Summer Vacation in Hong Kong

Oh how I love traveling! Getting the chance to visit different countries for cheap is certainly a perk of living and teaching in Korea. So where do I begin to share my story of my latest adventure to Hong Kong? Well I suppose I should begin with the incidents that happened before Lauren and I even got on the plane. 

I booked my trip to Hong Kong about two months ago through Air India. Because of the package deal I found, I couldn't help but book it even though I read horrible reviews about the airline. Luck would have it, but a few weeks before the trip I received several calls and emails letting me know my flights had been cancelled (something to do with a strike) and that I would be rebooked with two other amazing airlines, Korean Air and Cathay Pacific. These are two of the best airlines in Asia, so I was thrilled.

On to the next incident. Because the airports are about two hours from Dongbaek, I have to hop on a bus in order to get there. Of course not paying attention and too excited for the trip...I got on the WRONG BUS!! I didn't realize until about an hour on my way that I was heading to Gimpo Airport NOT Incheon. Oopsie! Luckily I was ahead of schedule and was able to hop onto the subway. Whew! I'll never do that again.

Lauren waiting to board

After arriving in Hong Kong we found it to be extremly easy to navigate the subway system and headed to our hotel, Cosmo. Considering the inexpensive price I was more than prepared for a not so good room. To my surprise, it was perfect!

Cosmo Hotel

our room

view from hotel

Lauren and I quickly beautified ourselves and headed to Times Square. This was a great place to begin our trip!

times square

times square

We then made ourselves over to the Excelsior Hotel for dinner at ToTT’s and Roof Terrace. This was a bit of a spur of the moment choice for dinner, but it was a great choice. This restaurant sits on the 39th floor of the hotel and overlooks Kowloon (the other side of Hong Kong Island). I'd rather not talk about the price we paid. Let's just say I could've put the money toward more than 50 iced Americanos. Oh well, we were on vacation!!

Oxtail stuffed with gingerbread 

view of Kowloon from table

The next day we visited the Big Buddha on Lantau. Lantau is about an hour from Hong Kong Island. We bought our tickets online in advance which was the best idea. We saved ourselves at least an hour of waiting in line. Go us!! For about $20US you can ride the cable car to Ngong Ping village. Here they had restaurants, souvenir shops, and of course the biggest Buddha I've ever seen.

360 cable car

Lauren and I in the cable car

view of Lantau Island

As I looked up to the Buddha all I could think was, "that's a whole lot of stairs and it's a whole lot of hot outside." (91 degrees to be exact!) Lauren decided to sit out for the walk, but I braved the heat and climbed all 268 steps to the top.

By this point in the day we were tired, hungry, and probably the sweatiest messes anyone in HK has ever seen. The next day was calling for rain, so we decided to bear the heat and do as much sightseeing as we could. On our way to The Peak trolley (the highest 360 view of Hong Kong) we stumbled upon St. John's Cathedral. This is Hong Kong's 2nd oldest building and it was a beaut indeed. 

St. John's Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral

We ended up getting up to The Peak around 4pm that day. Of all the things to find on the top of the mountain, we found a Bubba Gump's restaurant. 

The view at the top was simply breathtaking. I'm such a city girl and every time I get a view of the city I literally get butterflies. The art of modern architecture and construction just amazes me. 

HK City

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That night I was determined to find the energy to experience night life in this wonderful city. Lauren and I set off to the Lan Kwai Fong area. This is a popular area full of bars. As we moved around to different places we ended up stumbling upon a night club called Graffiti. It was a great way to end the night and dance our little tushes off.

LKF

Lauren and syringe shots

Graffiti 

Graffiti

Feeling the effects from the day before, we forced ourselves out of bed and got prepared for our 2nd and last full day in Hong Kong. This day we decided to check out the otherside of the water, known as Kowloon. America could learn a few things or two about supplying cheap and incredibly clean transportation systems. For about $0.30 US one can hop onto the Star Ferry and travel across the water. I'm so glad we did this! 

