Turpan

Today Matt and I arrived in Turpan. After Kashgar, we spent the night in Urumqi, then got on the bus this morning and now here we are! It was nice to have some time in Urumqi. Our hotel felt very familiar since we had stayed there before, and there were so many more food options! Urumqi really has a great food market...everything you could want, beautifully arranged and somehow it seemed cheaper than Kashgar. (Maybe cause Kashgar is more touristy you get charged more? Not sure...but when I say cheaper, I mean like 1 or two rmb cheaper...not much!) When we first arrived in Urumqi, it seemed so rustic after coming from Hong Kong. Coming from Kashgar, I was like, "Wow, it's so urban here. People look so "cool"!"

I was pretty frazzled so I sent Matt out of our hotel room for the afternoon. I think sometimes I need to recharge, quietly, by myself. I don't remember being like this before...maybe it is the Yeckel or Hardy in me getting stronger, or maybe it is the MS. Not sure, but I do need some time alone every once in a while. I read a very mindless magazine and did yoga and took a shower. I felt 2000 times better than before. Poor Matt...he is so understanding of my quirks. At least I realize this, and am very appreciative of him being so understanding!

Now we are in Turpan. So far, I am not as excited about it as Kashgar. It is less scenic. Kashgar had an old town area. and was very relaxed and you felt like you were in a very different place. So far, Turpan just feels dusty and city like, despite the grape vine trellises that cover the main road. It is too early to tell though...I 'll see how I feel after the next couple of days!

Last Day in Kashgar

For our last day in Kashgar, Matt and I decided to rent bicycles and ride our bikes through the city and into the Uyghur suburbs. Originally, we were going to hire a car to take us up to Karakul Lake, which is supposed to be amazingly scenic and you can stya in yurts with local people. In the end, we decided to rent the bikes instead because the drive to Karakul Lake is 2 hours each way, and we didn't have enough time to spend the night there. So, that would be 4 hours of driving in one day! I couldn't handle that...

The bikes ended up to be a lot of fun. We could go pretty far but were more independent than we would have been with a taxi. First we stopped at Abakh Hoja Tomb. It was very pretty, all blue and green tiles, and it reminded me of California. There were two workers there that could speak very good English and they were interesting to talk to. One of the was telling us all about the minorities in China. The Uyghurs are the biggest minority in China, and all the other minorities learn Uyghur language as well as there own. 7.6 million people speak Uyghur, and I had never even heard of it before! This trip has definitely broadened my world view. She said that up in the Karakul Lake area there were mainly Tajik people. They wear different hats, they are tall and brown and sort of fuzzy looking. I had seen a few in town. The ones I saw looked sort of "down and out". I am not sure if those ones are the ones that come to town, or if most Tajiks are poor relative to the Uyghurs. It makes me sad that matt and I didn't make it to Karakul Lake, I would have loved to see the lifestyles of the Tajiks.

The Uyghur neighborhood, Bulack Beshi, was very calm and peaceful. There were kids everywhere, it was great! They were just roaming the streets, playing and walking around. No adult supervision it seemed...We stopped for a drink and met a very funny Uyghur man who wore Matt's sunglasses and insisted that we smoke cigarettes. I have some funny pictures of him, I will post them when Matt and I get back. He asked if we were married, we said yes just to keep things easy, and then he asked about our children. I told him we were too young...He seemed incredulous that we thought we were too young!

Another final thought about Kashgar: There are SOOOO many dentist offices here! There are as many dentists in Kashgar as there are Starbucks in the U.S. Alot! Their teeth do look pretty good. If Beijing was smart, they would import some Uyghur dentists to the East coast of China. The teeth are horrendous over there!

The Sunday Market

Kashgar is famous for it's Sunday Market. The town is supposed to grow by 50,000 people that come from surrounding countries to trade. It didn't really seem like it was that big to me! We went to the livestock part of the market and it was pretty cool. Lots of cows, goats, sheep, etc. Oh yeah, and lots of tourists too. The book says that "if the tourist crush of the Kashgar sunday market gets you, then you should try the one in Hotan." I wondered what they meant, because we really hadn't seen any other foreigners except that one crazy Belgian guy and his Israeli friend. But Saturday night, lo and behold, a whole bunch of tour buses zoomed into our hotel and the other, more expensive part of the hotel was stuffed with Eastern Chinese people, French people and Spanish people. When we got to the market this morning, it was crawling with tourists weilding giant cameras. Bummer! Oh well. The highlight of the morning was when Matt got a shave by a local barber at the bazaar. It looks pretty good, a nice close shave! The barber went a little too far though, and gave Matt a haircut. So, Matt's hair is a little bit on the short side, but it still looks good.

