Washington: Mukilteo Ferry, Ivar's Seafood by the pier

After leisurely meandering through the Mukilteo Lighthouse Park for a while and enjoying the stunning scenery and people (and pup) watching, we had to acknowledge our rapidly growing hunger growling in our bellies before it evolved into either of us being outright hangry! Luckily for us, within a short few minutes walk of the Lighthouse Park is an Ivar's restaurant and takeaway window, where you can load up on fresh-from-the-ocean goodies cooked up hot and fresh for you! They also offer root beer floats, so whether you're looking to cool off in the warmer summer months or simply an excitable fan of root beer and ice cream paired in a drinking vessel, that's a nice surprise. Antho, of course, had to have one. Not gonna lie, it was pretty damn good, too. I'm more of a savory person, so I was super excited about my fried oysters- and let me tell you guys, I was not disappointed. I can eat oysters in any form, whether it's fresh off the half shell or battered and deep fried, and Ivar's were super juicy and ultra-fresh, and a damn fine bit of fried oysters. 

Antho opted for some of the fried cod, and he was quite pleased with his choice, too. I snagged a bite or two of his fish and it was so juicy the liquid gushed down my hand, which I take as a good sign. Maybe be wary if you're not a fan of wearing your food, or smelling like your fish dinner later, but we weren't complaining one bit. We found a comfortable place to sit away from the minimal crowds, where we could listen to the gentle lapping of the waves as they rhythmically beat against the pier. Gulls stood their ever-vigilant watch as we ate, hoping for a snack. Even though the food was SO good, we couldn't help but toss out a fry or two as an offering to our feathered friends. There was even a large jellyfish who drifted (swam? floated?) by, offering us plenty of opportunities to photograph their undulating advances.  When we finished eating, we wandered a little further down the path, finding a little cove where we could take in the sunset and coincidentally find ourselves surprised by a suddenly rapid-rise of the tides. We escaped to high ground in time, and caught a ferry returning to the dock to disembark the passengers, which was fun to see from a new vantage point.

 Overall we had a blast, and we're excited to see where we end up next!

Hong Kong Day 5- Star Ferry

After my journey to the Peak, I returned to the city proper and made my way to the nearby port where all the ferries departed. By this point in my stay in Hong Kong, I pretty much had the route from Hong Kong station to the pier memorized! Not bad, I'd say. Despite how crowded the city is, it doesn't really take up much land mass, making it relatively easy to navigate, especially by bus and train, and great for walking if you know where you're heading. That being said, some areas were nearly impossible for me to navigate- especially near my hotel, due to my inability to read Chinese symbols and how I'd hit a point of sensory saturation that almost every street started to look the same. 

But onboard the Star Ferry, none of that matters. The city on one side grows slowly smaller and more distant, while Mongkok grows ever closer until it looms above. The lights of the city glisten off the glossy black water, reflecting the nightly light show in synchronized displays. It's truly beautiful, and easy to see why this ferry is world famous.

Once back in Mongkok I stopped for dinner at a claypot rice restaurant I'd passed many times. Sitting alone, awaiting my meal, the proprietor decided to hang with me and discuss the fame her small venue had attained, pointing out different photos of her with various guests over the years. She was certainly a character and when the time came, she returned to demonstrate to me how the rice in the bottom of the hot bowl had crisped into a cracker adding another element to the experience. As delicious as this meal was, I have to admit it put a real damper on the rest of my trip... I ended up cracking a tooth while crunching into that super crispy rice at the bottom of the clay pot, which resulted in one of my molars being extremely sore and angry. The pain persisted until I was able to visit a dentist back in Japan, which lead to it's own nightmare... Dentists in Japan, or at least my dentist, don't like to use much anesthesia. When he was replacing the filling with a crown, a week after clearing out the old filling to take a mold then stuffing in a temporary filling, I could feel EVERYTHING. It was awful, just absolutely awful. He'd force the crown into place putting pressure on the tooth and gums, then yank it out and file at it some, then shove it back in and repeat the process ad nauseum until I broke down in tears asking him to please, please just give me some more anesthesia. Not only am I 5'10-5'11" tall and weigh quite a bit more than the average Japanese lass, I have a high tolerance for pain killers and they don't effect me nearly as much or as long as they might normal people. As I was trembling with tears rolling down my face, the dentist rolled his eyes and told me to quit being such a baby so he could just wrap it up. As a result, I've had severe anxiety about going to a new dentist ever since. My most recent visit to a dentist, here in Seoul, was multitudes better. When I started wincing halfway through the procedure because I could feel things again, they didn't even need to ask or have me raise my hand- the dental assistant/hygienist went and grabbed another syringe of anesthesia and numbed me back out for the remainder. Thank you, kind lady.

Anyhow, for more photos, click below!

Hong Kong Day 4- Walk from Downtown to Central

Waking refreshed and recharged, I was eager to explore another of the islands that encompassed Hong Kong after a quick breakfast of spicy beefy noodles at a small shop around the corner from my hotel. There are several, including Lantau island , Hong Kong island proper, Chek Lap Kok, Tsing Yi, Kau Sai Chau, Po Toi Islands and Cheung Chau, along with my destination for the day: Lamma island! This post will focus on the journey to Central, the pier. For much of my trip, I hadn't really spent a lot of time in downtown Hong Kong as it was quite crowded. This trip was little different, with groups of people congregating on the sidewalks and alcoves. 

Despite my general reluctance to willingly put myself into extremely crowded situations, I knew there would be a peaceful retreat at the end of my journey so I soldiered forward and faced my anxieties. I could have taken a bus, but instead I opted to simply walk the entire way and in the end it was well worth it. The views of the city and gradual dissipation of the crowd as I approached Central set my mind and body at ease. 

Hong Kong: Day 2 Downtown & Star Ferry

One of the most striking things about Hong Kong is the architecture, and Victoria Bay is absolutely stunning at night. The people of Hong Kong are fully aware of this and at night both sides of the bay, Kowloon and Hong Kong Island celebrate by illuminating at night with synchronised choreography. At the magical hour of the night music blares from speakers on either side of the bay and the light show begins! 

I had a few hours yet before that began, so I opted to explore the inner areas of Hong Kong proper. After exiting an incredibly crowded train station I found myself in the heart of the sky scrapers, looking up  to find myself surrounded by the monolithic structures. At the top of it all is the Peak, a landmark of Hong Kong known for unrivalled views of the city and it's nightly light show from high altitude. Initially hoping to find my way to the cable cars that provide a shortcut for tourists, I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that the wait was hours long and I would surely miss the show if I attempted to wait it out. Stubbornly I hoofed it back down the hill and made it to the bay, where I was able to catch the infamous Star Ferry, which has been in operation since 1888. Let that sink in for a minute. 1888!

Ferry ride from Oakland to San Francisco

Riding ferries has long been a favorite way for me to see a new city. I've taken ferries in Tokyo, Hiroshima, Hong Kong, Seattle, Boulder City and San Francisco and they always offer such a unique experience. Growing up my dad was always taking me out on boating adventures around the Southwest, so having spent so much of my life in, on or around the water I absolutely love reconnecting with it whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Oakland's Jack London Square

After a brief refresher back at the house, we walked over to Jack London Square to wait for the ferry over to the San Francisco side of the bay. 

A lovely couple walking by offered to take photos for us when they saw Antho attempting with a self-timer. He was able to make this adorable gif with all the photos they took. :) Right on!