Hong Kong: An Asian American Perspective

Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program

2013-12-23T21:25:00.001+08:00

I am dedicating this post to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program. I want to thank the Gilman Scholarship Program for choosing me as a recipient of the Gilman Scholarship. If it wasn't for the $5,000 that I was awarded, I might not have been able to study abroad in Hong Kong for a whole school year. I am truly grateful for this scholarship--much more than words can ever say.

And... I want to say thank you to my readers for following me throughout my journey. I hope you will find/found this blog useful. :)

Again, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me at jenninhongkong[at]gmail.com. Sure this post was written in 2013, but I'll still answer you if you email me in 2015... 2020... 2025. I mean my information might be a little outdated by then, but I'll still be around. :)

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If you're wondering if you should study abroad or if you should apply for the Gilman Scholarship, my biggest advice to you is to just do it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity that you really shouldn't miss out on.

You might say... well, I can just travel there later. But, that's not the same as living there, even if it's just for a short period of time. Living there allows you to fully immerse yourself into the culture. You might have to learn how to quickly adapt to a foreign country that doesn't speak your mother tongue. But, that's just part of the studying abroad experience.

You might be forced out of your comfort zone, but that's how you grow as a person. You might worry about not being able to adapt to your new living situation. You might worry about not making any friends. You might worry about ten million other things... but that's perfectly normal. Trust me--you and 90% of the other students, who are thinking about studying abroad, share the same fears. I mean... I sure did.

But, hey... you will adapt to this foreign country. You will make friends in this foreign country. You will not be alone in this foreign country... How am I so sure of this? Because I adapted... I made friends... I was not alone... I am certain this was true for me... and all the other exchange students that have participated in a study abroad program.

Don't be afraid. Take a leap of faith. Take this opportunity to create beautiful memories that will last a lifetime.

Jenn

Home

2013-05-25T20:48:00.000+08:00

After what felt like a century on my flight back home from Japan, I finally landed at LAX.

I think the whole duration from HKIA to NRT to LAX was a total of 19 hours. I never want to do that again, LOl. -___-

I sat next to a Japanese girl, who was participating in a homestay program. I think she was staying in Hollywood? I tried to talk to her during the flight, but her English was really limited. :( Oh well, I'm just grateful that I sat next to a nice person. ^__^

Anyway, after retrieving my luggage, I was trying to get out ASAP. But, of course, I would be chosen to put my luggage through the x-ray screen machine thing. Everyone else was fine. JUST ME... and a few other Asians.

I'm guessing that because I had a large amount of luggage, they're afraid that I'm smuggling illegal stuff in. Hello. I'm a law-abiding citizen. I would never. I am seriously offended........... Just kidding. It was just ~~a bit~~ VERY inconvenient. Do you know how heavy all my luggage is?! I had to throw my two suitcases AND big gym bag onto the conveyor belt... then I had to put it all back onto the stroller with zero help.

Then, when I finally got out, I couldn't find my parents. I had no way of communicating with them. I tried to get wi-fi on my iTouch, but... that was so unreliable. -___- I kept trying to email my mom (LOL), but it didn't work. For the record, she has a smart phone with a data plan, so she should have been able to get my messages... I guess the airport wi-fi was really shoddy because she never got my emails. How frustrating. -_-

I ended up getting change to call my mom with the payphone. It's funny because I had a few dollars and like a nickel in my purse before I left to HK. It came back to LA in the same position... untouched. Eventually, my parents found me. ^___^

I landed in LAX safe and sound. I got home safe and sound.

Time to start adjusting to the time change.

Jenn

Layover in Japan

2013-05-24T19:30:00.000+08:00

So... I had a connecting flight in Japan (Narita International Airport in Tokyo, Japan). Stayed there for four hours before I was finally able to board the flight back to LA.

My parents wanted me to book a straight flight back home, but it was REALLY expensive. $1000 (one way) vs $600 (one stop in Japan). I didn't think a four hour wait was too bad, so I opted for the cheaper option.

The flight to Japan wasn't bad at all. I slept through most of it because I woke up really early for my flight in HK. I think my flight was either at 7:40am or 8:40am... Gross. @___@

This was the first time that I had a connecting flight, lol. Some airport employees were in the front of the gate where I got dropped off waiting for me. Then, they took me to the place where I was supposed to check in. I probably walked like a mile or two to get there, which I usually wouldn't complain about...

Except, I was carrying a BIG Nike gym bag (as my carry on luggage). I had to find ways to make all my luggage fit, you know? That thing was like 20 pounds... It doesn't sound so bad until you're carrying it for a million years... across your shoulder with a full backpack that was probably also 20 pounds.

I was in so much pain. T_T I was so desperate to find one of those strollers for your luggage... but I never found one... until I got to my check-in location. -___- Um.

During my four hours, I was just visiting the shops in the airport. I also had lunch/dinner. I chose to have ramen because... I don't eat raw fish.

Lunch/dinner

My view from the restaurant

Souvenirs(?) from Japan... Cherry blossom, strawberry, and matcha flavored Kit Kats

Not much to say about my short stay in Japan, LOl. I was just happy to board the plane back home!

Oh, and don't carry a gym bag as your carry on luggage................... unless you want to break your back and/or shoulders.

Jenn

Leaving Hong Kong

2013-05-24T10:00:00.000+08:00

I spent my last few days of Hong Kong with family.

The night before I left, I had dinner with my grandpa, step-grandma(?), uncle, and cousins at my grandpa's apartment in Choi Hung. My cousins actually took work off and came down from China to see me off. :(

Anyway, I woke up, had my last breakfast in HK with my family, and headed off to the airport via bus. It was a nice sunny day, which I was really happy about because it was raining all week. -__-

If it weren't for the rain, I would've gone to a few more places.
1) hike on the Dragon's Back trail which would lead me to Shek O Beach
2) go to Mammy Pancake, which is apparently where the best egg waffles are made
3) go to Macau
4) go to Lamma Island

But, of course... there was rain and typhoon warnings and gray skies that made people not want to do anything. Yes, I am extremely bitter. :(

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Pictures of the road to the Hong Kong International Airport...

There are actually a few ways to get to HKIA
1) Bus (most economical option, cost me about $20HKD)
2) MTR - Airport Express (ranges from about $100-200HKD)
3) Taxi (price will vary depending on your starting point, but HKIA is kind of far from civilization... so chances are it'll cost quite a bit)
4) Walking (Um... I'm gonna say this is impossible, but I mean... if you're up for the challenge...)

Arriving at the HKIA

I'm not sure if it's because we kind of lagged in the morning... or if we underestimated how long it would take to get to the airport, but when I arrived, I had less than half an hour to check-in and everything. Actually, I just realized that international flights have to check in one or two hours before your scheduled flight. For example, my flight was at 10:40AM... so assuming I have to check in two hours earlier, then I'd have to check in by 8:40AM. Be sure to check your check-in requirements!

Anyway, it was super chaotic. I didn't even have time to say good bye properly to my relatives. :( I wanted to thank them for taking such good care of me while I was here in HK.. It wouldn't have been the same without them. I actually choose to study abroad in HK so that I could connect with my family.

I got really close to my uncle during my stay in HK. We always had dim sum and dinner every weekend... sometimes weekdays too. Every Sunday rain or shine (unless I was busy studying). He'd give me allowance (LOl). For some reason, he always thinks I'm starving and have no money, so he gives me money to make sure I'm well fed. -___-;;

I got really close to my cousins too. There was sort of a language barrier at first because only one of them spoke Cantonese and the others spoke Mandarin. They thought I didn't speak any Mandarin at first, so they didn't know what to do with me. LOL. Awkward... I do speak Mandarin, which they realized later. It's just not as fluent as my Cantonese... They also didn't think I read very much Chinese. -___- I am mildly insulted by that, but I guess that's the stereotype (that Chinese-American's don't know a lick of Chinese).

