Category: Asia

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First Day Hong Kong

Hong Kong, China


Thankfully we took the high speed Airport Express train to our hotel to avoid the traffic. We were so tired! It was 4:30am pacific by then and with only a few naps we were pretty tired. But of course the boys were hungry so we grabbed a quick bite right near the hotel, squid ball soup and curry chicken. Our hotel is beautiful and our room has four beds!! We were so happy to sleep comfortably with no one bothering us! We also have a small kitchen with a sink, refrigerator, stovetop, microwave, rice cooker, French press, stocked nicely. The view is gorgeous too. Today was a lot of exploring, first to eat at a famous Michelin Star dim sum restaurant. It was AMAZING!! Then we rolled out of there and headed down to a Tailor for a custom made suit for Jeff in Tsim Sha Tsui. Down to the waterfront and the Hong Kong Walk of Fame, kind of like the Hollywood walk of fame along Victoria Harbor. Next up was the Ladies Market for some shopping and haggling. We made it back to the hotel and are ready for bed!! But we promised the boys we can go to the pool, it’s very humid but the temperature wasn’t too bad, nowhere near as hot as I thought it would be. The pool and spa is on the top floor of the hotel, what a great view. After a quick swim we all made our way to the steam room to relax our tired muscles….. Cocktails were on the 110th floor of the Ritz Carlton, what a view! Then of course we were hungry again….more noodles. Too bad the boys didn’t make it through all of dinner, I guess Jet Lag set in.

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Cathay Pacific Flight LAX-HKG

New Territories, Hong Kong


This whole morning from wake up until we took off I was a ball of nerves. We didn’t go to sleep until 1am then woke up at 6. So needless to say I was overtired and super stressed out to be ready to leave at 9am. Thankfully we have a great family who is taking care of Stanley and our house. So that was one less worry for us. We made it through security and into the KAL Lounge by 11:30! We left at 9am, traffic and security took so long. A stiff Bloody Mary, tea sandwiches and udon noodles helped a bit! It’s somewhat painful sitting next to the boys as they argue and fight over the shared armrest but I have a crisp glass of white to smooth it all over. I downloaded all these movies and TV shows but the entertainment system is amazing. I think I might start Breaking Bad since it is an offering?!? Only 13 more hours to go…, Lunch was decent considering its airline food, and the kids ate well. They are just super happy to drink sprite and eat ice cream! Now it’s time to take a nap, 3 hours into the flight, full bellies and I will finish my first episode of Breaking Bad then hopefully a nap. I managed to sleep for about two hours so that helped a lot. There’s nothing better than the Bose Quiet Comfort headphones, they have noise canceling and with that on and my music playing you don’t hear anything! I did watch the first episode of Breaking Bad before I napped. It was good but like any series, you need to watch a few to really get into it. Just had a cup of coffee even though it’s 7pm Pacific because I have 8 more hours of flight left and it will be around 6pm the next day when we arrive in Hong Kong. The boys are having fun but haven’t slept yet. They are having too much fun with the in flight entertainment choices. They had a good long game of video chess. They are also excited to cross the International Date Line. Only 7 1/2 more hours to go, made it half way and crossed the International Date Line! The second episode of Breaking Bad is over and still not hooked, but definitely interesting. I have been reading in between and eating and drinking. We had dinner at 10 pm pacific but 1:09pm Hong Kong time. I chose the Fish with black bean sauce and jasmine rice, it was surprisingly good! 5 more hours to go….2/3 of the way there. It’s not as miserable as I thought it would be. I am actually relaxing, reading, watching TV and enjoying myself. But there are five more hours, we’ll see what they bring…..nap time again zzzzz! Well I somehow slept again and for 2 hours until the boys woke me up kicking each other and fighting over space and who was encroaching into the others, etc. Just what I wanted to be woken to. Cranky now! But the monitor said only 2 more hours!! We all just freshened up and the boys ordered noodle soup-they are so happy now 🙂 I am going to do some reading and get ready for our arrival into Hong Kong soon! We are finally making our descent into Hong Kong, the flight is over!

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Itinerary

San Clemente, CA


I think that I may be planning too much but I feel like I need to see everything while we are there. The itinerary so far is this: Fly from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and stay there for 3 nights to see skyscrapers, taste heavenly food and experience ancient customs. Bangkok, Thailand for 2 nights to see the floating markets, the amazing food and the bustling nightlife. Then up north to Chiang Mai, Thailand for 3 days nestled in the foothills of the mountains with elaborate temples and a moat surrounding the old town. Especially excited to spend a day at an elephant conservation camp outside of town. From there we visit the infamous White Temple in Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle at the confluence of the mighty Mekong and Ruak rivers where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand all meet at a point. It is the second largest opium producing region in the world besides the Golden Crescent in Afghanistan. From there we will head over to Laos by a two day slow boat on the Mekong and arrive in sleepy Luang Prabang to see the former capital with golden roof temples, saffron robed monks and colonial French architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site. That brings us two weeks into the trip….I have a few more weeks to plan. I have my ideas and itinerary in my head but now I have to put it on paper. That is the problem with being a perfectionist, I spend so much time comparing hotels and things to do that it takes me a few days per city. It is a lot of fun to plan but is overwhelming too, but I love doing it.

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Flights are booked!

San Clemente, CA


We booked our flights last week, it is now definite! We fly from LAX to Hong Kong and stay a few days there. Then fly to Bangkok and the majority of our trip goes from there, we end up in Singapore a few weeks later and fly home through Hong Kong back to LAX. Now the rest of the planning must start! I must start with visas and immunizations…..