Dai Pai Dong (大排檔) in Tai Po

What is dai pai dong (大排檔)?

I didn't go to this specific one, but this is what a dai pai dong usually looks like.

Hong Kong is known for their street food. Most of you will probably imagine those small street food vendors. According to Wikipedia, dai pai dong is characterised by its green-painted steel kitchen, untidy atmosphere, the lack of air conditioning, as well as a variety of low priced great-wok hei dishes. They're really not known for their cleanliness, but the food is really good and really cheap.

I did go to something similar to this in Shatin with a big group of exchange students from Fudan University. I didn't bring my camera though, so I don't have pictures. :(

BUT, I did go to an indoor dai pai dong with my Cantonese class (my favorite class, by the way).

Sister Sam Seafood Restaurant (三小姐) (Shop 35, 2/F, Tai Po Market Complex, Heung Sze Wui Street, Tai Po)

There's actually more people, and we ordered more food later!

REALLY good coconut pudding/jello thing, served hot

This is my whole class minus one.

Cantonese was my favorite class ever. I had classmates from the US, Canada, Japan, and Korea! 

The teacher is this awkward, funny guy. He really made class enjoyable. LOL. I accidentally corrected his English once because he was pronouncing allergy like allergEE (gee like geese). :X I didn't do it to be a smart ass though. I kind of muttered it under my breath, and he caught it. :(

Anyway, we had taken our final on the same day. Then, we met at night for dinner. The teacher wanted us to experience something more local, but he didn't want to go too far, so we ended up at Tai Po (I think I talked about it before). Dai pai dong for dinner is as local as it gets!

I had the same teacher again for second semester but with other classmates. It just wasn't the same with other people. :(

Jenn

American Food in HK

So, I've had McDonald's, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks in HK.

McDonald's 

For obvious reasons, McDonald's menu caters to the people of HK. There's the standard hamburger and chicken McNuggets, but there's also lemon ice tea, Horlick McFlurries, etc. (side note: I really like Horlick... it's a malted milk drink that's very popular in HK. Something about it is just so good. I always have it with my meals!)

The BEST thing that I had there was the taro pie. OMG. I can't even describe how good it is. I also had a pineapple pie in China... that was a little weird. Didn't like it. But the taro pie... mmMmm. Well, of course, all good things come to an end. Shortly after I discovered it, it disappeared from the menu. -_- My guess is that it's a seasonal thing.

 

Burger King

I actually don't even really go to BK in the US. I only went in there once to get fries because it was more convenient than going to McDonald's, lol.

Pizza Hut

 

Yes. That is Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is just a fast food place in the States. There is almost no way to dine in, unless you're eating at Target (but that's really not the same). In HK, it's pretty fancy, LOL.

Pizza Hut is my favorite pizza place in the US. FAVORITE. The experience I had in HK was just alright.

Pizza and pasta!

Starbucks

It's supposed to say Jennifer. A for effort though.

One thing is for sure... Starbucks is expensive all over the world. I brought my gold card over, and that kind of shocked all the employees since they've never seen it before. 

Some time after my arrival, they started pushing the gold member thing, so it's still fairly new in HK. But, just so you know, your gift card from the US will work in HK... no need to convert the money or anything. 

Starbucks has most of the standard drinks, except for passion tea... which means there's no passion tea lemonade (my favorite drink). I was so sad. :( They also don't really have a 'light' option like they do in the US. I think their only sugar-free syrup is vanilla. 

So, the Starbucks' that I've been to have all been in the shopping center with self seating (no real storefront). Some people just rest there, but don't buy drinks. I guess because buying a drink isn't really enforced or anything. Most of the time when I go in the afternoon, Starbucks is filled with high school students... T_T 

Side note: High school students have to wear uniform... and the uniform is seriously not flattering on anyone at all. They also have some qipao style uniforms.

 

If you come across uniform that actually looks decent... chances are those students are going to an international boarding school or something. I mean the uniform they have is actually fitted and the skirts are actually shorter. I don't have a picture, but they just look a LOT better.

Jenn

Ozone and Woobar

Fridays are Fridays... no matter where you are. Partying, clubbing, drinking... you know, the works.

Exchange students seem to really enjoy the clubbing scene here, especially in Lan Kwai Fong... (another post for another day).

Just so you know, I am not big on the whole partying scene. For one, I'm allergic to alcohol, so that already kills everything for me, LOL. I mean... okay, yeah, you could have fun sober, but really, it's not that fun when everyone around you is not sober. Oh, yeah, and getting back to CUHK after midnight is a mission too. -_-

Also, if you're trying to hit up bars or clubs in less than conservative clothing, public transportation, especially the MTR, can be a little... weird. I am not speaking from experience. :)

Anyway, I met up with a few other exchange students to go to some fancy bars on the Kowloon side of HK.

