Samstag Abend Red Bar & Dragon i

After the boat trip we got home at about 8 and then decided to quickly get ready and then head off to the city. Went to the IFC Mall roof top gardens- red bar- as most of the nights before going out. It’s a public garden where you can either hang out in one of the bars or just bring your own drinks and you have this amazing view over the kowloon side of HK. After enjoying the view and some drinks we continued to LKF (= party district in HK). There we first went to a bar /club called azure which I don't like too much. Music and people weren't too convincing and in addition to that it was

wayyyyy to crowded and no wardrobe which ment I had to carry my HUGE bag the entire time or should have... because I put it on the floor and someone must have stepped on it in any case Claire's camera broke which was rather unflattering... so we continued to dragon-i where marta was with some italian friends. Music and crowd were a lot better and the wardrobe was very convincing . Got home at around 4 and fell straight into bed. Nice long lunch at simply life which is a bakery/ lunch place that has so far only served very convincing food(Especially the pastries

ARE INCOMPARABLE).

Sai Kung Boat Trip

Saturday morning 8am time to get up because we were taking a boat out to enjoy the amaaaaazing weather swim, tan and party. The whole trip was organized by a group of students from hk. Anyone could join. Nearly 30 People from my Uni came. The trip was planed for a max of 120 people 60 per boat (no clue how that should have fit..) anyways only 80 signed up so it was luckily only about 40 people per boat. We left Sai Kung at 11 and then anchored about half an hour away from sai kung in a small bay. Surrounded by other boats it ended up being a hop on and off between the boats most of which were chartered by european men and asian girl.. no comments.. Chartering boats on the weekends is a pretty big thing in hk and rather cheap as well so it was surely not out last Boattrip..

The Peak

Thursday evening I went up to the peak again (highest point on HK island) with Marta and enjoyed the amazing view. The city is surrounded by woods and the light of the buildings reflects on the water. A view I really can't get enough of. We've been planing to picknick up there but haven't managed to organise that so far but I hope we'll do that soon.

Supermarket

Super- Not-Market... Unbelievable how expensive all european products are in Hong Kong. Everything I love to eat costs a fortune. Cheese is about 5 times as expensive, same with all milk products. Normal mozarella(not buffallo) for 56 HKD which is about 5,60€. 500g of Plain white yoghurt costs between 4 and 6 € and a little piece of Brie cheese nearly 7 €.... 'German' bread is nearly impossible to find (In HK toast is defined as bread), and if you find a bakery..oh wonder... it's really expensive.. At least fruit is rather cheap. Althaugh it strongly depends where you buy it. After a first shock about the smell I nearly only buy fruit etc in the chinese markets. There is a small language barrier between me and the sales people but everyone is really nice and helpful so sign language is enough to communicate. The smell is incredibly disgusting. While supermarkets in europe smell of nothing(very interesting! pay attention to that next time you go grocery shopping) the chinese markets smell of food. You can buy nearly anything there from the mentioned fruit and vegetables to meat and fish and spices etc. But nothing is packed in plastic and althaugh fresh and clean it just has a very intense smell.. I'll add pictures in later...

Philippines

So excited can't wait. We decided to go to the Philippines in about two weeks. Flights are really cheap and hotels even more. Found a few hotels right at the beach, not necessarily 5-star mansions but totally fine for max 15 € /Person... Insane.. Since it'S only for 4 days we chose to go to boracay. Supposedly one of the 10

nicest beaches in the world!!!!!!!!

In the last years it's become rather touristic but for four days it going to be just perfect. Coconuts alll day loooong... :)

Have to see wh

ere I stopp by on my way there. Maybe in Manila cuz we have to fly by there anyways so we’ll see..

Sooo. First week of uni is over and I am totally impressed and shocked at the same time. Classes so far are really interesting and I am really lucky with all my professors because they seem highly motivated and they just loooove exchange students. What really confuses me thaugh is how chinese behave in class. In all classes we were supposed to introduce ourselves: name, where we come from, interests etc. Ignoring the fact that chinese have very strange and partially highly akward names (in most cases they choose the names themselves) such as Bingo, Fish, Cat, or all time favourite Mandy, they just differ so strongly from how germany or europeans would behave. Goals over all students for most classes is not the actual learning process but good grades and when asked how they are feeling or what they are thinking in the very moment they do not at all hesitate to admite they would rather sleep or hang out in bed???

