Happy 08.08.08!!!

I haven't felt up to typing in a while... but I'm back with lots and lots of updates :)

I have been in Hong Kong now for a little over a month, and let's just say it has been very interesting... When my boyfriend and I got to Hong Kong, we came smack dab in the middle of rainy season. This is where it rains EVERY DAY... and it kept up like that for 2 weeks! So, needless to say, I didn't have the best first impression of Hong Kong, but I didn't let that stop me :)
Rainy Day:
After Rain:
One plus, though, was that the hotel that Ilhwa and I stayed at for the first week we came to Hong Kong was REALLY nice! So nice, in fact, that the day we checked out, the vice-president of China came to stay for a while!!! Wow :) One of my favorite parts of the hotel was the pool though, and mainly because of the view from it!

The pool was even designed so that you could see into it as people were swimming! I have to admit I kind of liked feeling like a goldfish :)

The hotel was also a very good place to have romantic dates :) (a pic of me on one of our dates, and then a pic of us both together)


After that first week, though, Ilhwa moved into a different hotel, and I moved to a Youth Hostel. To be honest, it's quite a bit nicer than I imagined. I decided to get a single room, so I could feel a little more privacy, and although there is not internet, I can always go to Ilhwa's hotel and use the free internet when he's at work :) Speaking of which, Ilhwa seems to like his work here in Hong Kong better than in Korea, maybe because they are slightly less strict here. But also they are really giving him a lot of great opportunities to excel and progress in his job, which I think is great for him!

Although my boyfriend has to work during the weekdays, we get the weekends all to ourselves! Basically, we have turned every weekend into vacation weekend :) We travel, relax, enjoy ourselves, and forget about work for a while. One of the places we visited was Repulse Bay. It has a beautiful beach and swimming area... but watch out for that salt water (yuck!). Repulse Bay also has an area set up for religious statues and monuments.

Among these statues was one of a giant dragon-fish... Apparently, though, if you throw a coin into the fish's mouth, you get good luck! Trust me, it's NOT as easy as you think!

But I did eventually get a coin in!!! :) We also travelled to a place called Stanley. It apparently used to have a very beautiful beach, but they paved it over to make a walking/shopping area. :( But, there was a lot of good souvenir shopping to be done! And it was such nice weather, how could anyone not enjoy themselves!

On the taxi ride home from Stanley, we passed this lake area that both Ilhwa and I agreed was absolutely stunning! It really looked like an unspoiled paradise!

On a different weekend, Ilhwa and I went up to Victoria Peak. This is a mountain from which you can look out over the business area of Hong Kong. It was absolutely breath-taking!!! Plus, we even got to walk through the clouds!!! It was a surreal feeling looking up and seeing clouds a few feet from my head, and I don't think I'll ever forget it :)

And of course, Ilhwa never forgets to treat me like a princess! He surprised me for my birthday with a very expensive (and delicious) cake!!! Oooo, just looking at it now is making me drool...

Before I explain my birthday gift, there's something else about Hong Kong that I should explain. Hong Kong is famous for their "fake" things... Of course, I'm sure they all come from China Mainland anyways, but when I say "fake" things, I mean purses/jewelry/watches/accessories from famous brands (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Rolex, etc.) that are knock offs. Some of these knock offs are really cheap, and don't really look like the real thing, except for the monograms on them... but then there is what they call Super A Class. Super A Class means that the "fake" thing is indistinguishable from the real thing to the normal person (the only people that could tell the difference are those that work for the real thing). So! Having that said, for my birthday present Ilhwa got me a Super A Class Louis Vuitton purse!!! Now, this purse was probably around $100, but that is a whole lot better than the $1,700 for a real one!!! :) I was ecstatic, and I still am! I don't know, it's just kind of fun to carry around something that at least looks so expensive.

I have so much more to write... but it is getting close to my dinner time now, so I will save the rest of the updates for next week! Don't forget to check again soon :)

~Whitney