I really miss them. LOL. It was nice being the second to youngest cousin there. ^__^ Everyone was older than me, so they all felt obligated to take care of me. I'm not complaining. :) ... Except, I won't get that in America anymore. Sigh.

That was the last picture that I took before leaving Hong Kong. LOL. -___- It really should've been a picture of my family or something.

Please make sure you leave to the airport a little early so that you can say your good byes properly. Don't be like me! :(

Jenn

Typhoon Warning Signals / Finals / Packing

2013-05-23T22:33:00.000+08:00

So, I'm scheduled to leave on May 24... but something really interesting happened.

On the day that I was supposed to take my last final, May 21, there was a freaking potential typhoon warning. I couldn't even confirm it because no one was picking up the phone anywhere. I didn't get any emails regarding the cancellation of the final. But, apparently, when there's a typhoon warning above 3, no one is supposed to go to work/go to school/go anywhere. So, I guess that was my confirmation...

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The levels of typhoon warning signals
Mild typhoon warning signals (level 1) - expect some strong winds and rain - you still go to class/take finals but... prepare for the weather to get worse
Semi-urgent typhoon warning signals (level 3) - strong winds and heavy rain - no one supposed to be outside because mother nature is starting to do some light damage in some part of HK, thus no work/school/anything
SUPER urgent typhoon warning signals (level 8-10) - strong winds, crazy rainstorms, and maybe even a hurricane - mother nature is on the loose doing crazy damage in some part of HK - do not go outside - this is not a joke.

Instead of having levels 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. They've all just become various level of 8 (i.e.: 8SE, 8SW, 8NE, 8NW). I don't even know what happened to level 2.

So... the levels of the typhoon warning signals are 1, 3, 8SE, 8SW, 8NE, 8NW, 9, 10... 10 being a hurricane.

--

Sigh. My final was then rescheduled for the May 24th, 12:30PM. UM. My plane ticket home was booked for May 24, 10:40AM. -___- Thank god after ten million phone calls and emails to ten million departments in CUHK, I was finally able to get in touch with someone that could reschedule my final to the... 23rd. -____-

I was planning to go to places from the 21st to the 23rd, but things never go as planned... do they?!? The typhoon warnings and rescheduled final pretty much ruined my last week in HK.

But anyway... during all that typhoon warning signal madness, I was packing the remainder of my luggage.

I already packed one of my suitcases prior to taking this picture.

DONE.

Right after I took my final, I took my remaining luggage up to the lobby to check out of my dorm... and trekked to the MTR station for the second time (with luggage)/the last time (in HK).

I actually took one of my suitcases to my uncle's apartment earlier. United College (where my hostel is) is NOT close to the MTR station at all so taking a big suitcase from UC to the MTR station is a really big hassle. You will have to get on the bus, but chances are that your luggage will be super heavy... and unless you're super strong, you will need someone's help to lug your things up there. The bus does not only have one door, but it also has a very narrow walk way... so your stuff will probably take up 70% of the space in front near the door. This is something equivalent to a fire hazard... but on the bus. Yes, that is right. All the other people trying to take the bus risk tripping over your stuff. But, what can you do?! You need to get to the MTR station too. :[

Thankfully, it was not raining the day I had to take EVERYTHING down to the MTR station. I had a patient bus driver and a nice fellow offered to take my luggage (a big suitcase, a big plastic Ikea bag, a big gym bag, and a big backpack) up the stairs of the bus for me. I AM SO THANKFUL. Let me tell you though... the bus ride was not pleasant at all. The bus is basically going downhill the whole time and braking half of the time. All my stuff was at risk of falling 90% of the time because once I got onto the bus, I had to hold onto all of it myself. :(

But that's not so bad. I mean... I could have had a really mean bus driver that said something like "omg, look at this annoying girl causing a scene with all her big luggage. she can't even get it onto the bus herself. why does she have to be on my bus"... except it sounds ten times meaner in Cantonese. I might or might not have witnessed something similar to this happening...

The big IKEA bag was a nuisance. There was no way to actually close the bag, so I had to kind of tie the handles together with strings to create some sort of a closure. I wasn't actually bringing any of the stuff in that bag back to the States. I just didn't want to just throw it all away, so I gave it all to my uncle.

Apparently, he didn't need any of it. LOL. If anything, I just cluttered his small apartment with more trash. He called my mom and said something like... what the heck, why didn't she just throw all these random things (packages of noodles, soy sauce, clothes hangers, blanket, freshly washed bed sheets, etc.) away at school, LOl. I don't like to waste things, okay!

Anyway, my cousins were meeting me near the MTR station, so I no longer had to lug all this stuff by myself. Thank heavens. HALLELUJAH x 10000000000000. Three of my cousins were there, so one took my suitcase, one took my gym bag (and regretted it quickly after), one took the IKEA bag (and quickly found it to be a great nuisance as well), and I just had my backpack. ^___^ They offered to take my backpack too actually, but that's um... not right. I had to contribute somehow. :D

Jenn

Chi Lin Nunnery (志蓮淨苑)

2013-05-21T17:25:00.000+08:00

Chi Lin Nunnery "is a large Buddhist temple. Covering a space of more than 33,000 square meters, the temple complex includes a nunnery, temple halls, Chinese gardens, visitor's hostels and a vegetarian restaurant. The temple halls have statues of the Sakyamuni Buddha, the goddess of mercy Guanyin and other bodhisattvas. These statues are made from gold, clay, wood and stone.

The Chi Lin Nunnery was founded in 1934 but was rebuilt in the 1990s following the style of Tang Dynasty traditional Chinese architecture. The present-day buildings are wood frame buildings built without the use of any iron nails. This construction is based on traditional Chinese architectural techniques dating from the Tang Dynasty that uses special interlocking systems cut into the wood to hold them in place. The Chi Lin Nunnery buildings are the only buildings to be built in this style in modern day Hong Kong.

The temple halls and the Chinese garden in front of the nunnery are open to the public daily free of charge. (Wikipedia)"

To reach Chi Lin Nunnery, you will want to stop at Diamond Hill if you're on the MTR. I think you'll be able to find it if you follow the signs.

This is a map/picture of the whole nunnery

I think this was the entrance

After walking in a circle (in the garden), I think you reach another set of stairs that will take you to a temple hall.

This is the hall.

A hall in the hall.

It's a really, really pretty garden. Please go if you can. I went to this after I went to Wong Tai Sin. It's only a few MTR stations away! I love the set up of the whole place. It's so... zen. :) It's a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of HK.

Go there on a day when you can leisurely walk around and really take in the beauty of the garden. You won't be disappointed.

Jenn

Wong Tai Sin (黄大仙祠)

2013-05-20T16:21:00.000+08:00

Wong Tai Sin temple is a Taoist temple--not to be confused with a Buddhist temple.

There is a Wong Tai Sin MTR stop, so you will find this place very easily.

Entrance to the temple

That is the actual temple

Most people to "kau cim" (求籤). Kau cim is a fortune telling practice that originated in China in which the querent (person asking the question) requests answers (in the form of a bamboo stick) from a sacred oracle lot (I think this refers to the bamboo cup with bamboo sticks). The practice is often performed in a Taoist or Buddhist temple in front of an altar (Wikipedia). Keep reading to figure out how this thing works... because I made a mistake. :(

This is where you kau cim.

The bamboo sticks are at this little place to the left of where you kau cim. You can borrow them for free. Just remember to return them.

