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How Not to Have a Colonoscopy: A Harrowing Tale

December 3, 2019 //  by Lily Wu//  2 Comments

It all started with WebMD. (Doesn’t it always?)

Of course, I don’t always trust the misguided and doubtful opinions of strangers on the internet. I do like to think that I avoid WebMD most of the time, like a rational person. It’s pretty mentally exhausting to conclude that you have polycystic kidney disease when a pimple appears on your chin one morning. Or that the rash on your forearm means you have skin parasites. Google’s “People also searched for” function is especially helpful in times like this: “Does having a rash mean cancer?”

WebMD meme about having cancer
A meme about WebMD's symptom checker always claiming that you have cancer

But, like many of you, I suppose, couldn’t help looking up my chronic erratic digestive symptoms on one afternoon. I tap-tapped away at my phone, beginning with “common digestive issues” and somehow landed on a page that suggested, nay, all but told me definitively, that I probably had at least a few malignant polyps in my colon.

By the time I got to this article (about the increasing rate of colon cancer in millennials), it was game over. My symptoms (whether real or imagined) amassed so steadily during my time online that there was no chance of me coming out of this unscathed.

Screenshot depicting an article that states that US millennials are more likely to get colon cancer
The offending article that sent me into a neverending Internet tunnel

I furiously texted my mother about needing to get a colonoscopy, and stat. At first, she was confused. “You’re only 26,” she said, bemused. “You’re way too young. This is a test for old people.”

I pleaded. I made my case. I gave her my litany of symptoms (I like to think at this point I was able to distinguish between imagination and reality). And then, I wrangled an appointment on Sunday, 7:00 in the morning, just hours after I was due to land from my flight from Boston.

Content Warning: But honestly, if you don’t want to read about what my body does down there, there are plenty of pieces I’ve written about pretty places. And the “Trending” sidebar to the right might be a good place to start. Check those out instead!

The Colonoscopy Diet: An Exercise in Eating White Refined Carbs Followed by Fasting

The prep instructions for colonoscopy were fairly simple, as far as instructions go. A few days before the appointment, switch to low residue foods.

No beans. White rice was OK. White refined bread = OK. Chicken and fish, go for it.

Basically, to make it easier for myself to remember (and also to have a happier gustatory experience), I joyfully accepted that my diet could be made up of white carbs and meat (my favorite food groups), without the bothersome need to fill my plate with green things.

I dreamed of sliced char siu and beds of unadulterated white rice and long yarns of noodles. I imagined myself free from the shackles of vegetables’ health halo (anyone who says honestly that they would eat vegetables if they had the same nutritional value as a perfect baguette or a bowl of noodles is lying to themselves). I saw bathtubs of congee. And I didn’t need to eat a single leaf in the name of health.

Infographic depicting foods to eat and not eat before a colonoscopy.
White grains of rice and oodles of noodles. These are a few of my favorite things.

So how was it that, the day before my flight to the US, I spent the better part of my morning at work painstakingly picking out needle-thin threads of ginger and scallion out of my fish slice congee with a pair of chopsticks? Get me in front of one of those chopstick-skill contests, because I am sure I will win. It’s funny because pre-prep, I could have sworn that rice congee ran as white and pearly as bone broth. What were all these damn vegetables doing floating around? What’s more, they were so finely shredded that I could have sworn each careful spoonful I scooped into my mouth was full of tiny invisible scallion particles. I was basically slurping Essence of Scallion on what was supposed to be a No-Scallion diet.

Fish congee with scallion and ginger
What a full bowl of congee with fish looks like.

The above is a photo from my much more appeasing post on Hong Kong eats, for your easy viewing pleasure.

For my last solid food meal, I had soup noodles with plump little wontons and three pork liver rice rolls. I glanced uncertainly at a colonoscopy instruction manual that instructed “no meat with gristle,” and thought about the remnants of pig innards (hopefully) digesting in my gut.

