I'm Just Going to Scooch on Over to Hong Kong

For me, before I came to Korea, I was never the person for last minute plans. I always liked having concrete plans because if not, I either forgot or I would find a way to wiggle out of it. However, I have gone on many spontaneous outings here but none was as much spontaneous as my trip to Hong Kong. 

Hong Kong has always been a place of wonder for me, predominantly due to the history surrounding the island. After the defeat of the Qing Dynasty in the First Opium War in 1842, Hong Kong Island was established as a colony of the British Empire. It was expanded to the Kowloon Peninsula in 1860  and soon the New Territories in 1898. The United Kingdom held control of Hong Kong until 1997 when it was returned to Mainland China. However, Hong Kong has maintained a separate identity and economic & governing systems due to the return being built on the "One country, two systems". It is a Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR), thus allowing U.S. citizens to travel directly to Hong Kong without needing a visa, unlike Mainland China. 

Regarding the story of how I got to go to Hong Kong, I have to thank my good friend Laura for planting the idea in my head. With us receiving our Alien Residence Cards, many of my friends were planning trips outside of Korea and I had a trip planned to Japan for later in the month.  However, Laura told me she had been looking at flights that were cheap from Korea and found some tickets to Hong Kong for less than $200. My interest was peaked but I knew I was a bit low on funds for me to just take this trip so last minute. She was planning Hong Kong as a solo trip since Buddha Day was coming up but she offered for me to come. I told her that I would think about it and would see depending on how much work I got done. Come Friday, I finished all my work for the weekend and realized that I had enough money that the trip could work, especially since it would only be from Sunday to Tuesday. So only one day before I was supposed to get on the plane for Hong Kong, I bought the tickets from Hopper!

Hong Kong was a very fascinating place! The architecture is the definition of east meets west, therefore demonstrating the multicultural identity that the island has adopted throughout the decades. Some things that point to it's past as a former English colony was the fact they drove on the other side of the road and you could see the double-decker buses that London is known for. With English as one of the official languages, it moved around the country easily along with the Octopus card that can be used for transportation. When we arrived at our hotel, we were stunned by the view we were given. With the lack of space in Hong Kong, building upwards has been key to solving the space problem. It has created such an intricate view of the tall buildings and the side streets.

We came in late at night so the view was the next morning that we saw. But when we put all our stuff in the hotel, we then went out to go get dinner and explore the area that our hotel was located in. We were in Causeway Bay which made transportation easy and we were located by Hong Kong's Times Square which was gorgeous. The next day, which was my only full day, was just a time to explore and just roam around Hong Kong. There was nothing specific we wanted to see so we just let the day take us around and we did whatever came to our mind. One thing that was very interesting to us was the amount of Luxury brands that were dotted every few shops. It drove home the fact that Hong Kong was home to the highest amount of billionaires in any city in the world. While food was cheap for our American Dollar, the Hong Kong Dollar was stronger than we expected, so if you go make sure you aren't going with a small budget. The weather was humid and unpredictable, fitting for a tropical place. We had beautiful warm weather in the morning, only for it to rain in the afternoon. This encouraged us to find shelter, which was found at a massage salon. We had talked previously while we were exploring one of the many malls that we would love to go get massages done while we here. We figured it would be cheaper here than if it was back in Seoul. The massage was around $40 which we agreed to. It was a good massage, not the best I've ever had but one that got at some of the knots in my back. But what surprised us was the fact they gave us tea afterward. It was nice and calming to have to relax further after the massage. 

After our massage, we decided to just go back around to the area around our hotel and have dinner. I had to wake up early to get to the airport because I was leaving early Tuesday morning and once I got back to Seoul, I took the bus back to the dorm and passed out. Getting to go to Hong Kong was an amazing experience and while there might have been some hiccups, it would be a trip I will always think back to. Going to Hong Kong allowed me the chance to be spontaneous and take the chance to explore a place I've always wanted to see.