What I Ate- Week 4

Not that much this week, but I am going to Taiwan, where the food is especially delicious!! Keep your eye out for What I Ate- Taiwan Edition!!

Taco Tuesday!!

Coconut Shave Iced (with shaved ice being ice cubes)

Fried squid with chilis

My first pizza in HK!!

Passionfruit juice with jelly- the best!!

Red bean in Coffee (no, this was not mine)

Ice cream!!

There Are Girls, and Then There Are CHEAP Girls

Being a poor college student is tough, especially when you are on a touristy island where ALL the prices are inflated.

I mean, 40 HKD for a Coke? Really? I can get a can on campus for 5.50 HKD.

When it came to cheap food, Lamma Island definitely wasn't the promise land. And this fact alone meant that dinner was 3 hours long as my companions and I hopped from restaurant to restaurant, pulling out our calculators, trying to figure out how we could eat good food for cheap (much to the annoyance of the only guy in our group who just wanted to eat after such a long day, poor kid). We eventually went over our budget, but I had fresh seafood and my first pizza in HK so it was sort of worth it.

So food wasn't Lamma Island's strong point, but there were lots of charming things about Lamma (despite the fact that, no, there are not any llamas on Lamma Island).

It's the rural side of Hong Kong--banana trees, dingy fishing boats, jungle, beaches, and hippie expats. And a 30 minute ferry ride from the hustle and bustle of HK Island.

To get around, we took the Lamma Family Trail which took us through mountains, villages, and jungle. The trail from one side of the island to the other takes about an hour and a half. But with my groups mad skills, we took about 7 hours.

But that's mostly because we got caught up at the beach in the middle.

It was warm and sunny out, why not? For 3+ hours we explored, searched for sea glass, took random pictures, and relaxed. It was awesome. 

My favorite picture of the trip. An unexpected wave surprised Conne, Kayla, and Devin. 

After awhile, we figured we should head into town since the sun was going to set soon. But along the way we stopped for sweet tofu, hippie shops, and every domestic doggie. 

Finally, we arrived at Yung Shue Wan just in time to watch the sun set over the ocean.

So in conclusion, Lamma Island is a very beautiful place to visit, especially if you need a break from Hong Kong. Would I come here frequently? No. The food was too expensive and there are plenty of other beaches around Hong Kong. But if I ever decide to become a hippie, I would definitely settle down on Lamma Island.

One Month in Hong Kong

I can't believe it has already been a month. I should be celebrating this anniversary with a night on the town. But alas, I am already in the throngs of school projects so I am staying on campus. But I do resolve to renew a passion for exercise because although Hong Kong food is ah-mazing, it is not so good for my pants. Good thing the gym here is a dozen times better than the one at BYU.

But I digress.

I'm finding it really hard to put into words a culmination of everything that has happened to me in the past month. The best way to put it is that there is no other place I would rather be. This was the right choice for me. I am learning and growing and progressing which is all I could really ask for. I am meeting people from all over the world. I am slowly learning both Mandarin and Cantonese.

Basically, it's awesome.

Maybe an easier way to explain the past month is a list of what I have come to love about Hong Kong.

Top 10 Things I Love About Hong Kong

10. Ice cream
I seriously have ice cream everyday here (thus why I am going to the gym tonight :)). There are so many different flavors and it's cheap!! Favorite Asian flavor so far? Black Sesame. Soooo good. The ice cream below is melon flavored.

9. Colorful Money
Spending is much more fun when you are paying with pink or blue or yellow currency.

8. Stylish Teachers
A good sense of fashion is a very attractive trait in my opinion and all my teachers dress well, especially the guys. It's a nice diversion in class.

7. Diversity
There are so many different people here from different countries, different religions, and different languages.

