This Sunday, we got another import of 15 American students from the University of Kansas. We welcomed the newcomers by taking a trip to the beach with a whole gang of 25 people. The waves were not big enough for surfing here, but that didn't hinder our fun.We swam, danced, laughed, and played some soccer in honor of the World Cup.
Saturday was a different story. We had rain and thunderstorms all day which made for a great day to cozy up and get some rest. It also made for a great day to have some good old fashioned American hamburgers and milkshakes, a delicacy that is seldom found here in Asia. For the first time since I have been here, I felt like a true local this weekend. We took the new students out and showed them around, offering advice on good restaurants and the best ways to navigate the city. It was very refreshing to realize how comfortable I have become in this city and how far I have come from being the kid who missed the train to work twice a week. I think I am starting to get the hang of all of this.
0 Comments
Yesterday happened to be the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunisolar calendar. For those of you who don't know, this is the day that the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated in China. It is also a public holiday which means no work or school. So Monday morning, we filled our water bottles and packed the sunscreen and headed out with a group of 16 Americans to celebrate. The festival celebrates the life and death of Chinese scholar and poet Qu Yuan. All across China, people race boats in the shape of dragons and wear traditional Chinese outfits. We celebrated on the south side of the island in a small beach town called Stanley. Thousands of people packed the beach to catch a glimpse of the colorful boats. The day finished with an hour long bus ride along the coast, boasting some incredible scenery. This was a great 3 day weekend, but exhausting to say the least!On Sunday, we made a trip out to Bride's Pool Nature Reserve in northern Hong Kong to go chasing waterfalls. The trip included a 2 mile hike and featured multiple 60+ ft waterfalls. Once at the waterfalls, we decided to take a dip in the warm tropical water to cool off. We also found a 20 ft cliff to jump off of (we made sure it was safe first)! Several nervous and excited spectators watched in awe as we jumped from the cliff. Adventures like this are memories that will last a lifetime. Thankfully, we all made it back in one piece!!
Although it has taken nearly 5 weeks to happen, the rainy season has finally fallen upon Hong Kong. It has rained every day for the past week, beginning with Tropical Cyclone Ewiniar last Thursday which induced a typhoon signal #3 (on a scale of 1-8) for 27 hours. During a typhoon signal #3, Hong Kongers are encouraged to stay indoors for the remainder of the storm. For reference, during a typhoon #8 signal, all school and work is cancelled and the city essentially shuts down for the storm. Hong Kong usually sees 2 to 3 typhoon #8 signals a year in the rainy season.
All of this rain and bad weather has limited our options for exploring the city. We have coped by having movie nights and playing board games in the hotel. Since the weather looks to be clearing up in the next few days, we are planning some hikes and adventurous things to do this weekend. Below is a picture of rush hour traffic going into the Cross Harbor Tunnel from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. This is a good example of why public transportation is so important here. Without public transportation, it would take a hours to get around the city. This past weekend we took the opportunity to relax and rest our bodies. That being said, we still decided to explore a new area. On Sunday we took the South Island MTR line to South Horizons and Aberdeen, a tiny island town on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. This mini-island famous for its floating houses and restaurants in Aberdeen Harbor. We took a boat across the harbor to get a closer look the floating village. From this area, there was a good view of Lamma Island, which is the area we visited last week, and which is also pictured in the second image below.
Last night, we met up with some fellow Bearcat professors who were traveling in Hong Kong. The professors were in Hong Kong trying to put together a study abroad trip for future engineering and industrial design students. They took us out to a lavish Japanese-style dinner. During dinner, we ordered a smorgasbord of authentic Japanese dishes like ox tongue, snails, caviar, and of course, sushi. Only this time, we got to hand-roll our own sushi! Thanks again to Cheryl and Beth for the dinner, and good luck on the approval for the study abroad course!
Now that the dust has settled and I have gotten the chance to settle down, I realize that I haven't really gotten the chance to settle down. My friends and I have been out and about everyday, exploring new areas, trying new foods, and making new friends. We haven't slowed down at all. All of this has begun to take its toll on my body, often leaving me sore and exhausted. I am beginning to get used to it and realizing that it is just something I will need to adjust to with time. Being on your feet all day everyday is part of being a local Hong Konger. My body is beginning to accept this and now the long train rides are beginning to seem shorter and my 8-10 miles of walking per day is starting to seem like 5-6. I can only guess that by the end of my trip I will be in peak physical condition! Luckily, Hong Kong is riddled with foot massage parlors, and I may end up becoming a regular by August. This is a picture from our 8 mile hike up Tai Mo Shan, the mountain featured in my most recent video. Yesterday we got the opportunity to witness a very emotional annual event. The event was called the June 4th Candlelit Vigil, and it is held every year in Hong Kong's Victoria Park to remember the many victims of the Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, China on June 4th, 1989. On this infamous day, hundreds to thousands (the final number is still unknown) of civilians were massacred by the Chinese military for protesting and lobbying for a more democratic China. Because China is an authoritarian dictatorship, people on the mainland are not aloud to talk about the June 4th massacre, or they could be imprisoned or killed. That is what makes this day so special in Hong Kong. It is not only a day to remember the victims of the infamous Tiananmen Square Massacre, but it is a day to be thankful that Hong Kong has a democratic government and its people have rights. It is a day to push for an independent Hong Kong in hopes that one day, it will be totally free from China's communist rule. The pictures below were taken of the crowd of almost 120,000 people that flocked the park last night. The ceremonies were all done in Cantonese and Mandarin, but the emotional and empowered tone in their voices could not be mistaken.
On Sunday, we took on the ambitious task of summiting Tai Mo Shan. Tai Mo Shan is the highest mountain in Hong Kong, with a staggering height of 957 meters (3,138 feet). On our 8 mile journey, we survived a wild monkey attack, explored a cave, and met countless locals and tourists trying to conquer the same feat that we were. This past Saturday, we visited Lamma Island, a new territory island off the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. On the island, we hiked 3 miles and hit the beach after to cool off in the water. On Lamma Island, the Hong Kong Electric Company implemented its flagship renewable energy project, a small wind farm called Lamma Winds which employs one full time wind turbine capable of generating 800kW of power and offsetting 800 tons of CO2 each year. Unfortunately, we did not get close enough to get any good pictures of the wind turbine. Nonetheless, the island made for a great day trip and I would would love the opportunity to go back. |
Details
Chris Bowers
|