Wednesday 5/30/12:
I had my first public transportation experience to Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. Walking to the MTR (subway) was an experience in itself as we were right in the middle of an outdoor marketplace with live fish jumping around, live chickens, meat hanging from rods, as well as vegetables and fruit. Some looked appetizing (mostly the fruit), but most did not. However, it is all apparently delicious! Maybe I'll get my courage up to try it before my trip is over.
The MTR is incredibly efficient and very nice. We met the rest of our group at Metropole in Central Hong Kong for Dim Sum. My first experience and it was amazing! For those of you that don't know, Dim Sum is small bite-sized food served in small steamer baskets and is well known for the unique way it is served in some restaurants, fully cooked and ready-to-serve carted around the restaurant for customers to choose their orders while seated at their tables. Very fun!
From there we took the Tramway (trolley) around the city and then headed off to the Star Ferry which took us back to Kowloon. The skyline is incredible! Such an interesting city, full of so much culture. We walked around the harbor side of Kowloon, toured the "Walk of Stars", took pictures with Bruce Lee's statue, had a Carlsberg at The Dog House and ventured back to my apartment. The jet lag was still taking its toll at this point as my body could never tell if I was hungry or tired. Our apartment is in a part of the city that is very authentic and full of locals which is a wonderful experience, but unfortunately has made it difficult for us to find decent food that is stomachable. Hopefully we'll get into a good routine soon and my palate will adjust...
Local Market in Kowloon
Dim Sum
Hong Kong Island Skyline
Star Ferry
Thursday 5/31/12:
Went for a run in the park across the street from my apartment this morning. It's difficult to run for long with the humidity here so I'm hoping to join the locals that were doing Thai Chi! We toured Central HK Island for a bit and came across the equivalent to our Occupy Wall Street at HSBC complete with couches, beds, and book cases. From there we set off to hike Victoria Peak (or as the locals call it, "The Peak") 428 meters above the HK skyline and is the highest viewing terrace in Hong Kong. We took the Peak Tram up to The Historical Gallery which was approximately 27 degrees straight up the hill so the buildings we passed almost looked horizontal. This is one of the world's oldest and most famous funicular railways. Once at the top, we ate lunch at The Hong Kong Day Restaurant and enjoyed some milk tea. They even have a Post Office to send postcards from The Peak. Pretty cool idea! (And, yes I did mail a few!) The view from The Sky Terrace really allowed me to see just how massive HK really is. I wish it had been a little more clear (seems to be smoggy), but hoping to go back at night to get a better view. Still spectacular to get my bearings though. Thursday night we had our Welcome Dinner with the group at an Italian Restaurant called Il Bell Paese which was a pleasant change from the usual Asian cuisian. During the presentation from the internship program, they listed 5 things we're supposed to get out of this experience: (1) To have an enriching cultural experience, (2) Build an international network, (3) Apply theories learned in school, (4) Experience personal growth, and (5) Get a good feel of a potential career path. Cheers to that!
Occupy Hong Kong
Post Cards from The Peak Post Office
View from The Peak
Say "I Love You" at The Peak
The Peak Tram
Friday 6/1/12:
I finally got my first good nights sleep! Woke up early to go to the China Travel Service Agency to get my Chinese visa which was my first outing alone and I did just fine :-) Met back up with the group at noon for a great lunch at Tsui Wah Restaurant in Central on HK Island and then took the MTR to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable car which flew us high over the mountains to arrive at the site of the Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery. Big Buddha was amazing! 112' tall, built in 1993, and 250 metric tons. The views around him were just as awe-inspiring which made the 240 stair climb worth it. The Big Buddha symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion as it's a major centre of Buddhism in Hong Kong (along with a popular tourist attraction). Outside the Po Lin Monastery, we burnt incense and said a prayer which is customary. Inside was gorgeous with dozens of buddhas. We were lucky enough to be there at 5pm and saw a Monk ring the giant gong to perform his ritual prayer. It was a long day on my feet so my back hurt a little, but we all agreed that Friday night would be our first real night out in Hong Kong Island so it was back on the MTR to go to Lan Kwai Fong (LKF) which is a popular bar spot in Central. We ended up getting to LKF and finding an American brewhouse for dinner. PIZZA! Haha :-P Normally I would be against eating American food abroad, but because we have had such a contrast in food eaterys and I assume I'll be eating with the locals every day for lunch, our group figured we could splurged and get some comfort food. Boy was it delicious! But I did wash it down with a Hong Kong Lager which was also very delightful :-) LKF has dozens of bars and great restaurants. It's definitely the place to go after work and I think we're all excited to join the fun. We went to two bars and ended the night at Hyde! Haha And yes, it's owned by SAE too. A fun first night out of dancing! Unfortunately, the locals don't show up until midnight and stay out until 7am, but that's definitely not in the cards for me :-P
Ngong Ping Cable Car
Big Buddha
Po Lin Monastery
Saturday 6/2/12:
With only 4 hours of sleep (don't remember the last time I did that), it was early rising to go on a hike on an outlying island, Lamma Island. We took the ferry over and had a pretty decent hike from one side of the island to the other. There were some cute stops along the way (ate cold tofu with sweet syrup) which made for a leisurely, yet active outing. At the other side, there was a large seafood village with live fish to choose from. We didn't have time to stop, but will definitely plan a trip back before the end of July. Later that day we met up with some locals at a beach party at the University of Hong Kong Technology and Science, which was a real treat. They were all PR students too and had all kinds of authentic meats grilling on the BBQ (fish balls, octopus balls, beef balls, prawns, corn, and... HOT DOGS!). Fun to spend time with the locals - They were all so nice and welcoming! On the way back from Clear Water Bay we got a glimpse of the light show that performs every night on the skyline, but we're going to make sure we see the entire thing one night after work. Tomorrow will be my test run to find where Ketchum is and ensure I know how to get there for Monday morning when work starts! Excited to get the ball rolling!
Lamma Island
Hong Kong University of Technology & Science
Locals BBQ
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