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Our 72 hours in Shanghai

3/14/2018

Part of our end-of-semester trip in Asia, we decided to visit Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Shanghai was one of those cities that I thought I would never visit, so I still can't believe I had the opportunity to go explore after my semester in Taiwan. However, since we did not have a VISA for China, we could only stay up to 6 days in Shanghai; we stayed for three days, and here is what we did:

We arrived in Shanghai pretty late in the evening, so Marcus and I were both pretty tired. Getting our 3-6 day VISA went fairly smoothly and the officers were very nice and helpful, but that nice atmosphere did not last very long after we left the arrivals hall to go get a taxi. Some lady came up to us pretending to be an employee at the airport and since she had just “finished” her shift, she

would give us a ride into the city because she was going that way anyways…. For a small fee, of course. Us, being the savvy travelers that we are, did not fall for her crap and walked away towards the actual taxi drivers after her trying for a solid 2 minutes to get us into her car (kind of creepy). So, if you ever go to Shanghai, watch out for these “friendly airport employees” – trust me, it’s a scam. After finally getting an actual taxi, we got to our hotel at like 2am and went straight to bed. We were exhausted from 4 days in Hong Kong so trying to catch up on some sleep was necessary.

Important thing to know is that my boyfriend and I are fairly relaxed travelers. We don’t really wake up early to get a super early start to our day, as we wanted to relax during this mini vacation. Our first day, we woke up in-time for the breakfast the hotel offered and went back to our room after to hang out for a little bit longer before exploring the city (we probably fell back asleep). Around noon, we started our day, first stop being The Bund, the waterfront where you have an amazing view onto the skyline of Shanghai. It was superrrr windy and super cloudy (pollution) but the view was incredible. I never thought I would see this skyline in real life, so this was one of the most exciting things of this city trip.

After taking the usual millions of pictures, we walked along the waterfront towards the Yu Garden. We didn’t really know where we were going, making it a good way to explore all the little streets in that part of Shanghai. We walked through this tiny bamboo forest with a bunch of cats everywhere -- it was literally full of cats eating catfood.

Eventually, we finally got to Yu Garden while it was already starting to get dark. Surrounding the Yu Garden there were a bunch of little shops and restaurants with amazing Chinese architecture. The lights were all starting to light-up so we came at the perfect time. Normally we wanted to go inside of the Yu Garden, but since the sun had gone down we wouldn’t have seen much.

After walking around a bit longer in the surrounding streets of the garden, we took the metro back to Nanjing Road to have dinner. Nanjing Road is a huge shopping street, comparable to the Meir in Antwerp but 5x bigger; very easy spot to find a restaurant (with a little higher price though).

At the beginning of our 2nd day in Shanghai, we decided to go get a closer look of the buildings from the skyline. Taking a metro, we got to the other side of the river right by the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV tower. It was a super misty day again, so the view wasn’t that great, but it was cool to be in the middle of all these unique skyscrapers. We walked around for a bit, getting photographed and stared at, but we had honestly gotten used to this by now. Near the Oriental Pearl tower, we had some lunch and tried to decide where to go next (planning ahead of time is not really one of our strong suits).

We both decided on the Jing’an Temple, being one of the more popular temples in Shanghai (I think). We took our time as we explored the gorgeous temple, trying to see every part of

it. In the middle of the temple there was a sculpture where you could try to throw a coin into for good luck (it was much harder than it looked!). Inside of the temple there was a big Buddha statue, where you could worship and pray. It was a very nice, calming temple in the middle of the hustle and bustle that is Shanghai.

After the temple, we wanted to go to the neighborhood of Tianzifang but first made a stop in the street of Xintiandi. This street had a bunch of little shops and restaurants, and cute little lights. It felt super cozy and a bit European. Xintiandi was like a little outdoor mall but with a very relaxed atmosphere. From Xintiandi we made our way over to Tianzifang, which was also filled with cute little shops and restaurants. The small streets of Tianzifang were filled with tourist, but it still had a very local feel to it. We tried these hugggeeeee fries here; biggest fries I have ever seen. And we also bought some little souvenirs (Marcus’s souvenir got confiscated at the airport loll, sorry babe). Besides the Bund, I think this was one of my favorite spots of our trip to Shanghai.

After snacking and shopping at Tianzifang, we had dinner in the French Concession which I am pretty sure is a very popular neighborhood for expats because that’s basically all we saw there. After 5 months of only Taiwanese and other Asian foods, I didn’t feel that bad for not fully taking advantage of the Chinese food Shanghai had to offer – that night, we had nachos at an Irish pub…. In China haha.

