Hong Kong

Hong Kong certainly exceeded my expectations! It was one of the coolest cities I have ever been to. We flew out from Singapore at 4 in the morning and arrived in Hong Kong at around 10. Hong Kong is made up of 260 islands, which makes the whole city so mountainous and surrounded by water. We had pre-booked out hostel on Kowloon Island, which ironically was called the Canadian Hostel haha. Accommodations are much more expensive in HK compared to what we pay anywhere else, at $30 per person a night. The hostel was clean and small. The only problem with it was the sketchy market we had to pass through to get to the elevators. Oh and the staircases that looked like a murder scene. We learned quite quickly to stick to the elevators…yikes.

Sticking to our roots

No but actually...did someone die here?
We decided to spend the day walking around the city. The city was as bustling and crowded as I had imagined. The first thing we did was stop at a Japanese restaurant for some sushi. The sushi we ordered was the biggest I have ever seen or eaten. Since you could barely put it down in one mouthful, things got pretty messy. Although I ended up with half the sushi on my lap and mayonnaise sauce in my hair, every bite or should I say “attempted-bite” was delicious. We then made our way to HK island by using the super efficient MTR system(HK’s subway system). We ended up in some ritzy area and didn’t really know where we were. It ended up being Hong Kong’s business district, which is close to HK’s famous Peak Tram.

Before the big mess all over my lap and the table
The Peak Tram takes you up to the top of a mountain peak by a trolley cart (similar to the trolleys you would see in San Francisco). For only $10 CND, you get to the top of the mountain and access to the peak which looks over the entire city. Since we got there a little bit before sunset, we stayed up at the peak waiting for it to get dark. The only problem was, it was freezing! Not being prepared for the cold weather to begin with, we almost froze to death at the top. But it was all worth it since the view was unbelievable. I never knew Hong Kong was such a beautiful city. We ended the evening on the Temple Street market, which is a whole street of handbags, jewelry and other accessories. The amount of Marc Jacobs and Tiffany and Co. knock-offs was obscene. It was a great market and the salespeople weren’t overly aggressive, which is always nice.

We Love Peak

It was stunning!
The next day, we were off to Cheung Chau and the Mongkok markets. We arrived at the ferry terminal in the morning and took the slow boat over. It ended up being about a two hour journey. Once we got there, we were overwhelmed by the overpowering fish smell. Cheung Chau island is actually a fishing village with market-type alleyways and a spectacular view of the plentiful fishing boats across the shore. We spent the day gallivanting through the markets and stopped off for some delicious freshly grilled vegetables. Later, we discovered a dumpling vendor, where you could see a man actually making the dumplings with his hands. For 3 large pork and shrimp dumplings it only cost us 12 HKD ($2 CDN). They were so fresh and so yummy.

Hitting up the markets

Fresh grilled vegetables and meat...so good and so cheap!
We then headed back to the main island to venture to the Mongkok market. This market was like the market on Temple Street, except it was ten times the size. The area was flooded with people, food stands, shopping malls and market booths. It was chaotic in a good way and was great for shopping.

I'm really easy to spot in this crowd
The last day in HK, we decided to check out the Kowloon harbor front area, which was walking distance from our hostel. The whole area was right beside an Arts center, making it very glamorous and colourful. The view of the HK skyline from the harbor front was beautiful aside from the vast amount of smog blurring the buildings. While we walked along the harbor, we came across the HK Avenue of the Stars. Since Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee are the only actors we would recognize, we were on a mission to find their stars. They seemed to be the only two stars with people crowded around them, so we had to fight to get our picture with them. For lunch, we stopped at a Turkish restaurant that had the best lamb salad and tandoori chicken rice I have ever tasted. Although we didn’t really experiment with authentic HK food throughout our trip, everything I ate was some of the best food I have had in SE Asia.

