Oh the places you'll go...

As some of you might now, a few months ago I created a brief bucket list of things that I wanted to do at some point in my life. Yesterday as I was watching the TODAY show (I recently set a goal to be up early enough every day to watch it- my quest to becoming a morning person), I was inspired about various places that I want to travel to, most of which, I have never been to. As of right now, my goal is to go to at least one of these places each year. Is this realistic? What are your Bucket List goals??

My Travel Bucket List:

*during the Spring/Summer when it's warm

**The Italian parts of Switzerland (Switzerland is surrounded by Italy, France & Germany which influences the various cities throughout different regions. I've briefly been to the German & French parts of Switzerland)

Just realized that Norway was not on my list. Consider it added and towards the top! Definitely a place to go in the Summer I'm thinking. 

What places are on your bucket list?? Let me know in the comments below! 

XOXO,

Kirsten

My exercise for the year..

The other day we took an epic hike from  Mui Wo (Lantau Island, Hong Kong) to Discovery Bay. I'm pretty positive there were over a thousand steps to climb, which might not sound like a lot, but man was I sore the next day.. I would definitely recommend it if you're interested in seeing some beautiful sights, but if you aren't in shape (like us) it takes about 3 hours. We trekked up the mountain and first saw a 180 degree view of Mui Wo Pier: 

It was cloudy and overcast but made it really nice weather to hike in

My brother and I after the first flight of stairs.. unaware of the hundreds more to come

And of course I had to photograph the lovely flowers along the way... 

I love the bright and natural beauty of these local flowers (no editing done)

Stairs... after stairs... after stairs... after stairs. 

We walked through a couple villages:

It was interesting to see the disparity between these villages and Discovery Bay (below). The people who live in Discovery Bay are mostly expats (people from Western countries that come to work & live abroad) and live in nice apartments or house boats. It felt like we were invading these peoples' homes as we walked through their villages because the path went straight through their houses. 

Two hours later....

And we could see our destination! 

After a whole 3 hours of walking, we came to the pier at Discovery Bay, tired and ready to eat and rest: 

Whats the longest hike you've ever gone on??

xoxo,

Kirsten

Kung Hai Fat Choi– Happy Chinese New Year! Hong Kong Travels

Last week my brother and I set out for the distant land of... Hong Kong, China, and by distant, I mean 15-hours-away-distant, a.k.a. LONG flight. But it was well worth it. My dad lives on Lantau, an island where people mostly ride bikes, cows roam the streets (see below), and local life is a slower pace and chill. My brother and I have spent our days riding bikes 5 minutes to the grocery store, where we discovered a local fav of Brazilian chicken feet (toe nails included), and some of our favorite items: Milano cookies, popcorn, and Tim Tams (not all the food choices are as exotic as the first). 

The Chinese New Year is here (10th of February, I believe), and everyone has decorated with beautiful red paper lanterns and lovely trees with small oranges filling their branches. Most people get between 4 and 8 days off of work, school, etc., to be with their families. There is also usually a huge fireworks display at Victoria Park, as this is the most celebrated holiday here. This year is the year of the Snake. 

Hong Kong Island (View from the ferry)

Hong Kong Ferry

Mui Wo local beach

Hong Kong Island at night

A decorated orange tree (for New Years) and pretty flowers

Flowers at the Pui O local garden shop

My brother and I spotted this lovely herd of cows wandering up and down the streets of Mui Wo on our bike ride and I couldn't help but notice how cute the calves were! So, being the picture taking guru that I am, I dismounted my bike to capture some photos of the baby calves. The little ones immediately came over to me and started licking my jeans as well as the red fire hydrant. Loving the local wildlife!

What is your favorite place you've traveled to & why??


Happy New Year (Kung Hai Fat Choi)
XOXO,
Kirsten

Travel: Blue Mountains

About a week ago, my cousin, CJ, and I drove up to the Blue Mountains (an hour away from Sydney) as tourists and met up with some other friends. We hiked around the Three Sisters (pics below), a popular and beautiful tourist destination of the Blue Mountains. If you are ever in Australia, this is definitely one place to visit if you're looking to get out of the city and for a bit of an adventure. And, a bit of trivia: It's also where the Australian movie Tomorrow When the War Began, was filmed. To all my American friends, I hope you have all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and are getting excited for the Christmas season.

xoxo,
Kirsten

Being Tourists

This week my beautiful cousin is visiting me in Sydney! So far, we have hung out with koalas and kangaroos, gone to some of the beautiful beaches, had fish & chips in Manly, and walked around the The Rocks & Circular Quay, as all good tourists do! We have even been blessed with some beautiful weather and consequently got sunburned. Check out some of my favourite shots :)

"Ready for my close-up!"

My boyfriend and his new furry friend

  

How many koalas can you spot??

My cousin & I in front of the Harbor Bridge!

Alaskan Adventures

With my family spread out in Hong Kong, Colorado, and me currently living in Australia, we decided to go to Alaska for our summer week-long vacation. 7 days, 2 cities, 5 people, 1 motor home, lots of fishing and sights to see. When we arrived at the airport at 1:00am, it was still light outside; not during-the-day light, but it definitely looked like the sun had just set. This new light-after-midnight excitement led to some extremely late nights of fishing, making s'mores and hiking around. 

After driving a couple hours to the first campsite, we tried fly fishing for salmon (aka me trying to cross a river = inevitably getting soaked). My brother, Chris and I spent hours chasing and trying to hook this one little guy, but he was far too smart for us.. We did however see a number of big fish jumping around us (if only I had thought to bring a net). Even though we didn't spot any grizzly bears on the river, I did happen to see a moose in the woods while we were driving back to Anchorage. On a side note, in my eagerness to be the first to spot Alaskan wildlife, I thought I saw a bear. Turns out, after driving back, it was a tree.. a very-brown-and-bear-shaped-tree might I add.

Did you know that  ALASKA's  state animal is the Moose??

We also went on a Halibut fishing charter, which was.... interesting to say the least. The waves were HUGE. Literally, I don't think I've ever seen bigger waves in my life. And let me tell you, those sea sickness pills that are supposed to keep you all fine and dandy, well.. they DO NOT WORK, especially in rough seas. I spent 3 of the 5 hours over the bin (which was slightly better than the 4 that CJ endured). But, I did however catch 2 Halibut which was exciting and difficult to say the least. Those  fish are ridiculously heavy! Worth the fight though :) Halibut is delicious and I definitely recommend it! Ask me for an amazing recipe if you get your hands on some!

Sea you soon! (see what I did there??)

xoxo
Kirsten