Day 42 (Aug 19) - Traveling around Myeong-dong

 We didn't come back to the hotel late last night, but we ended up waking up quite late. There was a restaurant nearby that we stopped for lunch. We got beef soup, which was quite filling. It reminds me of the oxtail soup back in Calgary. After lunch, we strolled around the district to shop for a bit, before heading back to the hotel to rest. She was feeling ill, and I was strangely feeling tired myself. After taking a nap, I got up and went out on my own to finish some errands.

Traveling on my own in Japan is one thing, where I knew the customs and language enough to squeak by. Fortunately, despite not knowing South Korea, it wasn't as challenging as I imagined it would be. I started off by visiting a nearby music store that I saw the night before, to get a CD for my brother.  They had a wide variety of popular Kpop groups, with many I recognized either by myself listening to them or having my students talk about them back home. After picking up the CD, it was off to purchase dinner. 

We wanted to try gimbap and BHC, so I found the gimbap restaurant that she wanted to try. It wasn't very busy, so I was able to place my order and have it made in about 10 minutes. After collecting the gimbap, it was off to BHC. It wasn't as busy as last night, but there was still a relatively long line. I placed my order and was told that it'll take about an hour. Having explored much of the night market last night, I decided just to wander around another section of Myeong-dong. The streets that I went down wasn't filled with as many tourists as the night markets, but they still carried the same charm. I ended up stopping by a large Lotte department store. Wanting to see how similar they are to Japanese department stores, I entered. The layout did seem reminiscent of Japan, and they even had a food hall on the basement level. I went down to the basement to see what they had to offer. I ended up getting more gimbap and a roll cake for dessert. After strolling down the various stalls, it was time to head back to BHC to pick up my order.

With my hands filled with bags of food, it was time to head back. I wanted to grab some fresh fruit drinks from the night market, so I stopped by a vendor we visited yesterday. Now, with my hands extra full, I made the trek back to our hotel. I'm horrible when it comes to directions and I tried to rely on my sense of direction heading back to our hotel. I admit, I did take a wrong turn and ended up going down a familiar path, but one that took me further away from our hotel. It didn't help that I tried using Olive Young as a guide post, since there were many Olive Young stores. I eventually did a U-turn and found the right direction. There was a red onsen sign near our hotel which helped me hone onto the right street.

That pretty much marks the day! It was a pleasant experience traveling on my own for a while. Maybe it's just me, but it didn't feel as hot and humid in South Korea in comparison to Japan, which also helped. Just two more days to go in South Korea!

As for dinner: the gimbap from the restaurant was decent with the rice still tasting fresh and the fillings having full of flavor. The gimbap from the department store though, hits on a whole different level. I can't say why really, but I really liked it more than the other gimbap. The BHC chicken though... was a bit of a let down. It was good, but wasn't enough to blow my socks off. It was nice that they offered a large container of pickled radish and a coke can though!

Waiting for the BHC chicken!

Day 41 (Aug 18) - Good bye Hong Kong, Hello South Korea!

 I had to get up early to finish packing my suitcase. We weren't able to fit everything in the medium-sized suitcase we brought from Canada, so I borrowed one from my girlfriend to bring to our next destination. It also helped that the newer design meant having four wheels. I don't have to lug it behind me all the time now.

Her mom and brother had to leave early to prepare, so I said my goodbyes to them before they went. It was somewhat sad since I won't be able to see them for a while. I'm grateful that they treated me very kindly over the past week and a half. As I finished packing, her dad went to grab us some breakfast before it was time to go to the airport. We had some baked buns, which was a nice way to end my trip to Hong Kong. As we were about to leave, it started to rain quite heavily. We had to use umbrellas to ensure the suitcases didn't get too wet as we made our way to the van. The drive seemed somewhat perilous as well with all the rain, but her dad managed to drive us safely to the airport. I said one final goodbye to her dad, which ended up with a hug! I didn't expect that at all, but it was a nice way to end the first time I met her parents. I admit I was nervous meeting them the first time, but they showered me with food and hospitality throughout my stay.

