Hong Kong Part 3

** Side note:  Most likely all of the people reading this blog know me and what/who is in my life.  With that being said my love is extremely supportive of me writing my thoughts and experiences here, but is a very private person and wants his involvement to be minimal.  Therefore, he will be known as the bf just in case strangers stumble upon my posts.

Day 4:

The only thing I was adamant about doing when I arrived in Hong Kong was to go to the Tian Tan Buddha.  I've been practicing yoga for the past 2+ years and have read many books on Buddhism, so going to see the Tian Tan Buddha was so very exciting.  However, visiting the Big Buddha was less of a spiritual experience and more of a tourist trap. Booo!

We started the day by taking the MTR to Lantau Island.  It was very windy and cloudy, but we decided to go for it and bought tickets for the Ngong Ping 360 gondola ride.  We splurged and bought a round trip in the "Crystal Cabin" where the bottom was made out of glass and we could see the beautiful blue green bay and mountains right below our feet.

We arrived at the Ngong Ping Village and headed straight to the Buddha.

 After hiking up the many stairs and taking in some absolutely breathtaking views we headed over to the Po Lin Monastery.

It was raining and cold so after the sightseeing we boarded the gondola and headed back to the MTR station.  FYI:  You are not allowed to bring your sheep or cattle with you in the gondola.

That night we went to Temple Street market and bought some more souvenirs.  I also spotted my FAVORITE restaurant (Hui Lau San) and the bf agreed to another night yummy of mango desserts.

More to come...

5 Reasons...

...I'm happy today

1.  My sweet, loving kitty cats.
2.  The ridiculous and crazy antics that happened at work.
3.  Exactly one month from tomorrow my love will be home!
4.  The much needed rain our flowers and gardens needed.
5.  Old School Law and Order episodes, I'm an addict.

Hope you are all having a wonderful Monday.  What has made you happy today?

Hong Kong Part 2

Day 3:
We boarded a ferry and headed to Cheung Chou, a fishing village on one of the surrounding islands.  After a short ride we disembarked and were shocked by the amount of visitors to the island.  We assumed it was due to the Easter holiday and many people had the week off.

The first thing we did was stop at a street vendor so the bf could get a fresh waffle with butter, peanut butter, and about fifty pounds of sugar.  I could only handle a bite, but I think he secretly wanted to get a second.

Mr. Tour Guide had previously been to this island and wanted to take me on a short hike he had come across.  We decided to walk along the coastline to find the trail and had to make a conscious effort not to get hit by one of the many bicyclists.  There were even the bicycles with the cart attached behind and I tried to convince the bf that it would be excellent exercise to peddle me around the island, he declined my generous offer.

The fog was getting thicker by the minute and the mountaintops we could visibly see when we arrived were slowly being absorbed into the sky.  We walked almost to the tip of the island before the sky opened up and it down poured.  It was around lunch time so we used our hungry stomachs as an excuse to get out of the rain; and we also realized we walked past the head of the trail so the hike was a no go.  Thankfully, the menus were written in both Cantonese and English so we knew what we were ordering.  This was also the first time I experienced a Chinese bathroom...a porcelain hole in the ground with a grab bar for balance.  The rain hadn't let up by the time we finished eating so we headed back to the Ferry Terminal and went back to Central.

That night we went to one of the many notorious Hong Kong street markets, Ladies Market.  I am a terrible bargainer/negotiator and of course that is how business is conducted at all of these markets.  It was definitely a little intimidating, but the bf is excellent in this area and helped me buy a few souvenirs and he bought me some beautiful bracelets.  I also learned a very, very important travel tip...always carry toilet paper with you when in Asia!  The public restrooms are generally not stocked with t.p. and you could find yourself in quite the predicament.

Until Next Time Friends.

Hong Kong Part 1

I recently returned home from an amazing trip to Hong Kong and it was quite the experience. My wonderful tour guide/boyfriend kept us very busy and I feel like we were able to see the best of what this country has to offer.

Day One:
I arrived in HK around 7pm (7am Eastern Time) and after 18 hours of travelling, I was exhausted!  So the bf met me at the airport (yes, even after only 3 months apart I still had butterflies in my tummy) and we headed to the hotel to check in.  We arrived in Mong Kok and went up to our room that was literally the size of a freshman dorm room; tiny, but adequate.  After grabbing a quick bite to eat we headed over to Central and went to the rooftop of the IFC building.  There we enjoyed the beautifully lit skyline and two bottles of wine. Mmmmm

Day Two:

Surprisingly, I wasn't too jet lagged the next day and we ventured out to the bf's University and current stomping grounds.  We walked to Kowloon City to grab some lunch at one of his favorite Thai restaurants.  (My poor feet were very achy after this trek, but I only developed one blister and by the end of the trip I could walk the whole island!  Well, maybe not the whole island...)

Shah Tin was the next destination and we visited the 10,000 Buddhas Temple.  As we walked up the hundreds of steps we took pictures with our favorite Buddhas and used that as an excuse to take a breather.  Once we reached the temple we heard the beautiful chanting of monks and could smell the strong scent of incense burning.  I had never been to a Buddhist temple before and even though it was extremely touristy, it was beautiful and well worth climbing all of those stairs.

That evening was spent down by the water walking The Avenue of the Stars, similar to America's Hollywood Boulevard.  The humidity had finally dropped and the breeze off the water was refreshing.  We came across a stall selling teriyaki octopus jerky that the bf had previously tried.  Being in the spirit of the adventure I tried the jerky too.  Although it wasn't as unappetizing as you would expect, I could only manage one bite and my partner in crime gladly devoured the rest.

To Be Continued...