On vacation
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| Sai Wan Beach |
Lomalla viimeinkin
Viimeisten kokeiden
jälkeen mulle on jäänyt sopivasti aikaa pyöriä ympäri Hong Kongia ja tutustua
esimerkiksi päiväreissun vaativiin seutuihin. Ohjelmassa on ollut IKEAn
vierailua uuden jättimäisen 10 neliön asunnon johdosta sekä 10 000 Buddhan
temppeliä. Lisäksi jo ensimmäisessä tekstissä linkkaamani cliff jumping videon
seudut näkivät meikäläisen. On mieletöntä, että näin lähellä suurkaupunkia
pystyy käymään suihkussa vesiputouksen alla ja ympärillä kasvaa viidakkoa.
Kosteusprosentti vaan nousee ja tällä kertaa myös auringon määrä päivittäin.
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| Sun! |
Humid times!
The past week has been everything between
the most rural and urban Hong Kong. The increased amount of spare time resulted
into many kind of time-consuming activities. I also managed to find the most
chill spot in HK and finally filmed my own cliff jumping video. I also picked
up my working visa as well as found a huge 110 square feet apartment on Hong
Kong Island.
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| Afternoon shower |
Last Monday started with a revisit to Shek
O beach. This beach is quite accessible since you’re able to take the MTR and
continue with a bus straight to the site. This time we felt like eating though
and my new favorite curry, the green curry, was awesome here. I’ve been
ordering this dish for many times after this trip. One thing I find interesting
is that at least this spring weather forecasts haven’t really been correct with
the predictions. It is impossible to tell what the weather will be in 2 hours
and I think we also have spent an impossible amount of time talking about the
weather even though it being so popular among the topics for small talk.
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| Green curry |
Another fun thing besides the rubber duck
that is also inflated is the inflation exhibition in Kowloon. This exhibition
has 7 different inflated ‘’sculptures’’ and one of them is a giant pile of dog
poo. Another one is an inflatable Stonehenge where people are able to jump like
in a bouncing castle. This whole area was quite an impressive sight with the
ICC tower and the Hong Kong skyline in the background. After the exhibition it
was sushi time in TST. Some of the
rolling sushi places here are just awesome. Sushi one and Genki sushi are two
rolling sushi chain restaurants that serve ok priced food for example.
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| The exhibition |
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| Interesting inflatable art |
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The poo
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| @ Genki Sushi |
As the headline says it has been humid
here…very humid. I think Finnish people can get here with their imagination if
they just think they are in a Turkish sauna with a million people. They do even
sell these dehumidifier boxes for the wardrobe so that you’re clothes do not
mold. I have seen these little silicon type of pearls in an electronic
appliance package before but not like this. One other amazing thing on campus
besides this humid air is the fact that while I’ve been here they have built
several new colleges…yes, complete colleges with canteens etc. This is due to
the changed school system where people go to Uni. at a younger age but also
probably because it is easier for CU to expand than it is for other
universities in Hong Kong that are located more close to central. Still, didn’t believe these buildings are going to be ready in just one semester!
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| Stonehenge |
The past days have provided more sun than
rain, finally! One of the sunny days included some shopping in IKEA for my new
apartment and meatballs for lunch. Great to have some potatoes here and the
portion was really cheap as well. An ice cream cost me 2.5 HKD or 0,25€. The
local students always tell me how they go to have the hot dogs in IKEA for 6 HKD
or 0,6€.
Another excursion was done after the
afternoon shopping to Luk Keng Village. We took a taxi to reach the place more
quickly but it was possible to take a mini bus back from the location. This
very tiny place had three nice restaurants and surprisingly all the customers
were from western countries…maybe it is popular among expatriates. The taxi
ride provided some great views all the way to Shenzhen since it was
exceptionally clear that day. It is also nice to see the more rural Hong Kong.
This is the point where you realize that actually half of the people here live
in the ‘’new towns’’.
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| Urban monkeys |
There are surprisingly many things to see
around campus and yet another thing I had not done yet was a visit to the 10
000 Buddha’s monastery. This sight is only a 10 minute walk from Sha Tin MTR
station and includes 10 000 drops of sweat with this weather as well. Once
again the ‘’too much is too much’’ feeling was there when entering the area but
we are in Hong Kong! Some urban monkeys that for some reason like the electric
cables more than the trees provide the entertainment here…
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| I see gold |
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| 10 000 Buddha monastery |
The furniture that I had bought earlier in
IKEA had to be carried to their new home and once this experience of moving
with the metro was done we couldn’t resist going a rooftop terrace located just
a couple of blocks from my new home. This is a very good way to celebrate a new
apartment.
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| The awesome view from Wooloomooloo steakhouse |
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| My apartment somewhere here? |
The latest adventure on vacation was a trip
to a waterfall near Sai Wan village. This great journey began with a bus ride
to Sai Kung and continued with a taxi drive to the point where we started to
hike. On the way to Sai Wan we met some cows that were running up the stairs.
Something new every day!
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| Loyal friends at the beach |
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| Hiking crew at the beach |
The village has a beautiful beach in front of it but
the most amazing thing needs a little more effort. The way to the waterfall
wasn’t so obvious as we had thought and we had to find the inner climber of us
to get there. The view from the location was great. After getting to the spot
there was deserted lush forest and mountains around us with a perfect spot to
do some cliff jumping. After we completed the ‘’free adrenaline’’ test it was
time to chill and swim in the pond. Fresh shower in a waterfall was definitely
worth the effort to get to this place. A highly recommended spot to visit that
won’t be on the top list of every tour and tourist agency.
FEELING GREAT!
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| The waterfall |
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| The Jump |
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| Hong Kong from another perspective |
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| LOST |
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| The view you want to find when visiting HK |
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Calm
With vacation regards,
Niklas
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