As her dad drove away, we entered the airport. Security was relatively easy and we went to our gate to await our flight. It's my first time taking Cathay, but the service was top-notch. The seats were comfortable and they had a wide variety of movies to watch on the flight. They even served a meal, despite the flight only being about 3 hours in length. And perhaps the best part was the Haagen-Dazs ice cream! I ended up watching the Mario movie (alright) and Infernal Affairs (I can see why this was critically acclaimed). 

It was nighttime when we landed at Incheon airport. They had something similar to the Narita Express, so we took that train to Myeong-dong, where our hotel was located. Fortunately, it wasn't too hard to find our hotel, so we checked in and dropped off our luggage. We wanted to try the famous BHC fried chicken branch so we made our way down the streets to the shop. The streets were filled with tourists, as we walked past a night market and various Olive Young (Health and Beauty store) stores. As we approached BHC, there was a large line up waiting to enter. Not wanting to wait so long, since we were quite hungry, we ventured back to the night market. I got the chocolate mint drink that I saw in Hong Kong at Coco, but I was sorely disappointed. It reminded me of the chocolate mint protein drink I had at home, which wasn't what I expected from a bubble tea place. We ended up getting some sort of egg... pastry, the spiral potato stick and a type of... pancake before calling it a night.

As we walked back towards our hotel, we stopped by a 7-11 to stock up on snacks. Unfortunately, there wasn't a large selection at this 7-11. Not wanting to compare to Japan, the service at this 7-11 was... different (to put it nicely) from the hospitality in Japan.

But a decent start to my time in South Korea!

Our plane to Incheon Airport! 

Day 40 (Aug 17) - Last Day in Hong Kong!

 With the last full day in Hong Kong upon me, I did what any sensible traveler would do: I slept in. After waking up later than I would normally have, we took her dogs to the enclosed area for one last time. I'll miss her dogs. They're relatively well behaved and were so full of love. Her Labrador really loved it when you scratched her lower back. Her mixed dog was always so gentle when you fed him food directly from your hand. Hopefully, I get to see the two of them very soon once again!

After lounging around for the day, we went back to her mom's restaurant for dinner. I got a shrimp-based soup this time around -- it was unique in terms of flavors though not my favorite way to eat ramen. For anyone that loves shrimp though, I'm sure it'll suit their palette. As we were waiting for her mom to finish cleaning, we stopped by some other stores to buy some food to take home to eat. 

It's hard to believe that my time in Hong Kong is finally coming to an end. True, there wasn't as much exploring in comparison to the Japan leg of the trip, but it was a much-needed break from the constant need to see attractions. Hong Kong definitely has it's charm that is different than Japan or Taiwan. It also helps that I'm able to understand somewhat what people are saying. I was fortunate as well that I had accommodations covered and food for that matter! As for next time, I'll make it a goal to visit the island and to try other types of cuisines that I wasn't able to this time around!

As for tomorrow, we'll be heading off to one last country before coming back to Canada!

The rare time I see her Labrador smile/have a somewhat happy face. 

Day 39 (Aug 16) - Ramen in Hong Kong

 For the last two days, we had no set plans. I got up late, took my time to watch some anime and just relaxed for the last few days in Hong Kong. I gave up doing work at this point, so I made sure to consume as much media as I can before I lose that free time.

We had a late lunch, courtesy of some Hong Kong-inspired sandwiches. They weren't half bad, though I cannot recall what they consisted of at this point. Once we finished eating, we took another break before I took her dogs out for a walk. It was my first solo walk with her dogs, so I took them out one at a time. I started with her mixed dog, since he would pine if the Labrador went out first. After going down the usual path, we ended up at the small fenced area for him to roam free for a bit. Once it seemed like he had enough, we headed back home so I could take her Labrador. We followed a similar path for her Labrador before heading to the enclosed area. Unlike her mixed dog, I didn't end up locking the gate, but just closing it instead. Near the end of her free-roaming, she trotted down towards the gate (which is nothing I've ever seen before because she didn't seem to like running much anymore at her age [9 years old].) She proceeded to use her head to open the gate, and walked out herself! I had to jog to catch up to her and to clip her leash back onto her harness. They weren't joking when they said Labrador Retrievers were smart!

