Monday, 30 September 2013

HK Adventures: TRIP TO MACAO

Okay, so technically it shouldn't be listed under HK Adventures, but because it was only a one-day-trip, why not :P

Past weekend I was luckily well enough to finally visit Macao, or Macau as the Portuguese would call it.


I visited Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal to book my ticket. Surprisingly the tickets were quite affordable and it takes less than 2hours to get to the destination. Especially considering that we took a TurboJet.




I don't remember much that happened on the TurboJet, I fell a sleep because I was too tired, I didn't get much the night before. 



Once we arrived we took a bus to a casino, arriving at the "Wynn Hotel/Casino"



 (If you are intending to stay at Macao, there is a bus that will take you to your hotel for free, or if you are on a budget, you could also take these buses, but just make sure where you are going, because these buses will go directly to specific hotels only) 

Why Wynn? Because its one of Macao's popular destinations of course.


FACT: The city of Macau has gotten the title of Monte Carlo of the Orient in large part because the economy relies heavily on gambling. Macau is one of the few places in the Far East where gambling is legal, and there is a huge interest in the area in gambling. As a result millions of people every year travel to Macau to gamble.


Once we entered Wynn, we came across a massive Chinese zodiac  ceiling feature and Greek zodiac globe directly at the bottom.







It was grand and mighty!



To our surprise it was actually a hidden show (that plays every half hour or so) a visual display of lights, with another hidden compartment with one of the largest chandeliers I have seen in my entire life, it was massive. Below the Greek globe was opening, emerging a golden tree, people began throwing coins for good luck.

From too much excitement, we tried our luck at the casino, only to find that you needed to be over 21years of age. With disappointment we decided to go to Largo do Senado (Senate Square) instead. 


Which I think was a good idea, especially when your on a budget abroad as a student :p


There's so much to do and see in Macao, why spend it indoors?Macao is a city that has a long history and this means that there are quite a few thing s for the tourists to see. 


The city is a strange mixture of Chinese and Portuguese culture that you are not going to see anywhere else in the world. As we did the walk of shame, we also saw some great water displays as we were making our way out, however it was even better at night.




The water display plays every ten to fifteen minutes, not much of a wait, and it's free!



I think they call it the dancing waters. 
As it plays in sync with the music.

Walking to Largo do Senado only took about ten to fifteen minutes, longer if the place was crowded, especially during luna season.




However I think it was quite worth it as it has a different feel towards the place, because its not just a Chinese culture, but also an infused Portuguese culture. Thus the streets and architecture of Largo do Senado looks very unique and different.



If you do end up visiting this place, I recommend a small conner shop called "Turkish Ice-cream", a man will put on a performance before serving you ice-cream. But heads up, he is very tricky and  sly, in a good way tho, so grab your ice-cream before he takes it away from you lol. 



There is plenty to explore at Largo do SenadoRows dedicated to clothing retails...



...souvenirs, beauty stores... 



...and plenty of street food...
 


... and if you are lucky, you may just stumble across the beef jerky row and indulge yourself with various kinds and flavours.
 


... FOR FREE, OMG!!! ...

okay.. so maybe they are just samples, but you can eat till your full, there isn't just one beef jerky store but a whole row side-by-side selling and sampling plenty of goodies :)


We also went to a famous Macanese souvenir cake store where they made fresh baked goods, such as cookies and seaweed egg rolls.















We later walked till the end of row to visit the Ruins of St. Paul's (also known as Sam Ba Sing Tzik



The Ruins of St. Paul's stands adjacent to the famous Mount Fortress and Macau Museum. The front façade and the grand stone stairs are the only remains of the greatest church.



.. now a this would not be complete without a tourist picture :P



We stayed in Macao until it got dark, tho I wished we had stayed longer, but we had classes the following morning back in HK, boo... 
Till next time Macao~

For more information about tourism in macao visit: HERE 

Saturday, 21 September 2013

HK Adventures: Herbal Medicines @Kwun Fung Herbal Co.

Quick post:

Today I missed my trip to Macao. 


"Why so serious.."

All these late nights for the past couple of weeks has been taking a toll on my wellbeing, so I decided to stay back from the group and just chill.

I remembered seeing plenty of herbal shops in Causeway Bay, so I took a bus and went to a store called,"Kwun Fung Herbal Co."


There was a strong smell, it wasn't stinky or anything, I'm not sure how to explain it, but it reminded me of old chinese medicines...well it is old chinese medicines. 
hmm... its really difficult to explain the scent.


The man who owned the place said I was lacking sleep and wasn't eating well.

... which was kinda t r u e ...

He gave me sliced ginseng to take back home to brew as tea.
It is supposed to help improve my immune system and fatigue, amongst other things.

*hopefully this will work*

I later went to a spa to relax, 
and did a small acupuncture sesh.
(Sorry no photos here)

& yeah...
that will be all for now, 
bout to head off for dinner with a friend.

~

#TillNextTimeMacao

Friday, 20 September 2013

HK Adventures: Mid-Autumn Festival

It is almost 5:00p.m, and i just woke up.

*yawns*

I have so much to say about last night, a night I will always remember during my stay in HK, but for this blog I will just be talking about the festival.

As some of you may know, last night was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which also continues today. I'm not sure how many days it lasts for, but it is hyped every day during the month of September. 

