Just a Quick Hello from Greece!

The Greek Islands, to be exact. Today is Day 18-ish of my 45 day adventure across Europe. It has been amazing - I am having the time of my life. We have been to London, Paris, the Beaujolais Wine Region (near Lyon), Barcelona, Nice, Venice, Florence, Rome, Corfu, Athens...and now I am at a gorgeous little hotel on Ios. We have a few nights here before heading to Santorini...what a life.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone back home in less than a month! I can't believe that I have been away from home for more than five months - it has gone by so quickly. I am going to focus on enjoying the next 3-ish weeks fully...but I am also extremely excited to come home. I miss my friends and family!

PS. Mom, Dad and I had an awesome time in Hong Kong together last month. I couldn't have asked for a better week. I have the best parents in the WORLD!

I Just Can't Believe It...

I can't believe how quickly the past four months have flown by! All of a sudden, it is May 31st, and half of the exchange students at HKUST have already packed up and left! I am beginning to pack as well...but I'm not leaving until the 11th, because my awesome parents are coming to tour Hong Kong with me for a week!

The past couple weeks have been really busy. I had tons of presentations to complete during the last few weeks of school, and they took a lot of effort because it is nearly impossible to create a more amazing PowerPoint presentation than Hong Kong students. I tried my hardest...but I am afraid it was still pretty much no contest.

The last day of classes was May 14th, and then I had a few weeks to relax, oops, I mean...study for my only final exam, which was on the 27th. The class was called "Introduction to E-Commerce" and it talked a lot about blogs, eBay, Twitter, Facebook, etc. So, it was actually a pretty fun exam to study for...I just surfed the web. Well, that, and read the massive textbook. It's the largest textbook I have ever seen.

I had three reports due on the 29th, and when I handed them in...I suddenly realized. I am a university graduate! I mean, assuming all goes well, of course. It's very exciting, and still doesn't feel real.

So, for a couple days now I have been busy with good-bye dinners, "Last Nights" on the town, plus everything that is involved with preparing for my next adventure...52 days in Europe! Today I went shopping to pick up the few things that I need for the trip, and once I leave the computer lab that I am in right now (I broke my computer...I'll explain later), I will attempt to begin packing.

Either that, or procrastinating. I can get away with procrastinating for one day, I think. After all, I am still in denial! I simply cannot believe how quickly the past four months flew by. It is really the most incredible thing.

7 Days in Hong Kong: A Sample Itinerary for Travellers

After living in Hong Kong for four months, I know exactly the things I would want to see if I could only spend a week here. And I know how difficult it can be to plan trips to places you have never been. Sure, there's LonelyPlanet and stuff...but planning is still difficult.

I included a LOT of Western-style restaurants, just in case you aren't into trying more of the local cuisine. If you are feeling up for it - go for it! The food is delicious, and local food is always cheaper than Western-style food!

Oh, and there is so much more to do in Hong Kong than just these things...these are just my personal suggestions!

Day 1:

Dinner: Jim Chai Kee Noodles (98 Wellington Street, Central)

The best noodles in Hong Kong - popular with Westerners and locals. They only serve three dishes: Prawn Wonton, Beef Ball Noodles, and Fish Ball Noodles. The serving sizes are supposed to be quite large. It’s the best deal in town: only $15 HKD per person!

Evening Activity: Take the Tram to Happy Valley Racecourse

Walk to Des Voeux Road (toward the Central MTR Station) and grab the Tram (Eastbound) and get off at the Happy Valley Terminus.

Day 2:

Breakfast: Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST) Campus Eatery ($4 CAD per person)

Morning Activity: Take a tour of the HKUST Campus

Lunch: Dim Sum at the HKUST Chinese Restaurant ($4 CAD per person)

It's located across from the library and if you go after 2:30 pm, everything is half-price. I love Hong Kong's dynamic pricing schemes...

Afternoon Activity: Take Tram to the Peak and Watch the Sunset

How to Get From Central to Peak Tram: Take MTR to Central and take exit J2. Follow signs. The price? Adult Peak Tram + Sky Terrace Ticket: $48 HKD ($7.20 CAD) each


Dinner: Sushi One (29 Leighton Road) – Causeway Bay ($11 CAD per person)

How to Get from from Peak Tram Lower Terminus to Sushi One: Take MTR from Central to Causeway Bay Station. Check map to see which exit to take for Leighton Road.

Here's another tip - if you plan to eat after 10 pm, sushi is half-price! (Be careful - it's not the entire menu that is half-price...so be sure to ask if you aren't sure) The minimum order is $60 HKD. Also...try to get in line before 9:30 pm. The half-price sushi is very famous here!

Evening Activity: Explore Causeway Bay


Day 3:

Morning Activity: Take Cable Car to Lantau Island: See Big Buddha, Ngong Ping Village, Po Lin Monastary

How to Get to Cable Car: Take MTR to Tung Chung Station (Exit B). The price? One-Way Fare: $8.78 CAD per person. Round-Trip Fare: $13.30 CAD per person.

Lunch: Picnic Lunch

I would recommend buying some sandwiches and snacks before heading to Lantau - then you can enjoy them while surrounded by nature.

Afternoon Activity: Tai O Fishing Town (Lantau Island)


Dinner: Pizza Express ($15 CAD per person) in SoHo

How to Get There: Take the Mid-Levels Escalators until you see the huge Pizza Express restaurant on your left.


Evening Activity: Explore Mid-Levels/SoHo/LKF

If it is a Wendesday or Thursday, be on the lookout for Ladies' Nights for free drinks! They are everywhere.

Day 4:

Breakfast: The Flying Pan ($6 CAD per person)

It's in SoHo - take the Mid-Level escalators, and you will be able to see the sign once you get on the bridge that crosses Hollywood Road (at least, I think it is Hollywood Road...)

Morning Activity: Mong Kok: Flower Market, Bird Market, Goldfish Market, Ladies Market

How to Get to Flower Market/Bird Market:
· Take MTR to Prince Edward Station
· Take Nathan Road South to Prince Edward Road
· Turn left onto Prince Edward Road
· Turn left onto Sai Yee Street
· Turn right onto Flower Market Road

How to Get to Goldfish Market:
· Head back onto Prince Edward Road (the same way you came)
· Turn left onto Tung Choi Street

How to Get to Ladies’ Market:
· Continue walking along Tung Choi Street

Lunch: Street Food ($3 CAD per person)

Just try something! Even if it looks weird, it's probably delicious.

Afternoon Activity: See Peninsula, Space Museum, Clock Tower, Avenue of Stars, other TST attractions


Dinner: The Spaghetti House ($15 CAD per person)

How to Get to The Spaghetti House (57 Peking Road, TST):
· Take the MTR to TST
· Exit toward Peking Road

Evening Activity: Festival of Lights (It starts daily at 8 pm SHARP), Star Ferry back to Central (no later than 11:30 pm)

Day 5:


Morning Activity: Nan Lian Garden

Take the MTR to Diamond Hill Station, and then follow the signs. This is my favourite park in Hong Kong...it is so beautiful and so peaceful! It's also neat that it is set in a totally bustling residential area - from inside the walls of the park, you would never know.

Lunch: Hollywood Plaza Mall Food Republic (Less than $10 CAD per person)

Afternoon Activity: Sai Kung

To Get There: Take Double-Decker Bus 92 from Diamond Hill Station

It's a cute area and a harbour, so you will see a totally new side to Hong Kong.

Dinner: Find a great restaurant in Sai Kung

Evening Activity: Relax by the waterfront in Sai Kung

Day 6: MACAU DAY TRIP

Getting There: TurboJet Ferry Service:
· Hours: 7 am until 11:59 pm (departs every 15 minutes)
· Location: Macau Ferry Terminal, Sheung Wan
· Price: $20 CAD per person one-way (I am sure there is a deal for round-trip)·

Morning Activity: Macau Peninsula, Largo Senado, St. Paul’s Church

Lunch: Street Food ($4 CAD per person)

Afternoon Activity: Hac Sa Beach


Dinner: Fernando’s ($12 CAD per person)

Evening Activity: See the Venetian Casino and attend a Cirque de Soleil show if you can (tickets are very reasonably priced)

Day 7:

Morning Activity: Sheung Wan: Western Market, Causeway Bay: Victoria Park, Times Square

How to Get to Victoria Park:
· Take MTR to Tin Hau
· Follow signs

How to Get to Times Square:
· Walk towards Causeway bay MTR Station
· Follow signs

Lunch: DeliFrance in Times Square ($10 CAD per person)


Afternoon Activity: Stanley Park

How to Get to Stanley Park:
· Go to Causeway Bay MTR Station Exit B
· Walk to Tang Lung Street
· Take Green Minibus 40


Dinner: A Restaurant in Stanley Park ($15 CAD per person)

Evening Activity: Relax on a Lan Kwai Fong Patio

Day 8:

Head to Airport for flights - And hopefully, you enjoyed your time in Hong Kong!