Matt and I just a had another delicious dinner of lagman...I know, I know, I should branch out more...but I have tried most of the foods here. Really, there aren't too many choices when it comes to Uyghur food...chickpeas, noodles, shredded veggie salad things, bread, lamb kebabs, and yogurt. Oh, and I almost forgot about the goat intestine soups and the everpresent vanilla ice cream. (I mean, these are the food options I have seen...I am sure there are more that I don't know about!) I love it all but I just can't get enough of the hand made noodles. They are pure heaven! Anyway, the point of this is that the women sitting next to us ate a huge plate of lamb skewers. Uyghur people are quite large and now I guess I know why. Of the various food choices, you mainly see people eating lamb and bread. Those are the staples. Really though, it is weird being in a place where everyone is so huge after being in Hong Kong. People are tiny there!

Another thought about the dietary habits of Uyghurs...the public bathrooms here reek of lamb. It is very strong and gross.

After dinner Matt and I sat in the square in front of the Id Kah Mosque. It is so peaceful here and a lot of people sit in the square, just relaxing and chatting. Kids run around and no one seems to watch them. It is so nice, and it makes me wish that American kids could play out side with out being supervised all the time. It seems like kids back home are always doing activities and being watched. I know why it has to be like that in the US, but it is a shame.

Hannoyi Ruins and Moer Pagoda

Today we hired a taxi to drive us out to some ruins. It was a looong, hot, dusty ride. I felt bad for the driver, because I am sure it did a number on his car! He seemed really happy though, so I am sure we paid him too much. :) The ruins were nothing much...I sort of feel like it was a waste of money and time, but how would you know until you got there? Alot of "attractions" in China are like this I have noticed. It was really cool to drive through the Uyghur neighborhoods. They live in these brown colored houses with flat roofs. They look pretty plain from the outside, but they have the mast beautiful doors. Some are carved, so are painted...they are all different but very decorative. From what I can tell, the houses are built around a central courtyard, and all you can see from the road is an exterior wall that surrounds everything. In the Uyghur neightborhoods they had planted a ton of trees (they look like Aspens to me, but i am not sure what they really were) and also in their courtyards you could see trellises covered with grap vines. Some parts of the road had grape vine trellises covering it. It made for a very peaceful and calm area!

The best part of the day was lunch...I asked the driver to stop at a small roadside stand in the Uyghur neighborhood. We had a simple lunch of noodles and shredded cucumber in a spicy sauce. As we sat there, we attracted a few old Uyghur men, who sat and tried not to stare at us. Everyone was very friendly and it was a lot of fun. I got some good pictures too, which I will post when I am back in the US.

Tonight we had a delicious meal of lagman...Matt had hs with lamb and I had mine without. The reason I mention this is because I have become a firm believer in hand made noodles. That is all you get here, and they are SO good, infinitely better than packaged or dried noodles. They are soft and slightly chewy, plus I love how they are not uniform in size. I pick out the fattest noodles and eat them first. Yes, I know, I am weird!

Kashgar

Today we flew from Urumqi to Kashgar. I feel extremely exhilarated...that sounds dorky, but it is true. This is the first really different place I have been to in quite a while. I definitely don't feel like I am in China! On the streets, you hardly see any ethnic Chinese. Matt describes the men here as looking like "a mix of Russian, Afghan, Chinese and a little bit of old salty Irish sea dog." (All in one person.) The people here do look fascinating, unlike anywhere else I have been. There are a tons of different ethnicities that dress differently, it is really cool. A down side of the more Middle Eastern feeling of this place is that I definitely don't feel comfortable wearing tank tops or shorts or anything remotely revealing. This is a bummer cause it is extremely hot!

Being here sort of reminds me of when I travelled in Rajasthan a long time ago. Ther is that feeling of being very far away. Far way from what, I don't know, but you just know that you are far. Maybe it is because of the harsh, desolate feeling of the desert? I am not sure. Anyway, I love it.

