china was such a whirlwind! after spending a week in hong kong at the ultra swank shangri-la hotel for mostly work and a bit of play, i switched gears and made my way up into mainland china to spend a few days solo exploring beijing, hostel style. i admit i wasn't immediately smitten with china - something about the unbelievably large and pushy crowds, ugly 70s style architecture that lined most of the main streets, sewage smells and the constantly being gawked at just didnt scream MUST LIVE HERE. but after getting off the beaten path (figuratively and literally) and into the quiet back alley hutong neighborhoods, china grew on me. just the right blend of ny-on-speed and traditional asia...something for every mood. *traveling just happened to be right smack in the middle of my move across country and some crazy work drama so i was all sorts of emotional anyways

china part one: hong kong
my hk hotel that i didnt end up leaving for 4 straight days until the conference ended and i found time to recover from an unfortunate dim sum food poisoning experience and explore the city / having a drink at the highest bar in the world / part of my soul died a little when we walked through the dry market and saw all the shark fins, big and small, in every single store to be sold for the traditional delicacy shark fin soup / couldnt get over those neon lights OR the fact that they had a different carpet for each day at the hotel(!)*basically how we all kept track of what day it was during the conference / stunning view on a rare clear day from victoria peak on hk island...sweat from extreme heat and humidity not pictured / avenue of the stars, asias answer to hollywood boulevard / heading up the cable car on lantau island to see buddha on a dramatically sunny yet stormy afternoon / escaped the crowds at a monastery just in time for afternoon prayers

more beijing pics to come!