Hong Kong Adventures

My husband and I like to take 1 or 2 international trips a year if at all possible and for the earlier part of 2016, we decided to go to China! We had our options, but my husband saw a deal one day and asked me if I wanted to go. I knew China was going to be different and it was so out of the box for us because we’ve never really been to mainland Asia. However, we also knew that we had really good college friends that lived there and so we sent them an email, booked out flights, and planned away! Our stops were Hong Kong, Xi’an, and Beijing.

Prior to our trip, my husband and I got shots that were recommended by the CDC and applied for our Chinese Tourist Visa. The Visa process was so easy. We went to a travel agency in Oakland, dropped off our application and passport, and picked it up a week later. We also bought a pack of facemasks from Amazon because we read that it was necessary for Beijing. However, we ended up not using it at all and never felt the need to either. Other than that, we packed up two carry-ons and were ready to go!

This post will focus on Hong Kong, which was our first stop. We booked a non-stop flight to Hong Kong on United Airlines. We left SFO Saturday afternoon and arrived in Hong Kong Sunday afternoon. It was a 14 1/2 hour flight. The longest one I’ve ever been on. After the 7th hour, I was so ready to be done. Unfortunately, I also can’t sleep on planes and so it was a lot of movies and games for me.

14 1/2 hours later, we finally landed! We got some HK dollars at an ATM, found a taxi, and headed to our hotel. We booked a night at Novotel City Gate, which was right by the airport and made for a quick taxi ride, which was much needed after such a long flight. We booked this hotel because it was close to Lantau Island, which was our first stop the next day. After much needed sleep, we woke up refreshed and ready to explore. Our friends met up with us at our hotel. It had been 5 years since we last saw them and it was so nice catching up and seeing them married! They too were going to travel with us throughout our entire trip and were basically our local tour guides! 🙂

First stop was Lantau Island. We bought tickets to ride the Ngong Ping 360 Crystal Cabin Cable Car (that was a mouthful) to get to the island. It was super cool because we could see below us as well as around and you get a view of the Big Buddha statue during the ride.

13308495_10209395190974036_7345095361529086398_o

13340345_10209395196654178_640022042326144370_o

Once we were done, we made our way to the Big Buddha (Tiantan) Statue. Pretty amazing!

13323648_10209395197534200_8981184528827072080_o

We then made our way to Po Lin Monastery. 13316847_10209395199494249_7647960979691229758_o

Our friend showed us a tradition where you light incense and make 3 wishes and so we got a chance to do that.

13268474_10209395200574276_947941078338980095_o

For lunch, we stopped by a vegetarian cafe that was on the compound.

13308669_10209395200334270_930413743836704617_o

While we were here, we also attempted to go on the Wisdom Path, but ended up turning around because we really didn’t know where it was leading.

13323471_10209395192014062_4596416594286371439_o

Afterwards, we took a bus to Tai O, which is a fishing village nearby. It was really interesting to see how locals lived and we were glad we were able to make this stop, explore the village a bit, and try out some awesome seafood at one of the restaurants.

13308718_10209395201854308_8374486275814157024_o

13323515_10209395202574326_87659875329145147_o

13320487_10209395202894334_7185745152563998367_o

13340210_10209395203734355_680766210824164970_o

At the restaurant we ate at, they actually brought out a bowl filled with boiled water so that we could clean our utensils. It was definitely something we had to get used to.

13305101_10209395202134315_709798051066016012_o

After Tai O, we headed to Kowloon to check into our next hotel, which was called Hotel Sav. That night, our friends took us out to an amazing ramen restaurant called Ichiran. Seriously, the best ramen I’ve ever had!

13323798_10209395205934410_2233041205837813933_o

Afterwards, we took a tram up to Victoria Peak to see some awesome views of Hong Kong lit up at night! So pretty!

13301424_10209395207294444_793419560541597479_o

The next morning, our friends took us to have a traditional Hong Kong breakfast. This piki bread was so good.

13320496_10209395208654478_4098492398556253105_o

Then we went to a shopping district where all the luxury brands were and ended up having lunch at a legit hole in the wall. It was exactly what I pictured when our friend told us he had a dirt cheap hole in the wall spot. He wasn’t kidding. We had to go through a building, past a few mini shops, and further into this building that opened up to what you see below. This was definitely an experience.
13301445_10209395208974486_7369963658705871333_o

Finally, we made our way to Victoria Harbor to check out the views.

13305228_10209395209854508_2954386447670243783_o

And then headed to Star Garden. Avenue of Stars was under construction and so it took us awhile to find Star Garden. It was hot and humid at that point and all we wanted was to be back inside an air conditioned place, but we did find our way and got to take our photo by the Bruce Lee statue!

13346348_10209395210414522_5224835414905860008_o

13350415_10209395212174566_9124624267092688241_o

We ended the day with Dim Sum for dinner.

13305102_10209395212694579_4518428401752715411_o

The next morning, we explored Kowloon a bit before making our way to the airport to catch a flight to Xi’an.

13323800_10209395207854458_4426817791484741058_o

-Gretch

Follow:
Share:

Leave a Reply