It's Time We Visited a Theme Park

It's Time We Visited a Theme Park

Ocean Park is one of the more famous and preferred theme parks in Hong Kong.

And for good reason.

When a theme park picks a certain theme to go with for a period of time, you expect some effort. Not the case with Ocean Park. Not only was a lot of fun to go during the day, but with O'Hallows Eve (or just Halloween) creeping up, the park went all out.

Just to help explain things, I'm going to start from the beginning.

Out of the multiple theme parks including Disneyland, that can be found in Hong Kong, the preferred park is Ocean Park - it may be because they have these things called Pandas!

The park itself is host to many animals, such as walruses and seals; penguins; red pandas and big pandas, although they are quite old now, so they sleep a lot through out the day; dolphins and sharks; and what look like just about every different type of goldfish ever to exist! 

So for those animal lovers, it is definitely a place to go aww, and admire the playfulness of some of the animals (weirdly enough, one of the walruses was one of the more playful animals!).

A little playful seal

Park of The Summit

Next on to rides - well it is an actual theme park, therefore rides are mandatory. 

The park is actually separated into two sections - The Waterfront and The Summit.

 

Over the mountain in the Cable Car

To reach either you can ride the Cable Car up and over the mountain (its like that both ways), or you experience the submarine affect given by going via the train.

The Summit is overall bigger than the Waterfront, so it has the majority of the rides, particularly the roller-coasters.

Just a bit of a heads up. 

I have avoided going on theme park or show rides ever since I managed to throw up on the spinning cups ride a few years ago. Turns out I get motion sickness, particularly when spinning around fast, or when I am on any type of sea vessel for up to an hour.

So when the very first ride, my friend and I actually went on turned out to be a rotating device swinging upside down, imagine my nightmare. Problem was, when we figured out what it did, we were actually already on it! Oh the thrill! The Flash, as it is so named, was actually an enjoyable ride, especially when the main people screaming where my friend and I.

(Plus side for me, none of the rides at the park actually go on for too long)

And of course, i felt queasy afterwards, and I didn't make it better by going Whirly Bird ride, I got so dizzy, I had a knot in my stomach for the rest of the day. But that didn't stop me from proceeding to on the multiple rides afterwards.

As luck would have it, just getting to the park, and getting on the rides, meant little waiting for us, as we went on a Friday around midday. Around 4pm, because of the Halloween event occurring, it began to get very busy, so the waiting lines began to grow. I can't bear to imagine what that park is like on a weekend!

So with that, we managed to ride the Hair Raiser,

Hair Raiser

Mine Train (we went on twice!); Raging River; and the Arctic Blast roller-coaster, all with very little waiting time.

It wasn't until we got to the Rapids, that we came into any trouble. By then the crowds had grown, and the line was quite big. The worst part, is that people here do not understand the concept of queuing and waiting patiently here. Imagine my surprise at being constantly pushed by middle aged ladies, and yet we couldn't actually move! It was uncomfortable, crowded and irritating. 

However the ride itself was good fun, and I especially enjoyed their warning about it.

"You will get wet.

You may get soaked"

It was a water ride, ended up being very refreshing after the humidity and heat of the day.

Now finally, the event.

It was actually amazing to see how the park had managed to go so far with the Halloween themed event. They had haunted houses, scary rides, and even a Walking with the Dead section. I am actually glad that I didn't go in that. I can not handle zombies.

But one of the best parts was the sheer amount of people dressed up in these amazing costumes! They had what looked like everything, witches, fairies, zombies, a giant eye guy, a warrior, a crazy man with a chainsaw, aliens and scary scarecrows! The park had also incorporated both western and Chinese monsters, and fairy tales. Which meant that there were some characters I recognised and others I did not. All the more entertaining!

Character Dance!

The Pumpkin King

Chinese Mime

 The whole day was really very enjoyable and successfully, especially as we got the luck of seeing one of the most amazing water feature light shows. The main story of the show was about the Chinese mythology of two fighting dragons (fire and water), which was projected on to the main fountain in the park. That itself was amazing to watch. But the show went further. By adding fire to the mix. 

To keep with the intensity of the story, there would be bursts of flames, so hot, we could actually feel the heat from where we were standing. 

