HOmecomeWING – Hong Kong

The home of W – earth meets water in perfect harmony in this mountainous seaside city. And its people know how to use the gifts of nature, as evidenced in all the delicious dishes, by land and by sea, to be enjoyed while hiking through mosquito-filled verdure and hilly urban jungles on the hot, humid May days. What a perfect way to begin and end this adventure, in this little city that has a big personality.

Classic HK cafe fare at Tsui Wah – you have to get your fill of HK style milk tea, Horlick, Ovaltine, and condensed milk pour over buns

Exploring Central and trying hard to think of poses (photo by W)

What’s your know-how on picking strangers to take photos for you? We were amazed that this girl got a photo with no other people in it, because this place was swarming with action!

“Rich is easy, personality is rare.” -some obviously rich person (photo by C)

HK-er’s are very into acronyms – this is PMQ, a former policy housing quarters turned into a hip cultural shopping area, where we just so happened to pass by a Taiwanese night-market style pop-up!

Cupping Room – it’s day one and I’m already needing my millennial dosage of avocado and smoked salmon on a toast. The super savory and peppery creamy pasta was a delicious bonus

The powdery matcha croissant was an extra bonus. This is really our day!

You pick which stick and they fry it fresh for ya!

HK desserts – one for each as an icy relief for the temperatures outside. Mine is strawberry sorbet with sweet tofu pudding beneath!

fluffy fluffy fluffy mochi just like a pillow or a cloud, enclosing a humongous juicy, ripe mango. You can be sure that we had more than one of these treasures

The view from W’s bedroom window – bougy

The famous Tim Ho Wan does not disappoint: ha gao and cha siu bao galore – all at a ridiculously reasonable price for a Michelin starred restaurant

So thankful to both W and C for graciously helping me to fulfill my great dream of visiting every single Disney park in the world! HK is stop number 4

Every time I walk into the Disney park, the road that welcomes me is the same, regardless of season, weather, country, etc. But from the uniformity comes a joy and comfort that is new every time – here I can play, here I can wonder, here I can enjoy (photo by W)

Yau Ma Tei – we finally found the cheapo street vendors and clay pot rice. Oh my, you pour that soy sauce over the top!

No, we’re not done eating yet…thank you, kind lady, for letting us order one bowl of beef noodle soup between the three of us. The dried fish skin chips dipped in the soup was a killer combo (I couldn’t stop eating even though I was stuffed)

But wait, there’s more! Gai Dan Zai (Egg Puff Waffle) with ice cream and chocolate sprinkles – I crave this dessert regularly

this trip was a lot about learning to be together, to walk alongside one another both in our similarities and our differences, to communicate clearly and honestly, make compromises in the name of love, and value friendship by giving time to learn about one another’s homes outside of the States (photo by C)

I mistakenly thought that the Chinese word for ferris wheel was “a wheel that touches the sky”. Unfortunately it was not the right character, but I always thought it was the best linguistic mistake I ever made in my life (photo by W)

even in our own homes, there are new experiences to be had, so we went to a speakeasy in LMK (photo by W)

last morning in Asia – I was packed up and ready to go, but the vibes of our home reminded me of the opening scene of one of my favorite music videos filmed in HK: “Two Lovers” by Davichi

Moody last day. Also, I can’t believe HK-er’s fearlessly open their windows and hang clothing to dry, even in apartment complexes high off the ground! You gotta do what you gotta do with the space you’re given (reminders to be grateful for the space we are given in the States)

Australian Dairy Company – Everyone talks about how delicious the scrambled eggs here are, but you brush it off because, how good could they possibly be? But once you taste its goodness, you’re a believer. Also, that milk pudding business. I’m pretty sure I ate 90% of that bowl and I’m so glad we got it hot, despite the muggy weather. This place is so worth the rude servers.

Mong Kok – all sorts of fish, kitty, bunny, puppy and other pet menageries to be found here

Thankful. Really just thankful for these two friends and the ability for this dream of a trip to finally become a reality of the best kind.

No wonder W likes waterscapes so much – what a treasure to behold each day

Candy throwback to W’s childhood – purchasing power is amazing. What are the chances these denture gummies are good for your teeth?

Another staple of W’s school life – why do people want to look like this???

The trolley – an HK exclusive mode of transportation

Drool – I dream of the sugary goodness of fresh milk with brown sugar boba from Asia (this one’s from Tiger Sugar). Was utterly devastated when I tried it in America, and it was just NOT the same

The third meal of our last half day in HK. We’re packing in all the last goodies we can taste, and this one is roast goose meat!

炸両 – Chinese doughnuts wrapped in rice noodle roll and topped with a rich, savory soy sauce. Passing on a visual taste of the joy experienced in my time here