Ozone (Ritz Carlton Hong Kong,1 Austin Road West, Hong Kong, China (West Kowloon))

Ozone is the highest bar of the world. It is located on top of the Ritz Carlton on the 118th floor of the International Commerce Centre (ICC).

Fancy right?!

View from the Ozone

Even the restroom is fancy!

We didn't stay for too long. There was no cover fee, but a table was about 3000HKD (~$400!!) or something... Yeah, no. They did have little tables with no chairs scattered around. Most of them were taken though. We weren't trying to stand in the corner or anything, so we left.

Ozone had a dark, club feel to it, but it didn't have a dance floor. There's a part of the bar that's outside in a patio-like place. I guess because of the altitude, the wind was crazy out there!

I have to say though... it's a really nice place. Seriously, see it for yourself if you can!

--

Woobar (6/F W Hong Kong, No 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon Station, Hong Kong, China (West Kowloon))

Woobar is located in the W Hotel. Yup, it's another super fancy bar. There wasn't a lot of people, but it was a pretty nice place. No nice view, but the atmosphere is good.

It wasn't a dark bar or anything. It was pretty well-lit. I think it's one of those bars you go to just to relax after a long day.

Of course, everyone got a drink... and I got watermelon juice, hahaha. Nothing interesting happened... but we did get complimentary shots from the manager. :D

Note: The MTR stops running around 12AM. So, if  you have late night outings, you can either go home via mini buses or taxis. Mini buses are much cheaper, but you will have to kind of do some research ahead of time. Usually with mini buses, you get dropped off near the entrance of CUHK. So... you will have to walk back to your dorm because the school buses don't run after 11:30pm. :( Of course, if you take a taxi, you can get dropped off right in front of your dorm.

Jenn

Disclaimer: Most of these pictures are not mine.

My First Month in Hong Kong

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the overdue update. I've been busy exploring my new surroundings! My first month in Hong Kong passed by in a blink of an eye! I still have about eight more to go.

On academics...

I actually like my schedule very much. Most of my lectures are on Wednesdays, so my other days are pretty relaxing. My language classes are pretty easy. I'm taking two general education classes. One is called Evolution, Human Nature, and Behavior. The other is called Choices in Life: Self Development. The workload isn't heavy either. I just have to worry about a project, midterm, and final. My last class is Operations Management. I think with the exception of Operations Management, all my other classes are rather interesting and engaging.

Since I get out by 12:15PM three out of five days, I usually just hop on the train and explore Hong Kong.

On my living situation...

I'm living in United College, Chan Chun Ha hostel. My dorm room is alright. Some parts of the closet and walls have strange stains, but I don't really notice them anymore. I think my dorm was built in 2004. It's one of the newer ones, so I really wonder what the older ones look like.

The pictures above would be the view from my window. Yes, yes. I get to wake up to lovely construction every single day. -_- I guess I should be grateful though because the people that live on the other side of my dorm look at a side of a hill. It's like a high wall, so they don't really get sunshine. I know some people that have nice lake views, but they live in other dorms.

Canteen food is rather bland here. The better canteens are near the quad, but I don't always feel like going all the way there to eat (not that it's really far). I haven't tried the one near my dorm because I have heard nothing but bad things about it. And... every time I step in there and look at the menu, I always end up walking out because there's nothing that I want to eat. The good thing is that there's a kitchen, so I can cook my own food.

My room mate is a freshmen. She's only 17. We have like this four year age gap going on, but she's really nice. She's part of my dorm's student association. They basically plan activities for the dorm and what not. She's always out past like 2AM doing her activities. Poor thing.

Anyway, one thing I realized is that the clubs in CUHK vote for cabinet members in the beginning of the school year. I just find it strange because we usually do it at the end of the year in America. That way, the members kind of know who is capable of what and if the potential people can work together. o_o

On exploring the city...

I haven't really went to many places that were worthy of being blogged about. I went to Lantau Island to see the Big Buddha, but I forgot to bring my camera that day. =( I had to use my phone's camera, which takes less than stellar pictures. Anyway, it wasn't all that interesting to me. I went with my uncle and his friend. I think there are several ways to reach our destination, but we took the cable car. For those of you that don't know what it is, you get transported from point A to point B in a container that is suspended in the air. I think we were in the cable car for at least half an hour. If you're afraid of heights, I think they also have boats that can take you there. Overall, I wasn't impressed, but it's still one of those places that you should go to if you're in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is famous for its street food so that's what I've been eating a lot. :p Most of the foods that I've tried have been delicious, but I would say that these street vendors aren't very sanitary. I think most people already know that and don't mind. I have a weak stomach, so I'm usually a little hesitant to try some things.

I LOVE egg waffles. It's like crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I love that combination!! It comes in different flavors too. Again, it's one of those snacks that you have to try if you're in HK. 