This is what the bamboo cylinder/sticks look like. I got number 30...

So... I thought that after I go my bamboo stick that I am done... BUT... no.

Here is the actual process:

1) It would be good to have a question in mind before you actually go to the temple... It could be about something that's bothering you or it could be another your future... the sky is the limit!

2) Ideally, you'll have some sort of devotion (incense, flowers, fruits, etc.) for the main deity

3) Take the bamboo cylinder and revolve t around the incense burner three times and mix the sticks around by hand

4) Kneel in prayer, hold the cup between your palms, and ask your (specific) question to the deity.

5) Shake the cylinder until one stick falls out. If multiple sticks fall out, then it does not count.

6) The stick will have a number. This number is your answer.

THERE ARE MORE STEPS! I stopped here, and I think I got an inaccurate answer. -_-

7) CONFIRM the answer by tossing two jiaobei/moon blocks.

These are moon blocks. You only toss two.

"There are four possible answers that the jiaobei blocks can produce:

1) Shèngjiǎo (聖筊, divine answer): One block flat and another block round is a 'yes' answer. (This confirms your answer!)

2) Nùjiǎo (怒筊, angry answer) also kūjiao (哭筊, crying answer): Both blocks round is a 'no' answer. It is said that the gods are displeased by the question, and is shown in the way the blocks directly fall flat on the floor.

3) Xiàojiǎo (笑筊, laughing answer): Both blocks flat have different interpretations; either it can be an emphasized 'no' answer and a sign that the gods are laughing at the question, or that they are laughing because the querent knows the answer to his or her question. One characteristic of this answer is when the blocks sway back and forth when dropped, a symbolic show of laughter.

4) Lìjiǎo (立筊, standing answer): One or both blocks fall but stand erect on the floor indicate that the deities do not understand the referent's question, therefore the question is nullified and the procedure must be repeated.

Say you get stick #1. You will want to confirm this answer by throwing the moon blocks. You will want to see one flat block and one round block. If this does happen, it is your answer. If it does not, it is not your answer.

Since it is not your answer, you will want to put the stick back, ask the question again, shake the cylinder, and wait for one stick to fall out. Then, you will want to use the moon blocks to confirm whether or not this is your answer.

Repeat this process until you get one flat block and one round block. It shouldn't take too long to reach the final answer, lol.

8) After you confirm your answer with the moon blocks, make sure to remember the number. I think there is a place to pick up fortune telling papers (pictured below). You will take the one that corresponds to the number on your bamboo stick.

Fortune telling papers

This is what my fortune telling paper looked like... except, it wasn't really the correct answer to my question since I forgot to do the whole thing with the moon blocks. -____-

9) Take the fortune telling paper to a fortune teller so you can get an interpretation.

As you can see most of the stalls were already closed... I keep going to places when they're about to close. -___- Answer, the closer the stalls are to the front, the most expensive the interpretation will be. English interpreters are usually really pricey. I am pretty fluent in Cantonese, so I just chose a random stall.

I think I paid 100HKD for an interpretation that wasn't even accurate. The interpreter was so impatient with me. He looked at me like I was an idiot because I forgot to do the moon block thing. -___- He said there was another way to confirm the answer... He scrambled some blocks with Chinese words and asked me to choose a few. Sketch...

Anyway, I got #30... and it's a bad number. :( There are good, neutral, and bad numbers.

My question to the deity had to do with how my job search will go... and the answer I got from the interpreter was... "Tomorrow is a good day for looking for a job. Search between 1PM to 4PM. You will be able to find a job, but you may not like it. They will work you like a dog."

................ WTF. Yup, that's a bad answer alright. However, that is obviously irrelevant to me. It wasn't like I was looking for a job in Hong Kong or anything. I didn't take that answer to the heart since I didn't even do the whole kau cim process correctly.

Anyway... that was that...

Here are other pictures from the temple.

Leaving the temple

Kau cim is a really popular activity. Please go try it for yourself! It's so interesting. I mean I did the kau cim thing all wrong and I think I got scammed by an interpreter (you will probably feel that way too)... but hey, it's part of the Wong Tai Sin experience, I suppose. I think if you go during earlier, when all the stalls are open, there will be a lot of interpreters that will try to convince you to go to their stall... so, be prepared for that. I mean, I wouldn't really know who to choose either... Just go with your gut feeling, haha.

Jenn

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery (萬佛寺)

2013-05-19T16:16:00.000+08:00

Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is located in Shatin. It is a Buddhist temple containing.. literally 10,000+ statues of Buddhas! It's just a short walk away from the Shatin MTR.

Guess what though? You also have to climb 400+ stairs in order to reach the temple...

Entrance

The start of the stairs...

More stairs...

ALMOST at the entrance of the temple

Even closer...

Tada! We've reached the entrance of the temple

So that will mark the end of your stair climbing. Upon arrival, you will see a directory.

The directory

View from the temple

I actually went a little before it closed, so I don't think I explored the whole temple. I was mostly only in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall area.

This is the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall... There are a LOT of little Buddha statues in here... Also, no pictures allowed inside.

It closes around 4:30PM or 5PM... We spent less than half an hour inside before we had to leave. :( But, we did see a lot of little monkeys (I don't know the species...) roaming around while we walked all the way back down. :)

Going back to the entrance

Oh, there were some mosquitoes flying around... so make sure you have some sort of mosquito repellent. I didn't... so I got a lot of freaking mosquito bites. -___-

Even though I had to climb a lot of stairs, I really enjoyed being in the temple. It was so peaceful and relaxing. Maybe it's the high altitude... kind of makes you feel like you're no longer in the city. It's nice being away from the hustle and bustle of HK sometimes.

FYI, there are no nuns or monks residing in the temple, so you won't be seeing them around.

Jenn

Shatin Racecourse

2013-05-18T15:27:00.000+08:00

This is another touristy place you must visit in HK!

There are two racecourses in HK: one in Happy Valley (HK Island) and one in Shatin (New Territories). If I remember correctly, when there is a race, it takes place at one place or the other--never both at the same time. You will want to check the schedule before heading to the racecourse.

The MTR does not always stop by the Shatin Racecourse, so you will want to make sure you board the train that does.

People betting on horses and watching the race from inside

There's a section for English speakers/listeners...

And there's a section for Mandarin speakers/listeners

I'm assuming a lot of people watch the race inside rather than outside because they can't see really well or they need to listen to the commentary in another language...

The actual racecourse

People watching the race

More people watching the race

Scoreboard(?)

I think there's a race every half hour... My friend and I were waiting for the next race...

The race begins!

Action on a large screen

Real time action

More real time action

The actual race is really short... I don't even know if it lasts two minutes, lol.

For those of you that don't know, these horse races are set up by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

There's plenty of these HK Jockey Club places. People are always posted outside trying to figure out which horse to bet on... Basically, if you're betting and can't be at the actual racecourse, then you'd be at your nearest HK Jockey Club.

FYI: Gambling is illegal in HK. I think the only form of gambling that is legal would be betting on horses.

However, it is legal to gamble in Macau (it's like Asia's Las Vegas), which takes about an hour to go to by ferry. Some crazy gamble-holics will take the ferry to Macau right after work and take the ferry back right before work. Unfortunately, there are such people in every country--some with easier access to gambling than others... Anyway, the moral of the story is... gamble responsibly!

Jenn

Cheung Chau Bun Festival

2013-05-17T15:45:00.000+08:00

Cheung Chau Bun Festival (包山節) happens on the 8th day of the fourth month on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. I think the festival might actually go on for a few days to accommodate all the people that go to Cheung Chau for the festival. According to Wikipedia, this festival "draws tens of thousands of local and overseas tourists every year". NO LIE. There were SO much people.