SOOO GETTING READY FOR TONIGHT. PLAN IS TO GO TO THE TERRACE AND THEN TO DRAGON-I. HAVEN'T BEEN THERE BUT HEARD IT IS REALLY GOOD. FASHIONABLE.. LETS FIND OUT;)

JUST WENT TO THE GYM HERE THE FIRST TIME. REALLY BAAAD GYM. IT WAS ONLY MEN, I SERIOUSLY THINK WOMEN HERE DONT WORK OUT... REALLY BIZZARE.

MY ORIGINAL PLAN TO POST WHAT I'M DOING EVERY DAY DIDN'T QUITE WORK OUT. I'VE BEEN WAY TO BUSY TO GET KNOW HONG KONG. NO TIME TO FIGURE OUT HOW BLOGGING WORKS. HONG KONG IS THE PROBABLY GREATEST CITY I'VE BEEN TO SO FAR. IT SEEMS AS IF EVERY REQUIREMENT I COULD HAVE IN A CITY I CAN FIND IN HONG KONG. METROPOLITAN LIFE IN CONTRAST TO NATURE, CHINESE CULTUE IN CONTRAST TO WESTERN STANDARTS.

I EXPECTED THE CITY TO BE LOUD AND CROWDED AND STRESSFUL AND IT CAN BE JUST THAT BUT ON THE OTHER HAND IT CAN BE PEACEFUL, PURE NATURE AND SOOO RELAXING.

SPACE IS RARE IN HK SO MY ROOM , THAT I SHARE WITH AN AUSTRALIEN GIRL CAN HARDLY BE USED FOR ANYTHING BUT SLEEPING. STORRAGE SPACE IS RARE AS WELL SO I AM HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME KEEPING THIS PLACE TIDY.

I'VE BEEN HERE FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS NOW AND IT SEEMS LIKE SEVERAL MONTHS. I MEET SO MANY NEW PEOPLE EVERY DAY AND HAVE SEEN SO MUCH SO FAR THAT IT IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE TO REALIZE IT'S ONLY BEEN 10 DAYS.

TO LET YOU IN ON WH

AT I'VE DONE SO FAR. (SHORTFORM OTHERWISE THIS IS GOING TO TAKE YEARS) HERE ARE SOME OF THE MOST MEMORABLE TRIPS:

SAI-KUNG--> ISLAND, BARBEQUE

FROM SAI KUNG WHICH IS IN THE VERY EAST OF HONG KONG WE TOOK A BOAT TO AN ISLAND(FORGOT THE NAME BUT I'LL REMEMBER SOONER OR LATER) THERE WE JUST HUNG OUT, HAD A BARBEQUE AND ENJOYED THE FACT THAT IT WAS RAINING IN CENTRAL HONG KONG. MOST OF THE BEACHES THAT ARE ACCECIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC ARE SECURED BY LIFEGUARDS AND "SHARK- FENCES" SO THAT SWIMMING DOESN'T TURN OUT TO BE THE LAST THING YOU'VE DONE IN HK..

THE WATER IS SO WARM THAT IT IS HARDLY REFRESHING.

LANTAU ISLAND-

-> BIG BUDDHA AND HIKING

I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY CONSIDER HIKING TO BE ONE OF MY FAVOURITES BUT I THAUGHT I COULD GIVE IT TRY AND MAYBE I'LL CHANGE MY MIND. SO I DECIDIED TO GO ON A HIKING TRIP WITH A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE. I EXPECTED THE HIKE TO BE ABOUT 2 HOURS, EXHAUSING BUT WITH AMAZING NATURE. OUR GOAL WAS TO HIKE TO BIG BUDDHA, A BUDDHA STATUE TH

AT IS SUPPOSEDLY ONE OF THE LAGEST WORL WIDE. IN THE END THE HIKE LET ME SEE AMAZING NATURE BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE 4,5 HOURS INSTEAD OF 2 AND THE PROBABLY MOST EXHAUSTING EXPERIENCE I'VE MADE SO FAR. THE FIRST KILOMETER WAS STRAIGHT UP THE HILL. HIKING UP THERE COULD EASILY BE TITLED MOUNTAIN CLIMBING.. THEN I

T GOT LESS STEEP BUT THEREFOR WE HAD TO DUCK UNDERNEITH HUGE SPIDERNETS FROM SPIDERS THAT WERE ABOUT 10CM LARGE EVERY 15M. IF YOU D

