I just returned from a memorable trip to Hong Kong over Fall Break with my sisters. The initial purpose of the trip was for Ashleigh to renew her Taiwanese visa which had expired. However, when she realized that she had to take a trip out of Taiwan, we decided that we would make the most of it together. So we hopped on a plane and experienced everything from roller coasters to metro travel to dim sum to night markets in “Asia’s World City” (Hong Kong’s self-proclaimed title). We had a blast and made some wonderful memories. (Note: Ashleigh’s visa run was a success as well!)
Our Journey in Photos
At the airport in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. We all had different ideas of what waiting looked like.Hong Kong is one of the most beautiful cities to which I’ve traveled.Our hotel was called “mini hotel” on Causeway Bay, but contrary to the name, it was a large room (especially by HK standards), and we each had our own bed!We traveled by foot (and boy did my feet and legs hurt!), MTR, bus, high speed train, cable car, elevator, escalator, tram, and plane. What a variegated transportation experience!We spent a full day at Ocean Park, an amusement park that is situated in a gorgeous mountainous area on the coast. Notable: My sisters got me on my first upside-down roller coaster here!I couldn’t get all of the fun moments at Ocean Park into one collage, so here are some more silly snapshots of the day.Natalie, a friend from Morrison in Taipei, happened to be in Hong Kong at the same time as us, so we met up one day and shopped and had lunch together. We also made a new friend, Ken (our waiter), while eating dim sum.Shopping is a favorite pastime of visitors to Hong Kong; we shopped at the jade market, several night markets, and a jewelry/fine handicrafts store that we always visit in the city. We enjoyed bargaining for cheaper prices and mingling with locals.We watched the “Symphony of Lights” show on two different nights as it’s pretty spectacular to see buildings lighting up in sync with music. Walking up and down the Avenue of the Stars, we also saw the names and handprints of some famous Asian actors.I wrote Charles a little love note at The Peak (where we got a 360 degree view of Hong Kong). I miss that man!You know I can’t post about a foreign country visit without talking about the food. We ate many delicious things in Hong Kong, but my favorite by far was the dim sum.
One Last Hoorah
The girls kept referring to this trip as our “last hoorah” as the three single Hatcher sisters, but I continued to remind them that I’m not dying–just getting married! I suppose things are changing, but I hope it will mean simply that in the future our group will grow as we’ll all (someday) have our husbands with us for these adventures. If I’m forced to think of this as our “last hoorah” (one of several–is that an oxymoron?–that I think we’ll have before June 29, 2013), I’m happy to say that our time in Hong Kong was well-worth every penny spent; we had a great time enjoying the city together and making memories as sisters.
Peace Along the Journey 
Thanks for sharing. Great pictures and it sounds like you guys made the most of every day.