Sunday, October 30, 2011

Hong Kong…Day 1

Hoofta…it’s been nearly 3 weeks since I last blogged…it was the day I landed in Hong Kong…I sat on the plane typing blogs and had them all saved for my internet connection…and posted when we got to our hotel~!  Since then, it’s been a whirlwind of pretzels, catching up, spending time with my boys, hanging out with my best friend and trying to do it all…so…here is our Hong Kong Trip little recap!

We arrived at the airport a little bit late, but if you’ve ever flown out of Phnom Penh, you would know that getting thru the airport and security is a breeze…I, however, have only flown out of PNH with 3 kids in tow and did not realize this…as signing the customs departure cards, carrying a diaper bag, telling my 3 year old to stay close and holding hands while filling EVERY detail out had me at whit’s end…but I digress…all I was really trying to say is that I was stressed the last time I left Phnom Penh and flew to Bangkok at 9 pm…with 3 kids. 

Let’s just say…I haven’t flown “alone” in almost 4 years…I have forgotten how “easy” getting thru security is with just MY shoes to take off…no bottles to “litmus test”, no saying “Oh, that’s just breast milk!”, no trying to keep a wee one from running off while I put said shoes back on…so my stress of being a little late was relieved by the fact that once we checked in, we were at our gate in 5 minutes, eating a Panini and sipping a cappuccino. 

I sat on the plane with ALL THIS ROOM!  I mean, I haven’t flown without someone on my LAP in 4 years, diaper bags, DVD players, old toys wrapped in paper to make them thing it’s something new, baby bjorns and everything in between.  I settled back AND accepted that glass of wine…I was on vacation dammit…didn’t matter if it was noon!

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It was rainy, but beautiful upon our arrival!  (I openly HEART rain!)…we boarded this bus and rode for a bit before getting to the terminal and I told Jim I thought we needed to fill out the “entrance cards” for customs and he said, “Nah…they didn’t give them to us on the plane.”…so I got in line with him and waited…and waited…and waited…all the while listening to Jim saying, “Oh…my stomach is cramping…I don’t know if I’m going to make it!”…we finally get there and the immigration official tells us by pointing that we need it…and he doesn’t have a pen…and points for us to get back in line…I wasn’t leaving…and Jim couldn’t…lucky for us, some kind people had pens…(When do I ever travel without a pen?  Oh, yeah…I didn’t have a diaper bag!)…we finally got thru customs and I didn’t see Jim until about 20 minutes later where I was waiting with our bags!…it might have been longer…nobody else was waiting for bags…the luggage carrier had stopped!

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We got on a very cool train that was nearly empty and in 20 to 30 minutes we were right in Hong Kong!  AMAZING!  I loved this city the moment I stepped off the plane…the energy…the curving streets…the big green trees…the rain…the cleanliness of it…the hustle and bustle…I just loved it.

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…even the sword for defense in the bus to our hotel…I mean, why carry mace when you can carry a sword, right?

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We got all settled in to our hotel, relaxed, unpacked and looked thru the books…Jim picked the area and we asked a cab to take us…and we couldn’t help ourselves…NEVER in my life would I choose a Hard Rock Café to eat at while in a cool city such as Hong Kong…but I guess that is one thing I loved about it…I could eat all the American Food my tummy could handle…I picked the Hard Rock, much to Jim’s chagrin…that is until these came out…

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…and this happened…OH.MY.GAWD…I wanted to lick that damned plate…seriously…WHO KNEW nachos could taste so good…SO GOOD!?

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We walked the streets…saw the sites and found a little bar that said “largest selection of international beers”…

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…and lo and behold…the night just got even BETTER!  We found Full Sail Amber in Hong Kong…our Portland Hearts stopped beating for one quick moment and we were in our own slice of heaven!

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Ben & Jerrys…Full Sail…

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Suffice to say, Day 1 was a little slice of heaven for us!  I can’t remember the last time we got to hold hands, stroll around and eat and drink American food…

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