On shopping...

I haven't done a lot of shopping for myself. I think most of my money goes to food and transportation. There are places where clothes, shoes, etc. are really cheap, but you usually get what you pay for. The quality is so so, and the style is kind of strange (at least that's what I think). Other than that, if you go to a regular shopping center/mall, I think most of the prices are similar to America. It's just that we don't have to pay for tax here. If you're going to shop in HK, don't assume everything is cheaper than US. I guess it would be smart to do some research before hand. I think my friend said that certain Clinique items in HK are double the US price. o_O

I think the single most useful thing that I brought with me from America is my universal power strip, so if you're going to study abroad, please keep that in mind! I think I only have two wall outlets here which wouldn't have been enough for me. I currently use four of six of the outlets on my power strip.

Until next time...

Jenn

Shenzhen

I spent my first long weekend in Shenzhen.

Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節) was on September 30 (Sunday), and the National Day of People's Republic of China (國慶節) was on October 1 (Monday)... So, to make up for Mid-Autumn Festival, we had October 2 (Tuesday) off too. Four day weekend. ^__^

Mid-Autumn Festival

 
 

For those of you who do not know what Mid-Autumn Festival is, it is a traditional holiday celebrated on the 15th of the 8th month on the Chinese lunar calendar. As such, the date usually varies from year to year.

I'd probably compare this holiday to Thanksgiving Day of the States. Traditionally, family members get together to eat moon cake (月餅) and appreciate the bright full moon. A full moon is a symbol of peace, prosperity, and family reunion, so that's why many family reunions take place on this day.

Some other customs include playing with lanterns (燈籠) and viewing dragon and lion dances (舞獅舞龍). I think it's also a popular custom for people also eat rice balls (tang yuan - 湯圓) on this day. Tang yuan is supposed to sound like tuan yuan (團圓), which means reunite in Chinese. It's kind of like... family members reunite to eat rice balls.

After school on the September 28 (Friday), I left to Shenzhen (深圳). The best way to go to SZ from CUHK would be to take the East Rail Line from University Station straight to Luo Wu, which is where you would cross the border from HK to SZ. It takes about half an hour. But, that doesn't include the time that you need to go from your dorm to the train station (add another 30 minutes -___-). You will need a China visa to cross the border, so do try to get that done at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate General of your home country.

Luo Wu is the busiest border crossing in HK. A lot of people live in SZ but go to school/work in HK because crossing the border isn't really a big hassle or anything. But, you can be sure that the day before any holiday, trying to cross the border is going to be a mission. A lot of HK people have family in China, so everyone's rushing back to be reunited with them. So, be prepared to wait in line for a million hours... OH! And, if you have a student MTR card,  you usually get 50% off train fare, unless you want to take a train to any of the border crossing places. It's full fare, and I think no matter where you're coming from it's at least 24HKD(?).

The border crossing on a normal day

The border crossing before and after holidays

I went to SZ because my aunt and a few other cousins from my mom's side live there. Like I said, going there and coming back was terrible... When we cross the border from HK to SZ, we go through the foreigner channel, so the wait might be bad but not unbearable. But, from SZ to HK, I think we wait in line with all the other HK people... or is it just me? I had an HKID because I was staying there for about a year, but I also had to bring my passport. Hm, I'm not sure now.

Anyway, on the day of Mid-Autumn Festival, I had dinner and moon cake. This is pretty standard for all Asian families. Back home, we'd eat rice balls too, but we didn't do that here. This was probably the only time I felt homesick. I was kind of teary-eyed after dinner because I realized that everyone was with their mom and dad, except for me. :(

National Day of the People's Republic of China

The National Day of the People's Republic of China is celebrated every year on October 1.

I went to Shenzhen's Splendid China Folk Village (锦绣中华民俗村) on the 1st. According to Wikipedia, it "is a theme park including two areas (Splendid China Miniature Park & China Folk Culture Village) located in Shenzhen, People's Republic of China. The park's theme reflects the history, culture, art, ancient architecture, customs and habits of various nationalities. It is one of the world's largest scenery parks in the amount of scenarios reproduced."

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, and this theme park is built to help people get a taste of each one. Literally just a little taste though. There are performances scheduled throughout the day. You get to watch different folk dances or special rituals. You can buy different foods and souvenirs specific to certain ethnic groups as well.

I went to the Splendid China Folk Village the day of China's National Day... There were SO much people everywhere and a lot of them were waving China flags. I guess this is the day to be extra proud of being Chinese, haha.

This place is really more for sight-seeing. For those who are curious about China culture, this place might be of interest to you. Be prepared for a lot of walking and don't miss the special performances.

That's all I really have to say about this place, LOL. :( The Splendid China Folk Village was highly recommended by my uncle. He said that it's a really fun, interesting place. I went with my cousins (who are from China) and we were like... how is this place fun... lolol.