After the walk, we got ready to head into another district of the New Territories where her mom operates her ramen shop. It was still a bit too early to get dinner ourselves (waiting till near closing time when it's not as busy), so we walked around the little shopping alley. Since I didn't drink much during the day, she got me a bubbletea to keep me hydrated. After about 20-30 minutes, when it didn't look as busy inside, we headed in for dinner. The ramen I got was a tonkotsu based broth with thin slices of cha siu. The cha siu was unlike what I've ever seen, with it being red instead of the normal light grey that I'm accustomed to in Japan.

Upon the first few bites, a wave of nostalgia hit me. It's not very common I had ramen that tasted like Japan. The broth was lighter than other Tonkotsu broth I had before, but it worked well with the noodles and cha siu. The cha siu was extremely flavorful, and complemented the broth well. And of course, the soft boiled egg. There's something about eggs in Asia that I can't replicate here in Canada.

After dinner, and waiting for her family to finish closing the shop, we headed back for the night. 

One more full day to go!

So good... I wish ramen wasn't that calorie dense. 

Day 38 (Aug 15) - Finishing Chores in Hong Kong

 With the last few days in Hong Kong upon us, we started the day with dim sum in town. Overall, the food was good and reasonably priced. The flavors didn't stick out, but I was satisfied when we finished eating. Afterward, we went to a delivery courier to collect packages and ship some items. Very soon after, we headed back to her place to do more chores.

She cleaned up her room while I was there for... morale support. After finishing most of her room, we headed back to a different part of town for some appointments she had booked to deal with her other tasks. That took a couple of hours, so when we headed back home, it was to get ready for dinner with some of her other relatives. 

We ate a Chinese styled restaurant (not 100% sure of what type of Chinese cuisine) that served a variety of dishes. There was even orange juice, which was something new to me since I almost always drink tea (or pop) at a Chinese restaurant. What was unique about this restaurant was each person had two pairs of chopsticks: one for personal use and one to pick up food from the dishes in the middle. I was feeling pretty tired near the end of dinner, which I can usually tell based on how much Cantonese I can understand. Normally, I should be able to pick up around 20% (assuming I'm concentrating hard), but when tired, it goes down to almost 0%.

Once dinner was over, we headed back home to relax for the rest of the night. Only two more full days in Hong Kong!

It was a nice, hot day. Sometimes I wish I had a longer break during the spring or fall for travel. 

Day 37 (Aug 14) - Haircut in Hong Kong!

 Despite not having much to do for the day, I woke up decently early. We ordered food for breakfast, which was delivered via Foodpanda (similar to DoorDash or Uber Eats). Honestly, I don't know the names of all the dishes, but there was some sort of noodle dish, fish ball skewers, and a type of soup. All were good and kept me full past lunchtime.

After resting for a while, including my feeble attempt at doing work, we headed out to town. I needed a haircut since my original plan of getting a haircut in Ikebukuro back on July 11 did not materialize. My hair wasn't super long, but it was starting to annoy me. We didn't have much luck in terms of drop-ins until we found a place near the bus stop. The salon was priced a bit more than some other places we saw, but it looked like they would have room to have me come in and get my haircut. It started off with a shampoo that felt nice, then the cut itself. The hairstylist had a look in mind, which he showed me via an Instagram photo. It looked good to me, with what I could see without my glasses on, so I agreed on the cut. After he was nearly done cutting my hair, he seemed to have a change of heart and was wondering if I wanted a perm. Not wanting to dish out money for a perm, I asked him to talk to my girlfriend for her advice. The split-second look on her face told me all I wanted to know about my haircut. Fortunately, she was able to explain how we didn't have time for the perm, so he finished what he did and let me go after we paid.

