Teaching English in South Korea can be difficult sometimes, but going on vacation does help. I definitely miss being in a country where people understand me so a one week getaway was perfect! Hong Kong, one of the few places that speak Cantonese is an extremely popular tourist spot for many. Life in Hong Kong is very much like life in Korean cities with everything you need available everywhere, advanced technologies and extremely good food.
Because the city is small, you can knock out all of the tourist attractions within three days if you really wanted to, but it is nearly impossible to eat all the good eats Hong Kong has to offer. My album consists mostly of landscapes and food in Hong Kong which is all you really need to know! To keep this blog as short as possible, the must visit place in Hong Kong: Victoria's Peak, Big Buddha via a crystal 360 cable car, Lan Kwai Fong, and of course all the shopping districts and streets.
The number one rule in Hong Kong is to haggle and bargain everywhere you go, including department stores because "discounts" will be offered. Be wise about it because certain items are already on sale for a low price so in this case haggling is just asking for someone to give you a mean face.
One thing to be aware of is that you will get rude comments and yelled at by the locals. For one, they speak a little louder than others and two, there is little patience because of the stress of making money to buy a home which is practically impossible because of sparse amount of land. For many foreigners, this is something that is unacceptable, especially in restaurants but expect it to come unless you are dining at a five star hotel for every meal.
The best thing about Hong Kong of course, is the many different kinds of foods. The must haves in Hong Kong are those that are hung out in the open which includes roasted pork, goose, chicken, and many others. As for desserts, there are a handful of pastries, and traditional sweet soup. In additon, Hong Kong is known for tea time which consists of milk tea, bubble tea, and a handful of colorful and fruity drinks.
Now for the more entertaining and better part of the blog:
Graduating with a double major in Communication and Chinese from Rutgers University, it wasn’t long after working in the Big Apple that Cindy Ung decided to take a break from the cliché 9-5 lifestyle and move to Korea to teach English for CDI. Making the bold step to leave her comfortable, mapped out life in the States, she has fallen more in love with the Korean culture as each day passes. With weekly mountain hikes, weekend road trips, discovering great foods and beauty products, constantly meeting new people, her life in Korea has been everything but mapped out. Check out Cindy’s blog to get a glimpse of what Korea has to offer!