HK Adventures: Avenue of Stars

Last night my dorm visited the "Tsim Sha Tsui" promenade, also known as the "Avenue of Stars"

 The Avenue of Stars is a tribute to Hong Kong's rich cinematic tradition...

...both past and present.

Its almost like Hollywood and the walk of fame haha...

The place is a great attraction for both locals and tourists.

*flaps arms like a crazy person*

Thats me!!

...and I can see why.

The light show starts at 8.00pm, where the city/buildings showoff their lights to the tune of the music (which was played behind us).

(Sorry if the clip went by too fast, it was extremely crowded.)

Even though it was slightly raining and cloudy. 

The view was amazing. (^_^)

Here's a group photo of us, can you spot me? hehe...

It was a great night out and I would highly recommend going there, especially when it is not raining.. preferably.

(...and sorry if this post is short, I will come back to it and edit more pictures and text)

Night 6: Time to myself and dinner for 1.

This morning was very busy and hectic.

I met new people and also discovered a tad more at HKU.

I really do enjoy being at the university. Its very welcoming and cool (as in every building, including the lifts are air-conditioned to the max).

But today is the day I wanted to take in what HK has to offer and be more aware of my surroundings.

I took the last couple hours before dinner to take advantage of the bus system, so far I have managed to find a bus that takes me from HKU to a short walk to my dorm, but I am yet to find a bus that takes me from my dorm to HKU. This is probably a good sign tho, a sign that i need to at least find the time to exercise and get some kind of physical activity in my daily routine.  

Especially from all the great food I have been feasting on the past couple days :)

Once I had reached my dorm from my trip to HKU, I took the time to again familiarise myself around the streets...

...and importantly to find a place to eat.

I went to a place called "KAI KEE RESTAURANT" at the corner of Smithfield Rd.

This restaurant, surprisingly had an array of Asian and Western cuisines.

I ended up ordering one of their selected baked dishes.

Baked Bolognese and Tomato Sauce with Spaghetti.

It was delicious :)

... & only costed me HKD$52.00/AUD$8.00

Which is quite reasonable. 

In addition, there were quite a few people eating there too, as i was glancing to the side, the person next to me had like a 4 dish meal for only HKD$30.00/AUD$4.60 :) I will definitely come back again. Especially to check out their specials...haha!

As it got late I took the bus home, instead of walking because 1. it was a up hill walk which I am not prepared for after a full stomach, 2. it was simply late and it got dark. 

Till next time...

Good night! ~

Day 2: Settling into HK

Arrived in HK, the ride was bumpy, and the weather was a scorcher. 

My flight QF029 arrived at 6:30pm, but by the time I figured out the whole immigration-passport-stamp-thingajig, bus service and octopus card, it was already 9:00pm.

(Octopus card is like the Aussie version of a Myki, except you don't touch off and you can use it as a credit card, as money is stored in the card the same way. Below is an example picture of what it looks like.)

Finding a bus ride to the hotel was a drainer, I was not expecting sooo many people. (Actually HK is a very busy place, overcrowded, and very noisy, so i should've expected it) Once we had reached our hotel, it was finally time to unwind and freshen up. 

Afterwards we (my father and his friend) took us to eat was supposedly "Cheap good food" for dinner, but let me tell you, it was nothing good about it. Basically it was just rice with duck fat-skin... i pretty much felt sick and though i could not survive another day. In addition, as we were paying for the food, we had to pay for additional tip fare for their "great service".. yea this was added automatically, this cheap food was not so cheap after all.

Luckily this was made up the following morning where I was taken to "Mu Dan Ting" Chinese restaurant. I was pretty happy with the food and was full afterwards. Mu Dan Ting is like a banquet or yumcha, but not the type of yumcha where the workers push around trolleys of steamed dimsum and hacao, each table was given a paper with a bunch of chinese writing on it, beside them were boxes in which we were to fill in how many orders to get, basically tick what you want or don't want to eat. I really liked the place and their services was really good, although it was a tad pricier, it was worth it!

(For lunch I was taken to another restaurant, just about a 10 minute walk from my dorm and the food... OMG it was bloody amazing and affordable, I ordered sizzling hokien stir-fry noodles w/ seafood = HKD57/AUS8.7, about what you would get in Melbourne)

 Then it was time to visit my dorm, I took the metro and bus to save myself from taxi fares (as they tend to rip you off as a tourist, plus it was quicker.) 

As I arrived at my destination, the dorm officers gave me my keys and I went to check out the place, to be honest it was not how i pictured it, it was far worst.

Its quite small, the AC is loud, and the kitchen is nothing like a kitchen, even tho theres a gas stove and sink, I rather make instant noodles or get take out every day, I don't know what to say about it, but I feel very out of my comfort zone, and don't get me started with the bathroom...

At the end of the day at least I have a place to stay. It may not be some kind of 5-star hotel, but it has a bed (which I have already shopped for covers and made it partly vibrant against my dull plain dorm) and basically the essentials that will allow me to get by my day.

There are so many things i wish to type here, but it will have to be another day. Its getting late and this humid-heat is making me sleepy. 

Good Night!

Ready for Hong Kong

After much delay, I have finally managed to book my tickets. The only reason it took so long was that there wasn't any return flights back to Melbourne. 

My parents, being who they are, was worried that I would've rebelled and stayed in HK.

Yes, ... it's silly, I know. 

But I love home too much to ever leave haha,
so they do not need to worry about a thing :)

Even though I won't be leaving till a few months time, 

I can't help to stop and think what would everyday life be like in HK - 

the food, the people, the culture, expenses, travel, occasional study here and then, 

...and lastly SHOPPING!!

All in time, I guess, the experience will be exciting, both the good and the bad will make up of my travels and time being as an exchange student :)