We found a good hotel (the Chini Bagh Hotel) that is air conditioned and close to everything and met a crazy Belgian guy who doesn't speak a word of Chinese but has been traveling for 5 months, with three more to go! He said it is easy to travel here without speaking Chinese but I don't really believe it. We met him as he was leaving for Tibet. He was going to sneak across the border, and had packed giant bars of chocolate and bags of dried fruit for the journey.

We walked around the market and went to the Id Kah Mosque. The mosque was very serene, and much more simple inside than I had thought it would be.

One new, delicious food item I tried today was fresh yogurt mixed with shaved ice, water and sugar. All the locals were sitting around with giant bowls of it, relaxing and chatting, and it looked so fun. Matt and I had to try it. I loved it because I love yogurt, Matt didn't like it all and didn't finish his. I realize now that could be a lethal combination. I guess I will find out if my stomach can handle local water!

Xinjiang Province!

Matt and I arrived in Urumqi two days ago, and today we flew from Urumqi to Kashgar. It is amazing here! The Lonely Planet had said that Urumqi looks like it was "imported lockstock and barrel from China." With that glowing description, I didn't have very high hopes for it. However, Matt and I both loved it. It definitely felt like a Chinese city, but it was so much more diverse. Along with ethnic Chinese, there were tons of Uyghers, Russians, Kazhaks, and other nationalities I can't place. The down side of this is that it is much harder for me to communicate with people because they have very different accents than I am used to, and some of them don't speak very good Chinese. It is bad when I can't tell if someone is speaking Chinese or Uyghur language, and even worse when I realize they are actually trying to speak English! Strangely, many more people speak English here than in Beijing.

We spent our first day at Hong Shan Gongyuan (Red Mountain Park), which was a deserted and very bizaare amusement park with random dog/clown statues and dilapidated carnival rides. Then we had a delicious lunch and walked around enjoying the foreign - ness of everything. the best part was the night market! All the wonderful food! Middle Eastern music was playing and people were selling tons of delicoious fruit and the best bread in the world. It is sooo delicious, except when they let it get soggy with lamb grease, that is the worst! It was freezing cold, but I am really looking forward to going to the Erdaqiao Night Market again.

Another interesting note is that Urumqi's airport is 100 times nicer than the Beijing airport. Very strange. Aren't the Olympics coming up in a few years?

Good Bye For Now!

Early tomorrow morning Matt and I will leave our apartment and Hong Kong for the last time, and get on a plane to Urumqi. We will be traveling around the Xinjiang Province for three weeks, then we fly to Beijing. We will be in Beijing from June 6-14, then we fly directly back to Hong Kong. I am going to try and post on my blog when I get a chance, but if I don't, I will definitely post pictures when I get back to San Diego!

Sniff sniff....Last Night in Hong Kong!

Today has been a crazy hectic day. I am not sure why Matt and I always leave everything for the last minute, but it always seems to happen! Oh well...Today we have been running around doing lots of stuff we could have done in the past week. All I can think is, "This time tomorrow we will be in Urumqi." Yay! The strange thing is, I am saying "Yay!" not because of Urumqi, but because we will be DONE packing, DONE saying good bye, DONE looking back over our time in Hong Kong and being sad to leave, and hopefully DONE being stressed and at eachother's throats.

Luckily, tonight some friends of ours had planned a dinner at a private kitchen. It gave us a good last dinner in Hong Kong and a chance to say good bye to everyone. It was (luckily for me but not for Matt) a vegetarian private kitchen. It was quite amazing what they did to simulate meat. For the appetizer they had slices of what looked exactly like lunch meat or balogna or something...it even had what looked like fat swirls in it. It tasted just like lunch meat to me, or maybe I just haven't had lunch meat for a long time. Anyway, I realized I don't lke that taste even if it is not meat. The vegetarian fish balls were delicious. The whole meal was good! It was a great last meal to have in Hong Kong.

In the taxi on the way home, I felt so sad! We were walking near Times Square and I thought, "I CAN'T believe that I am leaving!" It really feels like home to me here and I am extremely sad about leaving. I am excited about exploring Boston and the East Coast, but I am sad to leave Hong Kong and Asia. I feel like I am going back to reality or something. Oh no!

Then I was thinking, "Oh no, I am going to feel this sad again in 2 or 3 years when Matt and move from Boston." I guess that is the nature of life though, things keep changing, and it is both sad and happy, but you have to have the sadness that comes with change or else things would stagnate...

So Sad!

