Christmas Adventures in Hong Kong

I shed many tears after Gepher was denied by the US Embassy for his tourist visa.  I just knew he would be approved and didn't understand why he was denied (and still don't).  All of these plans I had made for our first Christmas in the US, meeting my family, and a post wedding celebration were ruined.  I just couldn't understand why this was happening and why our first Christmas was going to be "ruined".

After a personal pity party and crying fest, I pulled up my big girl drawers and decided the US Embassy might have denied us a visa, but they were NOT going to deny us a wonderful, memorable first Christmas together.  After all, Christmas was my favorite time of the year.

So since we couldn't go to the States for Christmas, we decided on the next best place (that didn't require a visa, of course)...HONG KONG!!

Hong Kong has always been one of my favorite places in Asia.  The lights, the harbor, the outdoor markets, the Peak are just a few of the reasons why I love Hong Kong.  I couldn't wait for Gepher to get to experience it.  This would be the first time he ever traveled to Hong Kong and I was sure it would be a wonderful adventure to take together. 

Our Christmas day started with a Skype video call to my parents.  It was so neat for Gepher to "meet" Ma Ruth for the first time.  (It was all she talked about for days!)  We also got to see "Santa" make an appearance and visit Aubrey and all the other "good boys and girls" in the family.  It wasn't the same as being at Christmas Eve dinner in person, but it was definitely one of my favorite Christmas memories.

After a wonderful Christmas service with our church and Hope for Tomorrow family, we went home to exchange gifts and Christmas dinner.  Both of us were surprised by the gifts we received as they were things we'd seen on our trip to Manila and liked.  On Christmas night we boarded the red eye flight and headed to Hong Kong.  We were both so excited as we boarded the plane.  We were like two kids on Christmas morning.  We got into Hong Kong late and stayed at the Marriott out by the airport the first night.  The next day we got up and headed for the train to the city.  The adventure of Hong Kong was about to begin!!

When we got to the city and checked into the hotel, we dropped our bags and grabbed the camera and headed out on a walking adventure.  We stayed in the heart of Kowloon so we headed down Nathan street in search for some lunch and some fun!  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Outback (a little taste of home) and introduced Gepher to the bloomin' onion.  Afterwards we headed to the harbor.

  

In Hong Kong it is winter.  I was so excited to enjoy some cooler weather!!  Looking at the natives walking up and down the street in their wool coats and gloves you would have thought it was thirty degrees...but reality was it was closer to sixty.  Gepher got his first taste of cold weather!  I don't think he hated it (until we got to The Peak) but he is definitely my island man!

We enjoyed the other sights of Hong Kong both during the day and at night.  The night market is always a fun experience and this trip didn't disappoint.  Its amazing to see such a large market that is set up everyday at 4pm and torn down every morning.

We enjoyed a delicious Japanese dinner up at The Peak one night.  The Peak sits up in the hills of Hong Kong.  You can see the entire city and harbor from there.  At night the view is absolutely gorgeous with all the lights of the buildings.  This night was no different; however, it was VERY COLD!!  (Even I was cold...so I knew that meant that Gepher was FREEZING!!)  As we were outside at the lookout point, I turned to Gepher and told him this is how cold it is in the US right now.  His eyes got real big and all he could say was WOW!  It was a memorable night with a gorgeous view!

 

This trip was filled with many firsts for us...first holiday without our family (as we didn't go to Mindano to visit Gepher's family), first time for Gepher to travel to Hong Kong, first major vacation as a couple (other than our honeymoon, which Gepher said wasn't a vacation but a honeymoon), first time to go to Disney (more on that in an upcoming post), and the most important...FIRST CHRISTMAS TOGETHER!!

This wasn't the Christmas I'd been planning and looking so forward to, but it turned out to be a perfect Christmas!!  I now know why God put us here for the holidays!  Sometimes things don't go the way we expect; however, if we focus on the positive experiences He IS allowing us to have (and not the ones we are missing) "He will turn our mourning into dancing"!  I'm so glad I allowed him to let me "dance" with Gepher on our first Christmas in Hong Kong. 

Of course I'm still looking forward to taking Gepher to the US...whenever that day comes.