Showing posts with label Hong Kong. Show all posts

How to spend less than 24 hours in Hong Kong, Part 1

Hong Kong, known as the most important port in Asia, is also one with a devastating history. Marked by its disruption between two cultures and several war settings, the city is now one of the most modern metropolises around the world. It offers everything, from museums to shopping malls, from religous buildings to skycraper views, from natural sceneries to an exciting nightlife. Hong Kong is a city where East and West meet in a way that is unknown to any other city.

Before I start with the guide, I would like to hold down the first impressions I got from that city.
Some people say, they don't feel like they are in China when they visit Hong Kong after staying in Mainland for a few months. For me, that was not the case. To be true, I had a minor culture shock when I first arrived on Nathan Road which I neither had in Shanghai, nor in Yuyao. I tried to explain this to myself and came to the conclusion that there is a simple reason. Hong Kong shocked me that way because it is a city that combines the chinese bustle with western influences on a limited place.
It is very hard to explain. To understand what I am saying, you have to experience this city yourself.

With this, I will start:

Step 1: Get lost while trying to find your hostel:



Hong Kong overwhelmed me big time. Maybe it was the fact that I first saw Nathan Road, passed Chung King Mansion and all the weird people strolling in front of that building. Or maybe it was the fact that everything was extremely cramped, crowded and colourful. The main reason might be that I had problems finding my hostel which was located right on Nathan Road. The fact that it was in a huge building complex escaped me. I didn't know that almost every hostel in Hong Kong is inside of one of these huge buildings, in order to save space. So I ended up walking up and down the same road, desperately trying to find the hostel. In the end, I found it and was so lucky that it looked clean, since the elevator I went up with was a bit scary :'D My shock didn't end though. I found out that I had to sleep in a mixed dorm which means not only females but also males. Plus, we didn't have lockers, and the room was tiny, filled with 2 bunk beds. If you entered the room and took one step you landed on the bed already :'D There was only 1 guy in the room and he seemed to be a nice person luckily.
I ended up sleeping with my valuables under my pillow which was a good idea because another roommate entered the dorm in the early hours of the morning. He was sleeping on one of the top bunks.

Step 2: Bond with your roommates:

The next morning, I wanted to start to do some things before my flight in the late afternoon, so I woke up early. My roommate was awake as well so I asked him if he wanted to join me. That's one of the advantages of staying in a hostel if you are travelling solo. You can always meet new, young people from all over the world.
We got ready, I packed the little things I had and we went to take the subway. It was good that he came along, because he had already been in Hong Kong for a few days, so he knew how to get around. I wanted to go up Victoria Peak and he hadn't seen it either, so we went there. Before, we needed to get breakfast, so we stopped at a cafe.

Step 3: Go to the most amazing sight in Hong Kong, the Victoria Peak:

If the weather is clear, make sure to go up the peak. But only if it really is good weather, otherwise you will end up spending a lot of time and some money for nothing. We were super lucky with the weather. It was middle of september and Hong Kong was still very hot and humid, but the sky was clear and blue as water.
After breakfast, we took the tram up the peak. There are also other ways of transportation. You can walk up or take the bus, but we wanted to take the tram because the view is supposed to be great. And it really was. While driving up, all the skyscrapers looked sloping, as though the world was folding itself together like in Inception :D



Anyway, it was lucky that we woke up early, because the tram was almost empty. We didn't know, but we should later find out that the sky terrace of the peak opened way later than we expected, but still we were able to finish early. Plus, the tram up was so crowded later in the day, we saw the line when we went down later. It was totally insane. So if you wanna avoid the crowds, make sure to come a little bit earlier.
Even if you arrive before the peak opens, you still have great opportunities to enjoy different views. Right beneath the sky terrace there was a lion pavillion which was almost empty during that time so we managed to take some photos there.





 Plus the surroundings of the peak were beautiful. We felt like somewhere in a tropical forest. Palm trees everywhere and the sound of insects and birds. It was amazing.




After we saw most parts of the peak, we relaxed at a cafe and had a refreshing drink before going up the terrace. There, we saw some beautiful dogs who went for a morning stroll with their owners.
It was becoming hotter and hotter, but we still waited and could finally enter. The view from up there was way better than from the pavillion of course. Although the place is not that big, the view is just incredible. I couldn't stop taking photos.

Look what they had there :'D The Bubba Gump Shrimp Restaurant from Forrest Gump ^^


I would suggest to go to the peak either early in the morning to avoid the crowds, or right before dusk, so that you can see it in three different stages: Day, dusk and night with all the lights on. That's what I'm gonna do next time I'm in Hong Kong.

Step 4: Get lost in the winding streets of Central:



On our way back from the peak to the ferry terminal, we got a little bit lost in Central, one of the districts of Hong Kong Island. It is famous for its bars, pubs and nightlife. We didn't stay long, since we were slowly getting hungry and couldn't find anything we wanted in Central, so we slowly headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui.

