Fun Times in China!

I'm having such a blast in Hong Kong (as well as in Beijing) that sitting down to write something is becoming a hard task! I've taken so many pictures that I'm running out of space on my hard drive and on my USB key! Maybe I'll just go buy a cheap USB key in Mong Kok :)

Everything in Hong Kong and China is so much cheaper than in Canada. Because of our strong dollar, $1 Canadian dollar equals to approximately $7 HK dollars. Just think of the massive deals I can get! w00t! However, I haven't purchased anything yet, but boy have I eaten a lot! I've probably gained a few pounds... :(

Only a few more weeks here...boooo.

Day 1

Woke up bright (more like dark) and early at 4am in order to get to the airport by 6am for a 8:05am flight. Before leaving for the airport, we had to shovel the driveway one last time. We arrived at the airport a little bit before 6am and there was already a line-up at the check-in counters. Compared to the Air Canada agents, the Cathay Pacific agents were quite efficient and fast, so got the line up went by pretty fast. Security was better than expected as they didn’t question anything that was in my carry-on luggage or gave me any dirty looks.

Our flight was delayed for almost an hour and a half because there was trouble with the baggage bays and we had to go to the de-icing facility again. To keep me (and my brother) entertained, we watched the “planecam” channel. Basically, it was a camera attached to the base of the plane and it shows the tarmac and when in the sky, clouds. It was pretty neat, especially on take-off and on landing.

The flight was okay, but it wasn’t the greatest. I had expected more from Cathay Pacific, since I heard many horror stories about Air Canada’s flights to Hong Kong. The seats were a little cramped and they ran out of snacks so I was pretty hungry. But the meals (breakfast and lunch) were pretty good for airplane food. I spent most of the time on the plane sleeping and then watching Atonement, The Nanny Diaries, and a bit of Armageddon. I also played some video games.

We arrived in HK a little bit before 2pm, Sunday February 3 and was greeted by two armed (with machine guns?) police officers or military personnel who basically followed the passengers on the train towards Customs. I didn’t know what to think about them, whether to be scared or whether to be thankful that if someone would do something harmful, they would be right there to save us. Customs wasn’t too bad. Since there were many booths and officers, it was quick and easy. I even got a free candy!

The HK Airport is awesome. It’s huge and very spacious. Beats Pearson International by a mile or two. Can’t wait to see what their departures level has to offer. I heard it was awesome since they have many restaurants and boutiques.

After unloading our luggage at our aunt’s place, my mom and I headed out for a walk around the area, since we knew that if we stayed inside, we would fall asleep and our body clocks would be screwed up. I got my “bat dat toong” (Octopus Card) and “dooted” by way through the MTR to meet a family friend who showed us (more like me) around. Then we went out for dinner at a restaurant that was soooo loud and packed that my head was spinning. But I was told to expect this level of noise and amount of people at any restaurant. After we got home, took a quick shower and headed off to bed.

With the limited internet access I have here while in HK, I will not post an entry everyday. Rather, I will write it out on MS Word and then paste it, so my entries will be more thoughtful. I have yet to have any significant amout of time to sit down and write stuff out, since there's so many things to do (yah for indoor ice skating!) and people to see.

Anyway, the trip so far has been amazing and I love the Octopus Card! More on all of this later, as my laptop battery is about to die out.

Preparations

In preparation for this upcoming trip, I've been subjected to two things that I dread the most: drugs and needles. It has been recommended that travellers to Asia are wise to have Hepatitis A and B vaccinations, and also take some form of medication to prevent any major occurrences of diarrhea, caused by food and beverages.

So two weeks ago, I had to get a blood test done to see whether I would need such medication. I hate blood tests. Just the fact that the needle is bigger than your normal flu shot needle and the doctor is sucking blood out of you into a little plastic tube makes me sick. I posted negative results for both Hep A and B -- the latter being negative because my previous vaccination had run its course. Last week, I got my first dosage of the Twinrix vaccination to protect against Hepatitis A and a booster shot for Hepatitis B. I hate needles. I must return after 6 months and no more than 1 year to get my second dosage of Twinrix. Lovely. I'm sooo looking forward to that.

To top off the needles, I was also highly recommended by my family doctor to take the diarrhea-prevention medication. Basically, the medication is in liquid form and tastes like carbonated kool-aid-orange-flavour-water. Does that make any sense? I should take a picture of what it is on Friday when I take my second dose. And what's interesting about this medication is that while it's supposed to prevent diarrhea, the symptoms that you may feel after taking it is....diarrhea and abdominal pain! Soon after finishing my first dose, I started to feel those symptoms. Lovely. But it went away after one night's rest.

Other than the medication and needles, I've been eagerly counting down the days till I depart. After ferociously looking through my closet, I picked out all the appropriate clothing that needed to be taken on this trip. Packing for this trip has been quite difficult, as I could not decide what to take and what not to take. My philosophy when packing for a trip is to pack light. After years of travelling back and forth between two cities, packing light is the most ideal way. During this trip, I will be going from spring/fall-like weather to below freezing temperature (Hong Kong-Beijing); therefore, I need to pack clothing for two different seasons and it is proving to be quite difficult when trying to pack light. Nonetheless, I have succeeded (pic to come).

Lastly, I have also been doing a lot of prep work in researching where I would like to visit and what I would like to do whilst in Hong Kong and Beijing; although, the latter has pretty much already been planned out because I believe we're joining a "Duck Tour". Otherwise, for things to do in HK, I've already mapped out places and circled all the places I want to visit and things to do (shopping will be on the side...). The thing I want to do the most (and the most I look forward to) while in HK is visit the museums and heritage sites. Second is EAT. I know I will gain a couple of pounds. Third is shopping, but seeing as I have limited funds and space in luggage, it will be impossible. I'm not a shopoholic, so I will not be tempted to purchase any pieces of clothing (unless it's dirt cheap and I like the style). I have also successfully located Modern Toilet in Hong Kong. Clara and I will be paying them a little visit a couple of days after I arrive.

I just hope I will be ready for HK....(I know there's going to be some ranting, especially with the crowds and I HATE crowds).

Hello! Welcome to my TravelBlog. This is just a small addition to my original blog for all my friends to read where I have traveled to and what I have been up to, while abroad or away from home. Basically, any travel-related stories (yes...even in Canada) will be posted here.

Feel free to leave your comments! Of course, I will be posting many many pictures. I will also be posting pictures on my Flickr account.