On to Bali

I am sitting in the Hong Kong airport waiting to board the flight to Bali. The past two days have been action packed and very fun.  On Friday we spent the day on Lantau island , home to a very large Buddha .We have took the MTR  (Hong Kong subway) which is really clean and easy to navigate and then rode a glass cable car up the mountain to Lantau . It was a beautiful village with shops and restaurants and of the course the big Buddha! I have to say everyone has been very friendly and always willing to offer directions. Most speak English with the exception of the taxi drivers .  Friday night we did the Symphony of lights harbor cruise . In Hong Kong . Every night at 8pm they have a pretty cool light lasor show with the high rise buildings flashing bright colored lights to music. I love anything that sparkles so it was awesome! The weather is still chilly but we had a great time despite the cool temperatures. The number of people in Hong Kong is crazy. High rise after high rise lit up a night is beautiful.  On Saturday we took the 18 mile bike ride with a guide through the new territories . I wondered if we would regret booking this but we loved it! Our guide Tim met us at the train station with bikes and water  and we spent the morning riding through small villages outside of Hong Kong . It was a holiday much like our Memorial Day. The tradition is to clean ancestors graves and honor them with offerings and then roast a pig( something's are just like Raleigh ). We watched people come out of their homes a walk together , their arms full of offerings of fruit and hand made items to place at the graves. We had lunch at a restaurant that is popular with the locals while Tim ordered us dim sum and other traditional foods and told us all about the stories behind them. I have to say , I am not a fan of dim sum . It's texture is slimy to me but I tried everything! After lunch we rode for two more hours and had our picture take at the border of china where they used to try to illegally enter Hong Kong . Our last night was spent in Kowloon at the ladies market which I loved ! It's like Times Square on steroids. Tons of people , great stuff to buy., lots of negotiating and street performers everywhere. I stayed until I completely ran out if Hong Kong dollars :)

My journeys began this year when I joined 14 really cool women on a girls getaway cruise to the Bahamas and Key west . From there my travels took me to Hong Kong and Bali . Two amazingly different and beautiful places that I hope to one day return. My favorite memories include a cooking class with the chef of the Four Seasons in Bali . We chopped fresh herbs and spices selected from the farmers market and made some of the most amazing food I have ever had. The beauty of Bali is overwhelming and the people are kind and always gracious .I took a short jaunt to NYC to prove that my daughter really is 21 and can legally have an $18 cocktail in the city ! Oh boy! We had a great time touring the city and seeing a slightly odd show about men who like to wear bright red stiletto boots. My only bummer was the men looked way better in a two piece than me . It’s just not fair.

My latest adventure is five day in Mexico at the Karisma Resorts . I am excited to have the opportunity to tour five resorts in the Riviera Maya area. My trip will include a Mojito tasting , tours of the various levels of rooms and restaurants. I can’t wait!! I will be posting pictures and comments in the blog next week. So stay tuned!