First Trip to Hong Kong

The best age and floor

Beautiful room

Sweet Suite!

So last weekend, Donnie decided it would be a good idea to get out of Shenzhen and take our first trip to Hong Kong. We decided this on Saturday morning after Paul woke us up super early. We packed up and were at the Shenzhen-Hong Kong border by 8:20am. Little did we know that we would be waiting in horrendous lines for 3 more hours. It's a crazy process. You have to go through Chinese immigration, stamped that you are departing, then walk through to the Hong Kong side and wait for twice as long to be admitted into HK. We were very unprepared. We had packed minimal snacks and only one bottle of water, so Paul was a little bit upset with us. Luckily he fell asleep about halfway through, so it wasn't as painful for him.

His hangout

oh you know, don't mind the view.

When we finally made it through to the other side, we had no clue what bus would take us to the hotel. To make things simpler, we jumped in a cab and told him the address. It's funny after being in immigration for so long, we were only about 10 minutes from our apartment, and it only a 20 min cab ride to our hotel. So much time, so little distance. Our hotel was on a rather run-down looking street on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong, but when we walked in we were so impressed. We had been expecting a tiny room, but since they were out, we were upgraded to a suite. It was beautiful, on the 29th floor and with a killer bathroom.

Too Hot!

We took a few minutes to enjoy the room before we ventured out to find some much needed food. Our food was pretty good, but the highlight was Donnie's super hot sechzuan soup. He could only eat the beef out of it, and it set his mouth on fire! I've never seen him give up on a hot dish, but he did. I don't blame him!

From there we went down to explore Kowloon. We took the MTR down to the Star Ferry and rode it across the bay to HK Island. It was a clear-ish, cool day, and we all had fun riding back and forth. A good touristy thing to do, short and fun for Paul. From there we headed back for a picnic in our hotel of pizza and Chinese cartoons. It was a fun day :).  Here are some pics from the day:

Star Ferry: a 50-cent ride

The clock tower

Fun day for everyone!

Pretty clear day

So happy to have a bath tub!

The view from the subway stop.

Older part of town

A few of the wares

After a restful night, we sought out some breakfast (a delightfully American McDonald's breakfast) and started making our way over to the ferry. We decided it would definitely be in our best interest to avoid the terror of waiting at the border again, and the ferry was so easy! It costs more, but it's such a relief. No lines and it drops us within walking distance of our apartment, plus a cruise through the bay! Before we left, we walked around a little bit in an older area of town. They sell the craziest stuff, including shark fins and things I can't even describe. It was an interesting way to end our stay and we bought a few things before we went home.

Much happier waiting for the ferry.

We arrived home just in time to order some Indian food (a Sunday tradition now) and settle in to watch some new movies we bought for Paul. Over all, it was a fun weekend. The discomfort of the border crossing was forgotten, and now we know only to take the ferry. :)

Practicing his 'I love you' sign language

This week following has been uneventful. Soccer is over, so I've tried to increase my running. Unfortunately, on Wednesday I took a pretty bad fall on my morning run, and my knees are still swollen. I'll have to wait a couple more days before I try to run again.

Rocket Man!

Of course, Thursday was Halloween. I wasn't really in the spirit until the day rolled around and I pulled together Paul's costume during the day. We rushed home and got him all geared up to go trick-or-treating with some school people at their apartment complex. The dads spread out in the courtyard, and the moms took the kids around to collect candy. Paul had a good time, and he saw some friends of his from school. But we were all pretty tired, so we headed home to bed. Today he wore his costume to school and I think they got to go trick or treating again. It was the first Halloween that I think he really understood what to do and what it was about. Maybe next year he'll be a little more confident.

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It's been a long week, and from here on out until mid-November there are events every weekend. Including the Autumn Fair next week, which my lovely husband is running. :)

I hope everybody had a very happy Halloween! Until next time, love to all.