All I can say is that my haircut was... interesting. I couldn't stop laughing every time I saw my own reflection. But enough of that -- it was off to find some dessert. There was a MeetFresh nearby, so we ventured in. The first time I went to this chain was back in Vancouver; we ended up ordering the taro ball milk with pearls. Maybe I'm just biased, but it tasted better than back home in Canada. After we finished, we took the shuttle bus back to her neighborhood. 

After getting comments from her family about the haircut, we went to walk her dogs. The walk wasn't out of the ordinary. After coming back, we ordered dinner. It involved chicken wing tips (I believe that's what it was), and it was extremely good. The chili peppers really give the tip flavor. We also got the same fruit dessert that I had during my first day in Hong Kong. Overall, a scrumptious dinner. 

My girlfriend and I then proceeded to play Ticket to Ride, a game she picked up during her homestay in Europe. We usually just played with the two of us, but her brother was able to join us this time around. Out of the two boards I played (Europe and Japan), we played the Japan expansion. Not going to lie, but playing it made me miss Japan, despite it only being a few weeks out. 

After finishing our game, I was off to sleep for the night! Only three more full days left in Hong Kong. 

Her Labrador seems to be tired as well! She's so cute!

Day 36 (Aug 13) - Staying Back With a Walk By The River

 The last bit of Hong Kong was very laid back. We didn't have any set plans, and I wanted to lounge mostly at home. We started the day with lunch at a restaurant in town. They were serving customers outside, and there was a bit of a wait. It didn't help that it was starting to rain quite heavily, but fortunately, her dad kept umbrellas inside his van. I got myself some sort of noodle soup with eggs and sausage off to the side. The meal was simple, yet the flavors had a really homey feel. Once we completed lunch, we went off to her mom's restaurant so that they could set up to reopen after their one week vacation. 

Her mom owns a ramen restaurant. The interior was very reminiscent of Japan with the mural on the wall. The water jugs were the same double-walled ones they used in ramen restaurants in Japan! There was nothing for me to do, so I mostly sat there while they prepared for tomorrow. After about an hour or so, we headed off to another district to purchase ingredients. 

After getting back to her place, I took a nap, which ended up being a few hours. Upon waking, we decided to take her dogs for a longer walk down the river near her house. It was a peaceful walk down the river with little foot traffic. The only issue was the swath of mosquitos biting us along the way. There was a scenic spot with benches, so we sat there for a while letting her dogs take a break. We headed back to her place and it was then time for dinner. 

For dinner, we ordered from KFC. Instead of delivery, we opted for take out instead. The closest KFC was at the mall where we had Sushiro the day before. It was quite packed inside, but they seemed to be efficiently dealing with their orders. Once we grabbed our food, we stopped to purchase some dessert as well before heading back. I was actually quite surprised how different KFC tasted in Hong Kong in comparison to Canada. I have yet to try it in Japan, but the KFC in Hong Kong was quite a bit better compared to here. The chicken was quite flavorful and tender. They also had egg tarts and rice dishes! The egg tarts were not as good as Macau's but were a nice finish to dinner.

All in all, a day to recharge. Not many more days left in Hong Kong. 

As we were driving to another district from her mom's restaurant. 

Day 35 (Aug 12) - Roll Cakes and Wagyu

 After a long day yesterday, I ended up sleeping in till around lunchtime. We headed out to a nearby department store for dim sum. There was a relatively long line to enter so we decided to grab some sushi at Sushiro next door. In comparison to Japan, the pricing and quality were quite similar. I felt the selection wasn't as vast, but it had all the types that I typically enjoyed. Once we finished eating, we headed back to rest before heading out for the afternoon.

Our first stop was to explore the space museum, but we were running short on time and the museum looked extremely crowded. We ended up skipping the museum and headed to another mall which housed our next event. Since we now had some time to spare, we grabbed a drink and people-watched for a while. When it was time, we headed to our class.