Hey There, Google...

In case you didn't know, Google owns Blogspot. And I am just writing this to let Google know (not that they will ever read this) that, as a perfectionist, I have a hard time dealing with the formatting issues that are apparent in the blog below. I wanted a space between my introduction and the title for "Day 1"...but no matter what I do, it won't work. And that is one of several issues that I have.

Google, give perfectionists out there a chance...fix the formatting problems!

My Europe Itinerary...

Well, my time in Hong Kong is slowly coming to a close...which means only one thing: time to move on to Europe! I am SO excited for it!

I am leaving Hong Kong at 12:35 am on June 11th, and then I have 3 nights on my own in London before my Contiki tour starts. Once it starts...it's a whirlwind! Here's the itinerary for my 45-day trip, adapted from the Contiki website.

Day 1: London to Paris

A warm welcome from your Contiki Crew as we head for the White Cliffs of Dover and the Channel crossing to France. We drive past World War I battlefields to the splendour of Paris.

Day 2 - Day 3: Paris

Two full days to see some of the most celebrated icons in Europe. The best way to experience the "City of Lights" is on our included Illuminations Tour. We also visit the majestic Château Versailles, home to Louis XIV. In your free time take the opportunity to visit the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe or the Champs Elysées. Why not complete your Parisian experience with a French meal and a famous Parisian cabaret?

Day 4: Paris to Beaujolais Wine Region

Today’s journey leads us to Contiki’s exclusive Château de Cruix nestled in the Beaujolais vineyards near Lyon.

Day 5: Beaujolais Wine Region

This morning explore the French countryside and enjoy your included picnic lunch. In the afternoon relax and soak up the idyllic atmosphere of rural France.

Day 6: Beaujolais Wine Region to Barcelona

Our journey south today takes us to the impressive Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard. As we skim past the Pyrénées we catch our first glimpse of the world-famous Mediterranean and arrive in vibrant Barcelona.

Day 7: Barcelona

Our included sightseeing tour is a great introduction to this celebrated city. See Gaudi's Sagrada Familia Cathedral, the 1992 Olympic Complex and the Gothic district. A chance to experience Barcelona's famed shopping street La Rambla and discover some of Spain's specialties. Tonight why not experience the passion of Flamenco dancing?

Day 8: Barcelona to French Riviera

We return to France today and travel through the beautiful Provence region to Arles. Wander through the streets as the Romans once did in this historic town, before continuing to the glamorous French Riviera.

Day 9: French Riviera

Today we visit a French perfumery before heading to Nice. Stroll down the fashionable Promenade des Anglais for a spot of shopping or simply relax on the beach. Tonight we visit Monaco! View the Royal Palace and take the opportunity to try your luck at the casinos of Monte Carlo.

Day 10: French Riviera to Venice

Today we leave France and enter Italy! We skim past the seaside city of Genoa and stop in Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet, before arriving in mainland Venice.

Day 11: Venice

A short boat ride takes us into the historical centre of Venice to see St. Mark's Square, the Doges' Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. See glass and lace making demonstrations and why not treat yourself to a gondola ride?

Day 12: Venice to Florence

We travel to Pisa, home of the famous Leaning Tower. From here it's a short journey to the most spectacular of Renaissance cities, Florence.

Day 13: Florence

Your day includes a walking tour seeing the Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo and Santa Croce, and a chance to shop for leather, gold and silver. In your free time maybe visit one of the city's many museums and this evening enjoy the colourful Florentine nightlife.

Day 14: Florence to Rome

All roads lead to Rome where our included sightseeing tour is the perfect introduction to the Eternal City. This afternoon why not discover this city of Gladiators with a local guide? Then, do as the Romans do and stroll past the Trevi Fountain, the amazing Pantheon, and Piazza Navona.

Day 15: Rome

Once at the centre of the powerful Roman Empire this city, steeped in centuries of ancient history, awaits your discovery. The Colosseum, Imperial Forum and the treasures of the Vatican City make for a day of serious sightseeing.

Day 16: Rome to Corfu

A chance to take a guided tour of the ancient city of Pompeii as we travel across Italy to board our overnight ferry to Greece.

Day 18: Corfu Day 17

Two sun-filled days on the beautiful Greek island of Corfu staying at Contiki's Special Stopover. Windsurf, waterski, parasail, swim or just soak up the sun. Get off the beaten track in an open-top 4-wheel drive jeep or cruise along the coast. At night an opportunity to enjoy the local cuisine and try your hand (or feet) at Greek dancing.

Day 19: Corfu to Athens

Today we travel through the Peloponnese and across the Corinth Canal to Athens.

Day 20: Athens to Ios

Our sightseeing tour this morning takes in the national treasures of the Acropolis and Parthenon as well as the first modern Olympic stadium. Later, board your ferry to Ios for three nights of partying and relaxation.

Day 21 - Day 22: Ios

Ios is known for its beautiful beaches and fantastic party atmosphere. The perfect mixture of party and relaxation, it's also famous as the place where the great poet Homer died. Lucky you have three nights here!

Day 23: Ios to Santorini

A ferry ride from the party atmosphere of Ios to the spectacular volcanic island of Santorini.

Day 24 - Day 25: Santorini

Explore the main towns of Fira and Oia, take a day trip to one of the neighbouring islands or just relax on a beach and watch the world go by.

Day 26: Santorini to Athens

Cruising back to Athens today for your final night in the capital. Catch up with your fellow travellers on their arrival back from Egypt and swap stories. Dinner is your choice tonight, a great opportunity to dine in the famous Plaka district.

Day 27: Athens to Kavala

We drive past Spartan Thermopylae and Thessaloniki, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, and then on to our seaside overnight stop at Kavala.

Day 28: Kavala to Cannakale

After crossing the border into Turkey we cross the Dardanelles to see Troy's Wooden Horse.

Day 29: Canakkale to Istanbul

We take time to pay tribute at Gallipoli and Anzac Cove. Travel onwards to Istanbul where you'll have a chance to revel in a night of belly dancing, eastern food, and music.

Day 30 - Day 31: Istanbul

Two full days to enjoy this amazing city. Join a local guide in the spice markets and the heart of the city. Plenty of time to search for a bargain at the Grand Bazaar or treat yourself to a relaxing Turkish bath.

Day 32: Istanbul to Sofia

We pass the Turkish border town of Edirne before crossing into Bulgaria and driving to the capital, Sofia. Enjoy an orientation tour followed by free time to shop at the stalls near the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Day 33: Sofia to Belgrade

Today we travel to the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. A country with a troubled past and a promising future, Belgrade is a surprisingly beautiful contrast between old and new.

Day 34: Belgrade to Budapest

Following the Danube River north today, we make our way to the jewel in the crown of Hungary, the capital city of Budapest. A chance to enjoy the sights and tastes of the city on a river cruise.

Day 35: Budapest to Vienna

Sightseeing takes in the quaint hill-top Buda and bustling Pest, before we waltz into the home of Mozart and Strauss to see the splendours of the once mighty Austrian Empire. Classical music to heighten your senses tonight?

Day 36: Vienna

On our sightseeing tour see the fabulous Palace of the Hapsburgs, the State Opera House and fashionable Kärntnerstrasse. In your free time try authentic apple strudel and Viennese coffee. Later why not sample some local schnaps and a traditional Viennese meal?

Day 37: Vienna to Austrian Tyrol

Today our destination is the picturesque Tyrol region. Along the way we pass through Austria's beautiful countryside before arriving in our home for two nights, Hopfgarten.

Day 38: Austrian Tyrol

The picture-postcard village of Hopfgarten is an excellent base to make the most of the beautiful countryside. Experience a vast range of outdoor activities: hiking, mountain biking, paragliding or perhaps trout fishing.

Day 39: Austrian Tyrol to Munich

On to Bavaria's lively capital Munich, home to the Oktoberfest. Our orientation tour includes the town centre with its historic Glockenspiel. Maybe join us this evening at one of the city's traditional Beer Halls.

Day 40: Munich to Swiss Alps

We stop for lunch in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein. Enjoy time to shop and see the sights in Lucerne before reaching our idyllic stop in the Swiss Alps.

Day 41: Swiss Alps

A spectacular day where you can choose to hike the many trails or maybe enjoy a trip up the snow-covered Jungfrau mountain on a cog railway that passes through the Eiger mountain!

Day 42: Swiss Alps to Rhine Valley

Heading north we re-enter Germany and visit the university town of Heidelberg on the banks of the Neckar River. Tonight we stay in the picturesque Rhine Valley after seeing the famous Lorelei and hearing how German beersteins are crafted in St. Goar.

