Greenville, SC & the Smokies

We made a quick weekend trip to South Carolina, and got out first taste of the Great Smokey Mountains.

Greenville was surprisingly green (should that have been surprising?) and cool. We had some great food (Tupelo Honey for breakfast and Cazbah for dinner if you ever make it there) enjoyed some fun parks, and took a bike ride along the 13 miles Swamp Rabbit Trail (not actually swampy).

We also drove up through the Blue Ridge Mountains, along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and into Great Smokey Mountain National Park where we enjoyed a nice gentle 8 mile hike along the Appalachian Trail to Charlie's Bunion. 

Hong Kong Part 4

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Our last day, we ventured out to the Sai Kung Peninsula for some more hiking. It may have taken 3 subways, a bus, and a minibus to get there, but hey, how often can you get to an awesome hike on public transportation? It was pouring when we stepped off the final bus, but our determination (lack of options?) was rewarded with skies that quickly cleared. It was a beautiful 7 mile hike that skirted the coast, crossed some saddles, and finally deposited us at a few beaches where we grabbed ice cream and beer (lunch of champions…).

It was a one-way hike and when we got to the road, we discovered that because it was a Tuesday the bus came only every 4 hours, and we had 3 left to wait. Luckily we had our books, so we just settled in to wait. Two hours in, some nice folks with a cell phone came along and called us a taxi. They seemed shocked that we didn’t have cell phones…I guess not many tourists come to Hong Kong to hike?

After the journey back we hit an awesome sushi restaurant, and then bought some wine and went to the rooftop of the IFC Mall. Hong Kong’s ‘secret’: there are lots of bars up there, but its actually more of a public park, anyone can sit there and bring their own drinks to enjoy the incredible views of the HK skyline.

The amount of (high end) shopping in HK was absolutely unbelievable. We must have seen more than 15 Tiffanys, Dolce & Gabana, Burberry, etc each). Oh well.

Then it was time to call it a wrap, we were headed home. I think we both loved Hong Kong, with its great views, amazing food, and perfect mix of city and outdoors.