On Monday night, I had my last dinner with some of the girls...we went to Life for dinner and then to the Feather Boa for giant daquiris...they are truly delicious. The are served in huge glasses that are coated with the cocoa and the daquiris are made with real strawberries. Yummy!

Sunday

Of course, the day after our attempted barbecue was completely gorgeous. Perfect weather to go for a hike! Except that with all the packing and mayhem I accidentally packed up my tennis shoes, so they are en route to Boston now. I know, I know...I will be needing tennis shoes in China, but what can I say...you can't always remember everything! The movers also packed up our Prison Break DVDs. Heartbreaking because not only were they Kelly's DVDs, but also I was in the middle of the series and only had two episodes left. Bummer!

Anyway, the hike didn't work out because we got too late of a start, and Matt ended up blaming me, so I spent the whole day apologizing. Apparently I took too long to get ready and pick out new tennis shoes! The day ended up fun though, we just went to the Repulse Bay beach and chilled out.

The bus ride back from the Beach



The View from the Bus

Cool cemetary on the way back from Repulse Bay

At night we went to Mong Kok to walk around. I am going to miss Mong Kok! I don't really spend much time there, but it is so vibrant and so...Hong Kong that I love it evry time I go. The people watching is great, things are always changing andyou never know what you will come across! You can tell, I am getting nostalgic already and I haven't even left yet!



Cantonese dessert.
This is one of the many things I am really going to miss about Hong Kong!


Mong Kok Street


Bakery

Leaving Do at Shek O

I am not sure if it is a British thing or an Aussie thing, but in Hong Kong alot of people call a going away party a "leaving do". Anyway, we had our "leaving do" on Saturday at a very cute little bar in Shek O called Big Wave Bar. They let us rent a big barbecue and bring our own food to grill. (Of course, we found this out after I had posted a comment on Boston Chef about how there was no place to grill outdoors in Hong Kong!) Anyway, it was a nice little spot right on the beach.

The only problem was that it is sort of a long trek from Central, and the weather was bad! It was like, really windy and I was freezing. I was wearing my bathing suit and shorts cause I thought it was going to be hot! It has been hot and gorgeous in Hong Kong everyday except that day, what a bummer! Alot of people were out of town that weekend, so that was also a bummer.


It was a fun afternoon, but it ended early cause everyone was freezing, especially me!

Moving Day

Today the movers came and packed up our stuff. Sadly, it was traumatic for me. Not during the move, that was easy, but the days preceding it. I feel ridiculous because after Kelly left and I started thinking about packing and organizing my stuff, I started having all of these flashbacks to when I was packing up Dad's house and my house before I moved to Hong Kong. As Grandma and my cousin Melissa know, that may have been the worst day of my life. On that day, while the packers started boxing up Dad's house, it started to sink in that Dad really wasn't coming back. So, I huddled on the floor and sobbed. In retrospect, I feel bad for the movers. They just worked and tried not to look at me. Haha! I gave them a huge tip, so I don't feel that bad. My cousin and my Grandma were great, and my Grandma's dog Bandido was also great. I have never been the hugest "dog person". I think they are ok, but have never had the deep love for them that other people (like Matt) do. But while I was crying there on the floor, holding Bandido was the most comforting thing in the world. For a long time after that I really wantd a dog of my own. Bandido really made me feel better! Now I am over it though.

Anyway, I feel ridiculous because that was two years ago. This move is a hundred times easier than that one was. We are basically paying guys to do everything and we don't have that much stuff. It was done in literally an hours and a half, and Matt was here to help me the whole time. Poor Matt, I might be scarred about moving men and the process of moving for the rest of my life. Just kidding, when we move from Boston I am sure it will be better...

Another thought about Dad...I got an email from my friend Rachel. She is getting married this summer in Burbank, which is not far from where Dad and I lived in Pasadena. She is booking the hotel for Matt and I and one option was in old town Pasadena, right by my Dad's house. When I started to think about going back to Pasadena, I couldn't handle it. I feel like I want to avoid that place at all costs, even though I love it. I haven't been back since we sold Dad's house, and I don't want to ruin my first weekend back in the US by freaking out over being in Pasadena. So, I think we will just stay in a hotel in Burbank. Yes, I am avoiding the situation, but I don't care! I do feel ridiculous though...shouldn't I be over this by now?