Day 43: Rhine Valley to Amsterdam

We cross the Dutch border and make our way towards Amsterdam. Visit a cheese farm and see how clogs are made. Cycle through the countryside and the village of Edam and enjoy the famous Amsterdam nightlife.

Day 44: Amsterdam

This morning why not take a canal bike ride to further explore Amsterdam? In your free time perhaps visit famous sights such as Anne Frank's House or the Van Gogh Museum. Tonight we celebrate our last evening together.

Day 45: Amsterdam to London

Time to swap addresses and e-mail contacts as we travel through the Belgian countryside and back to Calais for our ferry crossing to England.

I return to London on July 28th around 6:45 pm, and I have one last night in Europe before catching my flight home in the morning of July 29th. I will be back in Canada just in time for the August Long Weekend, which I will be spending with my family in Muskoka!

It's all very exciting...

Sometimes, We Spend the Day on a Yacht

Yes, that's right. On Saturday, 45 exchange students chartered a yacht - and it was so much fun!


It even came with a speedboat, with wakeboards!


It picked us up on campus at 9:30 am, and whisked us to a private beach about an hour away. The beach was gorgeous! A few people decided to swim from the yacht to the beach, while others took the speedboat over. We had only just arrived to the beach when...it started to rain. Of course - we had had nothing but blue skies for two weeks, and the moment we hit the beach, it starts raining.

But we did not let this ruin our day. We piled back on the boat, blared some music and proceeded to see who could jump off the upper deck of the boat most creatively! People were doing dives, flips, cannonballs...after about an hour, I built up the courage to jump.

I was really scared.

But it was so much fun!

By 3 pm, the sun was out and everyone was swimming. Around 6, the boat headed back to campus, and we got to see a breathtaking sunset en route. I swear, someone could have told me I was in Hawaii or something like that, and I would have believed them! Hong Kong is such a beautiful place - there really is something for everyone!

I Love the Ivey Network!

What a fun couple of days I have had!

On Sunday, I got a call from Rachel and Leslie - both friends and Ivey students. They had just spent three weeks in Vietnam, and were heading to Hong Kong for one night only, because their flight to London, UK was leaving HK Airport at 7:30 am. I was so excited!

They had already seen a lot of the tourist-y stuff in Hong Kong, from an earlier trip, so I decided that I would show them some of Hong Kong's lesser-known gems. I met them in TST, and then we headed to Diamond Hill's Hollywood Mall, a popular mall for locals. Then, we went next door to the beautiful Nan Lian Garden and took lots of photos. We took a double-decker bus to Sai Kung, a coastal fishing area that isn't too far from my university and had a delicious seafood dinner. On the way back to the downtown area, we took a quick tour of my university - even though it was dark by this time, they were both impressed. Finally, we ended the night in LKF, which was really fun, especially considering it was a Sunday. The best part was that, at midnight, it was Rachel's birthday! I bought her ridiculous bunny ears and made her wear them, and we got lots of free drinks...

Then, on Monday, I got a call from Shawn, Ron and Karl. They were all in my section at Ivey, and Shawn and Ron were actually my next door neighbours! We spent the day chilling in Hong Kong, and it was also really fun! It was great to see so many people from Canada in such a short amount of time.

Tonight, I am heading to a fun event at Ivey's Hong Kong campus. We were invited to a reception of Hong Kong's MBAs and recent graduates, and London's MBAs, who are visiting Asia for a China Study Trip. They have been to Beijing and Shanghai, and are in Hong Kong for a few days before heading back to Canada. I think it was so nice of Ivey's administrators to invite the exchange students to come along. I am sure it will be really fun!

Speaking of that event...I better go and get ready!

I Can't Remember the Last Time I Cried So Much!

I feel like a huge baby.  I have been working on my Mom's Mother's Day present for a few hours, and it is really getting to me!  I guess it is starting to sink in - I have been away from my mom for almost four months, and now that I am moving to China, it is going to be a long time before I can just see her anytime I want.

And it makes me sad because she is just the most wonderful woman and Mom in the whole world (and now that I have seen the whole world, I can really say that).

Basically, my gift is a slide show of photos, some that are mine and some that represent the lyrics of the song that I set the slide show to: The Best Day, by Taylor Swift.

Even watching Taylor's video makes me cry.  You can check it out by clicking here.

Bottom line: I love you, Mom!  Happy Mother's Day, to you and all of the Moms out there!

Twitter is Exploding...in a Good Way

If you haven't heard of Twitter yet...well, where have you been?

The micro-blogging-based social networking site has been picking up like crazy, and there is tons of talk about the site receiving offers to purchase from Google, Facebook ($700 million in cash and shares), and even Apple (the rumour is that the offer will be $700 cash)...  

Not sure how they decided on $700 million...but anyways...

If they sell out, it probably won't be as cool anymore...so check it out while you have the chance!  You can start by looking at my profile (click here), but then I encourage you to make your own.  

One reason I am really excited about it is because it will allow me to update everyone about what I am up to in Europe when I only have a few minutes on the internet.  So, keep checking this blog over the next few months...but check my Twitter page, too!

Oh, and once you make your profile, let me know so that I can "follow" you!  You will quickly find out what that means...

Only Two Weeks of Classes Left!

Yes, that's right...I will be done classes in two weeks!    After May 14th, I have only one exam (on the 27th)...and then my time as a university undergraduate student has ended!

Weird.

The Face Lift

PS. I don't know if you noticed, but I gave my blog a bit of a face lift.

I did it because it is going to become a permanent part of my life, at least for the next two years.  I thought I would celebrate that fact by making it look a little more interesting.

One of these days, I am going to have to take off the "2009" in the blog title picture.  That's a bit of a pain in the butt.

Interesting Things I Going Down in LKF on Thursday Night

LKF (or Lan Kwai Fong) is Hong Kong's super famous bar district, which is mostly frequented by foreigners and ex-pats.  It is a really fun place to spend an evening (and wee hours of a morning)...and when we went there on Thursday, I saw two interesting things.

The first was the biggest gathering of Dutch people I have ever seen (since I haven't been to the Netherlands yet).  They were all partying in the streets, wearing orange (their national colour, I was told), celebrating their beloved Queen's birthday.  It was a sight to see.

Just down the road, there was a guy in a lab coat standing with the bouncers at the entrance of a popular club.  He was taking all of the clubgoer's temperatures, so as to avoid admitting someone with a fever.

I'm not sure if the club was asked to do that by some sort of authority, or if it was a niche marketing strategy - the bars in LKF exist in a highly competitive environment.  Maybe their thinking was that, by taking temperatures, they could attract customers who are very concerned about the H1N1 virus.  Maybe these customers would be more willing to relax, spend money and stay longer in a "safe" environment, which could increase drink sales and the bar's profits.

Or, maybe the bar owner is just nervous.

Just something I was thinking about...

My Future Home

It's Beijing!

Well, it will never be "home", but it is where I will be living from the end of August 2009 until January 2011, for my Masters program at Tsinghua!

Lisa and Chelsie just got back from visiting Beijing for five days, and they had an incredible time.  After hearing about it, I am even more happy with my decision to move there...if that's even possible.  I mean, it is going to be the adventure of a lifetime!

In Beijing, they also met up with the Ivey students on exchange at Tsinghua, and they are having just as wonderful a time as we are having in Hong Kong...always good to hear.

From looking at Lisa's photos, the one thing that really stood out to me is how "green" the city is - it seems as though there are lots of parks and flowers and greenery!  The downside: they confirmed it...the pollution is absolutely terrible.

I wish the world would do more to reduce their carbon footprint.

Yangtze River Cruise Post Is...

...Done!

You can read it here.

This Blog Won't Be Ending Anytime Soon...

I am sure you find that confusing. But Heather, you're thinking, won't you be coming home in August? And wouldn't it be silly to keep writing about your adventures in Asia from your living room in Caledon, Ontario?

Yes. That would be silly.

But here is the juice: I am moving to Beijing, P.R. China!

For most of you, I am pretty sure you think this is coming out of nowhere. That makes sense...I have really only told my parents and a few friends. But now, I am finally ready to tell the world!

I have been accepted to the Masters in International Development Program at Tsinghua University (see below) in Beijing. Classes start in September, and I will be graduating in January of 2011.

There are two main reasons for the move:

1) Globalization has been a hot topic for a long time now - and China is right at the centre of it all. No one is denying the fact that China's economy has become one of the most important in the world. As a business student, I have known all this for a while. What I didn't know what how I could integrate all of this into my future. Actually, I didn't think it was really possible.

2) Then, I went to Shanghai (It was a great trip...you can read all about it here). There, we met tons of young, 20-somethings living in the city, speaking Mandarin and having an incredible time. And that's when I realized...that I could do that, too. I could move to Asia!

