Hong Kong Highlights

Due to delays with my Taiwan residency documentation (This has been such a bugger process for me, an American, that I can only imagine the horrors immigrants to the States must face.), I had to leave the country last week, so Josh and I took a five-day trip to Hong Kong. The city blew my mind. While it’d be impossible to narrate all the experiences we had, here are the highlights.

The spectacular views – The landscape of HK was mind-boggling: lofty skyscrapers set against lush mountains, clear ocean, and seemingly uninhabited tiny green islands. HK reminded me of Manhattan, except better – urbanites can escape into nature in a matter of minutes, not hours. Also, riding the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor for $0.36 USD a pop = priceless.


Drinking a Guinness! – Táiwān Píjǐu may be cheap, but it looks and tastes like water. Which, I discovered during Guinness and I’s reunion, has led to a serious decline in my alcohol tolerance...

Chungking Mansions – We stayed on the cheap in Happy Yeung Guesthouse, one of many hostels in Chungking Mansions, which our Lonely Planet guidebook lists as a sight to see. They weren’t kidding. It’s an entire complex (and by complex, I mean several high-rise buildings, encased in wobbly-looking scaffolding) of low-budget guesthouses, with the ground floor housing various shops and stands. Cell phones, Indian food, money exchangers, saris, magazines – you need it, and you can probably find it down there. Also, back in the day (and by “back in the day” I mean a few years ago), the Mansions were renowned for drug busts and being a fire trap. They’ve cleaned up their act since then, and we stayed in a private room for $13 USD a head per night. For those of you unaccustomed to staying in hostels, that’s the economic equivalent of getting a new couch off the sidewalk.

Gambling in Macau – Neither one us have gambled before. But we took a day trip to Macau, China’s other SAR, glamorous gambling capital of the world, and it seemed silly not to gamble in a city known for gambling. Seeing as we are novices and didn’t want to embarrass ourselves in front of those purple suited card-dealers, we stuck to slot machines. It was horrible. First off, the machine had a minimum of $3 USD, when we only wanted to spend like $10 HK. Then, the directions weren’t helpful at all. Something about getting five picture thingies in a row, which the chances of accomplishing are increased by gambling more credits, which are, of course, purchased with money. For reals?! We had already spent $3! Suffice it to say, we lost.

Dim Sum – I’ve only had the pleasure of consuming this delish southern Chinese cuisine once before, in Boston’s Chinatown, and it was pretty epic then too. Egg custard tarts, steamed BBQ pork buns, or my favorite, sesame buns coated in crushed peanuts – we ate Dim Sum four times in five days. THAT is how scrumptious this stuff is.



Best thing about this trip – we spent about a grand. This may sound expensive, but let’s compare that to a vacation of similar length at any European destination, or even a major city in the U.S. Let’s also consider the fact that HK is one of the most expensive cities on the continent. Traveling in Asia is CHEAP.

In other news, I start my new job on Monday! I’ll be working with an educational publishing company as an editor and English-speaking PR rep. Teaching English, my original employment plan, would have been fun. But not gonna lie, I’m not cut out for teaching – even if Asian kids are pretty adorable.

Taiwan - Finally!

When Rachelle and Brittany, two friends from my hometown, returned from a two-week trip to China this summer, I asked them to give me the low-down on Asia. Out of the many tidbits they shared, the point they emphasized the most was that generally, bathroom facilities are not equipped with toilets. Instead, they use “squatty-potties,” which are basically porcelain-coated holes in the ground into which you relieve yourself. At first, I assumed they were exaggerating. Or, at the very least, this couldn’t be an Asia-wide standard. After all, Josh had been living in Taiwan for six weeks, and surely would have thought to mention such a…umm…cultural difference.

They were not exaggerating. And Taiwanese bathrooms absolutely include squatty-potties.

I first experienced these in the Tokyo airport bathrooms during my layover. The stalls were labeled “American Style” and “Japanese Style,” which instantly raised a red flag. Feeling a little panicky, I nudged open a “Japanese Style” stall…and proceeded to stand awkwardly in the doorway, my mouth gaping open at the rounded-rectangle of porcelain set into the floor. Why had Josh not warned me of this?! I could have spent part of the summer practicing, you know, doing squats and lunges and stuff. This isn’t a huge deal (I tried to reason with myself), but it does affect an activity I do multiple times a day, not to mention a significant muscle group. Surely he would have also found this a bit unusual and made some sort of comment. I mean, good Lord, Rachelle and Brittany couldn’t stop talking about it.

Then I remembered: he’s a man. I’m not passing judgment; it’s just that peeing on the ground makes things more convenient, and actually, the porcelain is an added luxury.

Although, when I asked Josh why he didn’t mention it (Yes, I asked. Quite indignantly, in fact.), he made an excellent point: it’s pretty gross to sit on a toilet, seeing as God knows how many people’s butts have been planted in that exact spot.

So yeah. I just dedicated a substantial part of my first blog post about Taiwan to the particulars of using the toilet. I can sense my mother’s horror from here.

Despite the squatty-potty issue (Which, by the way, is a horrible term, obviously created by some vulgar American.), Taiwan has been an amazing experience thus far. The Taiwanese are uber friendly, and there is so much to do and see – dazzling temples, beautiful jungle hikes, lively night markets… Plus eating has become my new favorite hobby. Dumplings are the bomb, shaved ice/fruit desserts are delish AND hydrating, and bubble milk tea is literally manna from heaven. Seriously, I wouldn’t be surprised if researchers someday discover that “milk and honey” stuff the Israelites were raving about was really milk tea.

Also, I discovered a website that streams 30 Rock for free in Taiwan, so basically I’m all set on American TV. Tina Fey is just funny – it doesn’t matter where you are.