HK

Kowloon

clock tower on Kowloon

Lauren and HK

Hong Kong

After walking around the bay for only about 30 minutes we were done with the heat. We took some pictures, stood in awe for a bit, and made our way over to the History Museum. I will just say that I have never seen such a detailed and well constructed museum in my life. Lucky for us, Wednesdays are FREE! Wooo!

Now one can't go to Hong Kong and not hit up a market or two. We did just that the remainder of our day. First we stopped by the Ladies Market before making our way over to the Temple Street Market. I find bargaining to always be an experience. This time as I was negotiating a price for sunglasses, the young girl said, "Please more! Please money! My boss kill me!" As you can imagine I just stood in confusion and walked away.

Temple Street

night market

Oh and how could I forget about the dim sum and spring rolls. Mmmm so good!

Even though we only stayed a few days, it felt like a week! Hong Kong definitely is a place I'll visit again. I was so shocked by the amount of people who spoke English. I felt so comfortable and loved every minute of being there! I have Korea to thank for my confidence in being comfortable with traveling to new countries. 

Now it's back to reality and work tomorrow. Boo! I'm hoping to talk with my Director this week to find out when my departure date will be. The very thought that I could potentially be on American soil in 6-8 weeks, hugging the people I love more than anything in the world is so so soooo exciting! 

Love you all so freakin' much!

-Jenn xoxo

Happy One-Year Anniversary!

Has it really been a year since I've been living in Korea? This time last year I was at Roanoke airport saying my goodbyes to my ever amazing family. I still think about that moment I boarded the airplane and thought, "What the hell am I getting myself into?" My parents said that a year was going to be such a long time, but I remember assuring them that this year would be just the opposite. I sure was right!

So to celebrate the anniversary of my stay in Korea, I felt it very appropriate to travel to Hong Kong. Well actually it just so happens I get a week off for summer vacation, but I'm going to say this is a gift to myself for my hard work. I'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon(Korean time). Wooo! I can't wait!

http://www.photos4travel.com/

These last two weeks at school/work have been so much fun! With the end of the semester ending, we had many activities planned for the kids. First, was our monthly Birthday party. Now this party was slightly different than the rest because we had the most students celebrating. You know what that means...more fried chicken and pizza. Yeahhh!

blowing out the candles

Below is a picture of my little munchkins from Nemo class. Joshua and Soo (both in the middle) have crushes on each other. As you can see, they already look like a married couple.

my little munchkins from Nemo class

Soo and Jennifer

Our next activity was "Water Gun Play Day." All the kids brought in their water guns and we had a water gun fight outside on our school's balcony. It was so cute to see the kids getting so excited! We also filled a few water balloons for a toss game. That idea failed due to the kids not understanding the directions, so it ended up being a toss between teachers.

Nadine Teachaaa

my team...Team Bubbles

Sally was serious about this fight

As I previously stated, I'm officially on summer vacation. I haven't been so excited for those words since High School. I began my vacation with a visit into Seoul for Gillian's last night out before she leaves home to Canada.   We went to the one place in Seoul I have been dying to go to...Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower). Check out Gillian's blog, http://loveoftheseoul.tumblr.com/ She's a photographer and has some amazing pictures!

After a short bus ride and hike, we made it to the top. 

so hot and sad from the hike

happy chingus

This tower is a hot spot for couples. Below is a picture of love padlocks. The locks of love is where love birds lock their padlocks and throw away the key to symbolize that their love will be locked forever. It is the cutest and sweetest idea I've heard! If anyone would like me to "lock their love", let me know and I gladly will.

Summer has been one big ball of adventures. I'm loving every moment of it! Except for the humidity which is causing me to shower at least twice a day. Ick!  Can't wait to share my experience in Hong Kong with you all. Sending big hugs your way!

-Jenn xoxo