No More Volleyball, but Lots of Fun

By pure luck of the draw, we had to play the other American team in the qualifier. It was very unfortunate because the level of play is not quite equivalent to the AVP. I strongly feel that both teams would have made a strong run of it if we did not have to face each other. As it turned out, we lost in a tight match, 18-21, 23-25.

So instead of sulking around, we decided to make the most of this trip and see all of Hong Kong. We still have 2 days left, but we have already seen many of the famous places. We went to the giant Buddha, which is 39 meters high sitting on the top of a mountain. It is a stunning sight. Then we shopped at the famous "Ladies' Market" in Mong Kok finding all sorts of great things. We also took the tram to the top of the Victoria Peak and took in the beautiful night scenery of Hong Kong. It is breath taking.

We have not yet decided what we will do today, but it is bound to be fun and exciting. I am really enjoying Hong Kong and all it has to offer.

It is so exciting to see another part of the world and experience their culture. This is definitely a place I would like to come back to.

That's all for now.

Angie

Hong Kong

I arrived last night in Hong Kong after a 14 hour direct flight from LAX. The flight was uneventful, but very long. I stayed awake the entire time so that I would not have troubles sleeping when I arrived. Hong Kong is 16 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time. We left LAX at noon on Sunday and arrived into Hong Kong at 7:30PM on Monday.

I was exhausted upon arrival, but forged through until we got to our hotel at 9:15PM. I went to bed right away and had no problem sleeping the night through. We woke up early and had breakfast, then went to the site and practiced for an hour.

The accommodations here are great. The people are very friendly, our hotel is very nice, the food is excellent with a large range of choices, and the site is a 2 minute walk away. We are not playing on a beach, but in a park with 2 courts set up. The sand is great, the stadium is nice, and all is good.

After we practiced, Chrissy and I decided to check out the famous Hong Kong shopping. We went to a high rise department store and walked around a bit. Next we plan to find the open air markets and shop for the "touristy" stuff.

We have meetings tonight and then the qualifier is tomorrow. I am looking forward to playing! It feels like its been so long since the season ended. We just have to remember to be patient because we are not in "in season" shape. In fact, I am in "out of season" shape. Oh well. More than anything, we want to have a good time and do the best we can.

I am excited to be here in Hong Kong and feel so thankful that I am blessed with my abilities to play beach volleyball and have these amazing opportunities to see different parts of the world. Life is good.

All my best,

Angie