I'm CHINA tell you why to go to Hong Kong I cannot express the excitement of being able to go to Hong Kong. It has been one of the most exciting places that I have ever visited. Now, I am not going to lie, I like to keep it real. When first allowed this opportunity I didn't know how I felt about it. Don't get me wrong, I love traveling, but I am so used to seeing places like Paris, Rome, or tropical oases like the Maldives. I was ignorant of the fact that Hong Kong, in its own right, is just as beautiful and magical. After doing a bit of research and talking to my lovely friend Caroline,(who has another great guide on her blog) I was super excited to visit this beautiful place and possibly shed some light on how fantastic it is! I am so excited to be able to show you just a small bit of Hong Kong and tell you all about my experience with this city where the night shines. Victoria's Peak
 My husband and I are huge thrill seekers. Whenever we travel we like to see the place for everything they have to offer. After doing some research I knew that I wanted to check out Victoria's peak, which has some breath-taking views overlooking Hong Kong. Now, I am going to be real with you getting there took quite a bit of time, only because we didn't know that there were other ways to get up to Victoria's Peak. We waited for about 2 hours in line simply to buy tickets. However, we went during Chinese Lunar New Year one of the busiest times. Afterward, we found out that you could simply hike up the trail (all my athletic followers where you at!) or take bus 15c from Central Pier 8. We ended up taking the Peak Tram and honestly, it was worth the wait. Once we arrived at the Peak Tower, which was like my heaven, offering shops and restaurants, I forgot about all the lines that we had to wait in. You could basically see all of Hong Kong through the glass windows because you're super high up, about 396 meters above sea level. I cannot even begin to tell you about the view outside. There's something so humbling when you get to experience sights like these. It makes you appreciate life and the beauty that God created. It makes you take those small moments to breathe, appreciate the beauty, and realize how truly lucky you are. Like I mentioned above there are different restaurants that you can eat in. We decided to go with Bubba Gump Shrimp. Now, before you roll your eyes with our mundane choice I have to say this: one, I love seafood, and two, this restaurant had some of the best views we could enjoy while eating. I know it's a chain restaurant that I could eat here but it was so amazing to eat some of my favorite seafood and bask in the beautiful view that Victoria's Peak had to offer. If you ever decide to visit Hong Kong I HIGHLY recommend going here and seeing such amazing sights.
The Flower Market & Lunar Parade
it is no secret that I am obsessed with color and one of the things I loved about Hong Kong was its colorful atmosphere. I was so excited to visit the Flower Market because, one, I am a sucker for flowers, and two I had googled how beautiful and colorful the markets can be. We took the train to get to the market and it was like a rainbow coming to life. Everywhere I turned I could see colors of fuschia, yellow, and coral. This beautiful market is literally an oasis of color featuring exotic scents and unique cultural foods that you wouldn't want to miss while visiting. Basically, there are a bunch of shops and wholesalers that come out and sell their beautiful flowers, you can also get a house-plant to bring you luck. Families come to these markets and meticulously select these flowers or greenery to bring good fortune as the new year cycle begins. Something you guys may not know about me is that my husband and I are huge when it comes to learning about new cultures. He even studied anthropology in college. It was such a beautiful thing to see families do this tradition together and it brought me back to the times when I was young, implementing my own traditions with my family. There is something so tender and beautiful about that. Of course, I wanted to partake in this lovely tradition, plus, I will never say no to good luck and fortune. Therefore, my husband got me some beautiful lilac and pink flowers that kept a smile on my face all day. We also got to try some local street food which was quite interesting. He insisted I try some fish balls. Now, the name can be quite daunting, and don't get me wrong I am a baby when it comes to trying new foods. However, I wanted to put my big girl pants on and give it a try. It wasn't bad, just different. They're made with fish paste and either boiled in a soupy broth or fried. I always say try something new, so if you like curry flavor or unique experiences I say give this a try. That night we got to experience the Lunar New Year Parade and it was absolutely phenomenal. So many bright colors and such an amazing performance. Warning, if you don't like crowds this may not be the place for you. We were basically person to person, think of the Macys Parade but even bigger and tighter. However, it's such a beautiful experience I would recommend going.