The Lights. The Story. The Water. And the Fire.

All made such a wonderful experience. And a great end to our day at Ocean Park.

General Life In Hong Kong

There's walking. There's swimming. Then there's all the rest.

I am entering my third week of living in Hong Kong, like most of the exchange students here, I keep forgetting that I'm not here for a rather long holiday, but to actually study as well.

Plus side: I am actually enjoying my classes thus far.

 Of course it always helps when you have an interesting course, or you have friends in the same class, but it can be daunting when you're the only 'foreigner' in your class, so you don't know anyone nor do you have much of an idea of what to expect from the class. 

Not only did I manage to get lucky with my courses by getting the ones I want, I also get Friday off, and the classes are interesting enough, that if they were difficult, I wouldn't mind too much (by the way, my classes aren't actually too difficult!). So it's all worked out quite nicely for me. Not so much for some of the other exchange students though.

Anyway back to last weeks "adventures"

A Night in Mong Kok

One thing you don't really think about, is the actual size of countries until you're trying to get to a specific location, or are just walking around randomly. I experienced both occasions last week. 

China is massive. But Hong Kong is not.

The university that I am staying at is based in Kowloon, which is one of the nicer districts of Hong Kong. It is located about 20minutes walk away from Mong Kok, which just happens to be one of the more popular areas for young people, as it has a larger variety of shops as well as plenty of options to eat and drink.

For most people, you would catch the MTR (the train) from Kowloon Tong to Mong Kok, however on a lazy evening I chose to go for a walk, where I ended up in Mong Kok. Walking through these areas with the aim of losing oneself in the streets, actually makes it more interesting and you end up seeing things you didn't even know existed. Like I saw the still bustling flower market street, then walked onto the longest street of aquarium stores, and basically staring at the walls of fish already in bags, waiting to be purchased. You really can not get bored when walking through all the market streets, admiring the lives people live here, and how I for one, would never be able to live in such conditions. And it is amazing to see that a few days later, I ventured into Central (its actual name!), and as I walked around, noticed how different it was from Mong Kok. Although the buildings may have been similar, as well as some of the shops, but the feel, look and the terrain were all very different. Each district may have the same shops, markets, and food places, but each are designed out differently with certain characteristics and attractions, making them new and original to the observant tourist.

Queen's Road Central

Out of my ventures last week, they were the better ones.

 Since I moved to Hong Kong, I have been swimming 4 times. Twice at the local public pool. Once at Shek O Beach (a place I will be returning too). And sunday's swim was at Sai Wan in Sai Kung.

As it turns out, Sai Wan is a very popular beach, both with the locals and with tourists. However it is not just popular because of the beach, which is reasonable clean for HK, but rather the factors that make it slightly different from other beaches. That being it takes you about an hour just to walk to the beach via quite a steep paved path. So if you have any kind of injury or suffer from a slightly bad knee like I do, it's probably best to wait until it has healed a bit. But the steep climb back up to Sai Wan pavilion, does attract many hikers and walkers (probably because it does wonders for your legs), and although I was tired, in a bit of pain and sweating, the surroundings did make it more bearable, as every now and then, you might see a small waterfall or spot the small river passing by through the dense forest.

A lot of people who went to this beach on the weekend, really enjoyed the cliff diving spot, or just jumping off a cliff into the fresh water. I will admit that with the excuse of flip flops and a bad knee, I did not brave the rocky climb to the diving spot like everyone else, but I did get to see the area from a distance, and it did look beautiful.

The view from Sai Kung

Cliff Diving Spot!

Now onto the beach itself. Sai Wan, is one of four beaches along the Tai Long Wan pennisula. And to be honest, after all that walking and the day I had had, I was disappointed. I do make far too many comparisions to the beaches in Western Australia though. But here the beaches are not clean, and some are worse than others, and like at Sai Wan, I managed to walk into a large piece of plastic wrap in the water. But other than the few pieces of rubbish in the water, it was nice to swim in the sea again, especially when there were some very high waves, which made diving into them more fun. 

