Hong Kong has always been a place of transit for me. A place for layovers between flights and most notably the first country I went to after being adopted from China! It was great to start exploring Hong Kong more as the last time I was there beyond a layover was when I was ten. My dear godfather also happens to live there so it’s great to see him always and get his insights on life and pineapple buns covered in butter. This trip I was only in Hong Kong for two days but packed a lot in the little time and had a great time!

After arriving in Hong Kong and settling into my hotel, I went out to get Dim Sum at a well known 1 Michelin star restaurant that happens to be a chain. It is likely the cheapest Michelin rated restaurant in the world so it was a must do for me! I love the rice wrapped pork covered in soy sauce, the egg custard buns and the sweet, crunchy pork buns. Usually I have more savory pork buns and it was fun to try the sweeter version. The menu isn’t vast, but it’s a very popular place to frequent in Hong Kong with a guaranteed cheap and delicious meal.

One of my main memories of Hong Kong is the Octopus card which is a transportation card that you can also use as cash at most places including convenience stores. When I was ten in Hong Kong, Godfather Mark got me one and I thought I was rich not understanding the currency exchange. I also stopped by the local store and got a thing of Hagandaaz because it’s another nostalgic memory from Hong Kong. Plus its ice-cream and that is synonymous with “Kaila.”

Later that night I went down to Victoria Harbor, the riverfront, and watched the light show that is world famous. Known as the largest light and sound show in the world, it was fun to watch all the lasers and lights stream from the skyline across the river.

I walked around Hong Kong in the evening and snapped this beautiful picture of The Peninsula Hotel decorated for Chinese New Year.

The next morning I had a slow start and reveled in the hotel bed and the vast amount of pillows. I headed to CUHK to visit Mark and we caught up over sandwiches and yummy lemon tarts. Mark has such great insight having been an expat in Asia for so long. He also laughs at my jokes which is the most important!

After debating if I had enough time, I decided to head to the Big Buddha. I took the cable car with a beautiful view of Hong Kong and made it to the base of the Buddha. After making my way through the tourist stalls selling random souvenirs, I climbed the 300 or so stairs to the top to see the Buddha. And my verdict is that it is 100% worth it! The statue was massive in size, really fun to see and a must do in Hong Kong.

I then made my way to the airport with plenty of time to spare and headed back to Shanghai. In the airport at the charging station I met a fellow expat who lives in Shanghai and we ended up sharing a cab back to the city once landing back in SH. All in all it was a great trip and a nice (and warm) break from the hustle of Shanghai. I will say that I am super happy to be back in Shanghai and being away made me realize how much I love my new city. I’m in the midst of an intensive 9 day straight session before I go on break for Chinese New Year. For part of it, I will be heading to Beijing with two great friends and am excited for all the fun things we have planned.

And of course….don’t forget. Late February is the season of Sheryl in Shanghai!

Off to save the world,

Kaila