6. Cheaper Prices
Well, at least on Hong Kong products. American products are about the same or more.

5. HKUST
Especially on sunny days, HKUST is one of the prettiest campuses I have ever seen.

4. Nature
There are so many beautiful mountains and beaches. I do more hiking here than I ever did in Utah.

3. Ramen
So cheap and so good. And it's saving my food budget.

2. Transportation
It is so efficient and safe. I have no qualms about traveling around the city by myself.

1. City-life
I am addicted to the energy of this place. There is always something going on. There is always a new place to explore. The city is full of wonders and I love discovering it bit by bit.

But of course, I still do love my home country.

What I miss about the US of A:

1. Grocery Shopping
2. Hulu
3. Dr. Pepper
4. Pesto

Give It to the Birds

If you ever need an easy but cool adventure in Hong Kong, then you should check out the Yuen Po Bird Market near Mong Kok.

One street devoted to birds.

Why?

Well in Hong Kong, apartments are TINY, which means there isn't a lot of room for an animal companion so many locals will get a bird for a pet. They can sing and they don't take up that much space.

The Bird Market had everything you needed to have your very own Tweety Bird. They had cages,

they had bird food,

and, of course, they had BIRDS!!

A REAL TOUCAN!!

Getting a bath

But birds weren't the only attraction at the Yuen Po Bird Market, there were many locals socializing and playing card games.

My friend Jenny summed it up when she said, "All there is is gambling, birds, and old people."

But it's still definitely worth checking out. 

And the flower market is right next store.

What I Ate: Week 4

Probably the best Fro-Yo I have ever had

About 6 USD for all this, less than the price of a bowl of pho in the US

Coke slushie with raspberry soft-serve

Turkish wraps in Central

There is a noodle lady in Central whose restaurant is in a new location every night. After 15 minutes of searching and giving up, we accidentally stumbled upon her restaurant.

Baby Octopus. That is all.

My favorite Canto dessert

Cause sometimes you just need a bit of home

2 HKD each!!!

Who Needs Vegas? A Turbo Wedding in China

You know that saying, "Be careful what you wish for?"

This is one of those stories.

On my second day in Yangshuo, my group went to visit the Longji Terraced fields. One of the stops on our tour was to visit a Yao village famous for the women's long hair. As we were reading the brochure about the village, it mentioned that the women do most of the work in the village while the men just drink and eat.

And to Ellery, this was a great life. He joked about how he was going to marry one of these villagers and live the easy life. And Kay and I rolled our eyes. Men...

We got to the village and got to look into what a Yao house looks like. We also got surrounded by little old Yao ladies selling purses and bracelets.

We went to a cultural show (that we bargained to 60 rmb from 80 rmb). And we were in the front row!! The show was um...interesting. The MC said something about chopsticks and staying the night in the village, which made us all a little nervous. The show involved the village women singing and showing the daily chores of Yao life like spinning yarn, fishing, and gathering food. Meanwhile, the audience was fed a strange soup and some tea.

Everything was alright, it was a little boring, but I was getting some use out of my camera. But then the MC pointed to Ellery and called him to the stage. In bewilderment, Ellery got up on the stage while the rest of us were cracking up. Ellery's in trouble, we all thought. But we were wrong. After a few more guys joined the stage, they were paired with a village maiden. We were going to witness a wedding!!!

The boys were rushed off stage and the girls' wedding dance began. My group was dying in the front row. Ellery would be chosen to marry a Yao girl!! Irony!! Tears of laughter were streaming from my eyes.

At last the grooms were brought out.

First, they had to find their bride. Then, they had to prove their manliness by kneading some dough with sticks.

Then the couples danced, while the onlookers would pinch the grooms butts. Yes, there was SOOO much butt-pinching going on. After the dance, the bride pinched the groom's butt herself while the groom stepped on her foot.

To show his love for his wife, the groom then performed a song. Ellery's choice? "Happy Birthday" in Mandarin. Precious. 

The ceremony was finalized with the drinking of tea.

Then the groom had to carry his new bride back to his "house", aka backstage.

When we saw Ellery again, he was a sort of married man. For the rest of the trip, he would reminisce about his "first wife".

But no post about the Yao people would be complete without some pictures of their long hair!!