I met up with my "CUHK buddy", Louvier, at Central Pier to take a ferry to Cheung Chau (an island).

People, people, people.

Getting closer...

People trying to exit the ferry terminal to go onto the streets

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History of the Cheung Chau Bun Festival (Wikipedia)
"One story of the origin of the festival is that in the 18th century the island of Cheung Chau was destroyed by a plague and infiltrated by pirates until local fishermen brought an image of the god Pak Tai to the island. Paraded through the village lanes, the deity drove away evil spirits. Villagers also disguised themselves as different deities and walked around the island to drive away the evil spirits."

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On this day, there are a number of special activities.

1) Parade of floats (if you've been to a Chinese New Year parade in the US, it's kind of similar to that)

"In addition to traditional lion dances and dragon dances, children dressed as legendary and modern heroes are suspended above the crowd on the tips of swords and paper fans. They form the parade-in-the-air and are all secured within steel frames, though they appear to glide through the air. Parents consider it a great honour for their offspring to be part of the parade.

This fascinating procession is accompanied by the bedlam of musicians loudly beating gongs and drums to scare away evil spirits. It is led by a spectacular image of Pak Tai, the God of Water and Spirit of the North, to whom the island's Temple of the Jade Vacuity is dedicated." - Wikipedia

2) People also worship deities like Kuan Yin, Hung Hsing, and Tin Hau. The only deity know is Kuan Yin, lol.

3) Bun snatching

Bun Mountain/Tower (it's HUGE)

People climbing the bun mountain/tower

I think this happens around midnight. I didn't stay for that... but

"The centrepiece of the festival is at Pak Tai Temple where are the "Bun Mountains" or "Bun Towers"(包山), three giant 60-feet bamboo towers covered with buns. It is those bun-covered towers that give the festival its name. Historically, young men would race up the tower to get hold of the buns; the higher the bun, the better fortune it was supposed to bring to the holder's family; the race was known as "Bun-snatching" (搶包山).[1] However, during a race in 1978 one of the towers collapsed, injuring more than 100 people. In subsequent years, three designated climbers (one climber to each tower) raced up their respective towers and having cleared the top buns proceeded to strip the towers of their buns as they descended." - Wikipedia

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Since it's a bun festival, of course... you have to buy buns!

A line to buy buns at a famous bun bakery...

Still in line...

Different kinds of buns

These buns are huge (no pun intended?

After what seemed like a million hours on Cheung Chau, we were finally getting ready to go home...

Locals at home people watching

Other people are trying to go home too though.

Millions of people actually.

Boat on the ocean.

A man just chillin on his boat.

I finally got onto the boat and enjoyed this beautiful scene on the way back to Central...

Jenn

Tsim Sha Tsui

2013-05-15T10:15:00.000+08:00

Tsim Sha Tsui is on the Kowloon Side of Hong Kong. I'd say this is like Central/Causeway Bay but on Kowloon rather than Hong Kong Island.

You will find numerous fancy shops, restaurants, hotels, museums, etc. in Tsim Sha Tsui...

Most, if not all, name brand places are located in this general area.

There was a line outside Chanel waiting to get in the last time I was in the area. o.o

Chungking Mansions

"Chungking Mansions features guesthouses, curry restaurants, African bistros, clothing shops, sari stores, and foreign exchange offices. It often acts as a large gathering place for some of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, particularly South Asians (Indians, Nepalese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans), Middle Eastern people, Nigerians, Europeans, Americans, and many other peoples of the world. Peter Shadbolt of CNN stated that the complex was the "unofficial African quarter of Hong Kong (Wikipedia)."

My favorite restaurant in HK (possibly in the world), The Delhi Club (Indian food), is found here (another post).

Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower/Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower

1881 Heritage (former headquarters of the Hong Kong Marine Police; now it's a shopping center)

The Peninsula Hotel - One of the fanciest/classiest/most upscale hotels in HK

Hong Kong Museum of Art

TST is where you watch the Symphony of Lights. Overrated.

Of course it's starts raining in the middle of the show.

Wait, no. It's POURING.

Had to seek coverage.

There's a nice bar located in The One (a shopping center) called Cocky Bar (18/F, The ONE, 100 Nathan Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui). If you have time, give it a visit. If you sit outside, you'll get a spectacular view of Hong Kong Island.

You could make reservations for special days/holidays, but there is a minimum order of $300HKD(?) from Friday to Saturday/Sunday and holidays... I think.

The spectacular view (on a good day). This is obviously not my picture because I seem to always go to places when it's foggy or raining. -_________-

Actually, just kidding... I got a pretty good shot myself. I guess I got lucky this time. :D

Jenn

The Delhi Club

2013-05-13T10:48:00.000+08:00

The Delhi Club - Room 3, 3/F, Block C, Chungking Mansion, 38-44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

This is my favorite Indian BBQ place. ^___^ It's actually one of the most popular Indian restaurants in HK. It gets REALLY packed at night (Friday-Sunday). It's not open all day, so call and check whether it's open or not before you go.

--

You're going to walk into Chungking Mansion (everything is pretty sketchy looking in there) and look for Block C, then take an elevator to the third floor. Upon arrival, you will only see a simple door (image below).

Entrance to the restaurant

Inside

Mango Lassi

Chicken Tandoori

YUM.

Curry (can't remember which one)

I remember the customer service being pretty good. All the workers are Indian, I think. Some of them speak Cantonese... Most of them speak English. So, don't worry, you will be able to communicate.

Once upon a time, I went two weeks in a row, and I think the owner recognized me, LOL. Pretty friendly guy.

ANYWAY, let's talk about the food.

You have to get the mango lassi. It's a mango flavor yogurt drink. SO GOOD. If you walk in on a busy day, I bet you 90% of the tables will have a glass of mango lassi. It's that good. MUST ORDER.

The chicken tandoori is a must order. It's like grilled chicken or something. It's so tasty. SO SO SO tasty.

I don't remember which curries are pictured, but I always order the chicken tikka masala and mutton (lamb) vindaloo.

The mutton (lamb) vindaloo is SUPER spicy, but it's SO good. I keep ordering this even though I can't handle the spicy, lol! The lamb is really tasty...

The chicken tikka masala is medium spicy, I think... LOL, I could actually taste this more because it wasn't as spicy as the vindaloo... ^_^;; So, if you can't handle super spicy, give this a try.

They're both equally good. Try them both if you can. :D

The pita bread looking things there are called naan. A naan is basically Indian flat bread. It comes in a variety of flavors (original, garlic, cheese, etc.). They all kind of tasted the same to me. You rip pieces of it and dip it into the curries that you order.

I could've just included this restaurant in the Tsim Sha Tsui post, but no. It holds a special place in my heart, so I had to dedicate this post to The Delhi Club. Seriously, everything is so good... T_T

Jenn

Hiking in Shenzhen

2013-05-10T15:11:00.000+08:00

I don't remember why I went to Shenzhen, but I did...

My aunt took me hiking... I totally didn't expect it, but I'm okay with it. EXCEPT, I was expecting a hike where you walk on paths... not climb stairs...

Tang Lang Hill Country Park map

I climbed stairs for 60-90 minutes....

Then, we finally reached some paved roads.

Mother nature.

But, we had to finish the hike... you don't finish until you reach the pagoda! So... we walked to the end of the paved roads and reached... you guess it... more stairs.

Reached the top! Yaaay!

But, so did all these other people.

View from the pagoda

We didn't take the stairs down. We just walked along the paved road... takes longer though.

