Tag Archives: Hong Kong

Guangzhou has the Best Dim Sum

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Now to pick up where I left off – Part 2 of our first trip to mainland China: Guangzhou.

March 1, 2010

There was a little drama at the Guangzhou train terminal, because two of our girlfriends, Soohyun and Ilaria, didn’t get off the train at the right stop, luckily, they were able to contact us  even though normal Hong Kong SIM cards don’t work in mainland China, and get back on the returning  train just 20 minutes later. We found our hostel, which was super nice and clean and safe, without much trouble or asking people on the streets, checked in, were directed to yet another cheap and delicious restaurant a 5-minute walk from our accommodations (there was absolutely no English or pictures on that menu, but thankfully Angela and Soo knew enough to order great food for us all). We walked along a street right beside a river running through Guangzhou, which the hostel was situated on before collapsing for the night. Continue reading →

Shenzhen China – It’s Like a Whole Other Country

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I thought I had acclimated to China after almost two months of living in Hong Kong. Boy was I wrong. Once I arrived in Shenzhen, China, the culture shock was back on! Below is Part 1 of my 2 Part post diving into China head on.

March 2nd, 2010

The entrance to Nirvana for just $21 USD for 24 hours.

The entrance to Nirvana for just $21 USD for 24 hours.

Though all parts of the same country, Hong Kong has little in common with mainland China.  The differences were stark and stunning. After my first visit I could barely express how glad I was to be studying in Hong Kong, China and not mainland China.  I thought I had culture shock in Hong Kong; but I was going through a culture earthquake in Shenzhen and Guangzhou! Let me back up though, and start from Friday when we left for the motherland.

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Don’t Ask Questions: If it Tastes Good, Eat It

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Here’s the second installment of my study abroad adventures in Asia. Read how I began my exploration and continued acclimation to my new home away from home.

February 7th, 2010

Well! It was quite a full first week for me in Hong Kong, to say the least.

A view of the city skyline at night. This was when I truly began to fall hard for Hong Kong.

A view of the city skyline at night. This was when I truly began to fall hard for Hong Kong.

Since arriving, I’d been to Stanley Market and Victoria’s Peak, ridden the tram down from the top (which naturally had a Burger King and Bubba Gump Shrimp company on top), visited Wong Tai Sin temple in the middle of Hong Kong, watched the horse races at Happy Valley one evening (and watched others throw away money betting with no idea what the stats meant), and wandered in awe around Tsim Sha Tsui (TST to everyone else) where some friends and I bought hydro-foil tickets for a day trip to Macau the following weekend during the Chinese New Year. Whew!

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Good-bye Atlanta, Hello Hong Kong!

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Let me preface this post by saying, the following posts are from my time studying abroad during my junior year of college at Emory University. I had the opportunity to attend the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from Jan 2010 until June 2010, and it was the scariest and best thing I’ve ever done. It was when I was bitten with the travel bug, and seriously understood how much larger the world is beyond the US borders.

When I first wrote these blogs, they were for a group of friends and family back in the US, so I could share my experiences with them week by week. I’ve kept the original dates of all these posts, and I hope you enjoy my trips down memory lane. Without further ado, let’s go to Asia!

Yes, this is the beautiful university I resided in during my semester abroad in Hong Kong.

Yes, this is the beautiful university I resided in during my semester abroad in Hong Kong.

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