Hong Kong

Hong Kong is the other special administrative region (SAR) of China. Like I mentioned in my post about Macao, Hong Kong is still part of China but enjoys its own currency, political and educational systems. Hong Kong was a British dependency up until 1997, when it was returned to China. Anyway, I was in Hong Kong visiting family and just enjoying being there. I have to say, being in Macao or Hong Kong is drastically different from being in mainland China (except for probably Shanghai). I'll have to do a throwback post of the cities I've visited in China. But that's for later. Here are some of my pictures from my visit to Hong Kong.

Fish market

Street Food Dim Sum in the

Typical Hong Kong subway car

Hong Kong subway terminal (way cleaner than a NYC one!)

Fake Apple store

Hot pot with my mom

Shrimps on sticks

From Las Vegas to Macao

Macao, a former Portuguese dependency returned to China in 1999, is one of two special administrative regions (SAR) in China. As a SAR, Macao is still part of China but has its own form of currency, government, legal system, immigration policies, postal and educational systems. Like Las Vegas, Macao's (capitalist) economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism. I traveled to Macao with my mom from Las Vegas. We had stopped in Hong Kong for a couple of nights before. By the way, it's about a 16 hour flight from Las Vegas to Hong Kong. Anyway, here are some pictures from the island of Macao.

Part of Macao's skyline

The water seems murky due to all the pollution from mainland China. Unfortunately, the effects of industrialization can be seen throughout China. In order to see clearer waters and less smoggy skies, you'd have to take a boat to the outer islands about an hour away.

The Grand Lisbon Hotel

Local Starbuck's flavors

Green tea panna cotta & passion fruit mousse

Drinking coconut water 

BurGR by Gordon Ramsay

Las Vegas has a plethora of dining options. I've been to a few buffets and some of the high end restaurants, but sometimes you just want to eat a good burger. So in search of a good burger I decided on BurGR by Gordon Ramsay. Warning- lines seem to always be super long but if you have a Diamond or Seven Stars Total Rewards card you get seated immediately. BurGR is located inside of Planet Hollywood. Here's some pictures of the place and my food.

Staring at Gordon Ramsay's face while eating.

Euro burger with fries

Orea shake with pudding

The 30 foot long glass enclosed flame wall by the entrance

Overall, it was good. The burger was good and the dessert was great. But unfortunately, I have had better burgers by chefs who are not even remotely well known. Though, definitely a place to check out once at least.

La Reve

Usually when I'm in Las Vegas I like to catch a show or two, and usually they're Cirque du Soleil shows. It's not a secret that the Cirque brand dominates the theater scene in Vegas so I thought it would be interesting to check out La Reve at the Wynn. La Reve was created by Franco Dragone but is not part of the Cirque brand. The show is similar to the style of Cirque shows however this one is more oriented towards diving tricks and water ballet. Here are some pictures from the show :)

Hawaii Part 2

The second part of my Hawaii trip was spent on the island of Oahu. I stayed in Honolulu. Right away I noticed how much busier Honolulu is compared to Kona on the Big Island. It is definitely more of a tourist destination. Anyway, I did my share of touristy activities. I visited Hanuama bay nature preserve. It was once a volcanic crater but because of the collapse of its wall, the Pacific Ocean flooded the crater and a marine bay was created. There's a variety of marine life living in the bay. I was able to explore it by going snorkeling here too!

Hanuama Bay

Snorkel Mask!

I also visited the Byodo-In Temple at the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park.

Byodo-In Temple

Koi Fish & Black Swans

I also went to the Dole plantation. The pineapples in Hawaii are so delicious!

Dole Plantation

Dole Plantation Train Tour

Largest Maze in the World!

I also managed to snap these pictures along the way during the trip! 

Rainbow Eucalyptus Tree

Chinaman's Hat

Hawaii Part 1

Hello and welcome to my blog! I travel often and take lots of pictures so I thought this would be the perfect first post. Last week I returned to NYC from Hawaii. For the first part of my trip to Hawaii, I visited the Big Island. While on the Big Island of Hawaii I went on a 12 hour tour and took photos of all these things!

Coffee Beans, Coconuts, Bananas, Avocados, Bananas,
 Lobster Claw Bananas- Greenwell Coffee Plantation  

Me Standing on Lava!

Kilauea Lava Meets Pacific Ocean

Thurston Lava Tube

Green Sea Turtles at Panaluu Black Sand Beach

Kilauea Volcano

I was sooooo tired after our long day! But the next day I went on a submarine adventure!

    

Then I finished the first part of the trip with a nice dinner and watched the sunset at our hotel.