So, I have pretty much been working out the details since I got back from that trip. I knew I wanted to go to school in Beijing, because it is the best place to learn Mandarin (the Beijing dialect, Putonghua, is China's official language). I also knew that I wanted to go to Tsinghua University, if possible, because it is one of the best universities in China (if not THE best). In fact, at the Ivey Networking evening, one of the Ivey Alumni that we met said that Tsinghua won't just be the "Harvard of China" in a few years - it will be right up there on the same level. Cool.

Tsinghua offers a few English programs, but the Masters in International Development Program appealed to me the most. It is fairly new - only two groups of students have been through the curriculum thus far. It is also quite small. This year's class has 32 students, from 21 different countries - such incredible diversity! I am sure I will learn a LOT.

If you want to read more about the program, click here.

The only downside with this whole thing is that my time in Canada in August is being cut really short. I thought that I would need to plan to arrive in Beijing at the beginning of September, but I just found out that I actually need to arrive in the middle of August, in time for their Orientation activities.

I am so sad because I wanted to have more time to hang out with my family!

Oh, well. It's a sacrifice. The world isn't going to stop needing development just because I miss my mom.

I will update as I find out more...

Umm...

...I just saw a very small gecko-type reptile scurrying down the hall in my dorm. It went into one of the three-person dorm rooms...

Yikes!

The Yangtze River Cruise

On Wednesday, March 25th I left Hong Kong for yet another wonderful trip to a new place - this time, it was a cruise down the Yangtze River, in China!

This trip required some serious planning, since there were a few one-way flights involved. We used a travel agent, and he found us the flights we needed for only $60 CAD each...the only problem was that we had to fly out of Shenzhen, China - a Special Economic Zone on the Chinese side of the China/Hong Kong border.

Well...leave it to us to turn a problem into...a spa party! We left Hong Kong on Wednesday night, even though our flight to Chongqing wasn't until Thursday morning, and spent the night enjoying the amenities of Queen Spa! It was just as great as last time. I slept in the futuristic sleep-pods again, and was really refreshed for our Yangtze River adventure!

We caught our flight to Chongqing on Thursday morning, and it was perfectly fine. We arrived in Chongqing around 2 pm, and had a few hours to spare before we had to board the cruise ship. We looked around the city for a bit (it is BIG) and grabbed dinner at a restaurant by the port. We had "Hot Pot" - basically, the restaurant brings you some ingredients (raw meat like beef and raw veggies like mushrooms) and a big pot of spiced water. They put the pot of water on an element that is part of the table, and wait for the water to boil. When it does, you add the ingredients...and when they float to the top, they are cooked!

It was pretty tasty, but way too much work for my liking...haha.

After eating, we took a look at the river, and we could see our cruise ship! It was smaller than cruise ships that sail through the Caribbean, but it looked cute! We were relieved, because even though the cruise called itself "Four Star"...sometimes, with China, you can never be sure.

An eight-piece band greeted us as we boarded the ship, and when we entered the ship's lobby...we were pleasantly surprised! The ship was beautiful! Very much like how you would expect a Four Star cruise ship to look! We presented our passports so that we could check in, and we were in for another surprise - they told us not to tell anyone, but we had been upgraded from Standard Rooms to SUITES for free!

PS. Here is the ship's dining room...it's so nice!

Well, now we were completely excited! We headed up a few flights of stairs, and to the back of the ship..and there were our rooms! The upgrade made a huge difference. We had the whole back of the ship to ourselves. The rooms were very big, with two single beds in each one, and windows on two sides! We also had balconies on the back and sides of the boat. We were loving it.
That night, we had dinner and were given our itineraries for the next day.

The itinerary is great...it starts with early morning tea at 6:30 am, followed by Tai Chi at 7 am, plus so much more. Of course, I want to do EVERYTHING, so I totally go to bed at, like, 10 pm. And sleep like a baby.

The next morning I woke up at 6 am and headed to early morning tea (well, I have coffee, actually...and a muffin) and then Lisa and I did Tai Chi. Bahahaha...we SUCKED. It was pretty hilarious. Even though they offered Tai Chi every morning on the cruise...I decided not to go back. It's not that I didn't like it...it's just that...well, I didn't really like it.

I'm used to Cardio Kickbox, you know?

Our outing this day was to Fengdu Ghost City...within the city, there is a temple devoted to the afterlife. It is freaky. Check it:

Scary, right?

The rest of the day is spent floating along the Yangtze, and we also participated in a few on-ship activities. For example, we went to a lecture about Chinese Medicine, and Lisa got acupuncture:

That evening, there was some awesome on-ship entertainment...A fashion show of traditional Chinese costumes! Each one was so unique and so beautiful! Here is an example:



The next morning, our excursion was to visit the Three Gorges. We left the cruise ship and boarded a smaller boat, and then left that boat to board tiny boats called "sanpams". The sanpams took us down a small area of theYangtze River, and the scenery was beautiful!

That evening, there was more entertainment...a Variety Show. The cruise ship staff (dining room staff, bar staff, housekeeping staff) put on a bunch of different acts - mostly dancing, but there was also some singing, saxophone playing, a band, etc. A group of cruise ship guests - five sisters who are now all living in different parts of China - performed a Peking Opera. It was...nice?

That evening, we arrived at the Three Gorges Dam Project. This has been a very controversial project in China, and it's impact is and will continue to be felt by the entire world, I think. Basically, a giant (GIANT) dam has been built across the Yangtzee River (in Sandouping), and the water level upstream has been raised to a maximum of 175 metres. Although the dam project has many benefits, including flood control, enhancing navigation and providing clean energy, it is controversial because it has caused millions of Chinese citizens to be displaced. This is because, as the water level upstream increased, many riverside cities have been completely flooded.

No matter what your personal view on the dam is, it is definitely a site to see. At night, we went through the locks (there are five separate ones - the whole process takes four hours), which delivered us from the upstream portion of the Yangtze to the downstream portion. In the morning, the cruise ship docked, and a bus took us to the Dam Site. We were able to see how truly vast the dam is - it is MASSIVE. And pretty ugly. But really powerful.

After checking out the dam site, we continued our voyage downstream towards Yichang. After taking a few more breathtaking photos, we packed our things and left the ship. A taxi took us through Yichang (it's NOT like Shanghai) to a bus station - we needed to get to Wuhan for our flight back to Shenzhen the next day.

Have you heard of the recency effect? It's some psychological effect that BASICALLY says that we will be more likely to remember the things which happened to us most recently, rather than a while ago. Well, I am glad I know what that is...or this post's title would have read "This Was The Worst Trip Ever".

The bus from Yichang to Wuhan was the absolute sketchiest three, nope...four, nope...SIX hours of my life. First, we got ripped off by the person selling tickets. We didn't know it at first...90 RMB seemed like a good price for what was supposed to be a three-hour bus ride. Then, once we were on the bus, we found out someone else paid 45. Great.

The inside of the bus was dirty, stinky and pretty much broken-down. My seat was in a permanently reclined position, and there was pretty much no cushion - I was pretty much sitting on a spring. The bus broke down art least three times on our way to Wuhan...we had to pull over, and the driver had to get out and do something to the engine. At least we got two bathroom breaks - yep, the bus pulled over to a gas station, and we were able to get off and pee in holes. Awesome.

When we finally arrived in Wuhan, the sketchiness continued. We needed a place to crash for the night, and found one. Well, I wish we had looked at the rooms first, or at LEAST noticed that the hotel had an hourly rate. The rooms were horrifying...I won't even go into details, because I don't want you to know that places like this even exist.

We busted it out of there pretty early in the morning, and explored the city a bit. Again, not at all like Shanghai. We ate some street food ("Ghetto Food" as Shannon likes to call it) and then grabbed a cab and headed to the airport.

The flight back to Shenzhen was uneventful (as all good flights are), and so was the subway ride back to campus - other than the fact that we SOMEHOW lost Chelsie. I still don't know how it happened...

All in all, it was a great trip. Very relaxing but also really educational...I loved that about it. Even though I didn't include every detail from the cruise, there was a TON of programming offered, from Introductory Mandarin lessons, to lectures about Chinese calligraphy, to discussions about the Dam Project and it benefits and costs. And the food and entertainment was great!

I definitely recommend a Yangtze River cruise to anyone heading to China - it is perfect for groups, friends, couples and families. The travel agent we used was www.ChinaHighlights.com, and the cruise operator is "Victoria Cruises".

Anyways...that is pretty much it for the Cruise! Check back soon for a post about my trip to Thailand!

So, I'm a Little Behind...

Gosh, time really flies. I am SO far behind on my blog posts!

I still need to write about my Cruise down the Yangtze River, and my Spring Break in Thailand!

Lucky for me, it is Sunday afternoon, and I have nothing to do except continue to sit here in Starbucks (armed with a very, very big coffee), writing to my heart's content.

So...hopefully, there will soon be some new material here for you to read...soon!

Safe and Sound!

Hi Everyone!

