The Peak

I guess it's about time I post about Hong Kong itself, hm?

There's probably no better place to start than Victoria Peak, the highest point on Hong Kong island at 552m (thanks, Wikipedia!).  I had been there back in September on a trip organized by the university for us exchange students, but that trip was on a hot sunny day and we were told that the view is even more stunning at night.  Read more after the jump...

Made a friend up on the Peak

Halloween

I can't believe it's November already--that means I only have a month and a half left here...yikes!  The high of 32C today really doesn't help convince me it's November either...

Yesterday was Halloween, and Hong Kong definitely celebrates.  The most famous bar and nightlife district here is Lan Kwai Fong, which spans a few blocks in the middle of Hong Kong island.  I had heard lots of rumors about the LKF Halloween celebrations, but once we got there, I realized that I had no idea what I had gotten myself into...find out more after the jump!

A sign pointing the way in case you didn't trust the crowds pouring in a particular direction.  Police was regulating pedestrian traffic all night.

Vietnam II (Cu Chi tunnels & Ho Chi Minh)

After returning from our bike tour thoroughly soaked and exhausted, we met up with everyone else again and did a bunch of eating and walking around the city--past the Reunification Palace and through local markets, all while trying not to get hit by the thousands of mopeds on the street.  Literally everyone seemed to have one.  There were lots of hole-in-the-wall restaurants with chairs and tables on the street; we had some great Pho at one of these at 3am before we left for the airport at 3:45am on Monday morning.

Hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a mix of tourists and locals

The Irish boys (Chris and Rob) playing with their food

Vietnam I (Mekong Delta)

A group of fourteen (!) of CUHK exchange students went to Vietnam this weekend, Ho Chi Minh City to be exact.  Since we had so many people we decided to split up so everyone could do what they wanted to--a few people went to the beach in Mui Ne, a few people stayed in the city, and 4 of us girls decided to go on a 2-day biking tour to the Mekong Delta.

It was a small private tour, so it was just the four of us plus our tour guide.  We got driven out of the city in a van with the bikes in the back for about an hour, then we got on the bikes and started going, first on paved country roads and then on gravel paths through rice fields and villages.  It was a whole new way to see the Vietnamese countryside; biking in the local traffic really helped immerse us into the culture and allowed us to see, hear, and smell the place in a way that is not possible from a tour bus.

We watched workers peel cashews, sampled fresh dragon fruit, rode alongside children biking to school, plugged our noses from the horrid smell of durians being sold on the street, watched a moped pull a cart filled with three grunting full-grown pigs, and waved at smiley locals yelling "Hello!" out of their hammocks.

Ready to bike

Mainland adventures I (Shanghai & Hangzhou)

For the weekend of October 1st, I went home to see the family in Shanghai and we took a train to Hangzhou, which has a beautiful lake where the emperor used to go chill out over the summer to get some fresh air and nature.

John (a Canadian) and Matt (a Seattle-ite who wishes he was Canadian) came with me to Shanghai, though they stayed in the city for the entire weekend.  The trip started out on a bad note because we missed our flight thanks to the crazy Shenzhen traffic, but thankfully we were able to rebok for a flight about an hour after we got to the airport.

John and Matt, fast asleep.  It's too bad I don't have any more flattering pictures of them from the weekend...