Going Beyond the Mainland

In the last month, I've gone on my last two trips in China; Hong Kong and Taipei. I hadn't originally planned to go to either, but my visa had some issues so I went to Hong Kong to solve that, and then found out my Grandma and aunt were in Taiwan on vacation and so decided last minute to fly and see them.  Both were great experiences as I reconnected with my dad's side in HK and my mom's side in Taiwan.  Besides the Taipei 101 and Lan kwai fong, that's about it for the tourist traps. In Hong Kong I did buy some clothes, and in Taipei I had mango ice (mmm!), beef jerky and tons of Taiwanese snacks.  My aunt, cousin, and I also went to Danshui and rode bikes around the river.  It was great to see where my mother grew up and to hear stories about my family; including that when I was 2, I threw up because I ate too many popcicles.  How am I not surprised.