And then the 24 hour liquid diet began. The first six hours were fine. I drank one glass of water and one glass of apple juice every time the flight attendants came by. I watched a tiny elderly woman with a wool knit cap on her head plant herself by the space next to the lavatory, circling her hips in that Old-Asian-Person way. 5 minutes later, she had sat cross legged on the floor, doing stretches with all of her limbs.

No one said a thing. I wished I was her. She probably got to eat.

Later when I landed, the dull empty-stomach feeling I’d so easily ignored several hours prior had exacerbated into a violent and cavernous need for sustenance. My speech grew short and clipped as I began my slow descent into the famine part of the feast-famine cycle. In a few hours, my whimpers of “I’m so hungry” would have become snarls of “Me hungry. Me. Food. Now.” I’d gotten a maximum of four hours of sleep on a total travel time of over 17 hours.

The Hard Part: The Cleaning of the Pipes

As I hoisted my luggage into the trunk of the car and dragged my sleep-deprived body into the back seat, my mother handed me the “nice-tasting” laxative that I’d requested (an oxymoron that I hope never having to request again).

Of course, with me having done my own internet sleuthing, I’d come across the notoriously putrid taste of the laxatives – between “the worst fucking thing I’ve ever swallowed, and that’s including variations of bodily fluids”, and “I wanted to throw up the entire contents of my body’s organs”, I carefully calculated that my chances of downing the bottle without gagging were slim to none.

But it had to be done. The good kind folks over at the dodgy medical website forums where everyone compared their symptoms (some imaginary, some not) advised to “hold your nose for as long as possible and chug a chaser immediately after without letting go.” I untwisted the bottle and plucked up the courage to give it a good whiff. It smelled like Sprite.

A picture of a saline laxative from CVS in lemon flavor
I wasn’t expecting CVS brand saline laxative, but it looked pretty inoffensive.

As I was studying the bottle, my mother then landed me a packet of Dulcolax, and told me to “take four, maybe five.”

I stared.

Dulcolax was something I never take, except in the most dire of circumstances. Dulcolax is whipping out your last resort secret weapon when the enemy is closing in. Dulcolax is the nuclear option. And when I decide the nuclear option is necessary, only two tablets are enough. Four, or God forbid, five, was the equivalent of nuking a country instead of a city. My poor body. It was not made for this.

“Mom. I never take more than two.”

She shrugged. “This is not for your little poops, OK? This is for a procedure.”

The matriarch had spoken. And so I assembled my arsenal of pills and liquids and got to work.

Little did I know that my father was also having a regular colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow. I was so excited at not being alone in my plight that I squealed “Oh my god, Dad! We match! Twinsies!” after which I realized that having to undergo the same medical procedure as your over-60 father was perhaps not exactly something to celebrate.

A gallon of water, a sleeve of Dulcolax tablets, and saline laxative in preparation for a colonoscopy
As ready as I would ever be.

And it certainly wasn’t anything to celebrate when the mix of a full liter of water in my stomach. Not a minute passed that I did not feel like hurling.

And the more time passed, the more my mother gently asked militantly prodded me to drink more.

And then the gurgling began. I enjoy when the stomach gives off gurglies, because most of the time, I can use it as an excuse to eat.

This time, however, there was no such thing. I wished that it would work its magic.

Within an hour, it was happening. I calculated the distance to the bathroom and tested the stretchiness of my favorite sweatpants, to ensure that I got the most out of my sprint-to-elasticity ratio for maximum speed.

I’ll spare you the details of the details, seeing as how I’ve chosen to write a play-by-play of my entire colonoscopy experience. But “lava” and “incessant” would not be amiss in a description of the experience at this point.

By the time 6:30 rolled around the following morning, I had lain awake in a heady and horrid combination of jet lag, nausea, and have-to-go-to-the-toilet moments. But for better or worse, I was ready.

The Nearly Last Part: I Discover Something Horrible 

It was 10 minutes into the drive when I chose to admit my fear of being put to sleep. I haven’t been anesthetized since I was 11, when I had a surgery to remove a cyst. I compare it to being euthanized. One second you’re conscious and kicking, and the next, you’re simply….not.

“Oh, you won’t be put to sleep,” my mother said cheerfully.