Choi Hung Estates
 Okay, we all know that I am a sucker for the gram. One of my favorite things about traveling is capturing that moment within a photo because I know I will remember it forever. My husband loves to joke that he never had photos before me (which is true). Therefore, when I was doing some research about beautiful places in Hong Kong I found out about these rainbow colored apartments that I was dying to visit. So an interesting fact is that Choi Hung means 'rainbow' in Cantonese. I didn't know that until of course afterward, but it all makes sense because these beautiful buildings all look like rainbows. It's like a hit to your senses as soon as you walk out of the subway station and see all the beautiful iridescent architecture. Now, this place is a bit hard to find, especially if you're not local. Also, my husband and I looked like silly tourists because we were literally on our phones trying to utilize our GPS the entire time. Sometimes, our phones wouldn't even work so we'd aimlessly wander until we happened to stumble across our location. Luckily, I will help you out if you do decide to visit this lovely place. You take the subway to Choi Hung, take the c4 exit and turn left when you pass the underground tunnel. Make sure to look our for staircase number 4 and take the stairs up to the top of the car park. You know you're heading in the right direction when you see the basketball courts. This place is so beautiful and is a perfect spot for Instagram pictures. In fact, I saw not only tourists walking around but even people that lived there posing and taking pictures. We even spoke to someone that lived there and talked about how beautiful her home is.
Macau Another fun fact is that my husband does business in China due to his job. He even has friends that he worked with that ended up moving there. We wanted to make sure that we meet up with them and were thrilled when they asked us to meet them in Macau. We took an awesome ferry, across the ocean, to what I like to call the 'Vegas' of China. I say this because it is notoriously known for its casino scene. So, if you like to gamble this is the place for you. While going here we got to meet up with some old friends and meet their son, who was in his mom's stomach, the last time I saw them. It was so amazing to see this little cutie already 8 months old. They suggested an awesome Michelin star restaurant called A Lorcha, which had a lot of delicious Portuguese cuisine. The line was outside the door, which is normally a good sign, we were lucky to even get a table thanks to our friends who made a reservation. Afterward stuffing our face with food we all decided we needed a nice little walk. My husband is a history buff so he wanted to view the Ruins of St. Paul. This is stands adjacent to the Mount Fortress and the Macau Museum, it's like going back in time in history which was super interesting. We got to climb the fortress and see the beautiful views of Macau, I think my husband had the most fun here because he loves history and he got to witness it first hand. Plus, he got to see a cool old canon and it brought back his love of watching old medieval war movies. We only spent one day in Macau but it was such a cool experience to witness another place in China. If you have some extra time and want to get out of Hong Kong for a bit, this place isn't too far, plus it can be done within one day.
Man Mo Temple
There are so many beautiful temples in Hong Kong but we only got to visit Man Mo Temple. This beautiful picturesque place pays tribute to the God of Literature and the God of war. It was built all the way in 1847 and it is the largest Man Mo Temple in Hong Kong which is pretty neat. I loved it's colorful red and yellow decor that seemed to bring out this calm within me. We noticed a lot of people paying tribute by lighting incense and saying their own silent prayers. It was a peaceful moment to reflect and really take in this tranquil temple. There is so much that I can continue to say about Hong Kong. It was such a magical place and I feel so blessed to be able to travel so far around the world. It's a stunning place for rich culture, amazing foods, and an abundance of color. If you ever get the chance, you should visit because it is unlike any other place I have been! We also went to Disneyland in Hong Kong but I will tell you about my experience in another post. Thank you guys so much again for reading I hope that this was helpful if you are choosing to travel abroad. Have a great day! Until next time, xoxo Rachel
 
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