View of part of Shenzhen from the mountains

It was a tough hike, but I toughed it out. Can't say the view was worth all the work, haha.

Jenn

Lan Kwai Fong

2013-04-26T14:58:00.000+08:00

Lan Kwai Fong is probably the first spot that exchange students hit after landing in Hong Kong. You will probably catch a good amount of locals and foreigners drinking and partying there Monday through Sunday. Obviously, Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest days.

LKF is a square block of streets lined with bars and nightclubs. This place is seriously small. I'm talking about only two or three blocks only, but everyone comes here to party. I think ALL the clubs are located here. As usual, girls don't really have to pay a cover fee but guys do.

I've been in Hong Kong since August 2012, but I didn't visit LKF until April, lol. It's seriously not my scene, but I figure I have to go... It's just one of those places you have to go to in HK.

I met up with a friend from high school at LKF. :) She was studying abroad in HKU (super close to LKF, I think)... and she's also a Gilman Scholarship recipient! We went club hopping with her friends. :) Everyone at CUHK was studying for finals. I totally tried to invite everyone out... :[ It was also a rainy night, I think.

Either LKF or the path you walk along to find LKF is pretty hilly. You might want to leave your heels at home (unless you're really trying to dress to impress). I just went in boots. Easy does it.

I can't say I had a lot of fun. But, I just don't have a lot of fun at clubs in general. The atmosphere was kind of weird. There's just all these (middle-aged?) guys standing around watching the girls. Music was pretty bad. That's pretty much what I noticed, lol.

After clubbing came to an end, I had to find my way home. I took a minibus to Mongkok... then I took a bus from Mongkok to CUHK... and walked back to my dorm. Going home is always a mission at night. >:(

Oh, this was my first and last time at LKF.

Jenn

Mongkok (旺角)

2013-04-04T17:59:00.000+08:00

"Mongkok preserves its traditional characteristics with an array of markets, small shops, and food stalls that have already disappeared from other areas in Hong Kong over the past several decades of economic developments. (Wikipedia)"

Mongkok (旺角) = 旺 (prosperous/crowded) + 角 (corner) = prosperous/crowded corner... Mongkok lives up to it's name. It seems to be crowded all the time, except on rainy days. I was on the way to MK when it started to rain. Oh, right, you should ALWAYS bring an umbrella with you. I had a really small one that I put in my purse at all times.

Directory on the street

In the Ladies' Market and Fa Yuen Street, you will find many small stalls. People sell clothes, toys, purses, shoes, etc. for a pretty cheap price. It's kind of like Chinatown in the States.

Ladies' Market has half a mile worth of small stalls and Fa Yuen Street seems a lot shorter.

This is the place to buy I <3 HK shirts, cheap souvenirs, phone cases... whatever you want!

Beware... most of these things are knockoffs. You'll find Beats by Dre... among other things. I don't think they're real... Also be careful about buying electronics from there. There are a lot of scammers. You might see the real thing in person, but they'll pack the fake thing in the box. People are shady. Look out for yourself!

So, yeah, I can't vouch for the quality of the things you will find, but it will be pretty cheap--as long as you're good at bargaining. If you speak English, they might jack up the prices... just because they can. Negotiate with them in English anyway!

I bought like 10 packs of HK Monopoly Deals as souvenirs... LOL. The quality of the cards was SO bad. I don't know why I didn't check before I left... -_- Sigh.... I tried dear friends... I tried. I think price of the real thing is $90HKD. I bought 10 for like $30HKD each. I talked it down from $50HKD each... I think. It's cheaper, but it's also a knockoff. Don't forget that point.

Tip: Even if there are price stickers on certain items, you can just disregard them. Bargain, bargain, bargain!

Fa Yeun Street on a rainy day

Fa Yeun Street on a normal day

Ladies' Market... there's like a half a mile worth of stalls

Fa Yuen Street

Mongkok is packed with people all the time. I avoid it on weekends because the sidewalk is literally filled with people. You have to dodge them like crazy. It's a REALLY local place.

I was in Mongkok a lot, lol. I'm not much of a shopper. I just walked around to get familiar with the place.

By the end of my study abroad program... I was VERY, VERY familiar with Mongkok. I could navigate this place pretty well. :D I even gave my cousins from China a tour of the place by myself.

There's no real place in Mongkok that you have to go to...

But, if you're on Fa Yeun Street, try to look for 椰汁大王 (Coconut Juice King?). They sell a coconut milk drink that's really good. They mix the meat of a old coconut (the round brown ones) with water to get milk and then blend that with some condensed milk. You could request more or less sweet. It's so good. I really miss having it. :(

It's not actually on Fa Yeun Street, but one of the streets perpendicular to it... It's diagonally across from Gong Cha (popular boba/pearl milk tea type of shop). That's the best I can do to describe the location, lOL. There's usually a small line, so you can try to look for that?

I think there are multiple locations... If I'm correct, there's one near Prince Edward.

SO GOOD.

In addition to this... there are TONS of different street food vendors!

This is a mixture of different cow organs and shu mai...

Egg waffles. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. (taro and original flavor)

I think there are street food vendors on like every corner. Just look out for them.

Hot Star - Large Fried Chicken

Please try this place if you come across one. I always get the fried squid balls. It's that thing that costs $12HKD on the menu. SO GOOD. I always get it when I walk by!

Jenn

Drama on a Board

2013-03-29T14:23:00.000+08:00

Things to note:
1) Stealing of food from the shared refrigerator (I'm a victim) and suggestions to prevent theft (CCTV, locks (but someone disagrees with this one), etc.)
2) Someone is smoking in the dorms
3) Restroom is filthy... ugh, it really is.
4) Apparently, these ladies don't wrap their pads, so there's mad drama about it, lOL.

Spring Time

2013-03-16T14:32:00.000+08:00

Just a quick post.

While I was walking to the University Station MTR from YIA (building), I saw some lotus flowers blooming in the pond! I never notice is since I usually take the bus from my dorm and get dropped of directly to the entrance of the MTR.

Lotus flowers are one of my favorite flowers! Sooo pretty. My photos don't do the flowers any justice. :(

Jenn

Hong Kong Island

2013-03-08T09:31:00.000+08:00

Central - This is HK's central business district located on Hong Kong Island

There are probably a few places that you will notice if you walk around here.

Central Ferry Pier (you can go to Cheung Chau, Macau, Lamma Island, etc. via ferry here)

You can go to the Victoria Peak via bus or tram in Central

International Commerce Centre (located in West Kowloon)

ICC Holds the World Record for the largest light and sound show on a single building. It's called the ICC Light and Music Show (not to be confused with the Symphony of Lights).

Sky100 is located in the ICC on the 100th floor. It's a "360 degree-degree indoor observation deck that offers views of Hong Kong Island, full view of the Kowloon Peninsula and—weather permitting—the ridges that gave Kowloon its name and Tai Mo Shan in the background. Other sights include Tsing Ma Bridge and the airport." (Wikipedia)

The Ritz Carlton is in the ICC.

Two International Financial Center

IFC Mall (that big bright window to the left is a HUGE Apple store)

Bank of China

This is the HSBC Bank. If you look carefully on the top left corner, you will see cannon like things. These cannons are pointed at the Bank of China because they're supposedly rivals, LOl.

Mid-Levels escalator (longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world)

Mid-Levels escalator (side view)

Directory in Central (right outside The Landmark, I think)

The Landmark - upscale shopping center (major name brands)

You walk this way to go to Lan Kwai Fong (very close to The Landmark)

--

Causeway Bay - major (upscale) shopping district in HK

Time Square

Time Square (front view)

Time Square. They will decorate the front during major holidays. I think this was for Chinese New Year?

