On To Hong Kong

Ahhh, the best meal of the trip! Can you tell we really love to eat? This was a meal we had in Hong Kong at a place called The Stonegrill. It was a really interesting concept. That big old piece of filet in front of me is actually raw. It is sitting on a slab of lava rock that is hot enough to cook it, as you eat it. So, yes you cook your own steak, lobster, whatever you order. It was SO good, and we're on a quest to find a Stonegrill near us.

Brandon, Chris, and Cole are climbing the many steps up to the Big Buddha at Po Lin Monestery outside Hong Kong. You can't see his head, but that is the Buddha at the top. There were something like 240 steps to get up there. It was humid, hot, and yucky- oh, and much more crowded than the last time we were there in 2001.

This was on the bus to get to the Big Buddha. Chris was SUPER excited to be riding along the cliffs in the rain on a big, bumpy bus. I think this was his favorite part of the whole trip.

Brandon and I at the top of the Big Buddha monument. It was a beautiful view.

This is mom entering the Jade Market in Hong Kong. It is the best place in the world to buy pearls and Jade, in my opinion. We spent hours there, even in the heat. Hong Kong, by the way, is the best place in the world for shopping, not much other touristy stuff to do there.

So, let me try to briefly recap our trip. It was ten days long, starting with 30 hours from house to hotel of travel from Arizona to Ulanbataar. Four days in Mongolia included the things you've seen in the pictures, plus a trip to the black market. I don't have any pictures of the black market because it was kind of a scary place, and we didn't dare take a camera, let alone a picture. Brandon got attacked by a seemingly posessed, but adorable little girl who wanted him to buy some cards. She kept touching his pockets, and followed him for a good five minutes, before our translator and guide, Multsetseg- the nicest person ever, told her to get lost. The black market was one of my favorite parts of Mongolia because I found the most beautiful fabric for $6 per yard. There were rows and rows of fabric vendors and I was so wishing they took credit cards.
Mongolia is definately one of those places you go to meet the people, not to see the place. It was beautiful, but the people are twice as much so. I am grateful we got the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people who loved us, even though we couldn't communicate very well.
After a day of travel to Hong Kong, we were back in familiar territory and spent all our time shopping, except for the Big Buddha day. Hong Kong too, is a beautiful place, but in a very different way. The city at night is amazing. We were on the 48th floor of our hotel and had a harbor view that would blow you away. Sorry, the pictures didn't do it justice.
By the time we left we were exhausted and broke, and ready to see our boys again, but not quite ready for another 24 hours of travel. We made it home safely though, and we wer on to our next adventure..... finally moving into our new home.