The Kowloon harbor

Finally found Jackie Chan's star

Best tandoori fried rice I have ever eaten
Since our flight was late at night, we decided to head to Lantau island to see the big Buddha and wisdom path before we headed to the airport. We took a 40 minute bus ride to the top of the mountain and then climbed 400 steps to the Buddha. It was huge! The view was even more spectacular than the Buddha, as we looked out onto the enormous mountains. Since we only had an hour to kill, we practically ran to wisdom path. We had heard about wisdom path on a promo video that was playing on the ferry the day before, so we didn’t know what to expect. So when we got there, we were blown away!! The sun was slightly setting behind these tall pillars covered in calligraphy. Even more beautiful was the mountains and the water that surrounded the area. Absolutely stunning.

Me and the big Buddha

Just taking it all in

Wisdom Path

After a long day of gallivanting around the city, we head to the airport by the MTR for our flight home. HK is definitely a city I want to go back to in the future. It was a perfect mix of culture, city and beauty. I look forward to going back some day!

We will miss you HK

ASEAN Basketball game and Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

For the next few weekends, to save money for upcoming trips and due to some bad throat infection I contracted, I really got to see a lot more of Singapore. When I think I have seen it all, I always manage to find more things to do. One Wednesday night, we decided to go to the Indoor Singapore Stadium to see an ASEAN league basketball game. Singapore has its own team called the Singapore Slingers. Once we got there, I couldn’t help but laugh…this was certainly no NBA game. Firstly, the turnout was comparable to the turnout at a highschool basketball championship. Secondly, I was probably taller than majority of players on the team. Each team is allowed two International players, which became quite obvious with the two token tall, black players on each team. Although the whole league seemed quite amateur, it ended up being a good game against the Philippians. The cheerleading was also comparable to a highschool cheerleading team, which ended up being a good laugh. Lucky for us the Slingers fought it out in a head-to-head battle and won the game. We must have brought them some good luck!

Singapore Slingers in pink for breast cancer

Tanya and I
On the following Sunday, I finally went to the Marina Bay Sands infinity pool. Hannah had made friends with a guy that had a key to the hotel, so we were able to get up without being guests. Once we got up to the top, I was in absolute awe. The pool is enormous and it actually looked like the water was flowing directly into the city. The view from the infinity pool looked out onto the entire Singapore downtown skyline and the Marina Bay Sands area. On the other side, there were hot tubs that looked onto Singapore’s Harborfront, where there are hundreds of ships docked waiting to import goods. The whole scene was ritzy, with white beach chairs surrounding the pool area, palm trees, and a nice 5-star restaurant right in the middle. There were even tanning chairs inside of the pool. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. I also found out that the pool has only been around for five years now and is the only attraction of the sort around the world. So by hearing this, I felt even more special being lucky enough to see it so soon.

Ontop of the world!
Later in the semester, I got up second time when my friend Mikela came to visit. But this time I was there for the sunset and at nighttime. It was even more spectacular than the first time I was there. The pool lit up as soon as it started getting dark and the skyline was outlined with lights beautifully. I felt on-top of the world just standing right at the edge of the pool and looking out into the beautiful city. Moments like this make me realize how cool and beautiful Singapore really is.

NEVER GETS OLD <3

Pulau Penang, Malaysia

After all the exchange students got there Student Passes, Shelby, Tanya, Hannah and I headed to Penang, Malaysia for Chinese New Year. Since Penang is way north in Malaysia, we stopped over in Kuala Lumpur for one night. I remembered really liking Kuala Lumpur, but this time I wasn’t the biggest fan. Since we were only their for the night, we decided to do the Petaling Street market and then go out. Every bar we went to was a somewhat sketchy scene and at the end of the night Hannah got her wristlet stolen from a guy on a motorbike. Bummer. So the next morning, we willingly hoped on the next bus to Penang. Penang is an Island that has a great mix of culture and beach. It was sure a trek to get there by bus, but the route was so scenic! It was absolutely stunning. Penang are also known for the famous Char kway teow noodles, which are rice noodles that are stir-fried with egg, vegetables, shrimp and Chinese dark soy sauce. Yum!! I would have eaten them everyday if it wasn’t for it being the Chinese Holiday – which in other words means, NOTHINGS OPEN. Since the Indian community does not celebrate, all the Indian restaurants were open. I could not complain, since every meal we had was delicious!

