Hong Kong, the orphaned child adopted by British parents only to have the biological parents claim her back as an adolescence. The fusion of Western upbringing and Chinese heritage means that Hong Kong lends traditions from both cultures; best exemplified by the annual public holiday calendar. In total, Hong Kong has seventeen public holidays. Easter, Buddha's Birthday, Queen's Birthday, Christmas and of course Chinese New Year.
The first three days of Chinese New Year are public holidays, which means two days of annual leave equates to nine days off work. It also makes it a very popular time to travel for people in Hong Kong with locals wanting nothing more than to escape Hong Kong during the beginning of the lunar year. With this in mind a group of eighteen decided to head over to Japan for a nine day romp in snowy Niseko, Sapporo.
Despite having the foresight to book almost eight months in advance, we still only managed an indirect flight to Sapporo costing almost 10,000 HKD for a return flight. The first night was spent in quaint Sapporo where we raged into the early hours of the morning at A-life Sapporo. 8 am the following day we caught a private van to the village of Hirafu, Niseko. So. Much. Snow. What would follow was eight days of powder, snowboarding, getting stuck in waist-deep snow and plenty of sore muscles.
It snowed continuously for the first eight days and on our final day we were greeted by blue skies and excellent conditions. Highlights include, the Americans celebrating Australia Day while the Australians slept. The delicious but sodium enriched Japanese food; nothing beats a bowl of steaming Ramen after getting off the slopes. Watching the NFL conference finals. Watching a montage of Robyn "Call Your Girlfriend" youtube clips. Me, losing my phone on the slopes. Us sitting in the Jacuzzi at the end of each day while we licked our wounds sipping on snow-chilled beers. Me, constantly being told by the group to get a bell for around my neck (I always got lost). Going through Blueberry and Strawberry fields, wow. The minus 20 degrees temperature at the top of the mountain. The group yoga sessions. And of course, the excellent company and countless laughs shared.
The first three days of Chinese New Year are public holidays, which means two days of annual leave equates to nine days off work. It also makes it a very popular time to travel for people in Hong Kong with locals wanting nothing more than to escape Hong Kong during the beginning of the lunar year. With this in mind a group of eighteen decided to head over to Japan for a nine day romp in snowy Niseko, Sapporo.
Despite having the foresight to book almost eight months in advance, we still only managed an indirect flight to Sapporo costing almost 10,000 HKD for a return flight. The first night was spent in quaint Sapporo where we raged into the early hours of the morning at A-life Sapporo. 8 am the following day we caught a private van to the village of Hirafu, Niseko. So. Much. Snow. What would follow was eight days of powder, snowboarding, getting stuck in waist-deep snow and plenty of sore muscles.
It snowed continuously for the first eight days and on our final day we were greeted by blue skies and excellent conditions. Highlights include, the Americans celebrating Australia Day while the Australians slept. The delicious but sodium enriched Japanese food; nothing beats a bowl of steaming Ramen after getting off the slopes. Watching the NFL conference finals. Watching a montage of Robyn "Call Your Girlfriend" youtube clips. Me, losing my phone on the slopes. Us sitting in the Jacuzzi at the end of each day while we licked our wounds sipping on snow-chilled beers. Me, constantly being told by the group to get a bell for around my neck (I always got lost). Going through Blueberry and Strawberry fields, wow. The minus 20 degrees temperature at the top of the mountain. The group yoga sessions. And of course, the excellent company and countless laughs shared.