A few days ago, we made some Sumikko Gurashi macarons. For today, we learned how to make Swiss roll cakes that were garnished with rose petals. Unlike last time, I had to make my own. I think I did a decent job, though cutting my roll into three equal pieces and decorating it with rose petals was a challenge for me. Nevertheless, it came out looking somewhat like a roll cake. Once we thanked our teacher for the day, we headed back to explore the area we were in for a while. We had some time to kill before dinner.

We stopped by a Royce outlet to get some souvenirs and chips (regular chocolate ones this time). We then met up with one of her friends (and her friend's husband) before walking to dinner. We ended up having dinner at an upscale yakiniku restaurant that served Miyazaki wagyu. The beef was simply out of this world in terms of flavor. It also helped that her friend's husband was a professional chef. He ended up cooking all the food for us, making sure that each piece was cooked to the right temperature. I admit I was worried about what happened in Saga back in 2017, but fortunately, that was not an issue. There were different cuts from the cow, and despite my tongue being quite bland, I noticed a slight difference in how each piece tasted. I can't recall eating so much wagyu before, that I ended up upsetting my stomach from all the richness. Nevertheless, it was probably the best meal I had in Hong Kong thus far. 

Once dinner was paid for, we headed out to near the harbor. There was a whole bunch of people enjoying the night and buskers off to the side. A group of singers, with a pianist, really stood out to me - probably because they were singing Jay Chou songs. After soaking in the moment, we headed back to the metro in where we parted ways.

The trip back to her place was relatively short, and we were fortunate to get a ride from the train station. As for my night routine, I took a shower before calling it a night.

It's hard to believe that nearly a week has passed by for me in Hong Kong. Unlike Japan and Taiwan where we were constantly on our feet, it was nice to have a laidback portion of a trip, and where I actually got to learn a few new things. Now I just have to get the ingredients so I can make macarons (though I doubt I'll be able to do it successfully) and roll cakes (might be easier). 

This building caught my attention as we were heading to the space museum!

Day 34 (Aug 11) - Macau!

With big plans for the day, I woke up early to get ready. Her dad drove all of us to the bus terminal near the airport. We were going to Macau for the day.

There was customs and security to go through, but that was relatively quick in comparison to an airport. Her dad purchased bus tickets for all of us, and we waited in line for the shuttles. The lineup was long, but buses kept coming every few minutes or so to pick up passengers. We were able to get seats near the front of the bus, which was nice since we were driving across a long bridge by the... sea(?). After about 90 minutes, we arrived in Macau. We got out of the station and waited for her uncle to come pick us up.

The first stop was to a registry for her family to get some documents sorted out. Once that was completed, we headed to a Portuguese section of the city, that you could tell was heavily inspired by European architecture. We stopped at a restaurant to eat. The food was simple, yet delicious. There was a chicken dish sprinkled with what I'm assuming is cheese. We also got some quite good cutlet sandwiches. The meat slices were thin but full of flavor. Once we finished eating, the two of us explored the town for a while her parents and uncle stayed at the restaurant to chat for a bit. I don't know much about Macau, but it had a totally different vibe in comparison to Hong Kong. It kind of reminded me of my time in Europe back in 2007, with the colors and buildings. After we went back, we stopped by Lord Stow's Bakery - apparently where the Portuguese egg tart was created. The tart was great when hot with a delicate flavor of vanilla and egg. (Or what I perceived as egg). After getting the tart, we headed to see her grandparents before heading to a beach nearby that is known for it's dark/black sand. It was cloudy, so it didn't feel so hot, but it was still quite humid.

Since we had time before dinner, we headed to equivalent of Paradise in Las Vegas. It really felt like I was back in the States, with all the famous hotel names scattered around the area. We ended up going to the Venetian. I tried my luck with the slot machine, but quickly lost everything/ Fortunately, they were serving drinks, since I was quite parched from traveling all day. After gambling for a bit, we ventured around the hotel to see the various luxury shops. 

