Playing catch up :) The HK is keeping me busy.

Horse Races, another Sunrise, Stanley Market, Party Tram, Nunnery, & More...

First, how about some new fun facts about Hong Kong Culture??

• You know how little kids will wear light up shoes? Well here they wear squeaky shoes (similar to the sound of a dog toy)! At first it was adorable, but gets slightly irritating sometimes. :)
• Water is not served at the dinner table, but hot tea and water is served and is complementary.
• It is rare to find wheat anything here (pastas, bread, rice, etc.).
• Almost all food is served "family style."
• Everything is disinfected multiple times per day, which is nice because most places feel and apear very clean.
• They eat much more dark meat here than white meat.
• There are many British terms or spellings used here: "Lift," "Queue," "Colour..."
• Ladies nights here actually mean free drinks for ladies, rather than "discounted" drinks in America. (Mom you told me to save money...!)
• We have been out on the ocean a couple times, and have yet to see an intertube or water skis -- they most commonly use banana boats and wakeboards.
• Last one: Everyone seems to have gotten sick at some point since being here, when it was my turn to go it was such a bizarre experience. You walk in, pay $150 HK ($19 US) and wait to get sent to a doctors room. When you get to the room the doctor is waiting there for you. Basically they ask you a bunch of questions and 10 mins later you have a list of 7 prescriptions that are filled 10 minutes later in the lobby (and covered in your original $150 HK fee). 

We finallllly made it to the horse races. They have them every Wednesday and Sunday, but the last race of the season happened to be a couple weeks ago. It was such an incredible experience to see, it was filled with many Europeans who dress up and go to socialize and have a good time. It is exciting and thrilling as the thousands of people scream and cheer in hope that the horse they bought money will win. I wish there were more races to go to, but it was still awesome. PLUSSS the first time I went to the races, I bet on #11 and won :)). 

Here is a video of horse #11 winning! You can hear how crazy the crowd gets...

Here is the horse arena. People who come to these races either there to have fun and socialize, or they also could be business executives who "shmooze" their clientele or else hardcore gamblers who are only there to win money-- they sit there with a horse stats and calculators so that they can figure out the best way to win.

Okayyy so we saw the sunrise again, and it was even more breath taking (last time was very overcast). This time we woke up at 3:30 am and we made it to the beach by 4:30 am. You can see the sunrise picture progression in my Facebook Album: More Magical Moments in Hong Kong http://on.fb.me/q3JLah

Around 5:00 am all of a sudden a bunch of older locals came to the beach apparently go to for a morning swim. It was actually very awesome to see because you can tell they do this every morning for the sunrise and it is a time for them to get their work out and also for them to socialize. As much as we tried to appreciate the beauty of the culture, it was a bit comical to see some of their work out routines... For example here is one of the women warming up before taking a swim... 

The beach we spent the day at in Stanley :) It was so relaxing to spend the day by the beach, drinking smoothies, shopping in the market, hiking to temples, and hanging with the BEST FRIENDS EVER. 

That night we were invited to Amanda's co-worker's birthday party which was a "party tram." Apparently going on these party trams is a very popular thing to do, and I understand why because it was truly a blast and such a beautiful way to travel through the city. We started out the night at one of the friend's flats which happened to have a rooftop balcony and an indescribable view of the city.  However, I definitely rediscovered my fear of heights being all the way up on the roof top...  Nonetheless, it was a great time meeting some of the expats who now lived in Hong Kong, we met people from London, Germany, America, Liverpool, etc. It is incredible to hear each of their stories and understand why they fell in love with Hong Kong.

The Four Girls (aka Mayhem) before we went out for the night :)

Us in front of the Party Tram!!!

The next day we spent at the Chi Lin Nunnery and again it was in the middle of the city. Despite the fact, it was silent the entire time and there was an spiritual feeling in the air -- it was so peaceful and beautifully made. Apparently because of the style of architecture that it was built in, there is not one nail in the entire building. 



Here is a video from the nunnery, and you can see the Buddhist monks.  

For Kristen ♥ Rest In Peace.

The most incredible places in HONG KONG.

Since I have taken so long to update my blog, I am definitely going to update you more by pictures rather than writing :) 1. That takes less time for me and 2. You will probably enjoy reading it more!

This next week we some how found some of the most incredible locations in HONG KONG. This city is so unique and absolutely beautiful -- I am just amazed that HK can transform from a high paced, wealthy city rushing with business, to a really cultured, Chinese area, and then to a tropical paradise complete with beaches and boats.

I havent gotten a chance to show you the campus we're staying at yet.... this is the residence at City University. The building behind the big orange thing (our cafeteria) is the dorm!  My roommate from Paris and I are on the 2nd floor!

Our cafeteria is ironically named the "Homey Kitchen" -- I say ironic because it seems to be the exact opposite of  "homey." There are only about 3 meals there that I will eat for dinner and none of them are what I would call "delicious." But ya know what, it's dorm foor and its free, so we can't complain too much I guess. :)

It turns out Amanda's boss owns HUSH, which is a lounge in LKF (Lan Kwai Fong), so one night we went there with the girls and it ended up being a blast, plus they have these incredible drinks (like the one shown here) that are made with dry ice and turn out to look and taste like Dip n' Dots. Greattt NIGHT. 