I am just letting you know that I am safe and sound...after surviving two crazy events.

Event 1) Riots in Thailand

I don't know if you heard, but there was some political activity in Bangkok while I was in Thailand for Spring Break. We hadn't planned on spending much time in the city, anyways (we were all about the beach, way down South!), other than exploring it for a few hours before our flight home from Bangkok to Hong Kong on April 15th. Well, the riots changed those plans. We opted for a 13 hour layover in the airport instead. Lisa got a manicure and pedicure (for $10 CAD!). I slept.

Event 2) My 22nd Birthday

Yes, I survived. Actually, we had a great time. I went downtown with a bunch of friends, and one of them even bought me a tiara so that everyone would know it was my birthday! We hit up a few different bars, and before I knew it...it was 5 am. At this point, HKUST students have 2 choices. We can either pay HK$120 to get back to campus (about $20 CAD) or we can wait until 6 am, when the subway opens and go home practically for free. Taking the subway home at 6 am also seems cooler, for some reason. So we did that. By the time I went to bed, it was 8 in the morning.

Oh, to be 22 and in Hong Kong...

PS. Dad, I am so excited that you are on Twitter! How cool are you right now!

One More Important Thing...

In case you forgot, a VERY special day is coming up soon!

It's my birthday on April 17th! I will be 22!

Gosh. 22. That is horrifying...

It's Almost Time For...Spring Break!

This time tomorrow, I will be heading for the Spring Break of a lifetime - 8 days in Southern Thailand!

(Oh, and I know I still need to write about the Yangtze River Cruise. Umm...next week?)

The plan for Thailand is something like this:

Tuesday - Leave Hong Kong for Bang Kok. We're going with Emirates Airlines, and our flight leaves at 10:25 pm (just a few hours after my Marketing Strategy exam...)

Wednesday - We arrive in Bang Kok at 12:05 am. We heard Bang Kok is a bit of a sketchy place, so we are just going avoid it all together. So, at 6 am, we are catching flight 2 of 5, to Koh Samui...an island.

We are spending Wednesday night on Koh Samui (all 15 of us are sharing just a couple of rooms in a hostel, I think...haha) and taking a Ferry over to Koh Phagnan on Thursday morning - just in time for the Full Moon Party, which will probably be the craziest party I will ever go to in my whole life.

The morning after the party, we have to get back to our hostel on Koh Samui, and then catch our noon flight to Krabi (on the Western side of Southern Thailand). From there, we are going to relax and enjoy the scenery...it is supposed to be absolutely BEAUTIFUL.

Well, I guess ou can judge for yourself. Here is a picture of Koh Phi Phi (an island we will be staying on):

On April 14th, we are departing Phuket for Bangkok, and then heading home. 5 flights in 8 days. How ridiculous.

I am really excited about the whole thing, except that the weather is supposed to be terrible! All I want is ONE trip without rain. Is that too much to ask???

See you in about a week!

Heather

Just Another Reason Why I Chose Ivey

And I am so glad I did.

The Richard Ivey School of Business is the school I belonged to during my third and fourth years at Western. It was a great experience, even though it was a lot of work. At Ivey, they use the case study method. That means that all day, every day, we use real world business cases to learn about business. Every night, we would have to prepare three cases for the next day, and they take a few hours each. Then, when you arrived in class (at 8 am EVERYDAY, might I add), it was ON. Since 30-50% of your final grade depends on your in-class participation (or "contribution", as Ivey calls it)...everyone is always fighting to get a word in. It is definitely not for everyone...but I loved every minute of it.

Another reason I chose Ivey, though, is for its Alumni Network.

Remember a few weeks ago, when I went to see Ivey's Hong Kong campus? Well, the Dean sent me (and all of Ivey's exchange students) an invitation a few weeks later, to come to her apartment for "Cocktails" (how grown up am I???) with Ivey Alumni located in the Hong Kong area. Of course, all of us were super excited!

So, on Wednesday, Lisa, Chelsie, Georginanna and I grab the subway and head to Admiralty, a very cool area in downtown Hong Kong.

By the way, I don't think you have met Georginanna yet. She goes to Ivey as well (obviously), but she is originally from Hong Kong. She speaks English, Cantonese and Mandarin fluently, plus some Korean. And in true Asian style, she can eat anything she likes and still looks like a twig. She is a great source of information about the best places to eat in Hong Kong, and she is super fun to go out with.

Anyways, we get off the subway and find the address, and what do we find? The Dean (her name is Kathleen) and her husband actually live in a serviced apartment in the Conrad Hotel.

What is a serviced hotel, you ask? Well, I wanted to know as well, so I looked it up.

Basically, it is like living in a hotel, but are usually 30-35% less expensive than doing so. The places are fully furnished. Cleaning service is provided for no extra charge daily, and the units are usually much more spacious. They also include kitchen and dining facilities. All kitchen accessories and even linens are provided. Sounds pretty great to me!

Anyways, their apartment is fabulous. They have a view of the skyline of Tsim Sha Tsui across the water, and two bedrooms (one of them has two single beds). There was delicious appetizers - shrimp, kabobs, little cracker-things. Also, there were two men in butler uniforms serving us the entire night (mostly refilling our wine glasses!). The atmosphere was amazing.

It was great talking to the Dean, her husband (a retired school teacer) and other Ivey Alumni. It was really interesting hearing everyone's stories. A lot of the people there were investment bankers. One man worked for a year in banking in Toronto, a year in New York, and then was supposed to spend only a year doing the same in Hong Kong - but he ending up loving it so much that he stayed! He now has two children, and just bought a house here. Crazy!

Here is a photo of all of Ivey's Hong Kong exchange students that we took near the end of the evening, in the hotel lobby:

I really appreciate Kathleen and her husband hosting this event for us, and I appreciate all of he Alumni who came. It really meant so much to me that Ivey Alumni were willing to take time out of their lives to come and spend a night with a bunch of 21 year-olds. When I am older, I will definitely do the same.

And that is the beauty of the Ivey Alumni Network.

The Food in Hong Kong

I recently received an email from a friend back home, asking me what the food in Hong Kong is like. I should have posted something about this earlier, because I had no idea what to expect, and I am sure many of you are wondering what I eat over here!

Well, first let me tell you about the food on campus. There are 7 restaurants on campus. One of them is McDonald's. I hardly ever eat there (although, it is really cheap...about $3 CAD including taxes for a Big Mac Meal or something like that). Ray Kroc would be happy to hear that it looks and tastes exactly the same as it does at home.

There are three cafeteria-style restaurants, that serve a bunch of different types of foods, and the offerings change daily. You can get Western food, Chinese food, Thai food, Japanese food...and so much more. The menu is posted on a wall, and there are no pictures...so it was a bit of an adventure in the beginning. Sometimes, I would order something and receive something completely different and unexpected. There is one item that they serve there that I am happy I never ordered by mistake: Chicken Feet.

A typical meal at these restaurants is Tomato Minced Beef with Egg and Rice. It is basically a big bowl of rice with minced beef in tomato sauce, with a fried egg on top. WHY is that egg there? I don't know. It is weird. But pretty good.

Meals in these restaurants usually cost about HK$20, or $3.22 CAD. This includes tax.

There is also the Western Cafe. This restaurant serves totally Western meals - sandwiches, pizza, baked potatoes, paninis...it is pretty good, and definitely your best bet if you want to order something that you will recognize. Sandwiches here cost HK$12, or $1.93, including tax.

Finally, there are two "nicer" restaurants on campus. The first is Western-style, called The Bistro. It serves meals that you will find at a typical restaurant in Canada - toasted BLT sandwiches, potato skins, pasta, etc. It is more expensive, though...maybe $8-$12 CAD per meal. It is connected to the Uni-Bar, our on-campus bar. I have only been there once, though, for the first exchange student event of the year.

The last "nice" restaurant is the Dim Sum restaurant. I only go there on weekdays after 2:30, because it is half-price. Dim Sum is a Hong Kong specialty, and it is basically a bunch of steamed snacks (dumplings, buns, etc.) that are served in bamboo containers. Four dumplings costs HK$9, or $1.45 CAD, and two or three orders would easily be enough to fill you up.

Off campus, there are a LOT more options. No matter what kind of food you are looking for in Hong Kong, you can find it. And for the most part, it is pretty inexpensive.

Sure, there are scary-looking places that have raw chunks of mean and skinned ducks prominently displayed in the window...but there are also regular restaurants, just like you would find in any city back home. One of the most popular places to eat is SoHo. SoHo is accessed via the Mid-Level Escalators, which take you up a hill in the middle of the Central district of Hong Kong. As you climb, you can look on both sides for a restaurant that looks good. I have had some great meals there.

I also enjoyed heading to the harbour a few weeks ago, where there are tons of restaurants serving the freshest seafood I have ever had. So fresh, in fact, that you can choose your fist RIGHT THEN AND THERE, and the restaurant will cook it up for you. It was great.

