H O N G K O N G

Wow, has it already been a month now that we've been absent? Time really flies... it wasn't without cause though. We just returned from a 3 week trip back to Vancouver for one of my best friend's wedding. Between that, seeing friends and family, we were not left with much free time. 10 days at home isn't enough but we're already now looking forward to coming back. We snuck in a week long trip to Hong Kong too. It was a much needed break - work in a professional services firm is fast paced and sometimes you just need to have some time to yourself to slow down. This is going to be a heck of a long post but I please bare with us :) V A N C O U V E R  A K A  Home We will likely always call Vancouver our home. We love to travel and we likely won't be living in Vancouver for a while but our family and a lot of good friends still reside there. It is always a good time to be back. Visiting family, hanging out with good friends, having daily meals of sushi and wandering around old neighborhoods brings back a lot of memories and reminds us of what to be thankful for. My friend's wedding was beautiful and it was so cool to see one of my best friends get married to her husband, Bruce. Being back made us realize how much we love the Northwest Coast of NA. Just a couple of shots below - you know, since we were in the stunning Hycroft Mansion and all.

H O N G K O N G Janice was born in HK but I was born and raised in Vancouver. The last time I went to HK was back in 94 and to be quite honest, I don't remember much of it. My recollection was limited to my memory of how dirty it was haha. But understandably, this place has changed over completely. It was modern and much cleaner than I remembered. The bigger shock though? It was hot... and sticky. 32-34 degrees celsius with humidity that made it feel like 37-39 daily, we were constantly sweating. I was warned but being born in Vancouver, no words could have prepared me. It was bearable though so it wasn't all bad. Walking through the streets of HK, I was again amazed as to how different Asia is from the western world. The visual stimulants there are abundant, invasive even. But you have to appreciate it, it makes for some great pictures :)

Walking around the city Alright, so we knew Hong Kong had good shopping. But even with that expectation, the amount of malls surprised me. It wasn't just the sheer number of malls but the shops in each one. From Chanel, to Tiffany's to Celine, to whatever you want. If you have the money, this place could be your shopping haven but for me and J, it was just a place to escape the heat. Hong Kong can look a bit like a concrete jungle but from high up, there's no denying how cool a view the cityscape is.

Indulgences Food in HK. Pretty much everyone who thinks of this city thinks of it in conjunction with great food. It doesn't have to be fancy by any stretch of the imagination though. Some of the best food in the city is simply comfort food. Simple. Delicious. Cheap. We ventured to some local favorites including Australia Dairy Company, Tim Ho Wan, Tsim Chai Kee, Honey Moon Dessert, and others. What a vacation. Great food, great company. We were happy.

Impressions Hong Kong may not have always been at the top of my list for travel destinations but it sure shot right up there now. We had a great time roaming the city and enjoying all the good eats. It was great meeting some of J's friends and family too :)