Us with a member of the Nigerian Army aka Akon...yikes

Tanya, Hannah, Shelbs and I
We stayed at the Banana Guest House, which was about $5 a night. The rooms weren’t the nicest, but it was beside a cool reggae bar and had hot water (which actually has becomes the decision maker for me now…cold showers suck!). The first day we headed down to the beach by the city bus. It was perfect because the bus picked us up right outside our hostel and went directly to the beach. The whole beach community was beautiful, with posh condos and luxurious hotels surrounding the area. We spent the day lying on the beach and watching the parachuters make their landing. It was surprisingly hilarious because we discovered there is no subtle way to land in a parachute. Since it was the start of Chinese New Year, at night there was a random firework display outside our hostel. It was no millennium fireworks at Disney World, but it was a nice surprise. We celebrated along by having some beers and shisha at the Reggae pub next door.

The parachuters that amused us for a whole day haha

Weird signs at the Reggae bar beside our hostel
The following day, we decided to trek to Monkey Beach through Penang’s National Park. The National Park ended up being beautiful and a great place for hiking. Since we were trekking to a secluded island (they offer boat services to get there also), it actually felt like we were deep in the Malaysian jungle at some points. When we arrived at Monkey Beach, we were the only foreigners on the Island, so we really stood out. We were so obvious that people would come and take pictures with us. We started to call ourselves the local celebrities after a while. Sometimes it got annoying since they wouldn’t always ask to take our picture, but would act like paparazzi snapping out photos as we walked by. The day was beaming hot and we all got exactly what we wanted…great tans!

Shelbs and I chilling in the National Park

Monkey Beach...so secluded!

Hannah and I drinking a freshly chopped coconut after our hike
We ended off our trip with some Char kway teow and took the night bus all the way home. I would have preferred going to Penang on a non-holiday weekend to fully experience the culture, but it was definitely a worthwhile trip.

The famous and delicious Char Kway Teow

Probably one of the funniest bus rides home...after forced to change seats in the "big move", our seats were so wobbly that the entire ride was practically like being on a rollercoaster. Good thing we had seatbelts...yikes

Christmas Break and Sem 2!

Christmas at home was well worth the long journey back. It was so nice to see my family and friends…and best of all…eat all my favourite foods! Steak, ribs, pulled pork and salad were all on my list. And my lovely mom was nice enough to make them all special for me! I got to see all of my Brampton friends and some of my London friends. It was a whole 3 weeks of reunions, partying and eating. Although it was so nice to be home, I was more than ready to get back to Singapore and start Semester 2! All new classes, people (except for Shelbs of course), and trips. The bar was set really high from last semester. I was so nostalgic looking back and remembering how amazing it was, but I knew that this semester will probably be just as great!

Roomie Reunion in Btown

New Years in Btown

3 weeks in Thailand and still not sick of eachother
Once I got back from Christmas, there was a whole new batch of Exchange Students. This semester, there are a lot more Canadian and American exchange students meaning a lot of new Western students. Shelby and I made new friends quite fast and have been consistently going out for Wednesday Ladies Nights since I have been back. We even discovered a new bar we like more than Attica…James Powerstation! The music is great, there is a ton of room to dance, and we always somehow end up getting free bottle service. Can’t believe I went all last semester without knowing about it. We have been doing a lot more things around Singapore this semester, since everything is new for the new students. So far, I am still loving life in Singapore.

