Today we finally felt up to venturing away from the hotel a bit further.Here we are on Victoria Peak on Hong Kong Island with Victoria Harbor in the background. Our hotel is just over Randy’s left shoulder on the other side of the harbor in Kowloon.  Kowloon is a neighborhood on the mainland part of Hong Kong. As I travel, my geography is improving!

It has been very cloudy so I was trying to schedule this tour on a sunny part of the day.I thought that it was becoming  cloudy again but the tour guide said it was actually the smog floating in from the People’s Republic of China up north.

The following are photos from our hotel’s neighborhood in Kowloon: Kowloon Park, the colonial buildings left from the British in 1882 and the cultural center. So many interesting corners to explore just out our door.

It was such fun to see the school children taken to the park with clipboards in hand observing the outdoor sculptures. Reminded me of my teaching days taking classes to Pepsico.

My favorite part of the day was going to the villages of Aberdeen and Stanley. Aberdeen is a fisherman’s village of houseboats where we toured from a sampan!  Had I known we were doing part of the tour by boat I would have opted out but I floated along with the rest of the crowd.  Then we went to the beach promenade and outdoor market in Stanley that looks out from The Pulse toward the China Sea.

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I am dealing with a gastroenteritis; anybody that knows me well knows I have the MOST sensitive digestive tract. Not sure if this came on from the water or food or a virus.  Please: Say a prayer that this passes quickly! I have wanted to eat some of the delicious food here and am so upset to not eat Chinese food in Asia!!!  How often will I get this opportunity?

I am endeavoring upon a new goal: taking an ocean cruise.  As a person that gets motion sickness, I have avoided an ocean cruise for almost sixty years. As I am now retired and approaching a new decade, a cruise was next on the Bucket List.

I have had motion sickness from riding in buses on curvy mountain roads so I am as prepared as I can be. I have my ginger pills, wrist bands, patch for behind the ear, and Bonine pills. Anyone that has traveled with me when I’ve done any sort of boat activity has seen me freak out the day we board ship. I have needed to be encouraged, coaxed and convinced and I have even backed out completely from the sail.  So, my secret weapon stowed away is a few of the Valiums left over from Peru to get me ON the ship!

Along with the cruise goal, I am ticking off  the list :1. Victoria Peak in Hong Kong 2. Snorkeling in the 100 Islands 3. Exploring an underground river 4. Hiking in Borneo 5. Seeing the sights of Singapore.  I remember my Uncle Jimmy who was quite a world traveler saying that Singapore was one of his most favorite cities in the world.

This trip I am traveling with Randy. He likes fine dining and the luxuries of upscale hotels.  This will be a much different trip than the others I’ve taken this year. Sitting in the airport at the beginning of a new adventure is always such a special time. I’ve finished my “To Do” list and the anticipation of being ready is done……I am bathed in eagerness and excitement…… So off we go!