Escalators leading to the shopping center in Time Square

The shopping center in Time Square... actually a lot of shopping centers look like this. There's always like 5+ levels.

Sogo Department Store (originated from Japan; only other location is in Tsim Sha Tsui)

Hysan Place

5 level Forever 21 (there's one level underground) / This might actually be the only Forever 21 in HK?

Forever 21 (side view)

I actually didn't frequent these places very often because it takes about an hour by MTR to get here from CUHK. You also have to transfer a bunch of times at some of the busiest transfer places possible in HK. T_T

Central is more of a sight-seeing place. I don't think there's too much to do here, except for walking around and finding places to eat.

Causeway Bay is a major shopping district, but there's no need to go all the way here to shop, even if it's for all the name brand things. Tsim Sha Shui (another post) will most likely have all the big stores you're looking for, and it's more convenient to get to if you're near on the New Territories side of HK.

Jenn

Guangzhou - Mom Leaving China

2013-02-24T14:06:00.000+08:00

After coming back from Hainan, I went to school until Thursday. I skipped class on Friday, so that I could spend an extra day with my mom before she left for the States.

My mom and cousin flew directly from Hainan to Guangzhou. I took the bus from Luo Wu to Guangzhou with my other cousin. There's a bus station there that will take you all over southern China. You just have to be willing to sit on the bus for that long, LOl.

I don't have much pictures, but this is mildly entertaining.

Presenting a few dishes from a menu in a certain restaurant in Guangzhou.

Sounds appetizing, does it not?

My cousin said he was getting really good luck after wearing a "lucky bracelet" below.

So, of course, my mom, being the superstitious person that she is, got one too. Actually, so did I. 0:)

It's just a bracelet made from red string with some really light gold pieces. Probably costed about $20-30USD or so. This piece of accessory is as Chinese as it gets. It's red, gold, and lucky, haha.

Did I become luckier after wearing the bracelet? I don't think so... But, I've never really been a superstitious person anyway. I mean... I cross the path of a black cat all the time.

Oh, I actually walked around an outlet in Guangzhou.

Too bad I'm not really into shopping. I don't usually buy anything, other than food, when I go out, haha.

--

After dinner on Saturday, we took my mom to the Guangzhou airport. :( I thought I'd cry or something, but I didn't, lol. We saw her off and went back to my cousin's apartment. I went back to HK Sunday afternoon.

Jenn

Chinese New Year in Hainan Island

2013-02-17T13:06:00.000+08:00

My mom was born in Vietnam and grew up in Hainan Island.

The last time I was in Hainan was probably about ten years ago. Since it's Chinese New Year and I'm in Hong Kong, my mom has a reason to fly back "home". :)

My CNY vacation started on February 8 and ended on February 17. So, it was nice to spend that many days with my mom. :)

Chinese New Year was on February 10 this year (it's different ever year). Typically, celebrations begin CNY's Eve (February 9). I think my mom landed on the 8th in Guangzhou and took the bus with my cousin down to Shenzhen. After school, my uncle and I started heading to Shenzhen as well. This time I went to Shenzhen via the Shenzhen Bay Crossing Border.

We all met at the aunt's apartment... We just had a simple dinner since the extravagant dinner was supposed to happen on February 9 anyway. Ahhh, it was nice seeing my mom again! :) We actually Skype a lot, but, you know, it really isn't the same!

On actual CNY day, we went to Hainan via airplane. The other way would be via boat. I think that takes like two or three days, LOL. You're stuck in a really small space too. Airfare is supposedly a lot cheaper on the actual day of CNY because... well, like I said, people celebrate CNY Eve. Everyone should have been back home by the 9th. There was no crowd at the Shenzhen airport at all on the 10th, lol.

When people think of Hainan, they think of Sanya. That's the vacation spot. Beautiful beaches, bountiful coconuts, etc. But, that's not where I was headed toward. I'm going to somewhere that's like the opposite of that, LOl.

We landed at the airport an hour later, and my cousin's friend drove his car to pick us up. My mom's hometown is in a really rural place... Cars don't usually go there since it's mostly just farm land everywhere. It used to take like 2-3 hours to get to my grandparent's home. Now, it takes about 60-90 minutes? Thank heavens for paved roads.

Let me show you some pictures to give you an idea of how rural my mom's hometown is...

Grandma's new crib, LOl

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has one of these. No cars.

Grandma's backyard

Chicken on the loose

Goose(?) on the loose

Walking to my mom's elementary school

I think that's a restroom? Or is it a pig barn?

OLD house... was there when my mom was young, I think.

Still on the way to my mom's elementary school

Coconut trees

Rice paddy

Mom's elementary school's sign. It says "#3 Elementary School"

Not sure what this is...

Dragon fruit trees

Entrance of my mom's elementary school

Apparently, this is a student store...

Ping pong table, lol!

Classrooms

More classrooms

Another chicken on the loose

More chickens on the loose

A cow... not on the loose

I guess people just chill here

This... is a restroom...

House under construction... next to my grandma's house

You actually can't even find this place on Google Maps. LOl. Anyway, I stayed here for a week or something. I left on the 17th because I had school the next day. My mom stayed a few days longer though.

So... there's no street light here. We had to carry flashlights around. LOL.

One night, my cousin and her friends decided to go catch paddy crabs... in ditches near the rice paddies or something. So, I went with them. We were all in farmer boots looking around for crabs. The mud was so slippery! I almost fell in a ditch. OMG. Thank god someone caught me.

All the other days and nights... I played mahjong.

I don't know how to explain what this is, but it's a very popular gambling game in Asia. It's pretty easy to learn too. I knew how to play since third grade, lol.

Seriously, there's not much to do here. We just went around visiting relatives that I don't really know during the day... My grandma also had a housewarming party because she just moved into her new home. Basically everyone in the village is invited to eat lunch at her house. That's how everyone does it there.

I would've liked to go to Sanya, but... we're way too far from the beach, lol.

So... I basically ate a lot there. The food was SO fresh. :') You just can't taste that in the States.

The day before I left to Shenzhen, I spent the day in Haikou, the capital of Hainan.

My cousins and I went to get massages... which I really don't enjoy because I feel like I'm getting beat up really bad. Also, foot massages are uncomfortable because I feel like they're tickling my feet. :( I actually saw prostitutes in the massage parlor... They're all dressed the same and kind of off to the side. I guess people just order their services if they want to.

I had the BEST seafood dinner everrr. We went to a seafood market to get everything fresh and took it to a restaurant to have the chef cook it for us.

FRESH SEAFOOD. I'm getting kind of hungry just writing about this.

I didn't get a chance to take pictures of the food. We devoured it too quickly. :)

We went to a bar afterward... I forgot the name of it, but it was a revolving bar! So cool. It was really weird for me because we were hanging out with my cousin's friends... Everyone was drinking, except for me... and they're asking why I'm not drinking (I'm allergic, but people usually think I'm just using it as an excuse). -__- I also can't communicate well because my Mandarin isn't that great. So... that was a really weird experience for me, lol.

I was the only one leaving Hainan that night, so my cousins saw me off in the Haikou Airport... and went home. I accidentally had a bottle of orange soda in my backpack, so when my backpack went through the scanner, it didn't pass or something. BUT, I didn't know that. I just kind of stood there the whole time since they didn't give me the OKAY to pass through.

Then, I hear this Hainan customs man... saying something like... why is she standing there like an idiot.

