So This Is Hong Kong

So this is Hong Kong
Long time no see, blue skies
Curiosity brought me here.

I have quite a few friends from Hong Kong so I’ve always wondered about Hong Kong. And now I can say that I’ve finally been there!

I flew to Hong Kong by myself from Beijing, and I was there for a total of eight days. At first my dad was hesitant to let me go to Hong Kong alone—he’s always hesitant of me going places alone—but I promised him that I would find people in Hong Kong to hang out with. I found out that three of my friends from Canada were there; I also have two relatives living in Hong Kong. So my dad gave me the thumbs up and I booked my flight.

My first day in Hong Kong... I'm at Times Square!
My first day in Hong Kong… I’m at Times Square!

The best place to stay when travelling solo

I found a cute little hostel right beside Tsim Sha Tsui MTR station. I’m glad I decided to stay in a hostel and not a hotel—and the reason is not the price! Every night at around 11 PM, everyone would come back to the hostel from whatever they were doing that day and we would all hang out in the living room and chat. When everyone got tired, we would head back to our rooms and get a good night’s rest.

I wouldn’t have met all these cool people if I had stayed in a hotel. Sure, a hotel might be a little more luxurious, but I think meeting cool people completely beats that. Plus, it’s so much more fun when you’re travelling alone (everyone else is also travelling alone). If you’re going to Hong Kong, ask me where I stayed because I would totally recommend it.

New friends
New friends Julie and Kris!

Long time no see, Canadian friends

Before I got to Hong Kong, I knew I had three friends there. When I got there, I found out that I actually had 10 friends there in total. Most of them were doing internships there. It was so awesome because I had so many people to hang out with. It was even more awesome because many of my friends were basically locals so they knew all the good places that tourists never get to go to.

Thank you friends for letting me have a taste—literally—of what locals do in Hong Kong!

With Carmen and Elvis at Ladies Market
Carmen and Elvis, you guys can’t run away from the selfie stick, mwuahaha!
“Let’s go to the beach, each. Let’s get away.”
So great to see you guys
So great to see you guys!

Yup, I have family in Hong Kong too

I heard from my aunt and grandma in Beijing that my great-uncle was good at painting, but no one ever told me that he was famous painter in Hong Kong, geez! He has a lot of awards and many of his paintings are in museums and galleries in China and Hong Kong. I hung out with him and my great-aunt for two days in Hong Kong and it was so nice to get to know them.

I also have an aunt who lives in Hong Kong. I think I met her once before when I was a kid, but I don’t really remember. I met with her on the evening I arrived in Hong Kong; we had dinner and walked around the Causeway Bay area. We chatted quite a bit and I really like her! She’s probably my hippest aunt, haha.

IMG_20150805_164728
With my great-uncle and great-aunt at the beach near their house
“The Sound of Church Bells” painting by my great-uncle
Dessert with my hip aunt!
Dessert with my hip aunt!
Final thoughts

This trip was one of my favourite trips I’ve been on this exchange semester in China. My eight days in Hong Kong were great: I hung out with relatives I never really got to know before, I did some local stuff with some Hong Kong Canadian friends, I met a bunch of cool people from all over the world, and I visited quite a few places in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong will probably be my last trip out of Beijing. I’m finishing up coop this month and heading home in three weeks. Crazy!

Ma gurls
Ma gurls
Can't believe I ran into you guys yet again!
Can’t believe I ran into you guys yet again!
Rock that selfie stick Justin! Haha!
Rock that selfie stick Justin! Haha!
Cheung Chau, an island
Cheung Chau, an island

Dina

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