Our Day in Hong Kong

"The truth is, I was born with a plan. I wanted life to be safe and predictable. My plan was to marry someone with a nice nine-to-five schedule and have a tidy, organized life -- everything under control. Absolutely none of that came true! And if it had -- if I had lived the life I thought I wanted -- I know I wouldn't have experienced the grace or the miracles of God in the ways that I have. What I've found is that it's in the most unlikely times and places of hurt and chaos that God gives us a profound sense of His presence and the real light of His hope in the dark places." -- Mary Beth Chapman, "Choosing to See"

I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.  -- Isaiah 46:11b

We have had a wonderful day in Hong Kong! We arrived here last night at 7 p.m. The flight was very smooth and uneventful and the kids did SO much better than I expected. I really tried to have low expectations for them and they amazed me. A lot of you must have prayed for us over your turkey dinner because we had a really easy trip (minus the airport and luggage situation). Britton and Lia Kate each had one short crying spell and otherwise were very content and happy to be in their seats and having unlimited access to their own tv! When Britton woke up one time, half-awake, he cried and kept saying "I want to go home!" Poor guy. It must have been so disorienting. Britton slept for about 5 hours of the 16-hour flight and Kate slept about 7 of them. Not too shabby. At one point in the flight, Lia Kate looked at me and said, "Mom, it's hard to get to China." They finally know what I mean when I kept telling them we would be on an airplane for a LONG time. 

Somewhere over Siberia.

We landed at 7 p.m., took a 45 minute van ride to our hotel (the kids were completely silent as they watched the tall buildings and this city all lit up), ate a late dinner, and went to sleep. We all slept for at least 7 hours and woke up at 7ish this morning ready to go. I am so surprised at the easy transition we've all had so far to this time zone. It definitely helped to have a flight that arrived here at night.

For our one day of sightseeing in Hong Kong, we decided to take the double decker bus around town for an overall view of the city. It was a great way to see a lot of the city. We rode out to Stanley Market, an area of town we enjoyed a lot last time. 

At Stanley Market area

Christmas decor is up all over Hong Kong

This city is a mix of San Francisco and Manhattan. It has the hills and beautiful scenery of San Francisco but the urban-feel and skyscrapers of New York. After touring all morning, we rode the Peak Tram up to Victoria Peak and had a late lunch/early dinner at a restaurant with picturesque views of the skyline. After that, we were exhausted and the kids were fading, so we took the tram back down the hill/mountain, walked to the bus stop, which took us to the ferry, which took us back to the Kowloon side of town where we are staying.

So proud of these two and for how well they are doing so far on this trip!

In the last 36 hours, we have ridden planes, buses, boats and a funicular train. Tomorrow, we take a real train into mainland China. It will be a 2-hour trip north, and we are excited to get to the next point of the journey.

One last note on Hong Kong...you would be surprised to know that we are only about 15 miles from Collins right now! We are in Hong Kong and she is across the bay in Zhuhai City. I can't believe we are so close to her, but can't get to her yet. Instead of getting her where she is from, we will meet her in Guangzhou on Monday at the Civil Affairs office, where all the "Gotcha Days" for Guangdong province take place. It is only less than 48 hours away from now. We are so excited. Lia Kate asked me this morning, "When am I going to get my baby sister, Mom?" Soon. Very, very soon!

Little monkeys ready for bed

I will post from mainland China tomorrow night!