After getting our fill of the hotel, her uncle came to pick us up before we headed back to grab more egg tarts for her relatives we were meeting for dinner. Dinner was at a Portuguese restaurant, and the food was simply amazing. There was a curry dish that was really to my liking - I couldn't really identify what type of curry it was, but it really hit the spot. After getting stuffed with the various amount of dishes, it was time to head back to the bus terminal.

At the bus terminal, we said goodbye to her relatives before boarding a bus back to Hong Kong. Despite it being late, it was still quite busy, and we had to sit at the very back of the bus. After 90 minutes, we made it back to Hong Kong. After getting back to her place, I took a shower and crashed for the night.

It was nice seeing Macau. I would want to go back one day to explore it a bit further to see what else it has to offer. As I write this blog, I can still taste those Portuguese tarts and food from the restaurant. Maybe I should head to Portugal next summer...

I guess it's a plaza? Despite not planning this trip, I should have done some background research on the places we were going to before actually arriving at these locations. 

Day 33 (Aug 10) - Summiko Gurashi Macarons

Unlike yesterday, I woke up relatively early since we had plans. It started with dim sum with some of her relatives from her mom's side. Her dad picked up some relatives in the van before we headed to the restaurant. 

The restaurant has nice views of the Tuen Mun River (if I'm reading the EXIF data correctly). The food was good, though nothing extraordinary. Once we were done eating dim sum, we had a class to attend. Her dad drove us to the nearest bus stop so we could take it to the baking class near Kowloon. The bus ride was relatively uneventful, so I slept on it for most of the trip. As we approached our stop, we got off and headed towards a large building. The baking class was up a few floors.

There were only four of us there. Besides us two, were a mother and a young daughter. Our task for the day was to create Sumikko Gurashi macarons. For those who don't know Sumikko Gurashi, they're a branch of San-X (I thought they were part of Sanrio until doing some research today). I started liking them after using their sticker pack on WhatsApp. I let my girlfriend do most of the work, not wanting to screw up. We had three hours, and it took nearly all three hours to create the macarons. They had the... "dough" (not sure of the proper term) set up, so she carefully filled the template provided for each character on hand. Once she crafted each macaron, my job was to put on red slashes to represent cheeks. I think I did alright, except for one of the characters in which the cheeks were lopsided!

 Once we took pictures, we packed up and left. We walked around Kowloon and found a place to eat dinner. There was a restaurant serving egg noodles, topped with shredded pork. It was a simple dish, but the flavors were strong and delightful. Once we finished dinner, we headed off to get some ice cream from a truck that's apparently famous. The ice cream itself wasn't too special though since it reminded me of any vanilla ice cream you can find in Canada. 

After eating, we ventured to a toy store in search of a Gundam(s) for my brother. It took us a bus trip, in which we were able to find the store with relative ease. The store had a variety of various toys, with a small corner dedicated to Gundams. Unfortunately, I was only able to find one Gundam that my brother wanted. The prices were extremely reasonable, even compared to Japan! After purchasing the Gundam, we headed to a nearby dessert shop to get yam and taro balls. We had to eat relatively quickly to catch the train back to her district.

After a relatively long trip back, we ate some of the macarons at her house. There were two types of filling: vanilla and chocolate. Both were quite good, though the novelty was mostly due to the characters. It was kind of sad eating our... I mean her handiwork! Soon after, we headed out to walk the dogs. Instead of walking far, we stopped by a small garden in which we were able to let the dogs free. They spent a good amount of time strolling and sniffing the place, before it was time to head back home for the night.

Tomorrow will be another busy day since we'll be heading to Macau!

A close up of the pieces. As you can see, the tonkatsu character (without the bow) had uneven cheeks. 