It is definitely more popular as a surfing spot, as in the small Sai Wan village, they do hire out surf boards. I don't recommend going swimming there, unless you are a strong swimmer. As the waves were very big, it meant that the current was also extremely strong, and even I, a strong swimmer, struggled a bit to get back in after I noticed I was quite a distance out. 

There was more disappointment, when I noticed that there were no showers, and the public toilets were disgusting. Walking back, up hill, covered in salt and sand, is not fun nor comfortable. And to make matters worse, there is only one small bus that comes every 15 minutes to take you from the pavilion, stopping at 6.30pm. It was 6.00pm. So with a large group of people waiting for the bus (we figured there would be about two or three more buses), and no signal to call a taxi, we starting walking back. 

We should have waited.

Not only did more buses arrive, but lots of taxis did as well, and eventually we got a lift back to the main bus station. The group of people I was with, were all exhausted, hungry and sore. So all in all, as long as the trip to and from Sai Wan works well, you will probably have an enjoyable time. I just did not, and I do not plan on going back. For me, it isn't worth it.

But with plans to go to Ocean Park this week, hopefully it will be as fun and as exciting as I've heard!

Food, Friends and Adventures

Food, Friends and Adventures

 

They say that when you go abroad, it's part of the experience to eat all kinds of new foods. But sometimes you just need some bread.

So when it comes to food, maybe Hong Kong wasn't really the best choice for me. Why? I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I am surprisingly fussy about the meat I do eat. For instance, I will not and can not eat chicken or any kind of poultry.

They kinda love it in Hong Kong (proof being they've had chicken feet on the menu at the cafeteria) 

Secondly, I like lean meats, I really don't enjoy really chewy foods, and they really don't waste meat here. Every part of the animal is used. 

And lastly, of course, I love fish, I'll eat shrimp. But octopus on my pizza?

I think not!

It comes back to the fact that I don't like have to chew on food more than I deem necessary.
But if you love trying new foods, testing the cuisine or just finding interesting dishes, Hong Kong is high on that list of places to visit,.

But it's not actually bad when you find food you like, or dishes that you find interesting.

Granted in the short time I have been here for, I've probably eaten more sushi than Chinese dishes. Down side: sushi is expensive in Hong Kong.

On my first night in Hong Kong, a group of us went to a dumpling restaurant, and honestly I would love to go there again, the food was of a decent price, and it had a really good selection of non-chicken and vegetable dumplings. Plus they were delicious. 

So like in any city, finding the right food can be a struggle. On average in Australia, I might eat rice once a fortnight or perhaps once a week. Certainly not every day. A week in, and I'm already sick of rice.

Which is probably not such a good thing when living in Hong Kong..

However I'm sure I'll adjust. Eventually.

To really experience a student exchange, you kinda need people

You know one of the main things that are talked about with student exchanges, is the fact that you will meet so many people, make life long friends, and essentially have sofas to sleep on all over the world.
Only one problem.
Turns out I may not be too good at making many friends, or at least, I'm not too keen on using social media all the time (I really am kinda dull on Facebook), so keeping friends can be hard.
But I have managed to luck out, and I've met some proper lovely, and fun people here, whom I am definitely planning on sticking too. It's actually with these people that I have had the most fun since arriving in Hong Kong. And the key to having a great time abroad, is by living it with real friends.
And even if it's just a simple night out at a seedy looking bar with dragon in its name (of course! when in China), or at one of the few actually nice and clean beaches in Hong Kong, being with fun people really makes it a time to remember.

And that leads to my final heading - The Adventures

It's sad but true, that compared to a lot of the other exchange students here, I haven't actually done much exploring!

I use the excuse that it's because I'm not rushed, and I'll have plenty of time to go places, but really its that I don't want to go alone. I have done some traveling by myself before, and unless you're a super out going person (which I am not), you find that you have a lot less fun seeking out new places.
And when you go to places like the Shek O Beach, Lama Island or Victoria Peak, the experience is only made better when your with someone, or a group of people. (It's certainly less awkward!)
But sometimes it doesn't matter who your with, just the view can be enough to take your breathe away. I know as a fact, that no matter how matter times I may go to Shek O Beach on the bus, I will never get over the view. It's full mountains, all a lush shade of green, with the clear ocean in the background, and it is something you can just watch fo

r the entire forty minute trip (and with luck, get a few good pictures!), and especially after traveling for around an hour and half, the beach was totally worth it (even the sun burn). 

