Hong Kong

The time has finally come! For the past term, I've been working diligently at finishing my last few  of the MBA on exchange in Barcelona while intermittently planning the trip of a lifetime (or my lifetime at least). I'll admit that I've traveled quite a bit, but the one part of the world that still remains essentially untouched aside from a trip to Hong Kong when I was 13, Sri Lanka for spring break last year and my recent stint in China in January, is Asia. So, with three months until graduation and all of my courses complete, I hopped on a plane from Barcelona to Hong Kong to start my journey. 

The next three months look something like this:

Hong Kong

Vietnam

Cambodia

Philippines 

Thailand

Malaysia

Myanmar

Nepal

Sadly, I'm missing Laos, Indonesia and a few other spots I'd love to check out further north, but there is always another trip in my future to come back!

Having been to Hong Kong in 1999 with my family, I thought I knew what to expect. This trip showed me how much both the city and I have changed in the last 16 years. Or maybe mostly just me. There is a huge difference between visiting friends as an adult and traveling with your parents as a teenager, obviously, but the city really surprised me this time around. I remember when we were here last, the trip wasn't the favorite family vacation we'd been on. I really had a great time for the five days I was there though!

After arriving on the longest flight ever from Barcelona via Moscow, Laura and Zahra met me at the Airport Express station with some chocolate buns. They have both been studying abroad along with 20 other classmates of mine in Hong Kong since January. Nothing beats a local tour guide! We started the day with some Mexican food (gotta love an international city) before heading to the market at Stanley Beach. After a quick nap to revive my jet-lagged body, we headed to Soho for dinner at Yard Bird. As our table wasn't ready, we had a drink while waiting at Staunton when it started pouring rain out of nowhere. None of us had prepared for rain, so we ended up sprinting down the street to the restaurant in the rain without the cover of an umbrella and arrived at dinner soaked through our clothes looking like wet dogs. That didn't get in the way of a great meal or a fun time afterward at Bibo, a really cool bar just down the street.

The next day, Zahra and I decided to do something touristy and check out the Chi Lin Nunnery. A little planning should have maybe gone into this decision, because we somehow ended up riding the 116 bus the wrong direction. Lost in conversation, we didn't even notice the bus come to a halt when the driver came up to the second level and informed us we had reached the end of the line. Puzzled, we asked where we were and he responded asking where we were trying to go. We told him our destination and he said, "no worries, I'll take you there." We got our own private bus ride! He didn't stop once for the next half hour as he crossed Kowloon Bay and dropped us off right at the nunnery. Upon arrival at 4:15, we saw a sign at the entrance saying that the nunnery closed at 4:30. #hongkongfail

We raced through the nunnery which was a bit of a shame, because it was really beautiful. All of the Buddhas were women which I never knew existed. You go Buddha girl! Afterward, we wandered around the surrounding gardens which on their own are worth a visit. It is a really cool juxtaposition of the hustle and bustle of the new city and the peace and serenity of the past to be in this beautiful place with a pagoda and lotus flowers surrounded by skyscrapers all around.

The next day, after a delicious lunch at Crystal Jade, Simon (another friend from LBS studying in Hong Kong) and I went up to the peak for sunset. The view of the city from the top is incredible and we were extremely lucky to catch it on a clear day. 

This weekend was the Rugby Sevens Tournament as well, which was serendipitous timing for my visit. The Sevens is hard to explain if you haven't heard of it before, but basically, everyone gets dressed up in group costumes, watches (sort of) rugby teams from all over the world compete, and drink a little too excessively. All in all, it was a really fun day. My friends and I dressed as flamenco dancers and matadors - we even had a bull! After partying in the Sevens Village after the games ended, we headed to Lan Kui Fong, a hectic yet fun bar street to end the night.

On my last evening in Hong Kong, Gemma and Alex, who had arrived from London on Saturday, and I headed up to the Ozone Bar at the Ritz Carlton hotel for a cocktail and the light show. Something like 14 buildings have coordinated a light show at 8 every evening where they all light up and put on a sh for about fifteen minutes. To be completely honest, the show is underwhelming. Ozone is worth a visit though! Great view of the Hong Kong skyline from the top.

It seems that the best things to do in Hong Kong are shopping and eating. Just to name a few of the other delicious places I went while I was there, Chachawan was great northern Thai food, Fatty Crab for some sort of Asian fusion, Chicha was mediocre Peruvian, and last but not least, dim sum at Tim Ho Wan, the world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant. My friends really showed me a good time this week. I look forward to returning to Hong Kong again someday (well, actually I'll be back for a night in 3 weeks).