Semester 2 girls out for Ladies Night...never gets old

Bangkok, Thailand

After saying our goodbyes to the crew, we took an overnight bus to Bangkok. The bus left around 9 at night, and we arrived in Bangkok at a four in the morning. Since it is impossible to find a Hostel at that time, we decided to spend the morning chilling in the closest McDonalds (always a good go-to place when you don’t know where anything is). After we picked our Hostel, we spent the rest of the day trying to figure out the city. Similar to Chiang Mai, there were many golden and colourful temples all over the city. We went to the Golden Temple closer to sunset. The Golden Temple over looks the whole city, and is beautiful to be at the top during the sunset. At night, we just enjoyed some Chang Beers and green curry and called it a night.

The Golden Temple

More Green Curry...we actually are obsessed
The next day, we were off to Kanchanaburi to see the Tiger Temple. This temple cares for orphaned tigers as part of its Buddhist mission to provide refuge to all living creatures. When we got there, we paid 600 Baht to enter the temple and see the tigers. The whole idea of a Tiger Temple is quite controversial, since many believe that the Tigers are drugged in order to remain tame around tourists. However, the Monks claim to train and domesticate the Tigers from a young age. The whole temple was quite an experience. There were tourists playing with tigers in the water, Monks walking tigers on a leash, and tigers placed throughout a canyon, where tourists could take pictures with them. I couldn’t believe that I was actually able to touch a live tiger. Overall, the travel time to get outside the city and the entrance fee was well worth it. We also got to see peacocks, water buffalo, bears and hogs that were running freely around the temple.

Finally got a picture with a Monk

See Lauren...they are not going to attack you haha

The tigers sleep tonightttt bombomboowayy
At night, we decided to go to Khao San road to shop and hit up the party scene. None of the bars were too great, and a bit sketchy at times, so we spent the majority of our night walking up and down the street filled with tourists. At the end of the night, we decided to get street Pad Thai…big mistake. The noodles tasted soggy, there was no flavor and the chicken was not fresh. Note to self: never eat street Pad Thai past midnight. It probably has been sitting out all day and only drunk tourists think it’s a good idea to buy it.

So apparently this doll was my twin that night...

Yumm street food that has been sitting out all day...yikes

Oh heyy Dale haha
On Sam and Astrid’s last day in Thailand, we decided to hit up the famous Weekend Market. We were told prior to going that it is the most overwhelming market we will ever go to…and they were certainly right. The market was huge and had everything from clothes and paintings to puppies and carpets. The clothes were 1-3 dollars a piece and looked like clothes that you would buy at H&M or Forever 21. The only problem was we weren’t allowed to try anything on, so you kind of had to eye it. Since all the clothes were mostly made for an Asian type body, I was a little disappointed when I went to try on my purchases. Oh well, I definitely learned my lesson for future trips to an Asian market. At night, we had celebratory drinks to our perfect trip to Thailand. It was sad goodbyes, but it was a great end to our long and amazing three week journey together.

Goodbye Sam and Astrid :(
On the last day, Lauren and I decided to do some sightseeing around Bangkok. We walked to the Princes Palace and the Reclining Buddha. Not knowing or really hearing anything about the places, we were stunned when we arrived. The Palace was breathtaking with every building covered in colours, painted flowers and mosaics. There were door passage ways everywhere you looked that would lead to a whole courtyard of more temple tops. We then headed to the Reclining Buddha. It was probably the biggest Buddha I had ever seen. It was probably the size of two football fields and covered in gold. It was beautiful.

The lovely Khao San road

The Princes Palace

The Reclining Buddha
Lauren and I decided to end the day and our trip with some green curry, chicken Pad Thai and Chang beers. After feeling a little buzz from the beers and discussing Ping Pong shows with a very interesting Australian tourist, we decided to take one last walk up Khao San road to get Nutella and peanutbutter pancakes. Yum!! It ended up being a perfect trip and a great way to end my semester. Before I knew it, I was heading home to Canada for Christmas break.

Bye bye Thailand, I will miss you

Nice try...but Christmas in Thailand is just not the same