On other occasions I went to Lama Island with my roommate, and even with the light drizzly, just the peace and quiet of the place makes it so much more relaxing and enjoyable, especially for those who like to go for a short hike/walk or to try out the locally made beer.

Even though I haven't been to many places in the two weeks I have been in Hong Kong for, I know that by what I have seen, I will not be disappointed by the rest. I have yet to conquer so many sites here!

(BTW 15 Weeks to go!)

Hot, Humid and Crowded

Hot, Humid and Crowded

 

This is how I'd describe Hong Kong.

 

Hong Kong, or China in general, are famously known for having very large populations. But that doesn't stop them from living this fasted paced life, in fact it seems to encourage it.

They also have this habit of squishing as many people as possible into small spaces, such as elevators, the train (or metro), and especially the city streets.

Just the sheer amount of people is overwhelming to me, considering Australia is so spread out in compariosn to HK.

But it's not just the people.

 

The combination of high humidity all day, everyday and the sunny weather, makes you sweat so much, that gradually you become so uncomfortable, you'll go anywhere just to feel the breeze of an aircon (which are, thankfully, just about everywhere!). 

Another thing I've noticed, is that the roads seem to have been placed so randomly that it would be an amazing achievement to not get lost, so luckily when going through Kowloon City, or Tsim Sha Sui, I've either had someone who knows the way or at least a tall European to follow!

The Day versus The Night

 

The day and night in Hong Kong are practically polar opposites.

but what you see during the day, is not what I would consider to be beautiful.

Due to the limited space of the country and the large amount of people, just about every building throughout HK house both stores and residential flats. At the lower levels, you will see all manner of shops. Food markets, stalls, clothes shops, pharmacies and jewellery stores en masse. Whilst right above, are these high towers which look so run down, they could collapse at any moment, and yet don't.

And then the lights come on.

 As the sun goes down, that's when you really begin to see the life of Hong Kong. At all hours of the night there are masses of people, surrounded by hundreds of neon lights, all competing with one another, and the buildings, well the buildings become the light show. One place, rightfully famous for its view, is Victoria Harbour. The sight of the glowing city reflecting against the water, oozes the famous Hong Kong beauty. And it is equally stunning during the day. It is a must.

 

Well this is just a quick post about my first impression of HK, and I'll be writing more about my adventures in detail soon! x

Bonjour! Hei! Hola!

Bonjour! Hei! Hola!

There are so many ways that we can say hello to one another, and yet some like me, can barely remember any of my high school french!

 In just under 2 weeks, I will be embarking on one of the most exciting, nerve-racking and memorable adventures of a life time! And I mean a lifetime, it is literally impossible to have the same experience over and over again in the same place. 

Haven't got it yet?

I'm studying overseas!!

For a year!! I can't contain my excitement!

It might help to have a little background about me :)

I have already lived internationally, being born in Chile, residing in England until I was nine, and finally ending up in Australia.

You could say I've caught the travelers bug (well I do anyway) and considering I am currently studying a degree in international studies and tourism, it feels kinda mandatory that i take it international.

In fact, ever since I started university, my goal was always to go on exchange. And thankfully, its happening!

When planning for an exchange, one of the hardest things you have to do, is choose where you want to go. For many that means England and the US. But having already lived in England, I wanted to go somewhere different, somewhere I might not necessarily visit again or have the chance to. Also the advantage of going for a year or two semesters, you can choose to study in two entirely different countries.
Which is what I did.

Now how different can you get from:

Hong Kong..

 

and Finland!

So that means in less than 2 weeks, I'll be flying on my first international flight to Hong Kong, by myself! Which for me, is excitement and butterflies on overload.
Also take into account that Hong Kong is SO different from what I'm used to. Firstly, English is not their main language, I struggle remember french, I have no idea how I'll remember any Cantonese. And secondly, I have never actually lived in a busy, high populated area..

 So Wish Me Luck!

And hopefully, by the next time I post, I'll have some amazing things to tell you!

(Also, if you just so happen to be reading this and have any travel advice, don't hesitate to let me know! Seriously.)