Step 5: Take the Star Ferry from Victoria Harbour:

Of course, you can take the subway anywhere you wanna go in Hong Kong, but if you plan to go to one of the islands surrounding Hong Kong, it is a more relaxing alternative to take the ferry.
We also did that since I love ferries, ships, boats, yachts and everythig that has to do with water :'D
And at this point I have to say that I love the sea in Hong Kong. The colour is one of my favourites, a bright turquoise, with splashes of white, glittering in the sun and reflecting the iron skyscrapers from the shore. So beautiful. Don't miss out on this.







Step 6: Have lunch in a mall:

 Actually, we wanted to eat some Dim Sum or something else that was Hong Kong food, so we strolled through the streets in and around Nathan Road but we couldn't find anything that other than some noodle soup places which we didn't really want. I found a good dim sum restaurant online which was supposed to be in a mall close where we were so we went there. Inside of the mall, we also got lost. We were already starving and I also had to hurry up to get to the plane.
We finally found the food court and discovered an Indian restaurant that was offering a lunch buffet. That was the first time I ever ate Indian food and I fell in love with it. It is now one of my favourite cuisines. Asian cuisine truly is the best.




After lunch, it was also already time for me to take the bus to the airport and say goodbye to this crazy yet colourful city. That would not be my last time here though.

Today's rating:

Sightseeing: 5/5
Food: 5/5
Shopping: -
Nightlife: - 
Transportation: 5/5
Asia China Food
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China Travels: Arrival in Yuyao and first working days

So sorry that I am starting this blog just now, but I had problems with the internet here when I first came. I didn't have a vpn neither on my phone nor on my laptop but now I bought a vpn and can freely surf the internet, mostly at work though, because my wifi at home is kind of slow. Still I will try to keep everything updated here. I will summarize my first week here quickly. I guess it won't take too much time to do that. So, here is the first week:

Thursday, June 4th - Frinday, June 5th, 2015 Departure and Arrival
That day, was quite a sad day. I had to say goodbye to my parents and it was quite an emotional moment. I almost wanted to stay back together with them so that they wouldn't be so sad, but I had to go.
I found the gate quite easily at Frankfurt Airport and when I sat down I was surprised by already so many asians in one place. My plane was supposed to fly first to Hong Kong and from there to Ningbo. It was a huge plane and we had screens to watch something as well. The food was great especially the chocolate cake we got. And there were two chinese boys sitting next to me who helped me put my things up and down again.
I watched a movie during the fligth, it was Whiplash, but I didn't like it that much and felt tired so fell asleep. It was the first time I had such a long flight and thought it to be quite exciting but it was a bit annoying because sleeping was really uncomfortable although I could move my seat back a little bit.
When we landed in Hong Kong it was 4 pm local time and I had a wonderful view over Hong Kong. I really want to visit that city while I am still here.
At Hong Kong Airport I had to wait for my gate to be announced. But when I finally got on the plane I was surprised at how quiet the plane started and landed. It is called Dragonair and everything was so good about this airlines. The food, the tea, the landing was smooth. I can highly recommend this airline.
When I finally landed in Ningbo, I should be picked up by someone from Aiesec, but before I could get out of the passport controls, I had to fill out some arrival sheet and they wanted to know the place I was staying at, and I didn't have a clue about the adress and in the end I just had to give that Aiesecer's phone number.
Anyway, I was one of the last ones to come out of pass port control and when I finally got out, Chris from Aiesec was waiting foro me and he took me to the hotel where I should stay for one night. It was a nice stay and I didn't have a culture shock yet.

Saturday, June 6th 2015: Meeting the foreign teachers
That day I was brought to the train station in Ningbo to take the train to Yuyao. I should travel alone but I was picked up. The train was quite impressive I have to say. Very clean and modern and the seats were so comfortable, more than in the plane. And it is really easy to understand, just getting to the platforms is a bit annoying because everytime you have to go through baggage controls. But other than that, very good.
My first impression of Yuyao was fine. My chef Martin picked me up and after putting my things into the apartment, he brought me to tefl, the school I will be teaching at. I met an American Girl, Geet first and a chinese girl, Veronica. I already got along well with them, making jokes and laughing. Geet turned out to be a huge Harry Potter fan as well, so we automatically like each other :D Then I met Ana, a polish girl who is already working there for 2 years and she is something like our momma. Then there is Josie from England who has the most perfect british accent and Hailey from Canada, probably the toughest of us :D
While the others had classes, I went to have lunch with Geet and Ana. I wasn't hungry so I only drank something. In the restaurant, there was a lot of fish, and I somehow didn't have a big appetite, moreover, the smells of the buildings were different I noticed. Everything smelled so differently, I had to get used to that.
Another thing I had to get used to are the squat toilets they have here. In the apartment, we have normal toilets, but in public places, there usually are squat toilets.
And then, during the day when everyone was having classes, I sat in the office and talked to anyone who was free. During these hours, Veronica helped me to get a chinese card and while talking about phones, I realized that it is very hard to get a free vpn on your phone if you don't have an iphone. While we were walking to a phone shop, I noticed that a lot of people here have new cars. The only old cars I have seen so far are the taxis, everything else are new Volkswagen, Mercedes, bmw, Hyundai, even Porsches. I have never seen so many Porsches like here in Yuyao.
That was something I didn't expect. I even expected the spitting but not this.
Anyway, at 5pm we had dinner break, or rather, almost everyone of us was finished for the day, so Josie's boyfriend Harry who is chinese brought us to a restaurant to have dinner at. It was quite nice and we all had a good time getting to know each other.
After dinner we went some shopping while Hailey had evening class until 8.30. There, we saw another odd but funny thing. A lot of people were gathered at the plaza of the mall and were all dancing. It looked like a flash mob but then Ana and Josie explained to us that they were old people who were working out after dinner. It was so funny that Geet and I had to join them.

