[Hong Kong, China]

Our last day of CMS! It came so quickly, yet at the same time it felt as if months had passed since we first embarked on this trip!

There were still quite a few places to see in Hong Kong but there were only a few hours left before our dinner reception at Victoria Peak. Therefore, we went to a couple of places close to the hotel.

Our first stop was the Bruce Lee statue at the Avenue of the Stars. The Avenue of the Stars is part of the waterfront promenade on the peninsula side of Hong Kong (called Kowloon). It is modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame and honors celebrities in the Chinese Film Industry. There are many stars on the Avenue but Bruce Lee’s is the only statue.

Our second and last stop was the International Commerce Center. It is the tallest building in Hong Kong and the 4th tallest in the world. It only opened in March of this year, so we were lucky to be able to see it. We went up to one of the restaurants on the 102nd floor (the highest floor is 108, so we were close to the top) and had a beer. We sat at a table facing the window and enjoyed amazing views of the Victoria harbor and Hong Kong Island across the way.

We celebrated our last evening in Hong Kong in style. LMU had arranged for the entire group to have dinner back at Victoria Peak, the highest mountain in Hong Kong. The dinner was buffet style and included food from all the countries we had visited. As the sun went down, all the skyscrapers lit up and we were able to see a little bit of the Symphony of Lights, a permanent light show in Hong Kong that features searchlights and laser beams from 40 skyscrapers on either side of Victoria Harbor.

Afterwards, we went back to Lan Kwai Fong (LKF), the entertainment district on Hong Kong island known for its bars and restaurants. The district was lively and full of people on a Wednesday night – the perfect atmosphere for our celebration. We went back to Balalaika for the ice bar, and celebrated on the streets of LKF.

Ice Bar at Balalaika

LKF

LKF

Group photo at LKF

Part of me was ready to go home and part of me wished there were another destination, another adventure coming up. But all things come to an end sometime, and as much as I enjoyed every single adventure, I was also ready to come home to my family and friends and recharge my batteries! LA, here I come!