Just Your Average Day In Hong Kong

Where you can’t walk more than two blocks without seeing one of these curiously signed bins.

Just Your Average Day In Hong Kong

Where you can find horse figurines, among other oddities, randomly stuck into large rocks.

Silvermine Bay Music Festival, Lantau Island

Earlier on this month Lantau Island held a weekend-long music festival on Silvermine Beach (located right beside the ferry pier). You really have to hand it to Hong Kong for being able to put something like this on; with the initial support and minds of a local group of Mui Wo friends whose passion for music brought them together to organize this yearly event, it has since grown in popularity and scale.

Here’s the lowdown: On October 11, 12, and 13, Lantau Island saw a tonne of local and international performers and music lovers flock to Silvermine Beach for the day or night (or both!) to enjoy some street-eats, a few drinks, and some live music.

Just Your Average Day In Hong Kong

When these are a few words of wisdom imparted on you by a local restaurant owner:
“Don’t go back to Canada. So many animal. So few people. Don’t waste your life.”

*Mr. Wong from Mr. Wong’s, Mong Kok

The Joys Of Teaching Abroad

When students just don’t get it.

Just Your Average Day In Hong Kong

When eating pig skin is considered a delicacy.

Just Your Average Day In Hong Kong

When your concept of what dessert is gets completely flipped around.

*Mango Sago, Strawberry Sago with black jelly, and delicious glutinous covered peanut butter balls in ginger soup – Auntie Sweet, Tin Hau.

My Least Favourite Place: Guangzhou, China

As you all know from my last post about China, I absolutely love the Mainland, so what better way to spend a long weekend than in Guangzhou?! Due to rather unfortunate circumstances regarding a passport (how does it take twenty working days to process a work visa in China?), Craig was unable to come to Hong Kong. Though being in China during a long weekend is the absolute last place I’d want to be, here I was making the trek via the Intercity Through Train from HK to GZ.

For those that have not made this trip before, let me put it bluntly; it sucks. You need to get to the Hung Hom MTR Station (about 50mins from where I am on the island) then hop on the train (you better have bought your ticket ahead of time, otherwise good luck catching the next one) for two hours where it feels like the maximum speed doesn’t exceed 40km/hr and the bright lights throughout the train never shut off regardless of what time of day it is.

Just Your Average Day In Hong Kong

When concerning signs like this are posted outside of the washrooms at a bar.

Oddities Of The Mainland And How They Can Help You Appreciate Hong Kong

As a Canadian expat living in Hong Kong, there are many everyday things here that drive me absolutely mad. Take, for example, how it is socially acceptable here to violently suck back your boogers into your throat and then spew them out on the side of a crowded street. Or, perhaps, how most of the population is incapable of walking down a street at an appropriate speed or in a straight line; I swear some people have eyes on the back of their head and will purposely move right in front of me when I am trying to pass them..

Before this post becomes a full-on rant about everything I dislike about HK, I’ll get back to my point. If you are feeling fed up with all of Hong Kong and you just need an escape, don’t worry! Just take a quick trip to Mainland China and you will be begging to head home within hours of getting through immigration. Or, immigration might just be enough to make you want to call it quits right then and there (picture hundreds of people pushing themselves off the train, running up the stairs, and pushing anyone and everyone in front of them to be the first in line).