Day 32 (Aug 9) - Kicking Back in Hong Kong

 We had no specific plans in mind for the day, so I ended up waking up late. We headed to a nearby restaurant for lunch. I got myself a rice dish with various toppings. What I found interesting was how they had an empty bowl and hot water at the table for us. That hot water was used to clean the utensils since that was what people used to do in Hong Kong back in the day. Nevertheless, the food was good and had a homey feel to it. Once we finished breakfast, we headed up a mountain to view parts of Hong Kong's New Territories. The view was serene, with various firepits and picnic tables on the bottom for people to enjoy themselves on a nice hot day. After spending some time, we headed back to town to shop for ingredients for supper.

Once we got back, I ended up doing some lesson planning for what I presumed would be my assignment for the next school year. I took my time and made sure to just sit back and relax. As I mentioned before, it was a nice change of pace from always going from one place to another. In the evening, my girlfriend's parents cooked a meal that consisted of chicken, fish, and bok choy. There was also congee from yesterday's dinner (I forgot to mention, they had rice that was cooking underneath the steamer so that the juice from the meat and seafood could flavor the rice), which seemed to taste better a day after. 

After relaxing after dinner, we went to walk the dogs again. The Labrador seemed a bit more restless during the walk, but we managed to get through the walk-in one piece.

Tomorrow will be more eventful, but I should be well-rested!

I regret not getting a mint chocolate flavored bubble tea...

 

Day 31 (Aug 8) - First Full Day in Hong Kong!

 After waking up, I headed down to the town with my girlfriend and her mother for a late breakfast/early lunch. It was a noodle restaurant that served a variety of different types of noodle dishes. I can't remember what type of noodle I got, but the soup was flavorful. It reminds me of Dagu Rice Noodle in terms of the broth. Once we finished and paid, we explored the various markets. Her mother left to do more shopping eventually while we ventured onto a department store. We ended up getting some bubble waffles before heading back to her house.

Once we arrived back to her place, we tidied (or more like I watched while she tidied) her room before taking it easy for the afternoon. I got in a lot of playtime with her dogs and started to grow quite fond of her Labrador. Her dad came home from a job late afternoon, which meant it was time for dinner. Her parents took us to a seafood restaurant that served various types of seafood. We got a set meal that included beef slices and seafood. She and I actually got to pick our lobster, crab, clams, and abalone from tanks they had near the front of the restaurant. Once we picked out our seafood, the waitress took away the buckets we placed them in for them to get prepared for us to steam at our table. It was a fantastic dinner filled with a lot of seafood, meat, and vegetables. As for the vegetables, there was a buffet-like section that served various types of greens. 

After stuffing ourselves for a couple of hours, we headed back home. I got the chance to walk her dogs with her, which was something I hadn't done in ages (I believe the last time was in Japan when I was in elementary school). Her Labrador was a relatively calm walker, though can be stubborn at times if she really wants to go a particular direction. It was a lot cooler during the night, in comparison to the day, so it was a pleasant walk. Once that was over, we got back home. I ended up showering and prepared to hit the sack for the day.

A relatively quiet day, but a much-needed break after all the traveling I have done so far. Almost a full month has gone by since I left Calgary!

Maybe a bit chubby, but she's so lovely!

Day 30 (Aug 7) - Onto Hong Kong!

 We woke up and did one final pack before leaving our hotel. We took the metro to the airport, meaning I could use the second purple token I had on me. We were flying on a low-cost carrier, but the service was top-notch. They even served a small snack! As we arrived at Hong Kong International Airport, we waited for her dad to pick us up. I admit I was feeling quite nervous since I've never met her parents before. 

It wasn't too long of a wait, as her dad soon arrived in his minivan. We quickly loaded the luggage into the back before climbing into the vehicle. It was about a 30-minute drive to her place, so I sat there listening to the two of them speaking in Cantonese. Unlike Taiwan, I was able to pick up about 20% of the language, so I had an inkling of what was being said. As he was driving, her father greeted me quite warmly, which helped ease whatever anxiety I had at the moment. 

