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Welcome to Hong Kong! We’re soon wrapping up our quick two-day trip before Shanghai, and I can’t wait to show you everything. I know this is not a Hong Kong IG hot spot (trust me, those will come!!), but I wanted to kick this series off with a unique corner of the island that you may or may not have seen as proof that there are ALWAYS hidden gems to find, no matter how saturated the destination! 🤗❤️
Twirling through our whirlwind 48-hours in @lulus #lulusambassador #lovelulus
Why, yellow there! 👋💛
Even though I have more Peru favorites to share, I'm wrapping up this series (again) for a bit because I am currently off to HONG KONG and SHANGHAI!!! As many of you know, this is "home" for me as my family has lived in Shanghai for the last 15 years. I can't wait to eat allll the food and share this beautiful country with you. 🇭🇰❤️🇨🇳
And if you're going to be in either of those cities—hit me up!! I'd love to meet you over bubble tea and take pretty pictures together. 🤗
I close my eyes, and I can see a world that’s waiting up for me, that I call my own. ✨
How beautiful and surreal is this charming Airbnb view? You don’t need to stay somewhere fancy to have an amazing experience. Saya Wasi was one of the cutest places we’d stayed at, and waking up with a cup of coffee, breakfast and this view was one of my favorite memories from our Peru trip.
What would your perfect morning be like? 🌄🍳☕️
Confession: I may or may not have borrowed this decorative blanket from the bed at our hotel. 🛌
Have you ever borrowed a hotel prop for a quick shot?
Not pictured: the riot police watching me take this photo.
One of the most frequent questions I get about Peru is whether or not it's safe. I want to say with a resounding YES that Michael and I never once felt scared or threatened. Cusco and the Sacred Valley felt so safe that I would have been comfortable wandering by myself during the late evening, and even Lima felt no different to me than any large city. Everybody we met was kind, and while bartering is an important skill for purchasing souvenirs, we did not feel like people were trying to hustle us. When my sunglasses broke in Lima, we even walked into a random shop and the helpful man at the counter fixed them for me for no charge!
That said, you must of COURSE always be cognizant of your surroundings when you travel. Do your research ahead of time. The main square of Lima is beautifully rich in history and it was very important to us to see it, but we also made sure to go during the daylight as many locals cautioned us to come back to Miraflores (a "safer" area of the city where our hotel was) after dark (it still seemed safe to me as the sun set and we walked past children playing in the park as we looked for a taxi, but we wanted to be careful nonetheless!). We saw a lot of police officers around the Plaza de Armas with riot shields, and could see the favelas (slums) in the distance once we started wandering around. That said, our day in Lima was probably one of my favorite memories from our Peru trip.
Have you been anywhere that you were afraid might not be safe, but then found you actually loved it?
Welcome to the strange little town of Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo. Neither here nor there, a little betwixt and between.
❂ If you're headed for Machu Picchu, chances are you will spend at least one night here as it is the closest access point to the world wonder at 6km (3.7 miles) away.
❂ The town is known as "Aguas Calientes" (or "hot water") due to the thermal hot springs. You can go soak in pools filled with water from these springs, but having done it, I honestly would not recommend it.
❂ This town is rather isolated and sits on the river surrounded by a cloud forest.
❂ You must arrive here via the train that runs straight through the center of town. You can take either IncaRail or PeruRail. Both trains run on the same track and are not terribly different, so I would advise simply selecting whichever company’s departures best fit your schedule.
❂ You can either walk to Machu Picchu from here (1.5-ish hours), or you can take a bus (30 minutes). Bus tickets can be purchased in the main square. You do not have to commit to a time in advance—simply queue up for the bus anytime between 5:30am and 3:30pm.
❂ We loved our stayed at Tierra Viva Machu Picchu Hotel. They met us at the train station and helped us with our luggage. The hotel is also directly in front of the bus stop, so as we waited in line at 5:00am, we were able to stay on our guest WiFi.
❂ There are various souvenir stands, but the prices are likely to be double that of the same products in Cusco. I would suggest waiting until you return to Cusco or Lima to purchase your gifts.
I meant to explore and take more photos in this unique location (there's the Machu Picchu Museum, a church, a butterfly house, a garden and waterfall nearby), but Michael and I sadly both got food poisoning our second night here. I barely had enough energy to wander five minutes outside of our hotel for these two shots before defeatedly rushing back! I think most people I know have gotten sick at some point during their Peru trip, but I would advise to be careful with your food selections.