After that, we all met in front of the school again and went to KTV which is a Karaoke Bar where you get your own cabin and stuff like that :D It was such a fun evening and a friend of Harry's Es joined us as well. The beer, however tasted like water :D Still, it was so good, that I want to do it again soon.

At after midnight we called it a day and returned home.

Sunday, June 7th 2015: Badminton
That day, Everyone was out except for Ana and me so we had breakfast together and she helped me get wechat which is like a mixture between chinese whatsapp, facebook and instagram :'D After everyone arrived, we went to the gym to play Badminton, because it was raining outside. It was fun to play Badminton again after such a long time.
After that, we got some Pizza at Pizza Hut. So, it was a typical Sunday even in China :D

Monday, June 8th, 2015: First working day, Fail
That day should be my first working day, and I was excited already. I had my first class in the afternoon which was at the Kindergarten. It wasn't really a class I held, but I should just watch Ana's class and the little children were all so cute! When I walked into the room, all their heads turned to me and while I was grinning, I felt the tears in my eyes swell up. It was just too much cuteness, I couldn't bear it.
My real lesson should be late in the evening, at 6.30pm, so after dinner time. For dinner we went to a really amazing place. I had Kung Pao Chicken for the first time, and now it is one of my most favoirte chinese dishes <3


After dinner, I got a lemon ice tea and prepared a little bit for my class, but I soon had to find out that it didn't take place.

Also my second class at 7.30 didn't take place. That was a bit disappointing because I thought I would now finally be able to teach, but it seemed that I had to wait until Wednesday, because Tuesday was my day off.

Tuesday, June 8th 2015: Candy Shops and KFC
That day was a lazy day. I slept in and then I woke up to wander through the streets. I walked past some candy shops and actually went inside one as well.

I found some yummy purple sweet potatoe chips and a strawberry juice but I found the latter one a bit strange :'D

At the supermarket later I found some Lays chips with green tea taste which was a very interesting taste. In the evening, I went to KFC the first time and disliked it. I don't know why everyone hypes it so much, especially in China the people are crazy about it. After that I hung out with the others and we had some wine.

Wednesday, June 9th 2015: Finally working
That day, we were supposed to meet the new foreign teacher from the UK who arrived only a few days ago. Me and two other chinese girls who work at our school took him to a chinese fast food restaurant to have lunch. After that he met the other ones and for dinner, we went to the restaurant which served Kung Pao chicken again. After we went back to school again, we saw that one of the receptionists had brough some Yang Mei for us, waxberries in english. It is a special kind of fruit that only grows here during two weeks of June. I tasted them and they were quite good. They tasted like a mixture between kiwi and raspberries.

That day was long and in the end I was happy to finally have had my first class which was actually not bad.

Thursday, June 10th 2015: Evening class
That day I should have my first evening class with adults. It was interesting to talk with chinese adults and see their view upon different things. I had 7 people that day and the 1 hour went by so fast. Sometimes it was hard to explain some things to them, but most of the time, it was fun and challenging. I think I like it better than teaching adoloscent kids.

Friday, June 11th 2015: Getting used to everything
That day wasn't that eventful, so there won't be a lot to say about that. I woke up early, did laundry, went shopping, and then went to work. In the evening I came back to my apartment so quite a normal day.

Saturday, June 12th 2015: Good food
That day we went to a nice place for dinner. Ana and the others have invited some other people they know as well. One girl named Libby, a french boy and his girlfriend. We went to a place called GoTeaGo which served sooo delicious food <3 Of course it was a bit more expensive, but still I loved it and thought it was worth it.
This is duck. The first time I tried it. It is okay but not my favorite. Bildunterschrift hinzufügen



Salmon <3 Unfortunately too little of that

Shrimps <3 I am so stupid, I forgot to try this ><

Shells. Tried them and they are nice.

Crab. Always wanted to try this, and now I have. It is hard to eat though. I think I have to practice as long as I am here :D
Vegetables on fire

Pork. It was quite good.



After dinner, however, I had to hurry to work since I still had a few evening classes which I later found out were cancelled. But I had to stay there anyway which is one thing that I don't like about the working times. But Libby came to visit me at work so it wasn't that bad.
After work Hailey and me planned our next day because we wanted to go to Hangzhou. Veronica helped us buying the train tickets and Hailey and me were already a little bit excited for that.

So on my next post, you will find out more about our trip to Hangzhou. You can already be excited for the pictures. 
Aiesec Airplane Airport
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