Big plane and lots of turbulence. Frightening. Saving grace was that they had Glee episodes that I could watch during the flight. And I was totally that girl who rewound the same scene over and over again to listen to one of the songs (Neil Patrick Harris when he and Matthew Morrison sung Dream On. I kept looking around to see if anyone noticed me replaying scenes. But it got me through the flight! Sue was sitting a row behind me so she wasn’t able to calm me down. I think the turbulence might have even shaken her nerves a bit!

We were relieved to have found all the signs in english so we had no issues finding tickets to the airport express train and then to the station itself. We took a cab from the station to our hotel which was actually like a 5 min can ride. Guess it was closer than we thought! But probably would have been a bit hard to walk to.

We checked into our hotel and found our room. Tiny but totally cute! I wish I had taken a decent picture of it. I am not a tall person but the bed barely was long enough for me.

We got changed and then headed downstairs. My brother happened to be on town for business but I couldn’t get any wifi so was unable to get in touch with him. We talked to the concierge about how to get to the Star Ferry and then walked out the doors and to our left. Just as we turned left, we walked into my brother. He had come to the hotel looking for us but they said there was no one there by our name! Perfect timing and meant to be. A couple minutes earlier and we would have missed him. Now we had a tour guide!

We walked to the Star Ferry terminal and took in the view of Hong Kong island. So amazing!

The Star Ferry is a great way to get across to the island. Such great views.

Once on the other side we walked up to the Peak Tram to find a huge lineup. We heard the views were so incredible from the top so we waited in line for the hour so we could experience it. We planned our spot well when we got to the front because we got the first pick of seats. And was I ever glad. The angle the tram gets to at some points is crazy. Standing up would not have been enjoyable.

There was a series of escalators that we need to go up in order to get to the Sky Terrace. I am not a big fan of heights so this was not pleasant for me. I am sure I had the most ridiculous look on my face as we made our way up them but it was worth it when you stepped outside. Simpy stunning. It was a hazy night so the view wasn’t as crisp as I am sure it is on a clear night but wow!! Totally worth it!

We then made our way back down and took the MTR to Temple Street Night Market where we immediately plunked ourselves down for some good old street cuisine! So yummy! We ate (and drank) our fill!

We wandered the booths at the market and then through some of the other streets before heading back to our hotel. I absolutely loved Hong Kong at night!

We said goodbye to Jason (again) and turned in.

In the morning, we grabbed some breakfast and then took the MTR to Causeway Bay. I wanted to check out the Triple O’s there. I know that is totally nerd like of me but I did work as the Marketing Manager for them for 6 years so it would have been strange for me not to visit one of the Hong Kong locations.

We weren’t sure how far away Central (and the escalators) were so we started walking in that direction. It ended up taking us an hour and a halfbut it gave us a great chance to see a lot of the island and all the buildings.

You could really see the British influence especially with the cable cars!

We finally got to the escalators which are the longest covered outdoor escalators in the world spanning about 800 meters.

 We settled in for some lunch at the top and then made our way back down to the MTR which we took to the Ladies Market.

Sue and I both bought some copy bags before heading back to our hotel for a little chill time. We ended up at the same place for dinner as the night before. It was too good to pass up! And then it was time to get changed into our travel clothes and make our way to the airport.

The flight home was turbulent but my cocktail of wine and a sleeping pill took the edge off and got me through it. It was so great to be home and sleep in my own bed. Although sleep was really to be had for the next 10 days. I had the worst jet lag!!

What a great trip. So memorable. I got to see different cultures, eat new food, meet new friends, hang out & laugh with my good friend Sue and spend some quality time with my brother. What more can a girl ask for!