Well, the first leg our our trip is over.  Hong Kong has been great! The Grand Hyatt was beautiful.  One thing that has really struck me is how helpful everyone is.  I suppose that is part of the Asian culture.  The service is unreal. Everyone we came in contact with went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable.  Also, I was amazed by how CLEAN everything is.  Everywhere you looked there was someone cleaning.  From sweeping leaves in the park to cleaning the windows of the store fronts to the subway floor…..everything was spotless.

Another thing that I noticed is how safe I felt.  We walked down a lot of tiny alleys at night (things that I would NEVER do in New Orleans) and never felt threatened.  Justin asked the concierge at the hotel if there are any areas that we should avoid, and he said no.  We walked all over the city, rode the subway, buses, and ferries, and I always felt comfortable.

I still can’t get over how many people there are in Hong Kong.  Everywhere you go, no matter what time it is, there are always people bustling around. The city has a New York sort of feeling to it….but with more people! The shopping is really incredible.  Unfortunately, Chanel, Hermes, Gucci, and Cartier are out of my price range but it was pretty cool to see all the shops.  There was pretty much a shopping mall or two or three on every block.

We both really enjoyed the food as well.  We ate in a big range of places: from noodle bowls and roasted meats in tiny restaurants (one of which didn’t have an English menu!) to very nice “sit-down” meals.  The last night, we ate at a really great Asian restaurant called The Chairman.  The highlight of that meal was the pork belly dish and the clam with chili jelly dish. The flavors were great, and it was nice to have some local dishes on our last night in Hong Kong. Hopefully, I continue to get better with my chopstick skills…..which were non-existent before this trip! I suppose if it’s your only option, you do the best you can (noodle soup with chopsticks…..why not?!!).

Overall, I have really enjoyed my time in Hong Kong.  To be honest, I was pretty anxious leading up to this trip (shocking, I’m sure, to those of you who know me well). I had a lot going on at home, and I wasn’t sure if leaving was to best idea. The first few days were kind of tough, but I’m starting to feel better. I miss my family, my dogs, and my house, but I feel that this blog (plus Skype, Facebook, and email) has really helped me feel not so far away. I hope that people are enjoying reading about our experiences.  Please don’t be hesitant to post comments.  We love it, and it keeps us motivated to keep the blog as updated as possible.  Love you all!!!

Alyce