My heart leapt to my throat. Oh HELL no.

“…I won’t be put to sleep?” I imagined a 5 meter long tube wriggling invasively and curiously around my organs. I imagined the pain. My palms began to sweat. “Just so you know, I’m going to be crying the whole time,” I informed her.

My mother, ignoring my pathetic attempts to convey my anticipatory horror, chirped, “It’ll be fine. You’ll get to see the entire thing happen on the screen!”

Right. Just lovely. Despite that car ride into town normally taking 30 minutes, I could have sworn that it was shortest car ride of my entire life.

And then we arrived. The clinic, at that point, had not yet been opened. The gates in front of the door were as tightly shut. The rain splattered from dreary grey skies. By this point, I had not eaten for just over 30 hours. The temperature was so much colder than I remembered; I felt the windchill whirl through the fabric of my jeans and send shivers up my spine.

The appointment was at 7. It was 7:15. No one was arriving. “I’m going to be really mean to the doctor when he finally arrives,” I told my mother in my best I’m so fucking hungry and cold voice.

And then it was 7:20. And there he was.

I was not mean, like I said I’d be. The sight of strangers usually sends me into mumbles of attempted politeness, no matter how hard I’m seething on the inside. So I shuffled inside, signed some paperwork, and waited to enter purgatory.

I tried to be a good sport about it. I really did.

When the nurses asked me to take off my pants and lay on my side, I determinedly stared at the wall. I felt the needle pierce the inside of my elbow – a type of sedative, they told me. And then I waited. I told them that I wanted my mom in there with me, because I am a fucking baby and hate medical procedures, and I might need to hold her hand.

And then the doctor came in. “So, Lily, you’re coming in from Hong Kong, right? Fucking mess over there, isn’t it?”

I should mention that he was a family friend, so this first issuance from his mouth did not surprise me one bit.

I whimpered in reply. I was so distracted by the sounds of my own whimpering that before I’d exactly registered it, I knew the damn thing was inside my organs. It was exactly how I’d imagined it, and worse. I felt it snaking up and around. Yep.

Was it pain? It was so disconcertingly uncomfortable that I could only describe the sensation as pain. I think the doctor tried to reassure me over my whispery wailing by patting me and telling me that childbirth was way worse.

I did my best grimace in response.

Tapeworm with GoPro is exactly right.

It did not reassure me.

In order to soothe my shattered nerves, I stared at the screen and watched the ridges of what was, I serenely noted to myself, a pretty smooth and pink looking tube. Like a slinky.

I’d done my prep correctly, at least. “It looks nice,” I said out loud.

“Yep,” Doc replied. “Very nice! Nice looking colon. It only hurts when it goes around the corners and turns.”

At this point, my mother had retrieved her phone from the other room. The nurses, sharply noticing what she was doing, quickly covered the bottom half of my body with a sheet. Mom returned and started snapping photos of the screen.

“What kind of pictures are those?” Doc said to her. “Stand over here – you have to get her in the photo!”

a photo of a girl of Asian descent laying on her side watching the screen depicting her colon during her colonoscopy
See my arm hanging limply and helplessly? That’s exactly how I felt watching the entire thing transpire in real time. I was asked to remove my glasses beforehand, but I figured if I was going to be completely awake, I may as well watch.

“Ordinarily, this would take 5-7 minutes,” he remarked to me. “But you’re a chicken, so it might take a little longer. Chicken noodle.”

At this point, what with the photos and the lucidness and the chicken noodling, I couldn’t help but begin laughing at the absurdity of the whole thing.

“If they can hear you from outside first crying and then laughing…” he shook his head at me, “They’ll all be afraid to come in.”

A few more minutes passed, and then it was all over. “The end!” Doc announced, as I saw a dent on the screen (what I could only feasibly conclude was the end of my colon). And then it really was the end.

It was negative. No polyps. No issues. No bleeding. I did, however, likely have IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), the doctor concluded.

A few hours later, I sat in front of plates of rice noodle rolls, dumplings, and egg yolk custard buns. As I feasted, I thought about the other delicious things I’d be eating this week. I had the passing thought that my system had never been so cleaned out as it was then, and I was effectively destroying it again by not adhering to the easy-to-digest diet that was recommended post-procedure.