Later that night we ended up seeing the sunrise in the harbor. That's definitely the first thing I would recommend you do in Hong Kong is to stay up late enough/wake up early enough to see the sunrise... I say this because it is more than a beautiful sunrise in the harbor, but also because it is a great adventure and you get the opportunity to see a new part of the Hong Kong Culture. This is the Hong Kong Harbor around 5:30 am. 

That weekend we went to the Wong Tai Sin Temple, it was absolutely stunning. People from all over the country would come to the temple, light the incense provided and pray to the Gods for what ever was in their hearts. The tradition is to light 9 sticks of incense. I guess 3 is a lucky number so since there were 3 sets of three it was a very good karma that the prayers would  be answered. So anyways it was awesome to see that this temple was more than a tourist attraction, but a place that locals would go to pray. 

I am going to try to add a video, but for now, one thing that is famous at the Wong Tai Sin temple is to get a tube of sticks. Then you knee in front of the temple and shake the sticks until 1 falls out and hits the ground. Each stick has a number on it, so you take this number to the fortune tellers at the temple and then can give you some advice from your number and the Chinese year you were born. A bunch of us did this, including me, the number I got was a 6. I took this to my fortune teller and she told me that I was born in the year of the Horse and that 6 was a really lucky number, and while I couldn't understand half of the thing she said... I thought she said I would have a very fortunate love and family life. So I guess that's good!?! Although she did mention that there are two birth years that I need to stay away from, I'm pretty sure it was the Goat and the Dog...

And side note, I asked to take a picture of the fortune teller and instinctively she held up a peace sign, and I'm telling you that is the go to photo pose here. :) 

Photo I took from the garden outside the temple, it still blows my mind that a temple this old and full of culture can just be in the middle of such a big city.  

Another photograph of the Temple :)

The next day we made our way to Lantau Island as a sponsored activity with Dream Careers.  We started off at a look out point for the Ting Kau Bridge. It was beautiful and such a good place to relax.

Next stop was the fisherman's market. Dried fish and sea animals were lining the streets and the smell was awful, like putrid dog food. Despite the smell, it was actually an incredible area to wander around. You always here about people living on stilt houses on the water, but those were actually here, at first is was hard to see them lead their daily life working with fish and simply trying to make a small amount of money. However, it really seemed like the people there really enjoyed themselves, they had quality time to spend with their family.

Left: Stilt Houses
Above: Local riding around on her bike do errands.

Next stop was the "BIG BUDDAH" aka the Tian Tan Buddah. It sits on top of a big hill  above the Po Lin Monastery and is over 112 ft. tall. It definitely more of a tourist attraction vs. a cultural experience, but something that MUST be seen while you're in Hong Kong.   

Finally to conclude the day, we took a gondola back home. It was about a 45 min ride, and every moment was more breathtaking than the last. From above you could see mile long trails, small towns, the clear water, boats, the city, and so much more.... absolutely stunning.

More weeks to come soon :)))

For Kristen ♥ Rest In Peace.

Living the Life in Hong Kong.

** SORRY I HAVE TAKEN FOREVER TO POST **

I have now officially been out of the city of Tucson longer than I ever have before, in one given trip. The process of adjusting to a new city, a new culture, and a new lifestyle has really been surreal. We have gotten to the point where it is starting to feel like we are no longer on vacation here, but instead really getting quality time to know the city and to go beyond the "touristy" activities. I want to apologize for not updating my blog in a while, but to me that means I have just been too busy having a wonderful time in Hong Kong. There is really so much to do here and each day really brings a new adventure, all you have to do is hop on the MTR and next thing you know you're finding out something incredible about the city.

When I last left off, I was about to head out on the 100+ person boat/yacht trip with some of the best friends I have made since being here! It ended up being an absolutely incredible day on the ocean- it was so surreal to really conceptualize that I was in the middle of Asia on the South China Sea surrounded by nothing but beautiful water, green mountains, and people enjoying their time on the ocean. It was really an amazing day, we met people from all over the world. Each person has their own unique life story, but some how the common thread seemed to be "Well, I came to Hong Kong on vacation, and either 1. I never left and am still here x years later or 2. I immediately fell in love and moved here as soon as I could." Hong Kong really has a way of capturing you because it is so culturally intriguing, plus it has all the perks of a big business city, plus the feel of a small, peaceful, and tropical island with warm water and hot weather. It is strange, but unbelievable transition, to feel like you are in so many different environments at once. Prior to this trip, I had never EVER considered living outside of the United States on a more permanent basis, but now I know I would be capable of moving and living in a foreign country is now something I would definitely do.

Anyways here are some pictures from the boat:

100 Person Yacht (Apparently the organizer of the boat had to book this an year in advanced)

The boat was complete with slides, diving boards, dance floor, karaoke, card room, and so much more. 

We spent about half of the day on the side of the boat it was a great place to hangout and jump from!

The grouppp! Stanley in the front lives in Hong Kong and he has helped us have an incredible time since being here!

First time wake boarding :))) Even though it took a couple tries,  I got up and it was such an adrenaline rush. 

Long story short, it was one of the most memorable days here in Hong Kong, nothing can replace a day out on the ocean with great friends. 

For Kristen ♥ Rest In Peace.