Life Moments in Hong Kong...

Recently I had the opportunity to go to Asia's world city and film an episode of my travel series, VICARIOUS ESCAPES...and it is actually (preview) airing today and premiering on Sunday, July the 20th. Besides the obvious plug  that just happened and wanting people to tune in and watch ratings....(which is always great) 
BUT I want to be real with you and explain EXACTLY why you should tune in and watch Vicarious Escapes Hong Kong and travel to Hong Kong for that matter!

Prior to visiting Hong Kong, I had never really been to Asia, I had been to the Middle East, but not true "Far East Asia." 1 word...AMAZING ...And I'm not just saying that to be nice either. lol.

Hmm...How to describe Hong Kong? This area is a CRAAAZY mix of NYC/ London/ Bejing /Miami and a few other cities for that matter. Its hard to quite put your finger on it, but you quickly realize why they call it Asia's world city once you go there. ( I had to keep reminding myself where I was, and I am not making that up!)
An unbelievable blend of city life with unbelievable views of all of the sky scrappers lining each side of the Harbour, mixed with miles of greenery, turquoise blue water and tropical islands.  

I think for any Westerner traveling to Asia for the first time, they may or may not be a bit hesitant going to an area so far from home. However, I can assure you... Hong Kong is not what you might except. I think there were more Expats and outside cultures there, than there is  in some cities in the U.S. Besides that what most people do not realize (for some of the people I talked to) is that Hong Kong was a British Colony for a boat load of years, so they really accept outsiders with open arms and know how to harmoniously blend so many elements and cultures into one area. Its quite amazing to have traditional Cantonese food and Dim Sum at night for dinner and then walk outside and hit up a British pub for after hours drinking and dancing. You really couldn't ask for a cooler mix in one city. 

Besides the beautiful blend and melting pot of ideas and cultures, the scenery and things to do and activities are spectacular. Yes its easy for me to say this, since I got to film a show there, But Hong Kong Has so many wonderful offerings for a traveler. For example, I have been reflecting and trying to think about my favorite part of my Hong Kong trip and filming, and each day or even each minute it changes. I will say one of the top tier activities was the Ngong Ping 360. A 25 minute (3.5 mile) cable car system that takes you from Lantau Island into Ngong Ping Village, to where the Big Buddha is. This cable car not only has you flying high over insanely teal water and lush green scenery BUT the kicker is that (if you so choose) you can fly high and travel in the crystal cable car, which is completely made of glass! Besides the 360 degree views of the island and surrounding area, You can see all the way through the bottom of the car!! I'm not going to lie, at first I was a bit nervous, I think my teeth were chattering as I went in and up and was trying to do stand ups and appear releaxed....BUT I will say, I feel like I had a moment of serenity during the ride, where I literally said to myself, Wowwwww THIS is a life moment! I will never have this again! and it made me happy and sad all at the same time, that I got to experience this. I didn't even know this was on my life's bucket list until after I did it.

 It may have also helped to calm me that I was looking at the Big Beautiful Buddha along the way, but I don't know how many people I have bragged to about this experience. Not to mention the fact that I took a million iPhone photos along the way. If you're looking for the Crem de la Crem in #Selfies. You should seriously consider this Cable Car. (Speaking of, I have included pics from my trip below!)

I'll end with my other favoritist part about Hong Kong (yes I know that Favoritist is not a word)....
But my other favorite part about Hong Kong...is the people. 
Being from LA. it's easy to get a bit jaded and feel like people just want to use you/take advantage of you, etc. 

Everywhere we went in Hong Kong, people were soooo incredibly helpful and welcoming. (Although they didn't want to go on camera usually, which I found strange, quite the opposite of LA) 

The Hong Kongers were some of the nicest and most courteous people out there! From the friendly folk's at the Mira Hotel (which I might add, DONT EVEN THINK about staying anywhere else in Hong Kong, I insist that you have to stay at the Mira) .....but from the folks at the Mira to my McLaren Dealership friends , Diana and Roger at KingShip Yachts who took me to one of the best dinners of my life and countless others throughout the trip... OH and my lovely guide Fred, He and I, not only shared a love of cats but just thinking about his willingness to help us and his jolly since of humor, brings a smile to my face. (come to think of it, I'm sad I didn't get a picture with him for my scrapbook) 
But, given the opportunity I would go back to Hong Kong in a second's notice or heck, I may even move there, if the situation was right. LOL ....Moral of this travel story, if I was writing a book about my life, Hong Kong would have it's own chapter.

多謝 

Thank you to Hong Kong and ALL of the fine folks at the Hong Kong Tourism Bureau (Quinn, Andrew and others) who made it possible! 

(PS....if you want more ideas for your Hong Kong Trip, don't hesitate to ask me or visit the link below! 

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/us/index.jsp