But hey. That’s life.

An image of a man with a blue collared shirt typing on a laptop with the words "My Colonoscopy Experience" titled
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Category: Longform, Nothing to Do with Travel, Personal LifeTag: colonoscopy, personal life

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Comments

  1. Kimberley

    December 3, 2019 at 10:06 pm

    😂😂😂 Lily you are hilarious, I’m sorry you had to go through that but I’m glad you could share the experience. This was definitely a good read.

    Reply
    • Lily Wu

      December 4, 2019 at 1:09 pm

      Haha, thanks so much Kim!!! I can’t write about mountains and little cobblestone streets forever =p I hope you never have to go through this!

      Reply

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A girl in Boston Common
Boston Common. Boston, MA. November 2019.

Hi, I’m Lily!

I’m a Boston-raised, Hong Kong-based writer, traveler, and content creator.

My site is about sharing stories relating to millennial travel, travel blogging, Asian diasporic identity, and Hong Kong living.

📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo 📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo was taken during one of the most arduous and expensive trips of my life - trying to make it back from the USA to HK is no joke. My flight was cancelled last minute and I had to reroute with three new flights....then at the last minute I was turned away at the gate because my COVID test had my middle initial instead of my full middle name! HK doesn’t mess around. Hundreds and hundreds spent on hotels and a new COVID test notwithstanding...I got to spend time with a dear friend of mine on the west coast and it was so, so, nice. The air smelled of weed and the air was salty and sandy and amazing and nice. And the tacos!!!! Ugh. Just a few hours of an almost-vacation....here I am sitting at Venice Beach eating the Fairfax sandwich from Eggslut. Ugh. So good. I’d love to come back and do a more proper trip next time - any recs for the LA/SoCal area?? #losangeles_city #losangeles_la #losangelescalifornia #bostonbloggers #losangelesbloggers #travelgirlshub #venicebeachcalifornia #venicebeachskatepark #journeysofgirls #damestravel #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #visualwanderlust #welivetoexplore #adventurethatislife #adventurevisuals #californiadreamin #californiablogger #californiavacation #westcoastblogger #hkbloggers #hongkongblogger #ilovecalifornia #californiacoast #californiaroadtrip #westcoast_exposures #westcoastlife
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a f 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a friend last week about how cold it is here in New England, but how much better I am actually dealing with the cold even though I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 4 years now! When I go out NOW, I’m wearing at least 4 layers of clothing and a thick coat on top, and always, always 2 layers of pants. If I run I’ll put on leggings and joggers on top of those, OR two pairs of leggings, one on top of the other. I don’t know if I thought I was too cool for dressing warmly or what - but I’d shiver through countless snowy days in Boston waiting for the bus to get to school, refuse to wear a hat - and even sometimes wore skirts. This did not, I am sad to report, make me cool. It just made me very cold. Here’s a photo of the moon at sunset, a few miles from my parents’ house. #bostonbloggers #newengland #ilovemassachusetts #massachusettsnature #massachusettsphotography #bostonphotographers #cathaycreators #hongkongblogger #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #newengland_igers #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newenglandphotography #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandwinter #travelgirlsgo #journeysofgirls #newenglandsunsets #sunsetgram #sunsets_oftheworld #sunsetoftheday #sunsetcolors #sunsetlove #massachusettslife #massachusettsoutdoors #bostonliving #bostonweather #bostonphotography #bostongram
