First Weekend in Hong Kong!

Finally got out and really got to see Hong Kong this weekend, and I know I said Ecuador is the most beautiful country I have ever seen, but HK is definitely going to give it a run for its money! On Friday a group of us went to the famous night district called Lan Kwai Fong. After hearing about how much of an international city HK is before coming I was surprised how few foreigners I had seen, but it appears that they all gather in LKF on the weekends. The district is showered in neon lights, the streets are packed with people, and music was playing everywhere. It was a very fun time.

On Saturday The Office of Mainland and International Programs (OMIP) arranged an excursion for the non-local students in which the staff and some local buddies accompanied us to a famous Taoist temple in Hong Kong called Wong Tai Sin Temple. Adding to my experience Allen was able to explain many cultural nuances about the temple as an American I did not know:

Wong Tai Sin Temple

My roommate Allen, MJ, and I with the statue for the year of the horse (1990)

Shaking sticks, the first to fall out gives you a number which you can then have interpreted for a fortune

After the temple we headed to the International Commerce Center Building which is the fourth tallest in the world. We went up about 400 meters to the 360degree viewing deck of the entire city. Absolutely incredible:

After a relatively early night Saturday I headed to Macau on Sunday with my roommate, his friend Michelle who is a HK native and another friend. Allen did not enter HK on the student visa which is required to study at Lingnan so he had to leave Hong Kong and reenter, prompting this spur of the moment trip. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a Special Administrative Region of China. The region left Portuguese rule in 1999, two years after Hong Kong was transferred from the British to China. Macau is said to be the Las Vegas of the Eastern world as it is full of top casinos. Our group is planning an overnight trip in the future, but since we were mainly there to get Allen's visa sorted out we paid for a short day tour and took the ferry back the same night. Here are some pictures, but I am sure the future ones will be much more exciting:

Sands Casino with the MGM behind it

The sole female buddha

Facade of St. Paul's Cathedral - the only thing that survived a fire and is the central landmark of Macau

What an incredible weekend! Despite only being here a week and there being so few exchange students, I feel like I am with people all the time. We have met a ton of local students who have been genuinely eager to help and spend time with us which is by far the best aspect of this program. I am having an absolute blast in Hong Kong.