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.