Hong Kong

I didn't have Internet service in Hong Kong, so I'm kind of catching up. We saved quite a lot of money by taking the train instead of flying from Guangzhou. The train station was easy to navigate and the train itself was comfortable and enjoyable. Annalyn played stacking cups in the floor while we caught glimpses of rural areas and smaller towns. We saw farmers in big straw hats working the rice fields. We saw fruit and vegetable plants in every crevice and hillside possible. There isn't any wasted land for wild flowers or weeds. Even the space under the railroad tracks is farmed.

The only thing I had really been nervous about during the whole trip was getting from the train to the hotel. Neither the adoption agency nor the travel agency had been willing or able to book a hotel for us. The one they recommend is attached to the airport and costs an arm and a leg. I was not willing to pay for that one, but I wanted somewhere decent to stay that one night there. I finally had called the local AAA agent and she booked a fine sounding hotel on the same island as the train station. I had the name of the hotel in English only and did not have directions or a map. We gathered our luggage (pack light) and headed out the door toward the taxi stand. I was praying for help getting to the hotel. I could just imagine wandering all over the island with a Chinese speaking taxi driver, and I was begging God for guidance. As we approached the door, I scanned the buildings around us. Right across the road on the side of a huge mall were the words 'Harbor Plaza Metropolis.' Stunned, I commented, 'Honey, that's the name of our hotel.' We crossed the breezeway over eight lanes of traffic and strolled through a huge mall and ended up in our hotel. Another miracle! I wasn't looking for the hotel, and the sign wasn't obvious, but I noticed it just in time. We have had everything we needed when we needed it.