When I look back at my album of photos from my vacation to south China, it’s amazing how much I saw! I took about 500 photos!  I am excited to show them to you, but I don’t want this post to be overwhelming, so I will just share the highlights.

We met my sister and her family in Hong Kong where we spent several days, exploring, shopping, eating and being tourists.  We rode a tramway to the top of Victoria Peak, where you can see amazing views of Hong Kong skyline, Victoria Harbor, and the ocean.  

(that’s me at the top of  The Peak)
(views of Hong Kong from The Peak)

We also rode the famous escalators in Central Hong Kong. They are the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, and were completed in1993. 

(the escalators)

(view of a side street from The Escalators)

We went on a ferry tour of Victoria Harbor.

(that’s me again on the ferry boat tour)

(views of the skyline from the ferry boat)

We did a lot of shopping, and then enjoyed afternoon tea at The Peninsula Hotel.

We visited Stanley Market, a touristy area on the other side of the island from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong’s dense skyline.

A couple observations about Hong Kong: you can still see the British influence because traffic drives on the left side of the road and the drivers’ seat is on the right side of the cars. There were double-decker busses all over the city. People were always friendly. Many of the signs were in Chinese and English – yay for us!  The city seemed very modern, hip, urban and cosmopolitan, which I absolutely love!  It reminded me of New York City on steroids! The skyline was gorgeous, especially at night with all the buildings lit up like Las Vegas. The rolling mountains, lush vegetation and tropical ocean made the city feel even more unique. I loved all the diversity and culture and 24-hour access to anything you want. One day we had Chinese cuisine, the next day we had pizza and beer. I could have spent so much more time exploring Hong Kong. Maybe on the next trip.

At the end of the weekend, we took the two-hour train ride from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, where my sister and her family live, and where we spent the rest of our trip.  Stay tuned for more recap and more photos…