And The Adventures Continue

First I have to apologize for taking forever to post a new blog. I’m the worst!!

Week 2 in Hong Kong was a blur of food, drinks, shopping, exploring, and MORE FOOD! Whoever told me that I’d lose weight over here in HK (cough cough my favorite little twins), you were so wrong!! It’s ok I still love you. I think you underestimated my passion for eating.

Everyday my coworkers take me to a new place for lunch – Hong Kong style, Shanghai style, Thai, Indian, Japanese, Singapore, French, Italian, I’m not kidding we do it all. And they always order for me. Half the time I don’t even know what’s coming since they order in Cantonese. (They teach me new Cantonese words every day! I just learned how to order “iced tea with lemon less sugar” yaay!) Good news: I’ve had 2 weeks of experiencing the culture through incredible food. Bad news: My body is not used to eating so many Carbs!!! My diet now consists of raw fish and Carbs. Oh and an occasional apple or bite of warm lettuce. Great. How are Asian people so skinny?!

Here are some highlights from Week 2 in HK:

On Monday (my first HK holiday!) we went into Stanley to watch the Dragon Boat Races! This was something I had been looking forward to for weeks, and I was so excited!! I was completely prepared for the large crowds, noisy bystanders, and lots of excitement, but I was NOT prepared for the extreme heat. Hong Kong is hot during the summer, and humid. I know that. But for some reason this day was different. I was dripping in sweat after watching the races for 5 minutes!! Good thing we were on the beach!

So many people!

We managed to push our way to the front of the crowd so we could watch with our feet in the ocean water. The races were so fun to watch, and the teams were hilarious! There were groups of men and women wearing crazy costumes and masks and tutus and even panda hats! They sat in their dragon boats waiting for the final race to begin screaming at each other and starting water fights. It was definitely not as serious as I had expected, but that made it so much more entertaining!

One of the competing teams!

Water fight time!

Our new friends!

After the races we explored the shops in Stanley and walked out onto the pier with snacks and drinks. The sky was beautiful and we got to watch the sunset as we made our way back to the bus. It was such a great day!

Beautiful sunset in Stanley.

Tuesday after work I met the girls in Soho (the cute area in Central) for Happy Hour. Of course, HK does everything better, and Happy Hour meant FREE for ladies. It’s great to be a girl in HK! We had delicious Lychee Martinis with strawberries and whip cream on the side. They were amazing, and completely free!! Every Tuesday they feature a different martini, so we’ll have to go back again sometime soon.

Lychee Martini time!

On Thursday I met up with Margaux and her coworker Meiling straight after work. They came to meet me in TST, and we went to a bar with the most beautiful view of Kowloon Bay and Hong Kong Island. We stayed for hours (way longer than we planned), laughing and chatting about our different cultures, admiring the view, and watching the light show. By time we left around 9:30 pm, Margaux and I were starving!! Late night sushi anyone?

The view from our rooftop bar!

Such a fun night!

Friday night was a girls night out. Once again, we had a great night and didn’t have to pay for a thing! We explored new areas and celebrated the end of our second week together. I loved getting the opportunity to meet up and hang out with Stephanie and Vanessa from Hong Kong University. They were the sweetest!

The girls with Steph and Vanessa at our "Red Hot" party.

Our "gift" from the Soso Club!

Blue champagne!

Can you spot our new friends?! Cheers to Week 2!

Saturday we took the MTR into Shenzhen, which is sort of like the Mexican Tijuana of Mainland China. I got to test out my Chinese visa and took my first step into a Communist nation!! We spent the day shopping (I bartered for a purse) and then went to a Chinese spa. For around $15 USD we got 2 hour full-body massages!! So cheap right? They made us wear these strange silk pajama-type things while we got our massages. They were hilarious! Halfway through the massage, it started POURING. The thunder was so loud! But I thought it added to the experience.

Saturday night we went to Dragon i in LKF to see Afrojack. It was so amazing. And very crowded. Did I mention amazing? We made friends with some very wealthy Asian guys with a table RIGHT IN FRONT of Afrojack!! Let’s just say it was a night I won’t forget.

Afrojack!!

And then on Sunday we had our first real HK Dim Sum experience!! We went into central around noon and found the most authentic little place we could find. We were the only white people in room of about 200 Asians. It was great. It took us a little while to get used to how it worked (We had to run up to carts as they were wheeled out with a bunch of other pushing, hungry people and point to what we wanted before they ran out.) Even though we accidently picked a dessert dish first, we had so much fun, and left feeling happy and full.

Sticky rice wrapped in tea leaves!

So now do you see why I have NO time to blog?! I always want to and then I get swept up into another HK adventure. Not that I’m complaining. :) Well, here’s to the beginning of Week 3!

I miss everyone back at home like crazy! Soak up that CA sun for me! xo