We arrived in her neighborhood and walked towards her unit. Before opening the door, I could hear the sound of paws on the hardwood floor. As the door opened, there was a flurry of two golden-colored dogs! I was also worried that her dogs might be aggressive with me, but fortunately they treated me like a long-lost cousin. It was also at this time that I met the rest of her immediate family. After quick introductions and playing with her dogs, we unpacked before deciding on what to eat for dinner. I was famished at this point since I didn't eat much besides the snack on the plane.

We ended up ordering from Pizza Hut. Despite it being close to her place, it took nearly 90 minutes for it to arrive. It was considerably pricy compared to Canada, but the quality was not the same as back home even. Granted, they seemed to have more variety in terms of food choices than they did here, but I thought it was rather standard fare. The soup, tasted like it came from a can (which it probably did) and the chicken wings were a bit soggy. The pizza was doughy, but being hungry, I didn't really care what I was eating at that point. Once dinner was over, we relaxed a bit before heading back to the airport. One of her family members and partner was actually heading to Japan that night so we went along for the ride. 

After dropping them off we stopped in the town by her neighborhood to pick up dessert. I don't recall what it was called, but it's essentially fruit, sago, jelly, and milk if I'm not mistaken. This was actually quite good due to the sweetness of each fruit and toppings. Once dessert was finished, it was time for a quick shower and bed!

Another travel day, though filled with new sights as I've never been to Hong Kong before. Unlike Taiwan, it was nice being able to somewhat understand what people were saying to me!

Her Labrador! She's a cutie!

Day 29 (Aug 6) - Last Full Day in Taiwan

 There's a region of Taiwan known as Jiufen. Spirited Away, one of my favorite Ghibli movies, was inspired by this location. We had plans to go visit but ended up keeping it simple by staying within Taipei. I wasn't feeling the hour-and-a-half ride, so we ended up getting some bubble tea before heading over to a popular restaurant for a late breakfast/early lunch.

We got a beef noodle dish and a chicken noodle dish. Both were quite succulent, though the chicken tasted better for me. Once we finished, we quickly left since people were lining up outside in the heat, wanting to eat here as well. We ended up heading to a small market that sold various sweets. We settled for some shaved ice. It was covered with guava syrup, and some sort of mango gelato on top. There were various cut-up guava surrounding the bowl of ice, which was a nice change of texture from the ice. Overall, it was good, and once again, a nice reprieve from the heat. 

We ended up heading back to a department store that we visited yesterday to purchase some goods before heading back to the same night market (albeit during the afternoon) from last night to buy more chicken. Since it was really early, there wasn't a long line up. We placed our order and wandered around the street. It was a stark difference compared to the night before, looking almost deserted save people getting ready for the night.

After we picked up the chicken, we headed back to the hotel to rest before searching for a different night market to try. After catching a bus, we walked for a while to get to this second-night market. We stopped by a store to grab some mochi before arriving at the night market. I don't recall the name of the night market, but we grabbed a variety of different dishes: clams, sausages, taro balls, and even stinky tofu. Not wanting to lug all the food onto a bus, we flagged down a taxi to take us back to our hotel. 

After eating dinner, my girlfriend really wanted to go back to the first night market to play the scooping fish game, so we departed from the hotel. Perhaps it was later than when we arrived last night, but the little arcade wasn't nearly as busy. We had a whole "fish tank" to ourselves for a good half hour or so. After watching a tutorial, she was able to catch over 70 fish herself! She traded in her fish for a prize, and we headed back to the hotel for the night.

It was overall a short visit to Taiwan, but a good start! I've never been to another Asian country besides Japan, but the atmosphere was somewhat similar. Unlike in certain places in North America, I felt safe walking the streets at night. It probably helped that even at night, the streets were quite busy, making it feel comfortable. Taiwan is also quite affordable when it comes to accommodations and food! I'll probably opt for a different hotel next time, but it'll be nice to visit other areas of Taiwan during a different trip. 

If I had to hazard a guess... probably be a residential building? I like the mixture of colors here with the brilliant blue and dull gray.