This week has been a literal blur of people, all shapes and sizes ranging young and old. I saw an old man plainly shuffling his way through a crowded street on Hong Kong Island and a young child smiling as big as he could while eating meat on a stick sitting in a stroller. Many different things were seen and I’m not exactly sure how to describe them in words, as I’m sure there not enough to describe. Sunday: The airport, I met another foreigner, who is also teaching, however he is in another city outside Wenzhou. He is one of only a few foreigners in his entire town. This city is about 45 minutes from Wenzhou. He was nice to chat with for a bit and they even sat us near each other and we were able to chat on the flight which made the 2 hours go by a lot quicker than normal. The hotel is small, but it's big enough for me and my suitcase. There are two twin sized beds and they both come very close to the walls, they have to get a lot into a small square space unit, the bathroom is small (it maybe smaller than my bathroom in German Village, and that's saying something!). But the bed is comfy, so that's all I can ask for. Monday: The visa process was made easier by my assistant, Amber, who literally did everything but come with me to Hong Kong. She had all the necessary papers clipped together and all I needed to do was fill out the application and drop it off at the China Resource Center. I woke only to find it raining a little, luckily by the time I arrived at the center, it had stopped. Upon arriving, Kevin spotted me and we were able to stand in line and await the process of filling out the application and waiting for our number to be called, again luckily it went by quickly, so the papers were dropped off and we were able to do a bit of site seeing…and did we EVER! OMG, I’m not sure all of Hong Kong was ever seen in a day but we certainly did see a lot, our feet can attest to that fact. We were on Hong Kong Island walked around and saw some fun things like the tip of Hong Kong and all of the giant structures around, walked some more and found a local 7-Eleven (which is very common in HK but I haven’t seen in Wenzhou), went to their version of Time Square and did the touristy thing of taking pictures/videos, then took a train up to Mong Kok where we walked around the shopping area and basically did some people watching, found some dangling meat all out in the open and ready to be sold (yum right?!), then walked all the way up to Prince Edward then back down to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST for the locals) and the Jordan Subway stop, where a lot of different men really wanted to get Kevin fitted for a suit, ‘Specialty Fit’, and then after our feet hurt, decided it was time to go back to the island where we got to experience Island Soho, local bars and pubs about, which was nice, we grabbed a burger and a pint and relaxed for a bit. I know, I know, when in Hong Kong you should eat the local food…but they don’t have burgers in Wenzhou other than McDonalds and we all know that’s not really a burger…this one was delish and definitely worth the trek up the mountain to get to it. Hong Kong Island is very hilly and I worked off all of the food I ate and then some, I’m sure of it…no need for the gym this week. After a long day, this didn’t seem that bad while doing it but definitely when my shoes came off…my feet never wanted to see the insides of a shoe again. Tuesday: Sleeping in a bit, was made difficult by someone who thought it would be funny to hit the alarm button on the elevator making me spring out of bed and forgetting where I was in the process, I attempted to answer my phone but that didn’t make the ringing stop…ugh, little bastards! After getting ready, I made my way to the visa office, picking up some cash to pay for it and finding my way perfectly the first time…good thing for my somewhat eidetic memory! It was raining as I was arriving, making my plan perfect, I brought along my e-reader and was gong-ho on the fact of finding a coffee shop and making camp for about 45 minutes…luckily I’d remembered there was a Starbucks and other coffee shops around the corner. I was hoping that the rain would stop or I’d have to find an umbrella or poncho for my next part of the adventure…the Big Buddha statue on the island over from me…it didn’t stop but I decided to head that way despite the rain. When I arrived the rain was almost over, which was perfect timing for my cable car ride to the Buddha statue, which is one of the largest in the world…so cool! The trip up turned into a fog, like riding through a cloud. The Buddha came into sight, but was still blocked by a lot of clouds and fog. As with any cool statue, it came with a lot of steps to the top, and adds to the fact that the humidity was hovering around 99% my hair and body really appreciated the long climb. The top was lovely, of what I could see…it was even worse as I got higher, the clouds added a bit more of a weary element to it, wondering how many people had traveled here before me and how many after…the Buddha was amazing, other goddesses surrounded the Buddha offering different things up to him. The climb down was nice and it started to clear up, I was able to view the surrounding mountain and the nearby Buddhist monastery. The Po Lin Monastery was lovely and of course ancient, large incense burned all around making the scenery lovely and serene. I was only allowed to take one photo, because photos were not allowed inside the temple…but I can say with absolute certainty that you all would have loved the colors and the different gods inside. Most of them were gold or bronze in color and all of them had a different element being offered. After walking around the area for a while, it was time for the trek back to the mainland…as everything in this area closed at 6pm. The train back didn’t take very long, so I decided to do some more walking around…where I found a different leg of the shopping district and the fish market…as in goldfish, for a fish tank…not for eating. So I found some food, and decided to eat in my room…I was exhausted and it was crash time. Wednesday: More wondering again today, nothing much planned. I knew that I wanted to see the Avenue of the Stars, I’d seen it on the TV last night and they were having an award ceremony, something like the Oscars in the states…and I also knew the view from the mainland side was possibly a bit better than the other side. So, back to the subway…back down to TST and walking around, I found the Avenue of the Stars and the award area, as well as foreigners from all over, some French, German, English and American were found here…I was definitely among the tourist group. And guess what Evans!?, I was the only one without a map! :P Haha. I don’t believe in maps, if you look at it once you should know where you are…haha. Plus, if you find yourself lost just go the other direction, you’ll find it eventually…lol! I know, I’m bad, but I haven’t gotten lost yet. The mall was very close, so I decided to check it out, and it was back to civilization again…the mall was just like any mall in the states, however a bit more upscale. As in, I'd have to sell my first born on the black market in order to purchase anything, Chanel and Burberry are not exactly in my price range but window shopping doesn’t cost anything…then it was down the block to something I recognized…H&M! :D No worries, I didn’t spend a lot…as it seems impossible to spend a lot, everything so cheap here. I feel like the money is play money, so colorful, like I’m playing real life Monopoly. I ventured my way back towards the hotel, and found yet another shopping district. People watching is a great time, and especially on this avenue of shopping. Thursday: Well, as I type this I’m waiting in the Hong Kong airport, my flight takes off at around 3:30pm (aka 3:30am Thursday EST) and I’m enjoying my amount of people watching time. I found an adapter, so I’m no longer powerless to HK life…stupid me, left my three adapters in Wenzhou…who would have thought I would have needed them, in Wenzhou everyplace I go has a universal adapter installed, all well, live, learn and remember next time. :D Overall, I’d say this trip was definitely well worth it, as in I didn’t have to pay for much other than food and the subway. Thanks Wenzhou Chiye Training School! I’m looking forward to more trips like this in the future…I’m thinking Beijing and the Great Wall for the next trip… | My view from a HK taxi... |
1 Comment
Dee
4/14/2013 10:46:56 pm
I love traveling with you, you are the best travel agent.
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Patricia CalvertAn American expat and the adventure in her new world. This expat tells you about her escapades, struggles, moments of laughter, as well as those "huh?!?" moments of her journey of teaching ESL in Wenzhou, China; a manufacturing district in Mainland China. Archives
March 2014
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