Well I made it! And the very next day I was already on my first adventure in Hong Kong: hiking Dragon’s Back. We took the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) to a public bus that winded up and down and around these mountain ranges until we finally stopped at the beginning of the trail. After a few hours of hiking and some wonderful views, we were all exhausted.
The next morning I went with a few new exchange friends to Monkey Hill where a number of wild monkey colonies live in Kam Shan Country Park. I was surprised to find out that a majority of Hong Kong is national parks and preservations. There were monkeys everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. Hanging from the trees, climbing on top of cars, walking in the parking lot, hanging from signs. I couldn’t believe how comfortable they were with people! It might have helped that a lot of the locals were feeding them (despite the multiple signs suggesting otherwise…).
Tuesday was our last day of orientation and as a special treat, the university rented out buses to take us on a tour of different sites in Hong Kong. First stop was the Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, home to Taosim, Buddhism, and Confucianism and seen as a source of luck. As soon as you stepped foot in the temple you were overwhelmed by the scent of incense. I knelt down amongst the others to perform the ritual of “kau cim” which literally means “request a stick”. You shake a bamboo cylinder containing fortune sticks until one and only one falls out. This fortune stick has a number that corresponds with a story from a fortune-teller that is supposed to give you insight into your wish.
We ended the day at the Stanley Market and Victoria’s Peak, both of which are on Hong Kong Island. Stanley Market was jammed packed full of vendors and open air booths with people trying to sell their special knick-knacks and homemade goods. It was at times a little overwhelming with all of the things hanging from the walls, the tiny alleyways, and the old ladies calling you to “take a look inside”. After getting lost in the market for an hour or two, we grabbed some lunch and headed to Victoria’s Peak, known for its fantastic view of the cityscape. The view definitely did not disappoint.
Classes started on Wednesday and I can already tell that I may have a little bit of a difficult time, but it is all part of the experience. Wednesday night we headed to the Happy Valley Racecourse to see some horse racing. It was my first time at a horse racing course and I was astounded by the amount of people there! It was fun to make fake bets with my friends and cheer for our horses as they sprinted down the track.
Friday night I met up with my “pseudo-cousins”, the nephews of one of my mom’s really good friends from high school. They are living in Hong Kong and invited me to get a drink together. They ended up showing me around Hong Kong Island and taking me to Lan Kwai Fong (LFK), a popular nightlife spot.
Saturday morning we took a trip to Big Buddha, the second largest outdoor sitting Buddha in the world. It was a little bit of a hazy day so the visibility was not ideal, but it was still very impressive. In the same area, we visited the Po Lin Monastery and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple. Both the outsides and insides of the buildings were so intricately decorated and seemed to be constructed with a lot of care. It was very special to witness.
After a lazy start to the day today, we headed to the open air markets in Mong Kok to get lost amongst the different booths and people and see all of the beautiful flowers on display in the flower market. Now I am on a mission to try the famous Hong Kong egg waffle. Wish me luck!