad has recently had the chance to do a lot of traveling in this part of the world throught his job. Therefore, he has a pretty good idea about how everything operates. Before the trip, I had no idea how my father conducted himself in a foreign land. It was really fun to watch how he communicated, bargained, and made his way through the city where the "East meets the West."
Jen- My sister is a lot like me in the sense that she doesn't like to complain. Sleep, yes... complain, no. Jen tore her ACL playing soccer this fall, had surgury shortly thereafter, and has been recovering ever since. She walked around Hong Kong each day without bitching and moaning like most of us would. I was really happy to see her pushing through, and even venturing outside of her comfort zone to eat things like Ox Stomach at the Jumbo, the world's largest floating restaurant.
Katie- Katie and I finally had a chance to spend some time alone one night at the Temple Street Market. While we each picked out some incredible things (polo shirts, gucci bags, jade jewelry, paintings, etc), the laughs that we had are what will be remembered. Since my older sister left for college, we have not had a chance to hang out often at all. And when we did have the chance, we often did not. We both have way too many commitments, and our dedication to those things has often overshadowed the commitment we should have to each other. Without wanting to get sentimental, I hope that I can make it my priority to have more of these shared experiences.
Hong Kong was great for my fam to see some sites and get acquainted with Asian culture, but the trip really got going when we left for Ho Chi Minh City. Just figuring out how to get into Vietnam as Americans would prove to be an adventure. I'll let you know all of the details in the next posting. For now, I have to go pack to go to Guilin.