By now you probably know that we made it safely to Hong Kong. And guess what? It's amazing! Seriously I am running out of superlatives to describe each of the places I've visited and we're only on our third port. Let me know when it gets annoying. :) Once again, I feel like I was entirely unprepared for what I would experience. I had heard that Hong Kong was an incredible place to visit, but I never imagined what it'd really be like. I assumed there would be huge skyscrapers, city lights, high fashion and great food. All of which is true. I really don't know how I can go back to the ship's food after eating so well in the ports. What I didn't realize about Hong Kong is how beautiful the islands would be. The first day here I took a bus up to Stanley Market (an outdoor shopping area on the coast of Hong Kong Island). On the ride up there we passed by beautiful beaches, with locals and foreigners sunbathing, swimming and some even waterskiing and wakeboarding. The ride up the mountain lined coast was truly breathtaking. I was really surprised at this paradise I have stumbled upon. How did I not know about it before?
Later that night we subjected ourselves to the scrutiny of tourist-phobes and went to the top of Victoria Peak to look out on the city lights and capture photos of the magnificent skyline. It was lovely, and probably a must see, but the real treat was taking the ferry to Lantau island yesterday, and kayaking at sunset. Hong Kong island is a bustling city, with more shopping than you could ever imagine. It's a busy city, with great clubs, bars, restaurants, and did I mention shopping? The city itself is a bit like New York. But the outlying islands are fairly uninhabited and quite a bit more peaceful and serene. I enjoy having a little balance, especially on this trip where alone time is somewhat hard to come by. So, a few of us decided to venture over to Lantau and explore the island. Again, we did the touristy thing, hiking up to this gigantic buddha on top of a mountain, which was cool and all, but the greatest experience was getting off a bus in the middle of nowhere, and finding ourselves at a tiny little inn, where they rent kayaks and skinboards, and children play with their dogs, while running past the cows on the beach. Yes, you read that correctly, there were cows on the beach! Patrick, the photographer took a great picture of Gail and I staring out to sea with a cow walking behind us. It was brilliant, and so far, one of my favorite experiences (having grown up in cow country, perhaps it holds a little more significance to a country girl like me). We also met this sweet little local girl, who doesn't speak any English, but insisted on taking pictures with our cameras and putting puzzles together with her --- so cute!! But, for me, getting out on the water was truly exhilarating, and an experience so simple and yet so cherished, one I will never forget. Fortunately, Patrick captured much of it on film, so we'll have that memory forever. He did also crash into me with his kayak, landing a huge bruise and drawing a bit of blood on my right leg, but hey, it wouldn't be a true Danelle adventure if there wasn't some sort of injury. And besides that made seeing the shark prevention bouys that much more frightening! :)
Today it's strange but I feel just a little depressed. It's like that feeling you have when it's Sunday and you know you have to go to work the next day, but you want the weekend to last forever............ It probably seems strange that I would have any feelings like this given that I am so lucky to be here. Maybe it's a tad selfish. I just really have a hard time leaving a place so beautiful..... except that I know I am going somewhere new, and will likely enjoy it equally as much. I can't believe we'll be in Vietnam in mere days!
And besides, I still have all day today, a night out with the RD's tonight, and half of tomorrow to take advantage of this unforgettable place!
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