Our trip to Shanghai was super short and very basic when it comes to the places we visited. If I ever go back, I hope to explore some of the surrounding cities and perhaps do some day trips to other cool places around Shanghai! These 2 days, regardless of how fast they went by, gave me a nice look on the Chinese culture and the busy life of Shanghai. If you were to ask me where to go in Asia, Shanghai would not be my first suggestion, but perhaps it is in the top 10 places that I have visited in Asia.

Off to my next adventure…

With love,
Sara

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What should you go do in hong kong?

3/5/2018

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Hong Kong is such an amazing city, and I am so fortunate to have been twice this past year (yes, that’s how much I loved it!). The streets are always busy with cars, people, and lit up by the most intense street signs I have ever seen. Whether you are into fashion, food, nature/hikes, photography, or just the Asian culture in general, Hong Kong should be on your bucket list for places to see ASAP! Here are a few of the many, many things you can do in Hong Kong:

Victoria Harbor is one of the first things I always go see in Hong Kong. The harbor gives you a beautiful panorama view of the Hong Kong Island skyline and is a perfect way to start your stay in Hong Kong (as you kind of get a sense of how big and how insane it is). You can walk around the waterfront and enjoy the gorgeous skyline. Avenue of the Stars is also at the waterfront of Victoria Harbor, where you can walk through and relive some of the most celebrated moments in Asia’s movie industry with sculptures of a bunch of famous stars (while still enjoying the view of the skyline).
Symphony of Lights
Perhaps my favorite time to go to the waterfront to see the skyline of Hong Kong island is at night when all the lights are on. To make it even better, every night at 8pm the skyline of Hong Kong lights up to perform one of the world’s best light shows. With the help of LED screens, search lights, lasers, and lighting, the beautiful light show is performed. In my opinion, I was a little disappointed in the two light shows I saw. It was definitely cool to see and would recommend it to any first-time visitors in Hong Kong, but I was expecting something different.

If you are a nature lover and like to go hiking, Dragon’s Back Trail is a really good place to start when in Hong Kong. I hiked Dragon’s Back when I was in Hong Kong for a class trip. I don’t generally love hikes but woooow it was worth it. Not just the views and whatever but just being there with some really cool people I luckily get to call my friends – honestly, priceless. Most of the hike was stairs and small uphill pathways (very

fun at the time…) and walking through the woods towards our end-point. We ended our hike at the cutest little local beach called Big Wave Beach. Local surfers were surfing in the water while we, more specifically... me, were just relaxing on the beach after our 3-4 hour hike. Dragon’s Back is not the only hiking trail Hong Kong has to offer, but definitely one that should be on your to-do list.

You cannot go to Hong Kong without visiting at least one temple! The first temple I ever visited in Hong Kong was the Wong Tai Sin Temple. Located in the north part of Kowloon, it is super easy to get to with the subway. Arriving at the temple, you will automatically smell the incense burning and see the locals and visitors praying to the Gods. It was pretty surreal being able to see such a big part of the Hong Kong culture. This temple was very colorful and very busy, and probably one of my favorite temples I’ve ever been to. Please remember to be respectful when entering such areas, don’t be a stupid tourist or a certain YouTuber.

Not far from the Wong Tai Sin Temple is the Ten Thousand Buddha Monastery. Yes, there are ten thousand Buddha’s here (i mean .. maybe, I actually have no idea.. BUT there are definitely a lot). While walking up what feels like ten thousand steps, you will see a bunch of Buddha’s along the stairs. Each one seems to have a different face or characteristic; a really cool and unique thing to see. Once you reach the top, there is a bigger Buddha where locals or visitors worship and pray (so be respectful, kids). The monastery has more small Buddha’s and colorful smaller temples. Maybe when we went it was not during peak season as there were not many other visitors, so it was very calm and relaxing after a long day in the busy Hong Kong streets.

Victoria Peak is located in Central on Hong Kong Island and rises above all the skyscrapers that Hong Kong has to offer. To get to the top, you can either hike up to the top (not what I did) or take the peak tram to the top (what I did). At the top, like any other tourist attraction, there is a place to buy souvenirs and eat over-priced meals. But, there is also a platform that gives you a 360 view of Hong Kong. This view is probably even more breathtaking than the view at Victoria Harbor. To get a nice picture, you will have to fight off some other overly excited tourists, but it will be so worth it! Peak tram tickets are fairly cheap and get you to the top pretty quickly; however, you will have to wait in the (long) lines to get onto a tram (still worth it, though).

