Let me start off by saying if you are grossed out by bodily functions, do not read this post!

I woke up around 1:00 am. I just laid in bed until the sun came up which was around 6:00 am. Ben finally woke up around this time. He got on the computer and I got out our breakfast - granola bars and pop-tarts. We ate and then fell back to sleep. Around 10:30ish, we got up and decided to head out to explore Hong Kong. But we had no idea how to get to our destination - Victoria Peak. We went to the front desk and the lady pointed us in the right direction. We got out into the hustle and bustle of Canton Road. The area that we're staying in is known for its shopping. Stores, like Prada, Coach, Louis Vuitton, and Burberry, lined Canton Road with shoppers whizzing in and out. I was glad that I brought my Coach purse - I fit right in with the rest of the shoppers! As we walked to our first destination, the Star Ferry, Indian men would stop Ben, give him a card, and try to sell him something. He kept taking the cards and the men would follow us. Finally, I said just quit accepting the cards and they'll leave us alone. Ben's answer - but I might want a custom made suit! Ha! Eventually we made it to the pier, bought our tickets, and boarded the Star Ferry to Hong Kong Island.
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Ben waiting for the Star Ferry
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On the Star Ferry heading to the island
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Part of the skyline. The building in the middle says Bank of America.
The photos show the haziness that we experienced. I don't know if it's pollution or just the weather. Both Ben and I think that it's probably pollution. I was starving as we docked so our first order of business was finding something to eat. Ben sees a Subway so we decide to eat there. Our first meal in China and it's an American restaurant. Subway in HK is the exact same as the USA. I ordered a turkey sandwich on wheat. The Subway guy asks me what kind of toppings I want on my sandwich. I hesitate for a minute. I *know* that I'm supposed to avoid tap water and uncooked food while in China. But I figure 1) this is HK, not China 2) Subway is a major chain 3) It's just a little lettuce and tomato. So I said go ahead and put lettuce and tomato on the sandwich. Big mistake!!!! But we'll get to that later. Ben ordered a veggie sub and we quickly ate our sandwiches. After some confusion, we found the bus to take us to the Peak. Also on the bus with us was a group of students from the British International School. We finally arrive at the lower terminal of the Peak. We bought our tickets and waited in line for the tram. It eventually arrived and took us on our adventure to Victoria Peak!
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Waiting for the tram to take us to the Peak
After we got to the top, I started to feel a bit nauseated. I attributed it to jet lag, a new city, etc. We walked around a bit and I needed to go to the bathroom. Again, I figured since this was HK the bathrooms would be regular western bathrooms. I was mistaken. I experienced my first squatty potty.
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Squatty potty - a rite of passage for adoptive parents in China!
While I squatted, the toilet paper on the floor next to the potty got stuck to my foot. It was gross pulling it off my shoe. But I was quite proud of myself. I went #1 without getting my clothes or shoes wet. When I got out, I looked in some of the other stalls and found western toilets at the very end of the restroom. Oh well! Ben and I then took the escalators to the viewing terrace. It was very windy but the breeze helped cool us down. HK is quite warm, muggy, and humid. If the yellow haze wasn't present, it would have been a beautiful view. Unfortunately, we couldn't see very far.
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View of Hong Kong skyline from the Peak
We head down from the viewing terrace. On our way down, the nausea violently hits me. I bought a Coke Zero thinking that the carbonation would help settle my stomach. Wrong! I wanted to find the nearest bush and hurl the contents of my stomach into the grass. However I refrained from embarrassing myself and Ben by doing that. We rested on a bench and noticed everyone getting their picture taken with this green character. So Ben took mine.
After the green guy, we boarded the tram to take us back to the city. We quickly found our bus and boarded. We were lucky as it was a double decker bus and we got to sit on the top deck.
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This photo is for my Dad - a guy surveying in HK
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HK has a seperate government from mainland China. They get to vote.These signs were all over reminding people to vote on November 6. Campaign signs in Mandarin and English were displayed around the city.
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I found it interesting that a sign pointing to toilets was on the side of the road. There was no sidewalk near the toilets or people. Just a sign on the roadside pointing in the direction of toilets.
We eventually made it back to the hotel and I was very sick. I spent some quality time with the toilet - trying to relieve my nausea. Unfortunately, I was just going to have to endure the sickness until it passed. It took a little over 4 hours. Both Ben and I napped. When it came time to eat, we didn't venture out. It was pop tarts for me and granola bars for Ben.

Lesson: Do not eat uncooked food in Hong Kong. You WILL get sick, feel miserable, and miss out on a once in a lifetime opportunity!
gerry
10/6/2011 10:45:48 pm

love the pictures...thanks for keeping us up to date...I can't believe you guys are there...what an adventure...a life long one

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Karen Davis
10/6/2011 11:11:16 pm

Love your level of detail! Thanks for the blow-by-blow . . . blowing chunks, that is! ROFL!! Can't wait for the next update!

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Penny
10/7/2011 06:18:09 am

gosh... Sorry for yukkiness but now maybe it is finished and u can enjoy more... Love ubguys

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Kammy
10/7/2011 06:40:09 am

I feel your pain. Had side effects from a z-pack in Guangzhou at
The medical clinic. Hope you are better soon!

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BJ
10/7/2011 11:16:17 am

Great to hear from you. Feel like I was there with u. Can't wait to hear about the rest of the trip. By the way, wasn't sure which "green" guy was u in that pic. Lol!-

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Barbara Schmid
10/7/2011 10:59:39 pm

Poor Julie!! The squatty potty made me laugh. :D. Love the pictures!

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Julie
10/8/2011 08:43:48 am

I like to keep it real! The photos really don't capture China. It's very humbling to be the minority in both language, race, and religion. Gives us a taste of what Meili is going to be experiencing when she comes to the USA.

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1/25/2012 03:01:03 pm

THX for info

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1/27/2012 12:15:24 pm

Many thanks for data

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3/23/2012 07:00:16 pm

good post

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6/14/2012 04:01:17 pm

THX for info

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