Greetings from Hong Kong!
First off, you're probably wondering what happened to Day 2 (March 31)! Well, when I posted last night, it really should have been for Day 1 and 2. We "lost" a day when we traveled from the U.S. to Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong is 14 hours ahead of the U.S., we didn't arrive here until last night (March 31), even though we left the U.S. on March 30.
We had a fun day today. My Dad and I both slept great last night, and were anxious to get going this morning. We met up with 5 of the families from our travel group and did some touring and sightseeing today. Many thanks to the Eckert's for showing us novices around! We took the Star Ferry to Hong Kong and then rode a double decker bus to Stanley Market. What a cool place! We had fun shopping and bartering and we all walked away with a few good deals! Next, we headed to Victoria's Peak. Unfortunately, the fog didn't cooperate so once we got to the top (which was an experience in itself ... yikes, that trolley track is steep!), we couldn't see anything at all. But it was still fun. If the weather is better tomorrow, we will try again. This afternoon, my Dad and I wandered around the streets near our hotel and later had dinner at the Hong Kong Hard Rock Cafe. The cheeseburgers tasted just like home. Yum!
We received an updated itinerary from ISS this afternoon and were delighted to find out that we now have a direct flight to Nanning on Sunday, instead of having to connect in Guangzhou with a 2+ hour layover. That was music to our ears. I think some of the families in the group still have to take the two flights, but Echo said the computer selected the families that get to go on the direct flight. I guess we were one of the lucky ones! As it stands now, we will leave Hong Kong on Sunday morning at 11:30 to head to the airport. Our flight leaves Hong Kong at 1:55pm and we arrive in Nanning 3:30pm. This means I'll get to see at least some of the Illini game (which is being played on Saturday night in the U.S.). Gotcha Day is still scheduled for Monday morning. We meet as a group and travel to the Civil Affairs building in Nanning at 10:40am on Monday, which will be 9:40pm Sunday night, U.S. time. So, on Sunday evening, please send thoughts and prayers our way!
That's all for now. We're having a wonderful time. Hong Kong really is an amazing city. The architecture is unbelievable and the people have all been warm and friendly. They tolerate Americans very well! :o) We'll probably do some more exploring tomorrow, so check back in for the latest adventures.
Thanks for following our journey! It means so much to know you're all here with us in spirit and thought.
Some of our travel mates - ready to hit the town for a day of sightseeing!
Hong Kong -- a truly amazing city!
The famous Stanley Market - Let the shopping begin!
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