Enough about sad topics...I ran into Paige and Diane today in Kosmo Cafe. I wish I had really talked them sooner. Diane said she always loved to see Kelly and I in class because we look so happy to be there. I think that is a very nice compliment. I am going to miss the teachers at Pure alot. Strangely, I feel like I have been through so much with them in the past two years even though we didn't really know eachother. They recommended me to go to Baron Baptiste's studio in Boston. I am slightly afraid of him because he seems so intense, but I will give it a try because Paige said his studio is awesome. I usually don't like male teachers because they seem so "achievement oriented", but maybe Baron Baptiste will be different.

Kelly's Last Day in Hong Kong

Last Monday was Kelly's and my last day in Hong Kong together. It was a very sad day! We had lunch at Life Cafe, which was one of our favorites, and went to yoga. Luckily, Paige was teaching that day so we could have our last class with her.


On my way home from lunch I saw this really crazy bug. You can't tell from the picture, but it was huge! Like, the size of my palm...It was right outside my building. It makes me realize that Hong Kong is definitely a subtropical climate. We don't have bugs like that in California! (Or at least not that I have seen...)


Matt, Kelly, Maria and I went out to vietnamese food for dinner, and then to get foot massages. When I leave Hong Kong I am definitely going to miss the foot massages. While Matt and I are in China I plan on getting foot massages as much as possible!

The End of a Very Lazy Weekend

Well, I guess I never fully recovered from Cinco de Mayo...I felt horrible the entire next day. I had a headache, I felt nauseous, I didn't want to do anything except lay on the bed and groan. It was horrible, plus there was a thich grey cloud laying right on top of the city and that made it even worse. Matt and I went to see Match Point at night. I was bored with that movie from beginning to end! Too many British people in it I guess...



This morning the weather was better, but I still felt very blah and extremely lazy. Matt and I went to Lower Cheung Sha Beach (where we had his birthday party last year) and laid on the beach and read our books. Very relaxing! I needed to get out of the city a little bit. After the beach, we went to dinner with Kelly and Raul. She is leaving on Tuesday...I can't believe it! We won't be living near each other anymore!




On our way home from the beach, there were some fortune tellers at the ferry terminal. I had my fortune told, and it was very interesting. This is what I found out:

1. I need some "eyebrow gel" (his words not mine) to keep my eyebrows in order. If I don't do that, then I will not be able to keep money. I must make sure to pluck in between my eyebrows. (I am not joking. He said this.)

2. My face could get fatter. It is too bumpy right now (he said my cheekbones stick out too much) and it should be smooth. If it is bumpy, then things will keep changing alot in my life.

3. I should chew gum to strengthen my jaw muscles, then I will be better able to tell people what to do.

4. On my hand, the "health line" is faint. I must continue to exercise and be very careful of my health because there may be problems in the future.

5. On my hand, the "business line" is "not existing". (Hahahaha! Matt and I both laughed at that one.)

6. I should not lend money to friends because I will not get it back.

7. The shape and size of my chin means that when I am old, I will have enough food and money. (Oh good! I actually worry about that alot.)

8. My palm says that I waste money so I need to think about not buying things I don't need.

9. My upper lip shows that I have stomach and digestive health issues so I should do 20 sit ups every night before bed. (Hmmm....maybe he just thought my stomach was fat?)

Very interesting! I was going to take his advice about the sit ups, but now I feel tired...I will definitely go and get my eyebrows done though!





Aaaahhh...beautiful Hong Kong...The pictures in this blog post are ones that Matt and I took today on the ferry back from Lantau. Beautiful Hong Kong, O how I will miss you!

Cinco de Mayo

Last night we celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Tori and Patrick's house. Tori is my beatiful, fun, perfect hostess/perfect house/perfect career friend....very inspiring! Anyway, she outdid herself again, and made the most delicious spread of Mexican-style appetizers: seven layer dip, guacamole, and some sort of cheesy dip. So yummy! And, her margaritas were out of this world. I drink less and less with each passing day, but some how at Tori's magic house, I always end up drunk (okay, I am exagerating...but I have only been there twice, and those are the only times I have been drunk in the past 2 years)without any warning or knowledge of how I came to be that way. Actually, that is not true...I know how I got that way, it was the yummy, not-to-sweet/not-to-strong margarita she put in my hand when I walked in. It didn't even take me a full margarita...I drank a quarter of the glass and was already well on my way to being sloppy drunk. It is sort of sad in a way, cause that is not very much alcohol.