Another cool food experience I had was to a "Korean Barbecue" restaurant. This is a buffet, but other than salads and sushi and things like that, the only thing served is raw meat. You fill your plate with raw meat, and bring it back to your table, where you have your own personal grill. You grill your food, and eat it! The place we went was all-you-can-eat for about $20 CAD.

Here's a photo of my Korean Barbecue experience:

Finally, there is my favourite Hong Kong restaurant - Sushi One. I only go after 10 pm, when sushi is half-price. In fact, Chelsie and I have made friends with the staff at Sushi One in TST. They get very excited every time we come in! The minimum order is $10 CAD, but this gets you lots of food. The best part? Beer is half-price, too.

The moral of the story is that there are tons of food options in Hong Kong. I have definitely had some surprises, though, both good and bad. But in general...the food here is delicious!

I am SO Excited for June 3rd!

What is so special about June 3rd, you ask?

It's because it is the day that my parents will be arriving in Hong Kong to visit me for a week! And I could not be more excited about it!

So far, the plan is for me to meet them at the airport on June 3rd, and we will go to their hotel together. June 4th is "moving day" - I have to be out of my dorm room by noon. So, I will be able to take my parents to see the HKUST campus in the morning (it is SO beautiful! - I know I have mentioned this a million times) and then they can help me to move out of my dorm room, and "into" their hotel room.

I am going to plan the BEST 7 DAYS ever. We are going to see all of Hong Kong's best sites, and even go to Macau for a day together. I just can't wait.

We both have to leave Hong Kong on June 10th, except that they will be bound for Toronto, and I will be bound for London! I will have three days in London before joining my tour group and spending 47 amazing days exploring Europe. It is going to be great, I think.

I love you, Mom and Dad! And I can't wait to see you!

Twitter: It's the Latest

Want to know what I am up to in Hong Kong between blog posts?

Well, let me introduce you to my Twitter profile. You can find it at www.twitter.com/heatherpayne.

Twitter is a new-ish Web 2.0 application that is really starting to gain popularity. A friend introduced it to me a few weeks ago, and I think it is pretty cool! Be an early adopter with me and create a profile at www.twitter.com. When you do, choose to "follow" me and you will see my updates on your own profile page!

Basically, by looking at my Twitter page, you can see my (regular) answers to the question: "What are you doing right now?" For example, a few hours ago, I posted a "tweet" that said that I am in a Starbucks in Admiralty, drinking tea and doing homework. Or something like that.

Yes, Dad...I know that writing on my blog isn't homework! I am getting to it!

Taiwan Post - Finally Done!

Well, that took a while.

But I am finally done my Taiwan post! You can read (the rest of) it here.

Oh, You Want to Know My Weekend Plans?

Oh, it's no big deal, really. I'm just going...ON A CRUISE!

Yes. It is true. I am going with three girlfriends (Lisa, Chelsie and Shannon) on a cruise down the Yangtze River - the longest river in China, and the third longest river in the world (after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America).

The ship sounds pretty cool. Here is what it says on the website:

"Victoria Katarina set a new standard in cruise ship design for Yangtze River cruising when it was inaugurated in 2004. The premier ship is constructed with Victoria Cruises personal touches blending both modern and elegant architecture. The Victoria Katarina takes luxury cruising on the Yangtze to a whole new level with its generous cabin space, floor-to-ceiling windows, and private balconies opening up to breathtaking views.

The Katarina is equipped with the latest technologies, including internet access, fax machines, and international phone systems, enabling you to contact family and friends during your Yangtze journey.

In addition to the finest hardware and shipboard technologies, the Victoria Katarina boasts the same outstanding service offered on all Victoria ships--the best on the Yangtze."

The ship accommodates a little less than 300 people, and we are going to some pretty cool places - Fengdu Ghost City, Lesser Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Dam...it's going to be great, I think.

We are leaving on Wednesday as soon as I finish writing a mid-term (Introduction to E-Commerce), which will be around 9 pm. Since we are flying out of Shenzhen on Thursday morning (it was a LOT cheaper to do this), we are going to stay at Queen Spa overnight...yay!

On Sunday, the cruise ends at Yichang, which isn't too far from a cool city called Wuhan. So, we are going to bus to Wuhan, spend a night and a few hours on Monday there, and then head back to Shenzhen, and then to Hong Kong, on Monday afternoon.

What a life!

Check Out My Spring Break Plans!

Tickets are booked! On April 8th, I will be heading to Thailand for a week (along with more than 50 other students from HKUST!). Want to know one of the most important stops on our journey?

Koh Phangan's world famous Full Moon Party, which is held every month on the night of the full moon.

Want to see what it is like? If you are sure you can handle it...



Don't worry, Mom and Dad...I will be one of the quiet, well-behaved young people, sitting in the corner, reading a book.

Hahaha...

Taiwan Photos...

Hi everyone!

I created a Facebook album with my Taiwan photos. Even if you don't have Facebook, you can check out the photo album by clicking here. Enjoy!

Ivey's Hong Kong Campus

On Wednesday, I went to see Ivey's Hong Kong Campus. It is really neat! It is located in Wan Chai (a cool, downtown area), inside of the Hong Kong Convention Centre. I was shown around the (very, very nice!) facilities - the classrooms are identical to the ones in London, only better. They have an ocean view. Take a look at one of the classrooms:

After the tour, I met the Dean, Ms. Kathleen Slaughter. She chatted with me for a bit (life advice, etc.) and then suggested that she organize a wine and cheese at her apartment for all of the Ivey Exchange Students and any recent HBA graduates who are living in Hong Kong! It is going to be March 31st. I am really looking forward to it!

Taiwan: Five Days, Five Million Calories!

On Tuesday, I got back from my second major trip...to Taipei, Taiwan! Before coming to Asia, I didn't know much about the place. But, when we found cheap flights there from Hong Kong, a huge group of us (fifteen or so!) decided to go. And we had a GREAT time.

Just so you have an idea, the people I went with were:

Lisa: You already know her - we went to Shanghai together.

Chelsie: She is also blonde and also from Ivey. In fact, people often mix up our names. She is graduating from Ivey this year, but going back to Western in the fall for one year to finish a degree in Math...and then wants to pursue a career in Finance.

Shannon: She is my roommate, so I have already talked about her a little bit. She lived in China (near Chengdu) until she was 16, and then moved to California - and at the time, she didn't speak a word of English. Now, she is completely fluent. She is a science student, and she laughs at me everyday when I try and say things in Mandarin. Like, laughs in my FACE. I am glad I can entertain.

Barbara: Barbara is from Ireland, and she is a baby (only 19!). But she has probably done more than most people ever do in her life - she is a triathlete and competitive swimmer, and she competes internationally! Even in Hong Kong, she trains. And she has lived all over the world...Egypt, California...her stories are crazy.

Kayla: Kayla is an industrial engineering student from Michigan. She is SUPER blonde. She has an interesting time in Asia because she is a vegetarian...sometimes that can be a bit of a challenge!

The other people in our group were Alfonso (Venezuela), Reda (France), Sophie (Sweden), Steve and Jess (A couple, from the USA, but Steve is originally from Taiwan), Peter (Sweden), Jesus (Spain) and Carlos (Alfonso's cousin, who goes to the Chinese University of Hong Kong).

I was a little nervous about travelling in such a large group, because it can lead to a significant portion of the trip being spent waiting: waiting for people to go to the bathroom, waiting for people to go to the bank, waiting for people to make a decision about where to go next, etc. But, actually, being in such a large group was really, really fun!

So, we call Dennis (the best cab driver ever), and he picks us up from Campus at 5:15 pm on Thursday, March 5th. At 6 pm, we've arrived at the airport and we are checking in for our flight. Everyone is excited - especially Reda, who is known for constantly yelling out the nicknames he has created for everyone else, in a strong (great) French accent. Barbara is "Barbarina!" with a rolled-R. Lisa is "Mona Lisa!". Me? I am "Izzar!" - it kind of sounds like the way French people say "Heather", but not really. Hahaha.

The flight was good (I was a good Samaritan AGAIN and gave up my seat so that a couple could sit together!) but the airplane food wasn't nearly as good as it was when we went to Shanghai. Oh well.

When we landed in Taipei, the weather...sucked. It was raining. But by this time, it was midnight anyways, so we didn't let it get us down. We took a bus from the airport into the city, and then split up: Lisa, Chelsie, Barbara and Kayla were in one hostel (Eight Elephants) and Shannon and I were with everyone else in a different hostel (Camels Oasis).

