Lantau!

I've been to HK a few dozen times over the last two years, and I've never been to Lantau to see the Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastary. I guess after feeling settled, you don't do those touristy things.

We took the cable car from Tung Chung.

The Big Buddha is the largest bronze buddha in the world (34m). Yes, to be the largest or tallest of anything, one way to do it is to put as many descriptors/adjectives as possible.

It is a small world! Lora Oehlberg (friend from many ME classes) was traveling through China & HK for a conference. She had a friend who put her in touch with Amy Dinh in HK(who lived across the hall from me my senior year at FroSoCo) and told me about Lora's trip. So we spent the day sightseeing and hanging out in HK.

Guangzhou!

I've been in Shenzhen for more than two years, and I've only been to Guangzhou twice, both times for factory visits. I figured it was about time to explore the city, so one of my buddies and I decided to hop on a 1-hr train to Guangzhou and spend the day walking around.
Lots of roots and mushrooms for Chinese medicine... 
...including lizards on a stick! 
Me and Francis getting some Vietnamese food. 
A visit to the Canton Tower (108 floors, 600m high). Weather was a bit dreary, but at least it didn't rain!