It is one thing to see Hong Kong streets in the daytime but seeing and exploring them in the evening is a completely different experience! Watch the streets light-up while exploring the streets of Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui, or Central at night. The streets are covered in street signs, most of them Chinese characters in bright colors. At night, you can also visit night markets if you are looking for some cheap

clothes or souvenirs. If you are used to night markets in Taiwan (like me), these are a lot different… no food, no drinks, just cheap clothes and souvenirs – so we did not stay very long. Popular night markets people visit in Hong Kong are the Ladies Market and Temple Street night market.

Ready to explore the night life Hong Kong has to offer?? Take a taxi to Lan Kwai Fong and explore the streets filled with bars, restaurants, and clubs. Going out in Lan Kwai Fong was one of the highlights of my first trip to Hong Kong. The streets were packed with people and music. Being in this amazing country, with these amazing people, having drinks with good music – again, priceless!!! We started our night at this little bar located on a street corner that had great deals on shots…😏 After, we headed to a club where we stayed for the rest of the night, enjoying each other’s company and loving life. The atmosphere in Lan Kwai Fong is one I hope everyone will one day experience.

Alright so this was one of my “I HAVE TO GO THERE” when visiting Hong Kong for the first time. Located on Lantau Island, the Tian Tan Buddha is a little further from Hong Kong center than other tourist attractions. It took us about 1.5-2 hours getting there by subway and bus (and waiting in line to get onto the bus). There is a little shopping street before getting to the Big Buddha statue, where you can get souvenirs and other little items. To get right up to the Buddha, you can walk up the stairs on the hill while getting a nice view of the surrounding greenery. Please, please, please make time to go visit the Big Buddha!!!!

If you are getting a bit sick of being in the middle of the busy street-life of Hong Kong, take a walk through Kowloon Park! The park has different sections and things to see, one of them being flamingos! Walking through the calm park surrounded by skyscrapers was a nice way to relax during my trip, even though I was always ready to go back into the busy city life.

Hong Kong is known for its dim sum, so it is a must-try when visiting! My favorite restaurant for dim-sum in Hong Kong is Crystal Jade, which is located very close to Victoria Harbor in the shopping mall Harbor City. Here, you can get a bunch of different dim sum but also other dishes with noodles or rice – its veryyyyy good. There are a bunch of other more local restaurants that serve dim sum, so try and explore the streets a little bit until you find a place that you like (the dim sum will be good everywhere you go!)

This location is a little bit more for those who are into taking photos and like cool, unique, and more local spots. In this estate, on top of some random parking lot, there is one of the coolest photo spots I have ever been to. I really don’t know how to describe it or what it is used for (besides instagrammers trying to get the perfect picture). On top of this parking lot you also get a nice view of typical Hong Kong apartment buildings; colorful and a lot of apartments in one building. If you want a cool picture and have some extra time -- take an Uber to the Lok Wah Estate.

The Chi Lin Nunnery was a very peaceful and calming place. The nunnery is in the middle of the city and high-rise buildings, but it is a super quiet place. While exploring, you will see visitors pray and worship the Gods, so another place to experience this part of the Hong Kong culture. When you have seen everything, you can head down to the Nan Lian Garden to walk through another quiet and calm place in the middle of busy Hong Kong. The garden is a decent size, so take your time to enjoy it fully.

Another location specifically for photographers, or anyone who loves some unique architecture. At the Choi Hung Estate Basketball Courts, you are in the midst of rainbow apartment buildings. The basketball court colors also have a retro feel to them. So the combination of rainbow buildings, nicely colored basketball courts, and local kids playing after school makes it a great stop on your to-see list in Hong Kong. It took us like 20 minutes to actually find the basketball courts, so after confusing the locals sitting outside for 20 minutes we were happy to finally find the photo-taking hotspot.

Taking in the city of Hong Kong can be done by exploring the Central district of Hong Kong Island. Being in between all the tall buildings, walking through the busy streets, and trying some local foods is how you really get to experience a city. You don’t need to have a specific destination, as all the streets will lead you somewhere cool (whether you are looking for it or not). In Central you will find the art district, Statue Square, a never-ending escalator, Lan Kwai Fong, nice local restaurants, amazing shopping, and so much more!

Hong Kong is one of my favorite Asian cities I have traveled to, so I recommend it to anyone looking for their next destination! This lists only a few of the many things to do, so I hope to add to this list in the future when I visit Hong Kong again!

With love,
Sara

PS: check out my video montage of my last trip to HK at the top of this post :)

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Our 72 hours in Shanghai

What should you go do in hong kong?

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