Hong Kong {Hiking Dragon's Back & Central Hong Kong - Days 5 & 6}

Our next few days might have been my favorite pair during our time in Hong Kong! We love to get outside and hike, but we grouped it with plenty of relaxation time as well. We also love doing food tours every place that we visit.

On our 5th day, we decided to get up early and avoid the expected afternoon showers. We wanted a clear view from the top of our hike along Dragon's Back. It was surprisingly hot outside and humid and once we rose above the tree line, we definitely felt it. The hike wasn't even that long, but since it was straight up hill, it definitely took about 45 minutes - 1 hour to reach the top. We got our leg workout this day, that's for sure!

Afterwards, we took a taxi/subway back to our hotel to cool off by the pool for a while.

That evening, after our usual stop at the executive lounge, we took a cab to the ferry terminal for our Aqua Luna boat ride along Victoria Harbor. It was nice to sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the view! Craving something sweet afterwards, we stopped by Oddies Foodies for some AMAZING egg waffles and gelato. We both opted for the "night wolf" which was composed of a brownie and chocolate-filled eggette, gelato, carmalized banana ice cream, and passion fruit panna cotta - OH MY GOD. Life-changing!

The next morning, we took it easy. We had breakfast in the lounge and then went and worked out. We didn't grab lunch though because we had a food tour planned of the Central and Sheung Wan area with Hong Kong Foodies.

Our favorite stop was the first - the wonton noodle bowl. I really enjoyed walking around the wet markets (so named b/c they are hosed down periodically), exploring Man Mo Temple and learning about the food culture in Hong Kong from our wonderful guide, Yammy! At one of the stops, we even picked up some preserved fruits to bring back as gifts. Our last stop was also amazing - more egg tarts! I think I preferred the Hong Kong version more than the kind we got from Macau a few days prior. More shortbread-like instead of puff pastry-like.

We were pretty exhausted after stuffing our faces all day, so we went back to our lounge, grabbed a few drinks, and hit the sack!

Up next: Our last Hong Kong post - In which we wandered around a nunnery, explored a ton of markets, and ate a lot of Hong Kong-style French Toast.

Hong Kong {Tai Long Wan Beach & Macau - Days 3 & 4}

Hong Kong isn't really know for it's beautiful beaches, but it really should be. We knew the subway/bus/taxi/hike to Tai Long Wan Beach was a bit of a trek, but we were so glad we made the trip! For anyone interested, I'll be glad to tell you the route we took (which was as easy as possible!), but I won't bore everyone here.

Needless to say, it was an early morning. We started our hike at the end of the road (literally) in Sai Kung. The hike to the first beach took about 45 minutes. 

We didn't really pause here for long, hearing that the later beaches were less crowded and more beautiful. The steps to the second beach were no joke - it wasn't more than a mile, but was basically straight up hill and then right back downhill. Once we arrived, we grabbed lunch (and arranged our ferry back) at Ham Tin Wai. The food was delicious!

We booked a return ferry 3 or 4 hours later so that we were able to just relax and enjoy the reward of our hike - the beautiful beach! The ferry back was incredibly scenic and we got dropped off right at the bus terminal!

That evening, we took it easy in our hotel lounge and made our plans for the next day. Waking up bright and early, we purchased tickets on the Cotiajet ferry to Macau. It was less than an hour ferry and a quick jaunt through Customs and we were on our way to the Venetian hotel. Jason gambled a bit, I shopped a bit, but my favorite part was eating Lord Stowe's Egg Tarts and drinking some delicious milk tea!

We made the quick walk over to the Taipa area and ate some pork buns at Tai Lei Loi Kei, sampled some biscuits at Fong Kei and wandered around the Portuguese-influenced streets. I honestly loved all of the cute pink buildings (pink because apparently red is the cheapest paint color to mix with white?).

We caught a quick taxi to the area near the ruins of St. Paul's. We didn't stay long though because it was honestly SO hot/humid. I was seriously craving a glass of wine - and we turned a corner and found an amazing wine shop called House of Beijo. There, we chatted with the owner, Gordon, for HOURS while he poured us wine after wine. We even got the chance to try some porto!

It was one of those perfect-travel memories when everything kind of just comes together. We had other plans for the evening, but happily skipped them. We took a cab back to the ferry terminal and (very sleepily) made our way back to Hong Kong. We were hoping to just standby to catch an earlier ferry, but someone was hoping to exchange their earlier tickets for our later ones - SURE?

With the exception of the horrendous immigration lines to get back into Hong Kong, it really was a perfect day! 

Up Next: Dragon's Back Hike, Harbor Boat Ride and a Food Tour - Days 5 & 6!