I left SZ on October 2. As expect, the Luo Wu Border Crossing was not a pleasant experience. At least, it only takes half an hour to get back to CUHK.

Side note: My skin got really bad ever since landing in HK. I had acne back in the States, but it got TEN TIMES worse in HK. Ugh. :(

Jenn

Victoria Peak and Lan Fong Yuen

Tony (friend from back home) took me to Victoria Peak yesterday! Hmm... it wasn't as awesome as I thought it would be, but it was quite interesting. We took Bus 15 all the way up, and I think that took about half an hour? It felt like we were going to Big Bear! It's actually pretty amazing how these bus drivers can navigate around really narrow, curvy roads. For those that get carsick easily, there is a trolley that will take you to and from The Peak! We took the trolley back down, and I think we only sat in there for about 10 minutes?

Anyway, I gave Tony a quick tour around campus before we started our adventure. We took the bus around campus instead of walking because the campus is just way too big. Then, we headed to Central for lunch. He took me to Lan Fong Yuen (蘭芳園)!

This little store supposedly serves the best Hong Kong style milk tea (the batch of tea used to make the milk tea is filtered with silk stockings/pantyhose... it is believed to make the milk tea much more smooth). This place is also known for their pork chop bun and lo ting. Lo ting is basically a plate of instant noodles that have been boiled, drained, and stir-fried with chicken, pork, etc. 

LOl. I'm obviously not much of a photographer, but that was my meal! The milk tea was indeed very smooth. I thought that it was perfectly sweetened, but it might be a little bland to those with a sweet tooth. I was underwhelmed by the pork chop bun. It was the size of my palm. I thought it was pretty good, but it wasn't spectacular. I had to order french toast because... I was not going to be full off that tiny pork chop bun. The french toast was very good. It was lightly sweetened on the inside. The last time I had Hong Kong style french toast was at least 10 years ago (back in California), so it was kind of nice to have it again.

Twenty Observations

1. It's really humid here (as expected).
2. I think it has rained every single day since I've arrived, but it would only be for a very short period of time. I bought an umbrella, but I have yet to use it.
3. Money is really confusing here. The exchange students that I've talked to tend to just pay with bills and keep the coins in their wallets (for now anyway). There are $10 (there's a $10 bill too, lol), $5, $2, $1, $0.50, $0.20, and $0.10 coins. Since we would take quite a bit of time identifying which coin is which, we just pay with bills. People here always seem to be in a rush, and we don't want to anger anyone by holding up the line while we count our coins.
4. People here drive on the left side of the road, while people drive on the right side of the road in the US. I have to take note of that when I cross the street. And, for extra security, I triple check each side of the road before I walk across.
5. Food is really cheap!!!
6. Most students agree that canteen food here is not that great.. at all.
7. This campus is way too big with way too many hills. I feel like I'm hiking every time I walk around campus. So... instead of walking. I wait for the bus, which is free! :D
8. Most exchange students are really friendly. You could generally strike up a conversation with them, and it wouldn't be awkward or anything. I have yet to interact with actual CUHK students.
9. The MTR (train) is really convenient.
10. I'm still a little confused about all the different buses here..
11. I live on the mountainous part of campus. I have mosquito bites all over my legs. I'm very upset, but I also anticipated this. :[
12. Within the CUHK are nine colleges. These colleges have their own dorms/hostels. Every student is assigned to a college, and they really represent their own colleges. In the US, we usually have like... College of Engineering or College of Letters and Sciences, which is totally separate from our dorms.
13. CUHK's freshmen orientation is really interesting. They separate all the freshmen by colleges, and they do a lot of activities with these fellow college mates during their time here. They also run around together in same color shirts. One college would have all blue shirts and another college would have all red shirts. Totally different from UCR's orientation, lol.
14. Freshmen here look extremely young.
15. College in HK used to be only three years. They have one more year of high school and one less year of college compared to the US. CUHK is changing to a four year program now, while other universities are still keeping the three year program.
16. The legal drinking age is 18 here.
17. There are tons of people everywhere at all times. On a Thursday afternoon, there would be a sea of people in the shopping centers. In the US, there would be very few. In fact, people tend to go out on the weekdays to avoid crowds. In HK, there is no such thing as avoiding crowds.
18. Wifi is pretty stable here. I heard that wifi connection isn't very good here... but it's been fine for me thus far.
19. There's a Maxim Bakery on every street, seriously. There are always people buying things from bakeries too. I always see a line of people!
20. CUHK is full of surprises (at least for now). I randomly discovered the place below while trying to figure out how to get back to my hostel. There are also tons of shortcuts that will save you ten minutes of walking if you're able to find them. It involves taking the elevator up and down certain buildings, which means that you won't have to walk up and down certain hills. ;D I got this tip from an alumni. lOL.