The Mid-Autumn Festival takes its name from the fact that it is always celebrated in the middle of the autumn season. It is also a recognised day as the Moon Festival, where the moon is at its roundest and brightest.

Over the years it has become a custom where family members gather to appreciate the bright full moon. Today, while many people still appreciate the moon, they also eat moon cakes, and express strong yearnings toward family members and friends who live afar. In addition, there are some other customs like playing lanterns, and dragon and lion dances in some regions. 

Moon cakes are a special food during this season, apparently people sacrifice moon cakes to the moon as an offering and eat them for celebration. They often come in various flavours and shapes, but the most common ones are round shaped to symbolise the  reunion of a family, and the shape of the moon of course.

It is also common for people to present moon cakes to relatives and friends to wish them a long and happy life.

\( ^_^)/ *plenty of moon cake for everyone* \(^_^ )/

Last night a group from my residence gathered at Victoria Park (which is named after Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and located in Causeway Bay, which is great for shopping, hehe just saying...)

When we arrived, the scene was truly amazing, it was just starting to get dark and the lights were lit and arranged beautifully.


We stayed for a while, just admiring the lights.

It was like a lantern wonderland...


& we saw some very skilled ones too...









We started walking towards a giant lantern light, just out of curiosity you know...it took us a while because it was soo crowded, but we made it.




...and I'm still not sure what it is.



...maybe to represent the moon?



... a giant disco ball?



...or just another lighting display?
but it was pretty flickering in the distance.

Once we were done, we thought that the night was still young, 
so we took a taxi to 'Lan Kwai Fong', 
which is like an entertainment district, 
and another taxi for some 3AM Dim-Sum at Kennedy Town
But thats another sorry I will share another day ;)

Friday, 13 September 2013

HK Adventures: Hiking @Victoria Peak

Quick Post:
There are plenty of hiking trails in Hong Kong, especially since there are mountains pretty much everywhere here.  


Today a group of us went to Victoria Peak, which is fairly close to HKU (well the entrance/exits anyways).

We entered at Pok Fu Lam's stairway at 10.00pm it was pitch black and kinda spooky, like something out of a horror movie.. 

I loved it!

The reason why we decided to go at night was:
1. It was way too hot during the day, 
2. Some of us had classes to attend,
3. We didn't need to wait long for the light show (but we ended up missing it anyways)

Here's what it should look like during the day...


*Simply Perfect*

...now imagine this, but pitch black, no lights, walking steep up-hills and broken stairways that led to no nowhere most of the time.


I gotta admit, did not think I was going to make it. 
It was a really intensive work out, & got my heart racing a couple times, especially every time there was a new step-way approaching each slope, I tripped a couple times because I was unaware of the steps. Luckily I didn't fall, but there were times that I thought that I was going to...

 After a few hours later we began to encounter lights. 


From here on it became easier to walk, and clearer to see the beautiful view that was awaiting us...


IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!

I thought I'd never see civilisation again...haha

We came closer and closer to the top, and to my surprise, once we reached the peak, there were shopping malls and other convenient stores.  

I found this quite sad, because this just striped the whole hiking experience away, well for me anyways.

...but, I also thought it was a good thing, because it allowed people to escape and relax after a long hike XD


To experience the peak even further, we went to a building called  'The Sky Terrace 428', It costs $40HKD/$6AUD to enter. 
The place is located 428 meters above sea level, hence its name. What I love about this place is its 360° viewing platform.

More information about the Sky Terrace 428: HERE


Luckily there were escalators <3 
I had never been so happy to see them again ( O.O)*


I was in awe, the view was absolutely magnificent in the night!
Here's a snap from a friend of what it looks like in the day, but it's often not as nice because of the smog.


After a few hours we called it a night and decided to take the peak tram down. 

...why didn't anyone mention a tram before????


Overall, it was a great experience! 
(& I needed the work out haha)

HK you are full of surprises~
Good Night!

Tuesday, 10 September 2013

HK Adventures: @MonKok Street Market!!!

#iloveShopping! <3

I am absolutely in love with the street markets in HongKong, especially the one located at MonKok. 
(Which is quite near to Kowloon.)


My friend and I took a bus to Causeway Bay, also known as Sun Wui Road, to later the MTR to MonKok. 


Mind the blurriness, I was walking quite fast when I took this photo, had just gotten off the train and there was a race to the exit. 


It's crowded everywhere you go...


...day and night....


I didn't get to take much photos here because I was too overwhelmed by the amount of stalls I saw
...& also I was kind of busy bargaining with the sellers haha...but here's a snap of one of the stalls. 
(This stall is a bit more 'traditional' and 'Asian' tho.)


*Guilty*

I managed to spend quite a lot, especially on clothes and souvenirs...I'm worried I might go over my limit when I start packing for home.

But here are my buys, if anyone cared lol:


Wedged Boots: Forever21


Wedged Sneakers: Forever21


Earrings: Street Market|Forever21


Nail polish:SHILLS


007 Tank Top: Forever21


BART Top: Forever21



Cap: Street Market.

That will be all for now, there's more but I can't be bothered taking pictures and posting 'em up at the moment, got home later than usual, its currently 1.30am. Gonna rest up for tomorrows class ( T_T)*