Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Hong Kong, our last day.

Our last day in Hong Kong I wanted to just take in all the 
culture and beauty around me, so I made to sure to take
more photos of my surroundings.

That day we decided to go see the Ten Thousand Buddha's Monastery.
A man by the name of Yuet Kai who was a devout Buddhist dedicated
the last years of his life constructing the elaborate temple.

Side note: Before we walked into the monastery 
some Monks literally attacked us with putting
bracelets on our wrists and 'blessing' us.
We thought they were real, we quickly
realized they were scam monks and 
walked away...sneaky guys!
So if you ever go, and encounter monks 
at the entrance they're not the real deal ( ;

It was fun to see all the different facial expressions each Buddha had.
We had a good time posing and trying to mimic each face.
While we were up there admiring the many Buddha's we noticed
the commotion in one corner.  We went to see what all the fuss
was about and noticed monkeys in a small group.
It was crazy! They were all over the place.

After the Monastery we had some time to kill before our 
flight that evening so we went on a hunt for some Dim Sum.
To be honest I can't even remember the name of the place
we went to, but it had awesome reviews so we tried it.
It was delicious, I just wished we'd have been with a
local to give us some better pointers on what to get.

Hong Kong was an awesome city, with luxurious
malls, delicious pastries, great jade markets and full
of so many cultures...a true melting pot.

I hope to make it back someday with a bit more time to explore!
^^Loved the contrast of old and new in HK.
^^Fakers!
^^Annika making an impressive impersonation.
^^Look flying monkeys!!
^^Dim Sum!
From Honk Kong we flew back to Thailand
for more fun with elephants and floating markets.
More on that later!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Happy weekending!

I'm thrilled the weekend is finally here!
Some weeks just seem to drag and are
jam-packed with lots of grown up things
we never want to do.

This weekend I hope to get my batteries recharged!
{photo taken on a walk a few weekends ago.}


Friday, November 8, 2013

Hong Kong {part II}

We were only in Hong Kong for a few days
and we wanted to take advantage of all
the culture and beauty that Hong Kong offered.

I'd heard how beautiful the Big Buddha or
Tian Tan Buddha was
so we decided it was a must see.

Unfortunately for us the tram was being repaired so we didn't
get to ride up and see the awesome views to get to the Buddha.
After waiting  in a line for the 'blue taxi's' for nearly an hour in the
hot and humid heat we decided to take the crowded bus up the
very windy and narrow streets to the top of the mountain.

Once we got out we thought we'd need to walk
to see the infamous Buddha, and then we turned to
our right and saw Buddha in all his glory...he was huge.

It was beautiful at the top of that mountain,
the views were amazing, the heat and humidity, not so much.
Especially while walking up those stairs to the top where Buddha was.
I'd worn a long cotton maxi-skirt that clung to me and trapped the heat in...
ugh what was I thinking!?

But nonetheless it was an amazing experience to see this beautiful statue
and to see so many people from all over the world taking in the beauty as well.
^^Getting ready to climb all those steps.
^^We decided it looked like scenes from the Disney movie Mulan...we Americans always comparing 
everything to movies we've seen!
^^After walking and sweating, crepes with ice-cream were a necessity.
Next up...10,000 Buddhas and fake scam artist monks!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Sundance & Alpine Loop

I love heading up to Sundance which is about a 15 minute drive from my home.
I'm usually there during all the seasons of the years, but I have
to say my ultimate favorite time to head up there
is during the autumn season.  
The colors are so vibrant and there are so 
many different colors that I get kinda camera happy
and want to snap pics of all of them.

Here are some photos from a few weeks ago when I 
went up with some girlfriends.
Unfortunately the lighting wasn't the best
so these pics don't do beautiful Sundance any justice.

But you get the gist of it...right?