Visa Run to Hong Kong

AHHH we traveled to Hong Kong!! I’ve been eager to write about our time here, but was setback with a few hitches in our plans. However, when things settled down I whipped out my computer and began typing! I hope you enjoy all the photos! 🙂

Taylor and I had to leave the country in order to satisfy our visa requirements, so the MLB sent us to Hong Kong for one night. (Incase you’re wondering, Hong Kong is an autonomous region of China, and it used to be a former British colony.) Therefore, it counts as leaving the country.

Just a little boring background information, you need a visa to enter China as an American if you’re staying for more than a few days. There are multiple visas you can apply for, but we received the multiple entry, tourist visa several years ago when we visited China for the first time. Our visa is good for 10 years, and allows us to continuously enter the country. However, we can only stay in China for 60 days before we have to leave and re-enter. This is what we call a “visa run.” We are in the middle of applying for work visas, but that is an even longer process.

Anyway, we traveled to Hong Kong for 24 hours! 🙂

I’m not sure what I was expecting when visiting, but I was blown away! I thought Hong Kong was just going to be a bigger Shanghai… with a lot of cement and high rise buildings. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Hong Kong is actually a bunch of islands and the city is beautiful! Taylor even mentioned that this is now his new favorite big city! That’s a big statement! I’d say it’s a mixture of Hawaii and Los Angeles, but definitely more Chinese. If that makes sense?

There are millions of people living in Hong Kong, but the islands separate the city so it doesn’t feel too overwhelming. Almost everyone speaks english here, and there is a huge western influence. The surrounding mountains and blue waters are so serene, that it really doesn’t feel like you’re in China anymore! If you’ve wanted to explore China but are scared to jump right in, I’d highly recommend traveling to Hong Kong first. It won’t give you such a harsh culture shock.

There’s so much to see, do, and eat in Hong Kong. You can shop, hike, take a tour, go to the beach, try some local food, or just wonder around on your own! I’d highly recommend taking the ferry from one island to the next. Not only is it super cheap, but the views are incredible. This is what we did during our one day.

Once we got off the ferry, we decided to do something touristy and take the trolley up to one of the peaks. It was a long wait, but totally unique and a great experience. If you don’t want to ride up, you can hike! No matter how you find your way up the peak, you HAVE TO do it while in Hong Kong. You won’t regret it!

I think the pictures speak for themselves. Fortunately, we were blessed with a beautiful day so we were able to see everything. We took the trolley up the peak, but took Chatham Path down afterwards.

If you do find yourself in Hong Kong, you need to stand along the harbor and watch all the pretty lights twinkling in the night. They have a “light show” every evening at 8pm, but it’s nothing spectacular. It’s just a bunch of spotlights shining into the sky. If that’s your thing, then you’d love it! I just enjoyed admiring the city lights.

We had a fantastic time in Hong Kong, and can’t wait to return during more of future visa runs! I’m working on the YouTube video of our time in Hong Kong, so stay tuned for that! Make sure you’re subscribed so you’ll be notified when it’s posted. 🙂