It was an amazingly fun night...Kelly, Tori and I went into Tori's bedroom because Tori had some old clothes that didn''t fit her anymore but are basically brand new, and they fit me perfectly...We were in the bedroom a really long time marveling at her wardrobe and talking about what clothes I would need for Boston. Apparently I need khakis, boots, turtlenecks and a trench coat. Oh, and lots of seersucker. I can check off the khakis cause Tori gave me hers. I think the clothing style in New England is cute for other people, but frankly, I don't think it is really my style. I guess I will see when I get there. I am not sure if I will ever get into the seersucker!


When we came out of the bedroom, everyone had caught up with my margarita drinking and were dancing around the living room. There was lots of air guitar playing and singing going on...

I am sad to leave my friends in Hong Kong!

PS. Happy birthday to Matt's sister, Ana!
PPS. Now I remember why I don't like drinking...I feel sick and gross this morning. My head hurts! I think I will go to yoga, that should help.

Fiona's Baby Shower

Fiona opening one of her many gifts!


Last night Kelly and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Fiona. Well, I guess "hosted" is sort of a strong word for what we did...basically, we sent out the evite and brought the food and some baby shower games over to Fiona's house. Despite the fact that Kelly and I don't have kids and aren't really baby shower experts, I think it turned out great! Most of the people there were British anyway, and apparently in England they don't have baby showers. So, they hadn't been to a baby shower before and so they couldn't compare it to anything else. We had a ton of food...but that was good cause there were lots of pregnant, hungry ladies there. We played the game where everyone guessed how many times a roll of toilet paper would wrap around Fiona's stomach, and also had some Fiona trivia questions to keep the gift opening interesting.

I guess that in England and Australia they have a tradition called "wetting the baby's head". When a baby is born, the father will go out and drink all night with his buddies. Hmmm...I hope wetting the baby's head never catches on in the US. Matt will definitely not be wetting my baby's head. (I hope...)


I have been totally baby crazy lately...I probably shouldn't admit this out loud, and I am sure it is only because all of a sudden it seems like I know a lot of people who are having babies. But...with every passing month I want a baby more and more. I even had a dream where I had a baby, but Matt was at work I was worried that the baby was going to be cold and for some reason I needed his help. So, my solution was to put the baby in an envelope and keep it in my coat pocket. Hmmm....maybe that dream is telling me to wait 5 years so I can learn not to put a baby in an envelope! No, actually, it is Matt telling me to shut up about babies...I am only 25 after all.


My other beautiful pregnant friends, Jean and Julia!

Happy Birthday, Matt!

For Matt's 28th birthday, we had a small, casual dinner at Pasha. It was very different from Matt's birthday last year, but it was a lot more fun. Last year was good, but this year it was more relaxed, and with a smaller group we could actually talk to everyone!

The restaurant, Pasha, served Xinjiang cuisine. It was delicious, but I am slightly worried for when Matt and I head off to Urumqi in a few weeks. I think all they eat there is big hunks of greasy meat! Matt will be happy, but there is only so much lamb and beef I can eat before I get really sick of it. The good thing is, Xinjiang bread is so yummy...they cook it in a big oven, and it is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, with sesame seeds on top. So good! When I was in Beijing, I was addicted to the bread they served at the Xinjiang restuarant on campus. Also, the Xinjiang province is famous for its vanilla ice cream. Sounds good to me! Plus, that is where a lot of the fruit is grown that is sold in the rest of China.


We had cheesecake for dessert, and they even gave Matt a birthday fez that we got to bring home.

Dragon's Back

This weekend Matt and I decided to hike the Dragon's Back. Dragon's Back is an easy, one hour hike that it seems like everyone in Honbg Kong has done a million times, except us. We have been hiking quite a bit here, but never the Dragon's Back! It was nice to get out a little, but it was SO humid, and I was sweating like a beast. Also, there were a ton of people on the trail. I miss hiking in the Sierras, where you might not see another person the whole day! All the expats rave about how hiking in Hong Kong is so great, but I feel like they haven't seen really beautiful, stunning, pristine wilderness. I guess that is the point though, hiking areas in Hong Kong are accessible to everyone, and it is not a long trek to get to a good hiking spot.

The views were great and we ended up in Shek O, which was lucky cause we ended up booking a really cute barbecue spot on the beach for our going away party.