-________________________-

Obviously, I didn't know something went wrong. It's not like they were being very being communicative. I should've just spoken to them in English. Give them a hard time for treating me like that. What the heckkk. I'm still kicking myself for not defending myself. HOW DARE THEY!!! -_-

Anyway, I landed in Shenzhen, where my aunt picked me up. Apparently, everyone else's vacation ends on Sunday because we waited like 60-90 minutes in a line to get a taxi. We got home and I went to sleep immediately because I had to go back to CUHK the next day.

The best part of my vacation was just seeing all my relatives. I mean, yeah, the location could be a lot better, lOL. Buttt, it's okay. It makes me appreciate everything that I have even more.

I wish my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins were in the States. I don't really have any immediate family members here. :( I just want to put them in my pocket and bring them over! Sigh.

Jenn

Desserts in HK

2013-01-19T20:02:00.000+08:00

You already know HK is known for its food. But, today... I will be talking about desserts because... who doesn't love desserts?!

Most of these places can be found in big shopping centers or really busy streets.

Hui Lau Shan (許留山) - This is probably the largest dessert chain store in HK. You will see it everywhere. If you're in Mongkok, you'll probably see it on every corner.

Store front

Drink menu... There's also a dessert menu. People usually order from this menu to go.

Drinks and desserts on display

I think this is H1 on the menu. Mango coconut juice with mini rice balls.

Not sure what this is...

Mango + mango juice + mango ice cream + rice balls

This is not my favorite dessert shop. In fact, I've only had dessert/drinks from here about three times in my year of being in HK. I'm not 100% sure, but I think that the most popular items would be variations of their mango drinks.

I'm not crazy about it, but tons of other people are... so give it a try!

Honeymoon Desserts (滿記甜品) - This is my favorite chain. ^__^ Every Saturday, I'd have dinner with my uncle and then dessert here!

Store front

Dessert display

This is what I always get. Mango pomelo sago dessert soup (杨枝甘露)

Ugh. I miss it so much. I haven't had really good mango pomelo sago dessert soup in LA. :( IT'S SO GOOD. Highly, highly, highly recommended.

Gong Cha (貢茶) - Okay, this isn't really a dessert place, but it's a chain boba/pearl milk tea/tea shop (similar to Ten Ren/Tapioca Express/Lollicup for those of you who know what those places are). I think it originated from Taiwan... but it has become super popular in HK.

Gong Cha is known for their house special drinks. It's a two layer drink. The base layer is brewed tea (green/black/whatever else they have) and the top layer is a special rich, creamy, salty-ish foam. I usually get it with green tea... because that's the closest thing to green milk tea after you mix it. I don't remember actually seeing "green milk tea" on the menu.

How to drink the house special drink: "1 Drink with your mouth directly! Feel the tea going through our specially made foam. 2. Use the straw to taste the original tea. 3 Mix the foam & tea. (from the Gong Cha website"

I usually mix it because... the cups are sealed... so you can't really drink it like you're drinking out of a cup unless you want to rip off the plastic top off. If you just drink the tea from the bottom, you'll eventually be left with really rich cream. It's VERY tasty... but I find it kind of weird to just sip on cream foam. If you want a super creamy milk tea, just drink some of the tea by itself (before you mix it)... then mix it when you think there's a good ratio of foam to tea.

Also, the drinks are ONE size. Large. And if I'm correct most drinks are about $3USD. So cheap!

One thing though, I don't like their boba. Maybe I've been spoiled by really, really good boba in the San Gabriel Valley... I ordered boba from Gong Cha twice and never ordered it again. For some odd reason, it also killed my cravings for boba indefinitely. I disliked it so much that I got PTSD or something. I don't even order boba back home anymore. :(

Store front

There's almost always a line.

All drinks are this size...

Popular "house" drink

傅師傅甜品小食 (Fu Si Fu) - This is a mom and pop dessert shop located in (Tai Wai G/F NO.1.6 Street Tai Wai Village. Tai Wai, Sha Tin.). I went to this place with my friends after we had Indian food at my favorite restaurant in HK ever (another post for another day).

Random shop. I wasn't super impressed.

Store front

We shared everything... seriously not impressed.

飯後甜品 (fan hau teem baan) - This place serves my favorite dessert (see image below). FAVORITEEE!!! This is located in Tai Po (大埔運頭街93號C1地舖). You will want to stop at the Tai Po Market MTR stop. If you've been to the big complex in Tai Po Market with the wet market and cheap food vendors (one of my first posts about HK here)... you go toward that same direction. You eventually hit a spot where you have to go left or right. Left will take you to the big complex... Right will take you to this dessert shop. You will hit a few different dessert shops before you find this one.

The funny thing is that this shop is literally next to another dessert shop called 心太軟 (saam tai yun). My Cantonese teacher said that shop is really popular... I've never been there because I can't not get my favorite dessert when I'm here, LOl.

Store front

Pictures of their desserts

Picture of their shaved ice/snowy. There's actually a lot of different flavors.

MY FAVORITE DESSERT. FAVORITE. FAVORITE. FAVORITE. I think it's just panna cotta with fruits--not sure though. I think it's called the 飄雪樂園 (peew seut lok yun).

Mano shaved ice/snowy

Go. Please go and try my favorite dessert. That's all I have to say.

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明師傅甜品 (ming si fu) - This place is located in Tsuen Wan (荃灣海壩街87號荃好景大廈地下). Again, no English address. I don't really know how to explain how to get here, except that it's really close to Tseun Wan MTR station--not Tsuen Wan West... if you get off there, you'll have to walk a while, lol.

It's located on a big block with other dessert shops. I swear there's like 20 different dessert shops in that one block. I just don't know what it's called, but here's the approximate address (10-20 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories). That's the address of Bonjour. It's on a big street, so you should be able to spot it. You will see one there. In addition to the ten million dessert shops, there's also a Gong Cha and Hot Star (fried chicken place)... and a lot of street food vendors. Seriously, check this place out.

Coconut milk with sesame rice balls

I don't know if I've told you about my coconut obsession... but this thing is seriously delicious. I will try any coconut dessert once! This dessert is served hot, and it's the only dessert I've had from Ming Si Fu. Highly recommended!

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鮮芋亭 (seen wu ting -Taro Kiosk) - This is located in Tseun Wan (荃灣荃興徑34號地下4號鋪... If you can find this place, you will have successfully found the big block of food places that I've been talking about!!!). It's next to Hot Star (fried chicken place)... and some tofu pudding place (that I don't really recommend).

This place originated from Taiwan. I really like taro, and I really like rice balls. This place had taro rice balls, so I had to try it, LOl. I'm not sure if I'm mixing this place up with another one, but I don't find the rice balls as chewy as I like(?). I still like this place though. I try to stop by when I'm in the area.

Store front

I think this is what I usually get, except it comes in a paper cup/bowl.

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Ocio Waffle - Located in Mongkok (Shop D, G/F, Yan On Building, 1 Kwong Wa Street, Mong Kok). It's hard for me to describe where it is... so I can't provide that information. :(

As you can see, it's a waffle shop! It didn't blow me away, but if you want your waffle fix, give this place a try.

These are probably all the dessert/drink shops that I've been to that were worth mentioning. There are some other famous (local) dessert shops that I didn't go to because it's too out of my way. :s But, hey, I've been pretty happy with most of the desserts that I did get a chance to try. :)

Some of these shops may not have English speakers, so you might want to bring a Cantonese speaker with you. It would probably be best to explore some of these places with a HK friend, so you don't get lost.

Jenn

Winter Vacation in Guangzhou

2012-12-31T12:52:00.000+08:00

I spent my winter vacation in Guangzhou.

The only notable thing I did there was go to the hot springs. LOl.