Our hostel is cute, but weird. The location is great. It is right in the middle of Taipei, which is really the most important thing to consider when choosing a hostel. But the kind of weird part is that the hostel was, well, someone's apartment. It is decorated really nicely...there is cute furniture, maps and guidebooks, and free coffee and tea. But still...it's an apartment. There are four bedrooms. One is the owner's, one is a double, one is a triple, one is a quad (female only) and then there was ours: an 8-bedroom mixed dorm (with an ensuite, thank goodness!).

Like I said, cute, but weird.

Anyways, all of us head to grab some food...and then the guys decide to go out, and Shannon, Jess and I decide to go to bed. I was having a great sleep until the guys came home at 5 am and kept us up until...6:30 am! Boys, boys. boys.

Anyways, the next day, Shannon and I got up early and met with the girls at the other hostel. Our first stop was Taipei 101. Haha...actually, that is a lie. Our first stop was a bakery, for these delicious sugary buns that are really popular in Taiwan. I think I ate at least 15 buns throughout the trip. I miss them.

Anyways, Taipei 101. It calls itself the tallest building in the world (but don't a ton of buildings call themselves the tallest building in the world???). We take the elevator to the observation deck (I think it is on the 87th and 88th floors). It was pretty cool. They give you a headset so that you can listen to an audio tour (in English, yay!) and check out the whole city.

It was really cool! Especially because there was tons of information and displays all around the observation deck. There was a lot to look at!

One floor down, there was a coral museum. I'm sill not sure why.

After Taipei 101, we took a short walk down the road to Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's memorial. In Taiwan, they love Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. He is Taiwan's "Founding Father", and as a result, quite an impressive memorial has been built in his honour. It is situated in the middle of a beautiful park that we took our time walking through (keep in mind, that it rained throughout this entire trip). In the museum, there is a HUGE statue of the Doctor, with a guard on either side. The guards don't move.

I went to the information desk to ask if there was a English brochure or something Well, we got something even better...or, well, different. At the desk, an adorable first year Taiwan university student wearing a vest that said "English Guide" insisted on giving us a tour. She was so excited! And also very shy,. We encouraged her, and she showed us around the main floor of the museum, which as really helpful because ALL of the material explaining the exhibits was in Chinese. And since I only know about 20 Chinese characters (which is 20 more than the other girls I was with - Shannon was touring something else at the time), we would have been lost.

After the tour, we got to see the changing of the guards that watch over the Doc's monument. It was pretty cool...lots of stomping and rifle-twirling and stuff. But in the age of STOMP (the musical) it just wasn't enough to keep my attention for to long.

After the changeover, we decided to head to the National Palace Museum. From what I have read, the National Palace Museum has the largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts in the entire world, and it is one of the top four museums internationally.

Needless to say, I was really excited!

Well, jeez. What a disappointment. I mean, it was pretty cool, but definitely underwhelming. The stuff on display was beautiful, but there wasn't a lot of background information provided, and in a lot of cases, the exhibits were just plain boring. The museum wasn't nearly as good as the Urban Planning museum in Shanghai. But, well, at least I can say I've been there?

After the museum, we hopped on a bus (by the way, it was POURING at this point) and quickly visited the Grand Hotel. This used to be one of the top tourist destinations in Taipei, because it is SUPER cool-looking, but because there is so much other stuff going on in Taipei these days, it has become less popular. BUT look how cool it is:

Again, this is not one of my photos. Remember the rain?

By now, it was beginning to get dark. We hopped in a cab and headed to a popular nighttime destination for Taiwan locals - a night market.

We chose Shilin Night Market - it is the biggest and supposed to be the best. Our cab dropped us off in front, and...we pretty much went crazy. There were awesome, awesome, AWESOME food stalls everywhere, serving all sorts of delicious, strange food items, from stinky tofu (gross!), to candied strawberries, to fresh custard-filled buns, to popcorn chicken (Taiwan invented it!), to dumplings, omelettes, seafood, bubble tea...it was crazy. And very busy!

After tasting a lot of different, new things, we headed to another part of the night market, where there are tons of really neat clothing stalls. Lisa, Barbara and Chelsie bough rain boots because, of course, it was still pouring out, and they were only wearing flip flops! After meeting up with the boys, we all headed back to our hostels to get ready for a great night out!

Before heading to the club, we spent about an hour drinking beer and hanging out with other young people at our hostel. Around 11:30, we headed to Room 18, a club in downtown Taipei. Since there was such a large group of us (15 people or something), we decided to go VIP and get bottle service. For less than $20 CAD, we got our own special area of the club and all the drinks we could handle. It was a blast. Highlights include:

1) A dance off on the VIP dance floor with Taipei locals

2) A foam party! At least, it looked like foam...but it was actually fluffed cotton!

3) All of the girls dancing on stage in the main part of the club...people were cheering for us!

Around 5 am, we decided to call it a night. And a fun night it was.

The next day, we wanted to see a bit of Taiwan's countryside, so we called a cab and headed to Jiufen and Jinguashi, nearby towns in Taiwan's northern region. First, we went to Jinguashi.

Jinguashi is called the 'Old Town' because it used to be totally bustling - back when it was being mined for gold! Now, the place has been carefully restored by the Taiwan government. It is nestled right in the middle of the mountains, and has a bunch of historic buildings within it. We hiked around the mountains for a while (OMG IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL) and then checked out the 'Gold Museum'. Inside, there were some neat exhibits, and I was even able to touch the largest brick of gold in the ENTIRE WORLD. Cool, eh?

Next, our cab driver (his name is Mr. Chen, and he was the BEST) took us a couple miles down the road to Jiufen, a cute little town with a bustling pedestrian street market. Again, we went crazy tasting local specialties - donuts, ice cream wraps, potato chips on a stick, spring rolls, jelly candies...etc. Soon, it was getting dark, so we climbed back into our cab with Mr. Chen and headed back to the city.

Mr. Chen told us a bit about his life story. He was in the army for a few years, and now has a farm with his family, several hours from Taipei. He only goes home on Mondays, to give his family his earnings from his job as a taxi driver. Every other day of the week, he works for 18 hours a day - and only for 2 hours at a time, so that he can take advantage of the busiest times for cab drivers. Can you believe it? I still can't.

We had Mr. Chen drop us off at a huge bookstore with a teahouse inside, and we relaxed with a cup of tea for a few hours. When it became dark, Chelsie and Barbara headed off to get massages, and Lisa, Kayla, Shannon and I headed back to our hostels.

We were all supposed to go out that night, but the girls in the other hostel were too tired, so it ended up being just myself, Shannon and the boys. The boys wanted to go to a club again, but Shannon and I were looking for a different experience, so we found a cute bar downtown. We grabbed a seat on the outdoor patio and just relaxed, and we even met some neat people from Taiwan, Malaysia, and the US. It was fun hearing their stories, and what they think about life in Taiwan.

The next day, we started off by grabbing breakfast/lunch at a world famous dumpling restaurant - Din Tai Fong. We had to wait 1 HOUR for a table, and it was 11 am. Have you ever heard of such a thing.

Well, it was delicious. Well worth the wait.

In case you don't know what dumplings are, this is what they look like:

They are steamed, and served in this bamboo containers. They are a specialty in Hong Kong as well, and I probably eat them for two or three meals each week! They have tons of different types: vegetable, pork, shrimp...yum!

After our meal, we headed to Yangmingshan National Park to do some hiking. It was beautiful! We hiked in the mountains for about an hour...but then...it started to rain. Why does this always happen to me!

At the bottom of the mountains, Taiwan is lucky enough to have a variety of hot springs! Most of them have been "claimed" by hotels, or even homes, but there is a great hotspring that is for public access. We paid the entrance fee (it was $1 CAD) and joined the locals. The location of this public hotspring was crazy - it was literally RIGHT in the middle of a downtown area!

Here is a picture:

They were really hot.

After the hotsprings, we headed to Danshui Old Town. It is a harbour, and from it, you can look at the Taipei skyline. We grabbed a delicious seafood dinner at one of the restaurants along the harbour, and then, exhausted, we hopped on the subway to head home.

After showering, it was time for our final night in Taiwan, and we wanted to do something special. So, all of us (15 people or so) headed to PartyWorld - a KTV chain. What is KTV, you ask? It is KARAOKE TELEVISION!

KTV is a super popular activity for young people in Asia - Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, from what I can tell, they love it everywhere. We each paid about the price of a movie ticket in Canada, and for this, we were given our own private room with couches and a KTV system. Also, we were given almost unlimited alcoholic drinks! As you can imagine, this led to a pretty fun time for everyone! By the end of the night, we were all singing classic songs by Britney and the Backstreet Boys at the top of our lungs. This was a highlight of the trip, for sure.

Here is a funny photo from our KTV night:

Yes. We were really into it.

After our last night at our hostels, we woke up and had a few final hours to see Taipei before catching our flight home. We checked out the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial (he controlled the KMT after Doctor Sun Yat-Sen). It was massive, and kind of ridiculous, really. But the grounds it is located on are beautiful - there are also concert halls and parks nearby. After this, we went to a teahouse and relaxed before returning to our hostel to pack our things and headed to the airport.

