I’ve been saying it for something like five years how I would go back to Hong Kong and I waited out the uncertainty of grad school and new jobs and saw the 20th anniversary of my last trip roll by last year. This year, I came back from my May trip back to Halifax resolved to make it happen. Keeping it simple with a tour package in Beijing and the only other stop in a city vaguely familiar to me, Hong Kong, made it possible. NPY’s head was spinning at how close the trip was when we were three months out while I thought the trip would never come! I thought I might get swallowed up by work in the last month before we left!
The funny thing is how NPY’s parents had long before planned a China trip with a cruise component to take place through all of October. And then with just 3 weeks’ notice, NPY’s sister decided to go on a 3-week Tokyo-China-HK tour for most of September while we would be away for half of November. (Only his brother did not manage to have China trip this year.) His family was all China-bound and gave us most valuable tips and pointers from their own very fresh experiences.
My last passport (effective 2004-2009) was very sparse with only some British and EU stamps from 2005 and 2006. My current passport is effective 2009-2014 and I’ve made a good start by planning a trip that involves dashing across borders like nobody’s business! This is the story my stamps tell:
* We entered China at Beijing Saturday 30 October, and embarked on a 3-day city tour
* We exited China from Beijing 3 November, and
* Entered Hong Kong on 3 November
* We exited Hong Kong on 6 November, and
* Entered China at Shen Zhen 6 November for a day of shopping
* We exited China at Shen Zhen 6 November, and
* Entered Hong Kong 6 November–no more entries left on my China visa!
* We exited Hong Kong 8 November, and
* Entered Macau 8 November for an overnight trip to the Asian Las Vegas
* We exited Macau 9 November, and
* Entered Hong Kong 9 November for our final four days in the city
* We exited Hong Kong 13 November to cap off our China 2010 Trip!
Give me a new place to explore and I’m the Energizer Bunny but NPY’s used to the slow pace of Vancouver–yes, I called Vancouver slow–but he’s been a real trooper hanging on for our wild ride!