Wow! Sorry it has been so long since my last update. Time here in Shanghai has really flown by, and it is hard to find the time to record all of my adventures. However, my mom reminded me that I need to blog so that, when I am her age, I can remember everything-- quite a valid point! So, here goes nothing.
Last Thursday, the 28th of June, eight of my friends and I headed out on a flight to Hong Kong from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. The remaining time we had after arriving in the city was spent settling in to our hotel rooms and getting ready for the next day. On Friday, we woke up early, ate breakfast at a cafe near our hotel, and traveled via cable car to Ngong Ping, an island that is a popular tourist attraction. We hiked to the peak of a mountain on Ngong Ping in the midday heat, and at the top we found ourselves at the feet of a humongous golden Buddha. It was quite the site to see. After taking cable cars back into town and grabbing lunch, we then took an incline tram to Victoria's Peak, which offered a break-taking view of the city. It was on the peak that I realized just how much I loved Hong Kong. It was a perfect blend of eastern influence, western style, and modern technology. After the peak we headed across the river via a ferry, hoping to see the synchronized light show that the city's skyscrapers put on nightly. However, bad weather moved in just in time for the show and it was canceled. It is on my list for next time... Saturday, my friends and I took a ferry to Macau! Having heard of Macau's reputation as a haven for gamblers and drunks, the Portuguese island nation did not let me down. Throughout the day and into the night, I lost the equivalent of USD 12.90... not too shabby compared to some of my comrades, but I won't call them out here :). Sunday was my favorite day in the city, however. Having gotten in late from Macau the previous night, we slept in and casually made our way over to the Ladies Market, a world-famous street market where you can find.... anything. It was here at the market that I got a taste of a new favorite food of mine: Dim sum. These fried bits of heaven will forever remain a highlight of the trip for me. But not just this-- all of the food that we purchased from street vendors were to die for and dirt cheap! I was so pleased. We unfortunately had to leave the market sooner than any of us would have liked in order to catch our flight (which ended up getting delayed anyways -___-). But, again, there will be a next time for me and Hong Kong. Only a matter of when....
Now, this past weekend a small group of my friends and I (there were five of us) strapped on our adventurous traveler's boots once again and headed even further south for Bangkok, Thailand! It is worth mentioning, however, that, while still in Shanghai, my friend Alec and I woke up and departed early in order to ride the Maglev train to the airport. It runs at max speed only from 9-10:45 in the morning, but hurling by the city at 430+ km/hr, one of the fastest commercial land speeds in the world, I am told, was well worth any inconvenience!! After a day of traveling, we finally arrived in Bangkok and settled in to our hotel. The next morning, my friend/roommate Jonathan's native friend Nita came and met us at our hotel with her family's driver. Nita and her mother devoted their entire weekend towards showing us the city, and I could not be any more thankful!! We traveled to:
- Bang Pa-In Palace with its beautiful grounds and traditional architecture.
- Numerous temples, which gave us the opportunity to witness many religious rituals and prayers
- A venue where we RODE ON TOP OF ELEPHANTS! A very cool destination, indeed! It was so much fun feeding and interacting with these brilliant animals. Furthermore, while we were standing around with the animals, I looked over and saw two men carrying large bags on their back. Nothing special, until I looked down and saw that one of them was holding a clue from the Amazing Race!! I ran over to them and they informed me that they were indeed, contestants on the French Amazing Race. This team kindly let us capture a picture with them before they ran off to their next challenge. We watched over the course of the next few minutes as teams arrived in taxis, ran and attained a clue, and headed back out. Quite exciting!!!
- Some of the best dining I have had in my summer here in Asia. My favorite: Green curry with fish balls. Undoubtedly the spiciest dish I have ever consumed in my life; I was sweating bullets, breathing heavy, and feeling the pain of my entire face burning. But it was so spectacularly good I couldn't stop!!!!!
- Pattaya, a city on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, where we strolled along the beach and did a little shopping in some markets.
- A night market that... provided quite an insight into the culture dynamic of the Bangkok nightlife! Definitely an interesting experience, and I was able to attain some good souvenirs so that I can remember my travels.
And just like that, our weekend was over. We headed out Sunday morning, exhausted and bloated from an awesome weekend of eating, exploring, and learning about this exotic nation. I could not be any happier with how Bangkok went, and, again, this is all thanks to the hospitality shown by Nita and her family.
I am so happy with how these past weekends have gone!! I have been fortunate enough to be able to steal some of my friend Alec's pictures that he has taken from the weekends that I was without camera. So look to Facebook for those! As always, thanks for reading everyone!
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