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New E 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New England vibes in this photo so much! This was taken during a short run I did with my brother - I always always always avoided running because I was obsessed with “maintaining gains” when I began weightlifting 6-7 years ago. I’m surprisingly really loving it - I love just putting on a new album in whatever genre (so far have listened to Kanye, the Beatles, Linkin Park, and a LOT of Bach) and listening to it all the way through with no interruptions. ⁣ I can only really go 3-5km at a time right now without feeling like I want to stop (and I won’t be running any marathons soon) but I’m really happy I’ve found something else meditate and good-for-me to do! ⁣ Do any of you run and have any tips for a novice like me?? ⁣ ⁣ #newenglandwinter #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandfall #randolphma #newenglandblogger #newenglandpictures #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #hkbloggers #newenglander #newenglandnature #newenglandtravel #newengland_photography #ilovemassachusetts #iloveboston #beantown #newenglandigers #bostonian #bostonlife #travelgirls #travelgirldiary #travelgirlscollective #damestravel #dametravelers #runningstyle #runningviews #winterrun #winterrunning #winterruns #belcherpark
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been here, I’ve been going on walks with my parents a few times a week. My dad always ALWAYS wants to catch the sunset (he’s an avid photographer!) so here’s one that we caught a few weeks ago. ⁣ Life here is, as one of my friends described, so wholesome here. I’m still working remotely, but without a social scene all of my free time has been spent listening to new music, reading new books, practicing yoga, and moving my body. I honestly don’t miss the hectic life at all and I always wondered if I could ever live outside of a huge metro urban setting (and whether I’d get bored). I honestly think I could do it, I love living the way I have been! ⁣ For those of you who live in cities and love it, do you think you’d give up the go-go-go lifestyle for something more simple? ⁣ ⁣ #ilovemassachusetts #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #cantonma #newenglandphotography #newenglandsunsets #newenglansphotography #iloveboston #beantown #bostonsunsets #bostonbloggers #travelgirlsdiary #journeysofgirls #journeyofgirls #randolphma #sunsetsofinstagram #sunsetsgram #hongkongbloggers #hongkongblogger #hongkong_ig #sunsetscape #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #girlswhotravel #massachusettsgirl #bostongirl ⁣
📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a 📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a huge snow last week! ❄️ We had a proper “nor’easter” - which, according to Wikipedia, is “a macro-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean.” After having missed snow for many years living in Hong Kong, I honestly can’t tell you how much I’ve missed even the meter-high walls of snow we’d get, without fail, every winter in New England. ⁣ My family is driving down the Cape (Cape Cod) for Christmas! What are your plans?? ⁣ ⁣ #massachusettssnow #ilovenewengland #newenglandsnow #noreaster #bluehillreservation #newenglandphotography #newenglandphotographer #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #cathaycreators #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #ilovemassachusetts #snowsnowsnow #snowmountain #snowlove #snowhike #snowscape #snowcovered #journeyofgirls #journeysofgirls #travelgirlsgo #snowfilter #snowseason #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettslife #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsofficial #travelgirlscommunity
📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was t 📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was the second time I’ve hiked to Lion Rock in Kowloon (the first time being over 3 years ago), and I still love the little Lego-pieces of HK’s buildings as far as the eye can see! ⁣ I’m not jn Hong Kong at the moment, but I’ve been telling my family here in the US that it isn’t all dense concrete and gray cityscapes, a huge amount of HK is literally just lush tropical wilderness. ⁣ Hope everyone is having a lovely start to their holidays! My family has never been big holiday people (don’t think they place a lot of emphasis or value on atmosphere), but we still got a little cat-proof tree tree at my insistence to spruce it up a bit. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovehongkong #homekong #hongkongphotography #hongkongphotographer #cathaycreators #hikinginhongkong #hongkonghiking #hkhikes #hongkonghikes #sheisfromhk #sheisnotlost #lionrockhike #lionsrock #hk_iger #travelgirlsgo #livetoexplore #hongkonglife #hongkonginsta #hongkongig #explorehongkong #discoverhongkong #awesomehongkong #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #hongkongblogger #damestravel #traveldames #thedreamytravel #girlsvsglobe #girlsborntravel
📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s th 📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s the coldest place you’ve ever been to? ⁣ Can you smell how crisp the air is? It was also bone-shatteringly cold - 🥶 30 F (just below 0 C) feels just as fresh and stingy on my face as I remember! There are ZERO “Instagram spots” in the classical sense here - so you’ve got to get creative with Mother Nature! ⁣ Life has been funny lately. I’ve been in the USA for about 2.5 weeks now and I’ve finally settled into a rhythm and a routine. Part of that routine involves 3-4x weekly walks with my parents in a nearby “reservation” - big swathes of land with hiking trails, ponds, and lakes. I’m wearing leggings underneath jeans here, and could STILL feel the sharpness of cold air penetrating all the way through to my skin. ⁣ I’ve traded skyscrapers and haze for lakes and sunsets, and right now, feel super content. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovenengland #houghtonspond #newenglandsunsets #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newengland_igers #newenglandfall #newenglandblogger #sheisnotlost #travelgirlshub #damestravel #dametraveler #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #cathaycreators #newenglandpictures #newenglander #ilovemassachusetts #masachusettsphotographer #massachusettsoutdoors #bluehillsreservation #hikingboston #newenglandhikes #massachusettslife #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts
📍Boston, MA (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ This photo was 📍Boston, MA (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ This photo was taken last year in one of my favorite places in Boston, the Boston Public Library (where my dad still works!). ⁣ If I get my negative COVID result today, I’m finally out of my self-imposed quarantine! It won’t bring me much freedom, but I’m excited to meet the two new cats in the house and to finally be able to make and serve my own meals. Hope everyone is having a good week! ⁣ ⁣ #iloveboston #bostonpubliclibrary #beantown #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #bostonma #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #tasteintravel #instatravel #stayandwander #welivetoexplore #neverstopexploring #visualwanderlust #femmetravel #girlslovetravel #dametraveler #wearetravelgirls #ladiesgoneglobal #sheexplores #girlsborntotravel #theglobewanderer #traveldiary #travelphotography #bostonphotography
📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 ⁣ This summer, I met so 📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 ⁣ This summer, I met so many wonderful friends and formed exciting and fun friendships - as a result, I ended up on boats WAY more than any other HK summer, and still took place well into October. Now that I’m in cloudy and rainy and cold New England, I’m absolutely thinking about these sunny days, but being around my family is just as amazing. ⁣ I feel like I have so many books to read, things to write, yoga poses to learn, dishes to cook. My stories won’t be as fun as they are usually (a lot less booze and boats and a lot more books and cats) but I hope you guys will stick with me over these next few months! ⁣ #ilovehongkong #homekong #cathaycreators #outonthewater #imonaboat #sheisfromhk #hk_igers #hongkonginstagram #hongkongphotography #hongkongphotographer #hongkongig #hongkonglife #theprettycities #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsofficial #travelgirlscollective #travelgirlsgetaways #travelgirldiaries #travelgirlsvibe #explorehongkong #discoverhongkong #hongkongcity #hongkongview #hongkongharbour #exploreasia #travelgirlsgo #girlswhotravel #lifeinhongkong #hongkonglife #bostonbloggers
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📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo 📍Los Angeles, CA, USA 🇺🇸 Lol this photo was taken during one of the most arduous and expensive trips of my life - trying to make it back from the USA to HK is no joke. My flight was cancelled last minute and I had to reroute with three new flights....then at the last minute I was turned away at the gate because my COVID test had my middle initial instead of my full middle name! HK doesn’t mess around. Hundreds and hundreds spent on hotels and a new COVID test notwithstanding...I got to spend time with a dear friend of mine on the west coast and it was so, so, nice. The air smelled of weed and the air was salty and sandy and amazing and nice. And the tacos!!!! Ugh. Just a few hours of an almost-vacation....here I am sitting at Venice Beach eating the Fairfax sandwich from Eggslut. Ugh. So good. I’d love to come back and do a more proper trip next time - any recs for the LA/SoCal area?? #losangeles_city #losangeles_la #losangelescalifornia #bostonbloggers #losangelesbloggers #travelgirlshub #venicebeachcalifornia #venicebeachskatepark #journeysofgirls #damestravel #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #visualwanderlust #welivetoexplore #adventurethatislife #adventurevisuals #californiadreamin #californiablogger #californiavacation #westcoastblogger #hkbloggers #hongkongblogger #ilovecalifornia #californiacoast #californiaroadtrip #westcoast_exposures #westcoastlife
