Hong Kong Part 2!

So after the Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars, we heard some drums and music playing. We walked around to find some more Chinese New Year festivities going on.

Here is a video I took of the dance that went on: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1IVKukZAM

Later that day, we went bar hopping and went to a few really cool bars. After that, I had my first experience with Korean food. It was really, really delicious. 

The next day I took a ferry to the island. It was really pretty to see the water and the buildings.

On the walk to the ferry 

After that, I went to the hostel I was staying at in Wan Chai. It was an amazing place. The floor I was staying on had just been redone and reopened two weeks before, so everything inside was really nice. As soon as I got there, I met some other foreigners who were staying there and we went out and got sushi and foot massages. It was really nice to just hang out with different people in a different city. Doing all the tourist-y things can be really fun, but what I really wanted was just to relax and enjoy some time in a new place. 

The sushi here was soooooo good

All the shoes of the people staying on the 13th floor

Later that night, I went out with a friend to the Temple Street night market. It was intensely crowded (like most places in Hong Kong), but it was really interesting. There was lots of food to eat and stands selling a wide range of things. 

After that, my friend and I went to a place in Wan Chai that is known for bars and drinking. We were really disappointed because there wasn't that many people there and it wasn't that fun. We randomly met some people there who live in Hong Kong, and they took us to a place called Lan Kwai Fong. It was on a big hill and was packed with bars and many, many people who had already had too much to drink. We ended up at a night club called Level2, and it was the most fun I had had in a long time. It was great to dance and drink and meet more new people.

Now time for part 3 of the journey!

Hong Kong!

For this Chinese New Year, I went to Hong Kong. It was a really interesting experience, and it was a ton of fun. It was really nice to be in a big city and see lots of other foreigners for a change. I forgot what it was like to meet new people that spoke English and could understand me. I did a lot of walking and seeing a lot of different things on my trip. I ate all the foods I've missed so much, had a lot of fun with great people, and enjoyed the really nice warm weather. Here’s a few pictures and some descriptions/highlights of what I did and saw in Hong Kong:

When we got off the plane, we had to take a bus ride from that island to the place we were staying. We stayed in a hotel room at a place called Chungking Mansion. It was the craziest place to experience. Before we even stepped foot in the building, people were trying to sell us drugs and calculators and SIM cards and a million other things. In this building, the first floor was all people selling a myriad of things, and our hotel was on the 10th floor. It was a really tiny room. I was staying there with two of my friends. The bathroom was the worst part. It smelled AWFUL the whole time. And the shower is on top of the toilet. I've heard its pretty common to not have a separate space for showering, but I had never seen that before.

The view from the bus

Miriam in our tiny hotel room

The worst bathroom ever

After that craziness, we decided we needed to get some drinks. We went to an Irish pub near the mansion, and there we met up with other friends we knew were there and made some new ones. I ended up at a Nigerian dance club. It was an insane first night there. 

Miriam and I

Some friends outside Murphy's Irish Pub

Nathan Road at night

The next day, a lot of stuff was going on for Chinese New Year. The streets were so crowded for this parade that was going on. We couldn't really see any of the parade because there were so many people.

Miriam, Marisa, and I

Crowds

More crowds

The next day, my friends and I ate dim sum for breakfast. Dim sum is really popular in Hong Kong. It's a type of dumpling. After that, we went to a huge, beautiful park called Kowloon Park in the midst of all the skyscrapers in the city. It was really beautiful. 

Year of the Horse

Dim Sum

More Dim Sum

Kowloon Park

Fountain at Kowloon Park

Kowloon Park

Hong Kong is so beautiful

Flamingo Pond at Kowloon Park

We spent forever watching the turtles swim around

After that, we walked around that part of the town looking for some places to shop. Almost everything was closed because it was during Chinese New Year, but we ended up finding some cool stuff to see anyway.

The City

A park in the city for resting

Miriam and I

Miriam, Marisa, and I

A temple

Outside the temple

They had these cute little things outside everywhere

 

While walking around, we found this place called Hong Kong Avenue of Comic Stars. It was really funny.

 Instead of making this blog post miles long, I'm going to break it up in parts. Check out part 2 for more!

End Of The Year And End Of Month Five

This past year has been an incredible one. Looking back, I have accomplished so much. I graduated college, moved to a new country, and became a teacher. I tried so many new things and made so many new friends. I learned so much about myself in 2013. I learned how to be independent and fearless. I learned what I want in life and the things I don’t want. I’m so proud of myself and I know now that I can do anything. I’m so excited to see what 2014 holds in store for me. I rang in the new year at my favorite bar, with my play list playing, and hanging out with both new and old Taiwanese friends. It was perfect. 

This was also my fifth month in Taiwan. It was by far the best. I got out of town more, and did fun things like go to clubs with friends. I met a lot of foreigners this month too. It is always exciting to meet new people in Changhua. I read so many books this past month and woke up earlier and really experienced a lot of things I hadn’t this far. I went on a field trip to new cities and had new cultural experiences. Hopefully January is just as fun and exciting!