Darryl and Cindy Cunningham: Sharing with Shiloh

Last fall I decided I wanted to return to Hong Kong and participate in the A.S.I.A. Women's conference in March of 2016 and asked permission of the Conference President, Carrie Giles, if I this would be possible since I was living in South America. I not only was able to attend the conference, I was asked to be a presenter.

Because I was experiencing a lot of problems with my hip, Darryl was concerned about me traveling alone, so we asked Shiloh if she would like to accompany me. Of course she said yes! What a wonderful time we had. It was so enjoyable to be able to share one of my favorite places in the world with my daughter!

On March 7th, Shiloh and I met up at the Dallas airport and got on our flight to Hong Kong!

We landed in Hong Kong in the early evening of Tuesday the 8th, and immediately took the train and subway to our hotel The Dorsett in Mongkok, Shiloh was impressed with how compact the room was and the way they used the tiny space to make it livable.

After we dropped off our suitcases we went out to the Night Market to do a little Souvenir shopping. Shiloh was having a wonderful time and did a good job bargaining with the merchants.

We were starving so I treated her to some Hong Kong street food.

She was such a good sport and really did enjoy the food.

It was a long walk back to the hotel, but there is so much to see in Hong Kong at night! We walked by a park and this pretty little Temple Entrance.

And stopped for a sweet treat before heading back to the hotel.

Of course we had to display all of our bargains!

And this was only 2 hours of shopping on day 1. Haha!

I think this was her favorite find of the evening!

Wednesday morning we were up early and off on an all day adventure! We first went to Lantau Island and rode the 360 Sky Tram up to Ngong Ping village.

When Darryl and I were here in 2014 & 2015, the beautiful Po Lin Monastery temple was closed for repairs and refurbishing, but this time it was open! I can't tell you how beautiful and striking it was! I am grateful I was able to come back and see it.

The decorative detail in these beautiful buildings is beyond belief, just look at the intricate paintings on the inside and concrete sculpture work on the outside.

Of course, no trip to Lantau is complete without a walk up the stairs to the big Buddah..

At this point my camera died and my phone was dead, so I didn't get any photos of Shiloh and the Big Buddah, but believe me, she was there!

Before we visited the Monastery or the Big Buddah, we took a tour of the Tai O fishing village and took a water taxi out to the ocean in hopes of seeing the Pink Dolphins.

On our way out to open sea we were hit with a down pour. Shiloh and I were in the back of the boat and stayed nice and dry, but the people up front were getting drenched. When they opened their umbrellas to block the rain it deflected it directly into the faces of the people in the row behind them. Shiloh and I were laughing so hard. We felt sorry for them but the whole scene played out like a comedy sketch.

Needless to say we didn't see any dolphins, but the rain stopped in time for us to walk around the village and taste some of the local seafood delicacies. Here Shiloh is trying a fried fish ball.

When we got back to Hong Kong we went directly to the Ladies Market to find more treasures and souvenirs for family and friends. Shiloh really started bargaining hard and got some great deals!

Love the skirt and sweater shirt!

Thursday Morning we went to a session at the Hong Kong Temple before heading down to Hong Kong Island and the Women's Conference

(My next blog post will be about the conference)`

After the Temple Session and before heading to the conference I took Shiloh to the Jade Market.

I bought some pearls and Jade and she bought some beautiful jewelry too.

On Saturday Evening I treated her to my favorite "Non Asian" restaurant in Hong Kong, The Oak Tree Ristorante. The Italian food here is not only a treat for your palate, but also for your eyes!

Shiloh ordered and delicious Pasta Parmesan dish that is prepared at your table on a flaming wheel of cheese!

Scrumptious!

When we got back to the hotel I realized I was in the presence of an angel as Shiloh started to sprout wings.

We did a lot of walking and riding the trains and subway, I think Shiloh was impressed at how well I got around. One thing we did while we were in Hong Kong - I took Shiloh to "our" tailor (I used that term like he only makes clothes for us) and she helped me order 4 new shirts for Darryl. We ordered on Wednesday and they were ready on Saturday.

We also went out for a midnight walk around Mongkok while Shiloh skyped her daughter's school class and showed them pictures of Hong Kong at night. It was so fun! Spending the whole week with her and seeing the wonder in her eyes and hearing her laughter as she experienced so many new things was a blessing and a treasure I will keep with me forever.

We left on Sunday after trying to attempt a call into the CCID Virtual Branch for Church. I flew to New Zealand and She flew back to Dallas.

I can highly recommend Air New Zealand! What a wonderful flight and I especially enjoyed the Sofa Chairs. I was the lone occupant in my row and was able to put my feet up on the bench/bed and lie down and sleep for most of the flight.