First official trip for the blog

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Today was the day!

We went to our first country while living in China! Granted, it was Hong Kong, which we can see from the apartment, but haven’t been able to go since we got here. . . And Blake’s been antsy. Hong Kong has a been a top Travel Bucket List item for you...and from the pictures we researched, I could totally see why!



Our day started so early. 4:45am and we trekked up to Futian to meet our boss, Tyler. With it being Holiday Week, he said he hadn’t had a touristy day in HK, so totally tagged along. After a breakfast at McDonalds (cheap, easy, convenient and Oh So Tasty!) we decided to get lost in HK.

Literally.

Having an international plan through Verizon spoiled me. We crossed the border into HK and all cell phone data ceased to exist. With my Chinese as non-existent, I had no clue how to open up for HK for the day...so we had to rely on WiFi (another reason for McDonalds - free wifi) and old school street smarts.



We took the wrong bus, 3 or 4 times and made a pit stop to wander through a street market. But finally, FINALLY, made it to Victoria’s Peak. If I remember correctly, it’s the highest peak in HK. Our bus took the scenic route, winding its way past the ferry terminal and traffic, climbing its way around large national parks, each view becoming more and more beautiful. Lush trees and bell shaped mountains with a calm, cerulean blue water. Our day was warm, with that perfect ocean breeze. You know the day - its so beautiful you dont even realize you‘re getting a sun burn? Yeah. That kind of perfect day.



Wandering the streets of HK we happened upon a street market selling various trinkets, souvenirs, and knock off repicas. I found a pair of ray bans for under $3USD. Yet the treasure of the day was a Buddha shaped pendant for Blake. After performing 3 or 4 ways to determine if the jade is real, we concluded that yes, it was in fact, real!!! What Luck!



The three of us oooo-ed and aahhhh-ed with excitement on our double decker bus at every turn. Being so high up, looking down on an international city, being higher than the skyscapers that are built within the mountain range Is almost an indescribable feeling. So much industry and business down below, calm and serene on top. Other than the bustle of people, there was no noise.



After our descent, we got turned around looking for dinner and ended up around the Pier. A last minute surprise was right before the city lit up with it’s own light show: A classic Junk Boat Cruise. Duking cruise line is the only junkboat cruise with a replicate of the original ljunkboat. Our 45 minute tour around the Bay was at the bow of a well laquered junk boat with crimson sails. The crew was amazing and took our pictures and pointed out various things around the bay - including tallest buildings or random historical facts.



Debarking from the nightly cruise, our legs finally tired out and we headed back to the border to come back into China. We were so exhausted! Our fit bits were worn out from 14 miles of walking and my nose, neck, and shoulders were a nice shade of pink. I cannot wait to come back and explore more of this amazing country and its history.

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