Bishuiwan Hot Spring Holiday Inn (碧水湾温泉度假村) (Liuxi Hotspring Tourist Spot, Liangkou District, Guangzhou 510960, China)

From my cousin's house we had to walk to some sort of shopping center. Then, from there, we took a bus to this hot spring place. I think it took about an hour.

I actually came here twice. Once with my older cousin and her friend, and the other time with my older cousins and my mom, who came to visit for Chinese New Years. :)

This place is a hot spring resort. If you're staying overnight, then you check-in at the entrance. If not, then you go straight to the locker area to change into your bathing suit. Then, you could start exploring the resort. It's actually pretty big.

There's a big swimming pool (for the summer) and a lot of little hot spring soaking ponds. Each pond has different flavor-infused water(?). I don't know the right terminology, lol. I went to a ginseng one, jasmine green tea one, etc. It's recommended that you stay in each pond 20-30 minutes each. I think it has something to do with blood pressure? I don't remember why.

There's ping pong tables... There's a hot swimming pool, where you can get aqua massages. You kind of just sit in this one area and all these high pressure hoses will shoot at you... I spent most of my time just napping at a place with heated wood floors... because you can only stay in X amount of ponds for X amount of minutes before you get super bored of it.

I went in the winter... so I had to run from pond to pond because it was SO freaking cold. -_- Makes me shiver just thinking about it.

--

Aside from that random outing, I was just staying at my cousin's apartment. She had work for most of my vacation... so I just stayed at the apartment. OH, did I mention she lives on the 8th floor? WITH NO ELEVATOR?! T_T

Anyway, during my extremely free time, I taught myself the fundamentals of Korean. I was interested in Korean and had planned to enroll in Korean I at CUHK. I thought it would be good to kind of learn ahead since I am extremely unfamiliar with the language. Little did I know, this was going to pay off big time.

I couldn't enroll in Korean I because everyone was trying to take Korean. I was able to be placed into Korean II though! I basically taught myself Korean I in one or two weeks.... lol. I was using multiple textbooks and one of the textbooks happens to be the one Korean I uses. Lol! Still can't believe the coincidence. Oh, but Korean II was really hard for me. :( The teacher spoke in Korean 70% of the time. -___-... I managed to pass with a B or B+ though. I'm satisfied.

Anyway, I could have went back to HK for the remainder of my vacation, but I wasn't sure what I would've been doing there. So... I decided to stay in Guangzhou because I get to eat homemade food everyday! LOL. :(

Jenn

Ocean Park (Christmas Edition)

2012-12-26T11:38:00.000+08:00

The day after Christmas, I went to Ocean Park with my older cousin (who came from Guangzhou) and her friend (who came from Hainan).

Ocean Park (180 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong Island)

I think Ocean Park was HK's only theme park for a long time... until Disneyland came along. Again, it's just one of those touristy places that you have to go to. Was it extremely fun? Would I go back? Probably not. I mean, it's still nice to see. :) But, it will set you back $320HKD.

I actually went twice because I had another cousin from China, who had never been to HK before, so my older cousin and I took him here. I didn't have to pay for my own ticket, but if I knew I was going to go again, I would've bought the student pass for $580HKD.

Directions to Ocean Park: I took the MTR to Admiralty station. There should be signs that lead you to the bus station, and from there, simply take Cityroute Bus 629. It'll take you straight to Ocean Park. Eaaasy.

Ocean Park was decorated for the holiday season. :) Well, if I remember correctly, only the entrance was decorated... but that's the only place that matters (for picture taking purposes anyway), right?

Near the entrance is the aquarium and panda place... Most of the "fun" things are on the other side of the park, which requires the riding of a cable car in order to get there (15-20 minute journey). You get to enjoy some nice-ish views if you go on a nice day. As you can see, I went on a particularly foggy day... In fact, I think it might have even drizzled, lol.

The other side is probably the better side. You get to see seals and penguins! You get to ride rollercoasters! AND, you get to watch the dolphin show!

I think this is their most "extreme" rollercoaster... Naaaa, not really.

Seals

Penguins

OMG. This was the cutest penguin everrr. It was super tiny!

Seal at the dolphin show

Dolphins... at the dolphin show, lol.

You might even run into this little guy on the other side, LOL!

After the dolphin show, we went back to the entrance side!

Don't mind me. I'm just an agricultural entrepreneur... (those are vegetables in the basket)

Panda chillin on the rock

Lunch time

Jenn

Christmas Eve

2012-12-24T11:20:00.000+08:00

It's Christmas Eve... and all the exchange students are away from home. So, some of us go together for a Christmas Eve potluck. :)

This went down in I-House (International House). I think most of the exchange students live here. It's just a short walk away from my dorm. It's not really close to the main campus, which is where all the classes are, so you definitely do not want to miss the bus if you get placed there.

At this point, almost everyone was getting ready to leave HK. A lot of students are only here for one semester, but I was here for two. D:

On the day of Christmas Eve, we decided to go shopping for the potluck together. Everyone met at the MTR station and then we headed to Shatin.

The most popular supermarket in HK is probably ParknShop (spelled exactly like that). ParknShop was my best friend for a while. I started getting sick of canteen food (cheap but super greasy), so I bought a lot of fruits to eat at the dorm. I actually tried cooking and stuff once upon a time, but people started stealing my food from the shared refrigerator. Like, one time I bought a dozen of eggs, and the next day... I literally had four left. What the heck................ -_____-

Anyway, I bought ingredients to make mac and cheese (an American making mac and cheese...). We bought a lot of meat... and just pan-fried it since we didn't have a grill to do it KBBQ style. I forgot what else we had.

Oh, we had cake too. :D We got it at some hole in the wall bakery (there are tons of those here)... for like $10USD or something. So cheaaap!!!

My closest and only California friend was leaving me. :( Sigh. Did I mention how I had to talk in proper English all the time?! I was so happy to make a California friend because I was finally able to talk slang again. LOL. :(

By the way, China does not recognize Christmas as a holiday, but Hong Kong does, lol.

Jenn

Dai Pai Dong (大排檔) in Tai Po

2012-12-14T10:25:00.000+08:00

What is dai pai dong (大排檔)?

I didn't go to this specific one, but this is what a dai pai dong usually looks like.

Hong Kong is known for their street food. Most of you will probably imagine those small street food vendors. According to Wikipedia, dai pai dong is characterised by its green-painted steel kitchen, untidy atmosphere, the lack of air conditioning, as well as a variety of low priced great-wok hei dishes. They're really not known for their cleanliness, but the food is really good and really cheap.

I did go to something similar to this in Shatin with a big group of exchange students from Fudan University. I didn't bring my camera though, so I don't have pictures. :(

BUT, I did go to an indoor dai pai dong with my Cantonese class (my favorite class, by the way).

Sister Sam Seafood Restaurant (三小姐) (Shop 35, 2/F, Tai Po Market Complex, Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po)

There's actually more people, and we ordered more food later!

REALLY good coconut pudding/jello thing, served hot

This is my whole class minus one.

Cantonese was my favorite class ever. I had classmates from the US, Canada, Japan, and Korea!

The teacher is this awkward, funny guy. He really made class enjoyable. LOL. I accidentally corrected his English once because he was pronouncing allergy like allergEE (gee like geese). :X I didn't do it to be a smart ass though. I kind of muttered it under my breath, and he caught it. :(

Anyway, we had taken our final on the same day. Then, we met at night for dinner. The teacher wanted us to experience something more local, but he didn't want to go too far, so we ended up at Tai Po (I think I talked about it before). Dai pai dong for dinner is as local as it gets!

I had the same teacher again for second semester but with other classmates. It just wasn't the same with other people. :(

Jenn