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a f 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 I was laughing to a friend last week about how cold it is here in New England, but how much better I am actually dealing with the cold even though I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 4 years now! When I go out NOW, I’m wearing at least 4 layers of clothing and a thick coat on top, and always, always 2 layers of pants. If I run I’ll put on leggings and joggers on top of those, OR two pairs of leggings, one on top of the other. I don’t know if I thought I was too cool for dressing warmly or what - but I’d shiver through countless snowy days in Boston waiting for the bus to get to school, refuse to wear a hat - and even sometimes wore skirts. This did not, I am sad to report, make me cool. It just made me very cold. Here’s a photo of the moon at sunset, a few miles from my parents’ house. #bostonbloggers #newengland #ilovemassachusetts #massachusettsnature #massachusettsphotography #bostonphotographers #cathaycreators #hongkongblogger #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #newengland_igers #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newenglandphotography #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandwinter #travelgirlsgo #journeysofgirls #newenglandsunsets #sunsetgram #sunsets_oftheworld #sunsetoftheday #sunsetcolors #sunsetlove #massachusettslife #massachusettsoutdoors #bostonliving #bostonweather #bostonphotography #bostongram
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New E 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ I loveee the New England vibes in this photo so much! This was taken during a short run I did with my brother - I always always always avoided running because I was obsessed with “maintaining gains” when I began weightlifting 6-7 years ago. I’m surprisingly really loving it - I love just putting on a new album in whatever genre (so far have listened to Kanye, the Beatles, Linkin Park, and a LOT of Bach) and listening to it all the way through with no interruptions. ⁣ I can only really go 3-5km at a time right now without feeling like I want to stop (and I won’t be running any marathons soon) but I’m really happy I’ve found something else meditate and good-for-me to do! ⁣ Do any of you run and have any tips for a novice like me?? ⁣ ⁣ #newenglandwinter #newenglandoutdoors #newenglandfall #randolphma #newenglandblogger #newenglandpictures #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #hkbloggers #newenglander #newenglandnature #newenglandtravel #newengland_photography #ilovemassachusetts #iloveboston #beantown #newenglandigers #bostonian #bostonlife #travelgirls #travelgirldiary #travelgirlscollective #damestravel #dametravelers #runningstyle #runningviews #winterrun #winterrunning #winterruns #belcherpark
📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been 📍Massachusetts 🇺🇸 ⁣ Since I’ve been here, I’ve been going on walks with my parents a few times a week. My dad always ALWAYS wants to catch the sunset (he’s an avid photographer!) so here’s one that we caught a few weeks ago. ⁣ Life here is, as one of my friends described, so wholesome here. I’m still working remotely, but without a social scene all of my free time has been spent listening to new music, reading new books, practicing yoga, and moving my body. I honestly don’t miss the hectic life at all and I always wondered if I could ever live outside of a huge metro urban setting (and whether I’d get bored). I honestly think I could do it, I love living the way I have been! ⁣ For those of you who live in cities and love it, do you think you’d give up the go-go-go lifestyle for something more simple? ⁣ ⁣ #ilovemassachusetts #bluehillreservation #bluehillsreservation #cantonma #newenglandphotography #newenglandsunsets #newenglansphotography #iloveboston #beantown #bostonsunsets #bostonbloggers #travelgirlsdiary #journeysofgirls #journeyofgirls #randolphma #sunsetsofinstagram #sunsetsgram #hongkongbloggers #hongkongblogger #hongkong_ig #sunsetscape #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #girlswhotravel #massachusettsgirl #bostongirl ⁣
📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a 📍USA 🇺🇸 (Massachusetts) ⁣ It snowed a huge snow last week! ❄️ We had a proper “nor’easter” - which, according to Wikipedia, is “a macro-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean.” After having missed snow for many years living in Hong Kong, I honestly can’t tell you how much I’ve missed even the meter-high walls of snow we’d get, without fail, every winter in New England. ⁣ My family is driving down the Cape (Cape Cod) for Christmas! What are your plans?? ⁣ ⁣ #massachusettssnow #ilovenewengland #newenglandsnow #noreaster #bluehillreservation #newenglandphotography #newenglandphotographer #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #cathaycreators #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #ilovemassachusetts #snowsnowsnow #snowmountain #snowlove #snowhike #snowscape #snowcovered #journeyofgirls #journeysofgirls #travelgirlsgo #snowfilter #snowseason #massachusettsoutdoors #massachusetts_igers #massachusettslife #travelgirldiary #travelgirlsofficial #travelgirlscommunity
📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was t 📍Hong Kong 🇭🇰 (Lion Rock) ⁣ This was the second time I’ve hiked to Lion Rock in Kowloon (the first time being over 3 years ago), and I still love the little Lego-pieces of HK’s buildings as far as the eye can see! ⁣ I’m not jn Hong Kong at the moment, but I’ve been telling my family here in the US that it isn’t all dense concrete and gray cityscapes, a huge amount of HK is literally just lush tropical wilderness. ⁣ Hope everyone is having a lovely start to their holidays! My family has never been big holiday people (don’t think they place a lot of emphasis or value on atmosphere), but we still got a little cat-proof tree tree at my insistence to spruce it up a bit. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovehongkong #homekong #hongkongphotography #hongkongphotographer #cathaycreators #hikinginhongkong #hongkonghiking #hkhikes #hongkonghikes #sheisfromhk #sheisnotlost #lionrockhike #lionsrock #hk_iger #travelgirlsgo #livetoexplore #hongkonglife #hongkonginsta #hongkongig #explorehongkong #discoverhongkong #awesomehongkong #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #hongkongblogger #damestravel #traveldames #thedreamytravel #girlsvsglobe #girlsborntravel
📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s th 📍Massachusetts (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ What’s the coldest place you’ve ever been to? ⁣ Can you smell how crisp the air is? It was also bone-shatteringly cold - 🥶 30 F (just below 0 C) feels just as fresh and stingy on my face as I remember! There are ZERO “Instagram spots” in the classical sense here - so you’ve got to get creative with Mother Nature! ⁣ Life has been funny lately. I’ve been in the USA for about 2.5 weeks now and I’ve finally settled into a rhythm and a routine. Part of that routine involves 3-4x weekly walks with my parents in a nearby “reservation” - big swathes of land with hiking trails, ponds, and lakes. I’m wearing leggings underneath jeans here, and could STILL feel the sharpness of cold air penetrating all the way through to my skin. ⁣ I’ve traded skyscrapers and haze for lakes and sunsets, and right now, feel super content. ⁣ ⁣ #ilovenengland #houghtonspond #newenglandsunsets #bostonbloggers #bostonblogger #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #newenglandliving #newenglandlife #newengland_igers #newenglandfall #newenglandblogger #sheisnotlost #travelgirlshub #damestravel #dametraveler #sheisfromhk #agameoftones #cathaycreators #newenglandpictures #newenglander #ilovemassachusetts #masachusettsphotographer #massachusettsoutdoors #bluehillsreservation #hikingboston #newenglandhikes #massachusettslife #massachusettsmade #naturalmassachusetts
📍Boston, MA (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ This photo was 📍Boston, MA (USA) 🇺🇸 ⁣ This photo was taken last year in one of my favorite places in Boston, the Boston Public Library (where my dad still works!). ⁣ If I get my negative COVID result today, I’m finally out of my self-imposed quarantine! It won’t bring me much freedom, but I’m excited to meet the two new cats in the house and to finally be able to make and serve my own meals. Hope everyone is having a good week! ⁣ ⁣ #iloveboston #bostonpubliclibrary #beantown #newenglandphotographer #newenglandphotography #bostonma #bostonblogger #bostonbloggers #lifeofadventure #alwaysgo #wanderfolk #letsgosomewhere #exploreeverywhere #tasteintravel #instatravel #stayandwander #welivetoexplore #neverstopexploring #visualwanderlust #femmetravel #girlslovetravel #dametraveler #wearetravelgirls #ladiesgoneglobal #sheexplores #girlsborntotravel #theglobewanderer #traveldiary #travelphotography #bostonphotography
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