Hong Kong: Day 6

This was my last full day in Hong Kong, and I had yet to see the Tian Tan Buddha! The Buddha is the largest bronze Buddha in the world, and can supposedly be seen from as far away as Macao on a clear day. So it was my goal to make it to Lantau island. I eventually made it, but it was certainly a journey. The group of girls I was with this day didn't quite have the same agenda as I did, since they had two full days to sight see. The weather was also drizzly, foggy and generally not conducive to sight seeing yesterday. But, I went to Lantau island anyway, with three girls in tow. Because we got there so late, the round trip cable car tickets were sold out (which makes absolutely no sense to me), so we would have to take a bus from the top back down. I was determined, so I didn't care. It was so foggy as we ascended the mountain, that the cable car was completely encased in fog—I couldn't even see the car in front or behind us!! We eventually make it to the top, only to learn that the bus is departing in 5 minutes OR in one hour. Mind you, there are no other tourists walking around, they are all getting in the cable cars to go back down. I literally took one picture, and had to get on the bus to go back down, since the sun had long set and it was getting pretty dark.  I didn't get to see the Tian Tan Buddha under ideal conditions, but I'm glad I went, however brief my time was.

Hong Kong: Day 4

Today was super hot in Hong Kong, about 80 degrees. We decided to do some sight seeing today, so Lauren and I tried to go to the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery in Sha Tin. But, once we got off the MTR, we had to take a taxi there because it's not that easy to get to. We didn't know the name in Cantonese or how to write it in traditional characters, so we tried our best to get there. Our taxi ended up taking us to a different monastery, who's name I don't remember. It only had one courtyard though, compared to the ones in Shanghai and Putuoshan which have several courtyards.

After we walked around for a bit, we decided to go back to the Mong Kok market because I needed to pick up a few gifts for people at home. Since I was there, I asked how much the Tory Burch reva flats were. This guy said only $380 hkd! I bargained two pairs down to $600hkd for both. They look so real. All the stitching, and the logos on the sole, everything looks so real. Lauren thinks they might be rejects from the actual factory. They even came in a Tory Burch box, which I wish I could keep. It's so pretty! I'm totally kicking myself for not using a larger suitcase when I knew I would be shopping in Hong Kong. I really like the two pairs I got. I literally have one pair of flats, and they hurt the back of my ankles because they're pretty high cut (if that makes sense). I can't wait to wear them in Shanghai, compared to my disgusting Converse that are falling apart.

Hong Kong: Day 3

My day was pretty low key, since my other friends have been staying out until dawn every night, but David and I had only gone out once since being in HK. So while everyone else slept, we were ready to shop! We got a quick lunch at a local cafe and then headed to one of the many malls in TST. We both love Uniqlo, so we headed there first.
The Uniqlo we went to wasn't particularly big (they didn't have the +J collection), but we didn't care. From there, we split up, so I'm not sure what David purchased. I got two pairs of pants, one of which I got altered in 10 minutes!! Asian sizes are so different, because Asian people tend to be of a smaller built, especially compared to Americans. In the NY Uniqlo, we have jeans from size 24-32 (size 0-12), but in Asia, the largest size is a 29 (In between an 8 and a 10). I wasn't sure if this size would fit me, but it did surprisingly! So I decided to get a different color of a pair of pants that I already own in two colors and a pair of black cropped pants, that are actually ankle length on me.
That night, we wanted sushi, so we went to a sushi bar that has the conveyor belt and you simply choose what you want off the conveyor belt, and then they tally up your plates at the end. After dinner, we went to KTV. Karaoke is HUGE in Asia. Instead of going out to bars or clubs, high school and college kids go to KTV. The people I was with are very, very good at KTV-ing. I am not. le sigh.

so dangerous for hungry college students

Hong Kong: Day 2

Today, my friends and I wanted to explore a different area of Hong Kong besides Tsim Sha Tsui, a shopping district where we are staying. So, we decided to go to Victoria Peak, which overlooks Victoria Harbor and is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. There are two ways to access Victoria Peak for tourists: foot or the Peak Tram. Since we did not want to ascend a giant mountain, we took the tram which is the preferred mode by the majority of tourists. The top of Victoria Peak is surprisingly developed—think two malls and a Madame Tussauds! We went in the late afternoon, so the sun was just setting and the buildings were starting to light up, but we didn't get to see the incredible night view of the Hong Kong skyline.

Hong Kong: Day 1

Today was our first full day in Hong Kong and we got off to a bit of a late started. Lauren and I had woken up earlier than the others, so we decided to walk around a bit and we eagerly went into Sasa, Hong Kong's premier beauty store—think Ricky's, but less edgy. We sampled their perfume (Lauren and I both like Burberry Summer) and ended up in the makeup section—both desperate for concealer. There were only two options (beige and natural) and we were both, somewhat surprisingly, the beige color, even though we're both fairly pale. So, we asked the sales girl (who was wearing so much makeup she looked like a geisha) if that was the right color for us, and she agreed. Then it was time to meet the group for dim sum.
 After our dim sum, we decided to go to the Mong Kok ladies market, which three of Lauren and my collective friends had told us to go. The ladies market isn't just for women, it's a giant outdoor market on this one street in Mong Kok with mostly knock offs, but also cheap clothing, luggage, jade, some shoes, lots of purses, etc. I ended up getting two little Domo pouches and a Goyard purse and coin purse. The domo pouches were 38hkd ($4.89) and the Goyard stuff was 350hkd ($45) altogether. They also sold Tory Burch shoes that looked so real! But, they were nearly the price of the real thing. Perhaps another day.

nail polish.

I love painting my nails. I don't know why, but I do, and I frequently rotate my nail polish colors—about once a week, two weeks if I like the color. My favorite brand is OPI. The design of the bottle is very easy to control, even when using my left hand, and their creative team is genius! It really is the catchy names that sell me. I just read about the latest collection: Hong Kong. I was rather pleased with the South Beach collection (Done out in Deco anyone?), but I simply must have the Hong Kong collection. Has anyone else seen Jade is the New Black? GENIUS.