My mother is part of a travel club and she asked me if I wanted to go to Japan. I said yes immediately because it was on my bucket list. At the last minute they added Hong Kong for a nominal fee and that made it even better. This is Part 1 of my trip. I’ve broken it down into four parts; two for Hong Kong and two for Japan.

Hong Kong is one of my favorite places to visit. It’s like the NYC of Asia. I first visited it back in the 80’s when they were a British colony for 99 years and I loved it then. Now it’s reverted back to China and I still love it even though China and Hong Kong are going through some power struggles. Hong Kong’s people are very proud and they want to remain autonomous. We were assured that it was a very safe place to visit now, so we looked forward to the trip.

We flew into Hong Kong and I was so excited to be back. It was just as I remembered it. We settled into our hotel and got ready for the next day.

The next day we walked through the Nan Lian Garden on our way to the Temple. It was such a beautiful day.

This is the entrance to the Temple. The grounds were so pretty.

It was absolutely stunning! Across the bridge is the nunnery that’s built with no nails! With an interlocking wood system to hold it all together, it’s the largest handmade wood structure in the world. It was originally built as a retreat for Buddhist nuns.

It’s open to the public daily and it’s free of charge. The whole complex has 16 halls, a pagoda, a library, a school and a bell tower.

Afterwards, a group of us went on a foodie walking tour. I couldn’t find any more pictures other than the “ducks in the window”. Haha. We went to several restaurants that were expecting us and tasted samples of their food. I’ve always loved Chinese food, so I was in heaven.

Hong Kong at night is just magical. A combination of the old world and new world. We went to the Temple Street Market at night and had a great time.

The next day we headed out to go shopping on Nathan Road which is their famous shopping district. Hong Kong has some of the best shops in the world.

On the way, we ran into some friends. So much fun; I think the one on the left was posing.

This random sculpture was so much fun. At first I thought it was real people dressed up but as we got closer, we realized they weren’t real.

Hong Kong really gives you the feel of Manhattan with the city blocks, restaurants and shops on narrow side streets. So, I just walked and walked to get immersed in the culture.

We hit pay dirt. A street festival with all of the things and many things were bought. Yeah!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Hong Kong trip. Let me know if you’ve ever been to this wonderful country.

See ya!