Bedroom view!

The first day was spent sightseeing and shopping. Hong Kong really is shoppers paradise with a range of both designer and discount stores, cheaper luxury goods and a very favourable exchange rate between Chinese and Hong Kong money. The shops were endless and the malls huge and it was very easy to get lost. I bought make up and clothes; SaSa and Bonjour were great for discounted make up and I visited the Mac store to get myself a treat. My friends purchased electronics; an iPad and a phone and I got an SD card, people often travel to HK purely to buy electronics with the assurance that they are less likely to be fakes and again because they are cheaper.

The next day involved a trip to Disneyland! The journey was relatively simple- Hong Kong metro is very efficient and I would recommend getting an Octopus card (HK’s underground pass) to anyone visiting- it makes travel so much easier and quicker. Disney even has its own special train line and train- very cute and certainly adds to the excitement!

We arrived early and booked our tickets online which saved a lot of queueing and meant we could enjoy the park when it was earlier and quieter, the park opened at 10.30 and we managed to go on every ride we wanted to and catch a show with minimal queuing however after lunch at around 1.30pm the queues got longer and the park busier- it’s certainly worth going early! Disney truly had something for everyone with a good mixture of rides and experiences as well as being situated in a really beautiful location. There was information about Hong Kong and local culture. Food in Disneyland was predictably expensive though not unreasonable.

After Disneyland we spent some time at Hong Kong University which was really interesting to see, very big and very empty! There were many pretty things to see at the Uni; among all the modern buildings were ponds with carp and lily pads, it was a very picturesque place and definitely worth a visit. As far as nightlife went I don’t feel I can comment on it much. We spent a lot of time looking at night scenery which was beautiful. On the first night we visited Bar Street which was a strange atmosphere, lots of club music and free drinks for ladies but everyone sitting down at tables. The second night we visited a pub near our apartment. A note to include on nightlife is beware of taxis! The first night we wanted to get a taxi back from the bar and were quoted a price of 200 HK dollars! Luckily the metro runs until 1am.

Foodwise, my experience was disappointing! Everyone I spoke to told me the food in Hong Kong would be amazing- Cantonese food is meant to be far more similar to what Westerners consider ‘Chinese food,’ a lot more sticky sauces and sweet flavours. The best food I ate was not long after we arrived; a chicken and lemongrass curry with rice, I also didn’t get the chance to try much street food. There was a lot of choice with food which was possibly our problem; we got unlucky in our choices! As far as finding Western food in Hong Kong a lot more of it was present; Irish pubs, chains like Pret (in Wuhan we have KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonalds but thats about it), chocolate was easier to come by in shops but not common.

(excuse the messy sofa!)

The festival is celebrated in June, the sun and dragons are both linked to masculine energy so this is why it is celebrated on the longest day of the year. This holiday is also linked to the seat of poet and political figure Qu Yuan who died when Ying, the Chu capital was captured. and his body ended up in the river- Chinese people raced in boats to try to save him (this is where dragon boat racing originates), when they found it was too late those in the boats threw zongzi, sticky balls of rice, into the river so the fish and dragon would eat them rather that the man’s body. My principal explained this story to me and said that now Chinese people just eat the zongzi, which come wrapped in bamboo leaves and can be dipped in sugar, themselves. Other traditions are drinking rice wine and making wishes.

(zongzi)

(Dragon Boat Race, photo from mblog.easytobook.com)

On this festival Chinese people traditionally spend time with their families eating meals and celebrating, there are a lot of traditional foods and special treats available from street food vendors and it seems to be a festival of giving and sharing. I wanted to do something special with my time off and see something amazing, with a festival so rich in culture what better way to reflect the traditions and customs than leaving China and seeing giant,commercialised talking mice? For Dragon Boat Festival I will be visiting Hong Kong with a stop off in Disneyland! I’m hoping to soak up some Hong Kong culture when I’m not at the theme park and catch the end of the festival when I fly back to Wuhan.