IDN'T PAY ATTENTION CHANCES WERE VERY VERY HIGH THAT YOU'D WALK STAIGHT INTO THE SPIDERS NET. THEN WE CONTINUED THE NEXT TWO HOURS HILL UP AND DOWN AND UP AND DOWN AND UP AND DOWN. THE VIEW WAS WORTH IT BUT AFTER ABOUT HOURS HILL UP AND DOWN MY LEGS WERE SHAKING SO MUCH THAT I HAD TO CONCENTRATE VERY INTENSIVLY NOT TO TRIP.... AFTER ENJOYING PURE NATURE DURING THE TRIP THE BUDDHA ITSELF WAS A RATHER VERY HUGE TOURIST ATTRACTION, NICE TO VISIT AT BUT NOT NECESSARILY A SECOND TIME..

REPULSE BAY

IS A BEACH ON THE SOUTH END OF HK ISLAND AND PRETTY EASY TO GET TO. HUGE BEACH AND NOT AT ALL CROWDED. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS ACTUALL BEACH WEATHER LOCALS AVOIDE THE SUN. I SEE MORE UMBRELLAS WHEN THE SUN SHINES THAN WHEN IT RAINS. STRANGE AT FIRST BUT A SIGHT YOU GET USED TO. THERE STILL SEEMS TO BE A HUGE CULTURAL AVERSION AGAINST TANNING. ALL LARGER COSMETIC COMPANIES THAT I KNOW FROM EUROPE HAVE SPECIAL PRODUCTS FOR THE ASIAN MARKET THAT BLEACH THE SKIN... WE HAVE SELF TAN THEY HAVE SKIN BLEACH..

ANYWAYS REPULSE BAY IS A GREAT PLACE TO HANG OUT EVEN IF IT IS JUST FOR A FEW HOURS.

SOHO

IT SEEMS AS IF THERE IS A SOHO I EVERY LARGER CITY. AND IT SEEMS AS IF IT'S ALWAYS ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING AREAS. IN HK SOHO IS JUST AMAZING. LOTS OF LITTLE BARS AND RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS. ALL VERY INDIVIDSUAL BUT WITH A STRONG MODERN AND WESTERN TOUCH. AFTER A WHILE (OR A VERY SHORT WHILE) I JUST CAN'T SEE ANY MORE CHINESE FOOD. AT HOME I LIKE EATING MEAT BUT ONLY IF IT IS COMPLETLY FREE OF ANYTHING THAT REMINDS ME OF IT'S ANIMAL ORIGIN: BONES, VEINS AND ANY SORT OF FAT. PROBLEM IS THAT ALMOST ALL CHINESE MEALS ARE WITH MEAT AND THEY DON'T JUST USE THE 'NICE MEAT PARTY' BUT THEY JUST CHOPP EVERYTHING UP INCLUDING BONES AND WHAT ELSE THERE IS.. SO I'VE STARTED AVOIDING CHINESE FOOD AND SOHO IS AN IDEAL PLACE FOR THAT SINCE IT'S MOSTLY WESTERN FOOD. GOOD QUALITY AND GOOD PRICE.

LAN KWAI FONG

CRAZY PARTY STREET IN HK. LKF AND SOHOARE BOTH IN CENTRAL SO IN THE NORTHERN PART OF HK ISLAND. IT'S A STREET THAT IS CROWDED WITH PEOPLE LOCALS BUT MANY MANY TOURISTS AND FOREIGNERS AS WELL. THERE IS ONE BAR NEXT TO THE OTHER AND AS MANY CLUBS. I GUESS CLUBBING IS ABOUT AS EXPENCIVE AS BACK HOME BUT THERE ARE ALWAYS SPECAL OFFERS AND 'FLAT RATE PARTIES' SO IF YOU STICK TO THAT GOING OUT CAN BE QUITE CHEAP.

LFC- ROOF TERRACE

WE JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS THURSDAY FROM A FRIEND OF EMILIE'S WHO'S BEEN HERE FOR A FEW MONTHS. IT'S A TERRACE THAT IS RIGHT IN CENTRAL AND OFFERS AN AMAZING VIEW ON ALL SKYSCRAPERS AND THE HARBOUR. THERE ARE BARS THAT YOU CAN GO TO BUT ALSO MANY ALSO ENOUGH POSSIBILITIES TO SIT SO THAT YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN DRINKS AND ENJOY THE VIEW.