Travels, Part 3

Sorry for the delay...

Hong Kong Weekend

In less than a week after returning home from a week in Kauai, we boarded another plane to Hong Kong for a weekend trip.  The reason for going to Hong Kong, besides pure curiosity, is that one of Noa's med school buddies, John and his wife Angie happened to be visiting her parents (who currently reside in HK) there.  

On our first day, John took us to a history museum.  I'm so glad we did this, because I literally knew NOTHING about Hong Kong's history and it's relationship with China and other countries.  Now, I at least feel like I have some background knowledge and understanding.  Besides that, it was a pretty cool museum.

Noa and I stand in front of the boat display.  Hong Kong's port trade began long ago with fishermen who lived on these boats.

Unfortunately, it poured our first day in Hong Kong (good day for the museum), so we had to battle the weather as we toured around.  Here we were able to seek some shelter in this covered walkway.  Noa and John fought to keep their umbrellas from turning inside out.  

We also got to try out the subway system.  The subway is easy to use, clean, and less complicated than the Tokyo train system.  Although the names were sometimes hard to remember and some were just outright hilarious to me.

We stayed with Angie's parents who live on the campus of Hong Kong University of Science & Technology.  Check out the view from their place!

On our second day there, Angie and John introduced us to these "healthy dessert" places.  Basically, they use lots of mango and other fruits to make yummy concoctions.  My favorite was cut up mango pieces in a mango puree with tiny tapioca pieces on the bottom.  Yum!  I ate about 3 of these in a course of 2 days. 

I like the Terracotta Soldiers.  One of the restaurants had some replicas and I had to get a photo.

We also went to a building with 9 floors of "mall."  

That night we went out for a big dinner of Peking (Beijing) Duck.  It was delicious!  The best part was that our friend (and best man from our wedding), Herman, happened to be traveling to Hong Kong at the same time and joined us!

The chef preparing the duck.
The guys in front of Spring Deer Restaurant (highly recommended if you visit HK): John, Herman, and Noa.
The Olympic spirit was in town.  They had all these characters set up along the water.  I think they are adorable.
They had a display in which each character represents a sport.  I liked the boxing panda.
Some skyline pictures:

And, lastly, the group: Noa, me, Angie, and John.

Travel, Part 2 Continued

More Activities in Kauai...

A doorless helicopter ride!  That's right - NO doors!  Let me tell you, I was scared (I'm not a big fan of heights).  But, it was so worth it.  What a beautiful way to see the island!

Noa right before heading up, up and away.

The view down below.  There were miles and miles of white, sandy beaches.

Here's the group, complete with our emergency floatation devices!

The boys.

The girls.

Horse Back Riding!

Although it's really just a simple trail ride, I had a blast getting back in the saddle again (I used to ride horses at summer camp as a kid).  Jess and I got some serious sunburns on our shoulders, but we got to take in some GORGEOUS views.

I love it!!  I want to own a ranch now...with lots of dogs and horses.  Well, at least one horse.

A picture to show how lovely the view was from the saddle.

Golf!  Noa and Mike went golfing three times during our stay in Kauai.  They got to golf some really nice courses, such as the Princeville (apparently, that's a good one).  The best part was hearing their stories at the end of the day. 

 

Here they are.  Look at how beautiful it is!

All smiles.

They found Tiger Woods' locker.  Perfect for a photo op!

Spending time together was simply the best way for us to enjoy our trip.  Whether it was golfing, shopping, exploring beaches, or eating out, we were always laughing and joking.  We love traveling with the Apostles - they sure make "Hampostles" a fun group.

Me and Jess - all smiles.

"Mahalo" at McDonalds.

Team Juloa.  I love this picture.

Lastly, the "Hampostes": Mike, Jess, Julie, and Noa on our last night night in Kauai.

Tomorrow, I'll blog about our more recent trip to Hong Kong!

Travels, Part 2

Outdoor Activities & Other Good Times in Kauai

Hiking:  We took advantage of all the activities to do on the island. We took 2 hikes, one of which was the Kalalau Trail, an 8-mile hike to a beautiful beach and a large inland waterfall. Although a bit challenging due to the rain and mud, it was so worth it to see the views from the trail, the beautiful beach, and the giant waterfall.

Mike and I take in the sights from the trail.
Noa, AKA "Jurassic Park" tackles the rough terrain.
Team Juloa on the Kalalau Trail.
This picture is dark and blurry because it was taken by the waterfall at the end of trail in the pouring rain.
Couldn't resist another waterfall picture.


The other hike was to a mountain called Sleeping Giant. Although shorter, it also proved beautiful.

Jess and I catch up at the top.

We made it! We love Hawaii.

The Apostles!

More to come!

Travels, Part 1

I know, I know....I've been a little absent from the blog lately. I have a good excuse though - I've been traveling! Spring break brought Team Juloa to the lush island of Kauai, Hawaii to meet up with Mike and Jess. 

Since I have A LOT of pictures, I thought I'd break up the blog entries a little.  Tonight, I leave you with some of the beautiful views and scenery we experienced on the trip.  Tomorrow, I'll write more about what we did.   Enjoy!

The Beauty of Kauai, "The Garden Island of Hawaii"

Noa took this photo from the sky (we got to ride a helicopter!)

There were lots of mountainous regions with hidden waterfalls all over the landscape.

The beautiful waterfall that we hiked to in the rain.  It was worth the long hike.

More waterfalls.  To give some perspective, the white spot to the left in the photo is another helicopter.  This was absolutely stunning.

I thought these trees were so interesting!

The sun starting to creep down at the end of the day.
A coastal view from one of our hikes.

Miles and miles of white, sandy beaches!

Finally, the view from our place.  We were right on the ocean!
Stay tuned.  More photos to come and more travel adventures!

Plans, Schmans

I had my whole day planned out today:

1. get up, go to work
2. leave work early to take the dogs to the vet (for annual shots)
3. drop dogs off at home, go to the commissary
4. buy groceries, bring home, change
5. go to the gym, work out with Noa
6. go home, eat dinner
7. go to bed

I made it all the way to number 4 when I realized that my night would not be as I had planned.  Instead of coming home, dropping off the groceries and then changing to go workout, Noa and I jumped in the car to head BACK to the vet with Sadie.  Unfortunately she developed an allergic reaction to one of her vaccinations today.  Her whole face was swollen.  The poor thing looked like she suddenly had the face of a shar-pei.

I tried to get a picture, but she wasn't feeling very photogenic (guess I wouldn't either if I was her).

She had to get a couple more injections to keep the reaction from spreading and to minimize the swelling.  She'll be on Benadryl for a few days.  Thankfully, we're already starting to see improvement.

Well, back to my "plans" - I'm skipping to number 6!