All in all, it was a great trip. The things I will remember most are how friendly the people are (they were SO nice and SO helpful anytime we were lost or needed help!), how delicious the food was (we tried SO many new and interesting foods!) and how fun it was to travel with such a large group of people. Taiwan was nothing like I expected, and I really recommend going there if you ever get the chance!

Now, I am going to write about my next trip - a Yangtze River Cruise!

My First Putonghua (Mandarin) Class

When I think about it, all I can do is laugh.

So, after I got back from Shanghai, I was really excited about learning Putonghua. In fact, I even (impulse) purchased a computer program (with CD-ROM) that teaches you Mandarin in the Shanghai airport. Early last week, I went to HKUST's language centre and signed up for Putonghua I for English-Speakers.

The class is every Tuesday from 5:30 pm until 8 pm (2.5 hours!). It is small, with only about 10 students, and it costs $145 CAD for 16 weeks of lessons. I think this is a great deal, because when I wanted to sign up for a Mandarin class in the summer, courses cost a lot more than this.

The class is really basic so far - we go over the phonetic alphabet and learn really easy phrases and vocabulary. The teacher makes us say sentences by ourselves, and it just sounds so funny, that even she has to laugh at us. I spend half of the class, and some time after it, just laughing at myself. You feel like an absolute idiot.

The main reason is because, in Mandarin (and most Asian languages), tone matters. There are four tones - and they all sound completely different. For example, the word "ma" has four different meanings, depending on which tone you say it in. It can mean mother, hemp, horse, or scold. When it is said with no tone at all (natural tone) at the end of a sentence, it turns whatever sentence you were saying into a yes or no question! For native English speakers...this is a real challenge.

It was really fun, though! The time went by really quickly, and I think I am actually doing a better-than-average job at picking things up. Shannon, my roommate, lived in China until she was 16, so she is really helping me with my pronunciation, and we have a "Word of the Day". This past weekend in Taiwan, I actually managed to communicate with a few people...I'm not good, but I definitely get an "A" for effort!

I am excited to see how much I will be able to pick up after a few months of lessons and dedication. In fact, maybe I will go through Lesson 1 on my CD-ROM one more time.

Zaijian! (Good bye!)

Shanghai Post: Finally Complete!

I finally finished writing about my trip to Shanghai...so feel free to check it out!

I Know I Have to Finish That Post...

...But in the meantime, I put up a few photos of my trip to Shanghai. You can check them out here. There will be more up later!

I love, love, love Shanghai!

Wow. What an incredible trip. It was maybe the best five days of my life. Let me tell you why. This post is going to be written with a ridiculous level of detail...that is just a warning.

Actually, first let me tell you about who I went with - Lisa and Hafida. First, Lisa. Lisa is an experienced traveller, and it was her idea to jump right in and take a trip to Shanghai. This is her second exchange (she did an exchange in high school to Switzerland), and she is super, super organized. She also has a friend of a friend in Shanghai, which turned out to be really lucky for the three of us!

Hafida is Lisa's roommate. She is from France, and has been at HKUST since August or September (she didn't even go home for Christmas! She went to Vietnam instead). Hafida is in her second Mandarin class now, and she is actually really good - she can communicate with taxi drivers, etc. She had a few friends from Paris in Shanghai, and we ended up meeting up with them, too! I also really appreciate her because she helps me to improve my French!

Okay, let's get this thing started.

Our flight to Shanghai was at 3:30 pm on Thursday, February 19th. The Hong Kong airport is so efficient...it took us no time at all to get to our gate, so we ended up with an hour and a half to spare. Better safe than sorry, though!

We actually took a giant bus to where our plane was parked...it was kind of in the middle of a huge lot. The flight was good - the Dragonair flight attendants are great. Our in-flight meal was "Dim Sum," (literally meaning "touch the heart")which is a really popular Chinese cuisine. It was quite delicious...especially for someone who likes airplane food as much as I do. I really like it!

We landed at the Shanghai airport around 5:45 pm. It is spectacular. I think it is pretty new, and the design is gorgeous. We grabbed our luggage, and headed toward the Maglev.

What is the Maglev, you ask? Well, Maglev stands for "Magnetic Levitation," and in this application, magnetic levitation moves a train using a very large number of magnets. Trains that use this type of system have the potential to be faster, quieter and smoother than other mass transit systems (for more info from Wikipedia, click here).

Faster, indeed. On the way to the city, the train hit a maximum speed of 301 km/h! (Later, on the way back to the airport, the train hit a maximum of 446 km/h! Insane!) We then transferred to the subway and got off at the stop closest to the hostel we had booked - People's Square.

My first impression of Shanghai? It is so, so, so cool. It actually looks very different from Hong Kong, even in the downtown areas. It was night, so all of the buildings were lit up, and (unlike in Hong Kong) all of the buildings look different! Some are completely made of glass, some are European-looking, some look like temples...it is so great. And there is a lot more space in the streets than there is in Hong Kong. The streets are wider, the sidewalks are wider, and the buildings are all different heights, so the whole place just feels more open.

We asked for directions to the hostel at the Radisson (which is REALLY cool...it looks like there is a flying saucer on top of the 30 storey building, but it is actually a revolving restaurant) and went on our way. It really wasn't far.

From the outside, the hostel (called the Y35, if anyone from HKUST is reading this and wants to know a great place to stay) doesn't look like anything special. It has some lanterns hanging outside, and the doors are huge and solid wood. Inside, though, the place is so cute and full of character. In the entrance, there is a little wooden bridge that crosses a waterfall and pond with goldfish, and there is a bar on the third floor that serves really, really cheap drinks (like, $2 CAD for 600 mL of beer) and good, home-like food.

Check-in took only a couple minutes, because the staff speak English, and then we dropped our things off in our room (we decided to split a four-person room between the three of us, for extra space and so that we wouldn't be stuck with a random). The rooms were great. Small, of course, but nice and clean. Actually, I felt like a princess, because my bed actually had a pillow and comforter, which are two things I haven't gotten around to buying in Hong Kong yet. I know, I am ridiculous.

After changing, we went for dinner nearby, on a street called..."Food Street". It was so neat - the whole street (for three blocks) was lit up with lanterns strung across the whole thing! It was really pretty.

Dinner was delicious. We just ordered a ton of food to share. The best part was the "egg rolls". We thought they would just be egg rolls, but it turned out that they were more like donuts, with really, really soft centres. The other best part of dinner was the entertainment. The owner of the restaurant was talking to Hafida in Mandarin, and then he insisted on taking a photo with all of us, and then with just me. We assumed that this is because I am blonde. Later on, our hypothesis was proven correct...a lot of really funny stuff happened to me throughout the trip!

Next, we went to a place called Xintiandi. It is a really cute area of Shanghai, not too far from People's Square, that is a pedestrian area with cobblestone, and tons of cute restaurants and bars. It had a really European feel. We checked out a few places (it was only 9:30 pm, but some of the places were packed with people...mostly Westerners), and then headed to our intended destination, G +.

We got a recommendation to go to G + from a friend in Hong Kong who was on exchange in Shanghai last semester. He knows the owner, and said that we could get free drinks. Well, that sounded good to me! The place was actually super cool. It was located in a high-end mall, and you could hear the dance music from really, really far away. At the door, we grabbed our free drink tickets and headed inside. The place was decorated with a lot of mirrors, plasma TVs, etc., and there were two floors. There was also a DJ playing great house, and lights and lasers and fog and even bubbles! The place seemed to be full of locals, for the most part, which was cool. We grabbed a few drinks and had a seat to take in the atmosphere...

...but we weren't sitting for long. Two African drummers came out and played the drums to the songs that the DJ was playing! It was so cool! After that, we danced the night away...then, exhausted, we went back to our hostel to sleep for exactly six hours, so that we could get a good start on a full day of sightseeing!

In the morning, we grabbed breakfast in the hostel, and then attempted to execute our plan of going to the "Fabric Market", another recommendation we received. It is a mall that is filled with shops selling fabric, and tailors are ready to take your measurements and make you anything you desire, to your exact specifications. You can even bring them a photo, and they will make an exact replica for you! We needed to go there right away, though, because it takes a few days for the items to be sewn.

We decided to walk, and headed out down Nanjing Road, a (mostly) pedestrian street that is famous for its shopping. It wasn't relaxing, though. I guess we really looked like tourists (maybe it was the Canadian flag on my bag, or the colour of my hair?), because people continually came up to us, saying over and over again, "Copy watches? Bags? Shoes? Wallet?" and following us, even when we said no. It is pretty annoying, but I guess it is to be expected. If I were them, I would probably do the same thing.

Kind of by mistake (we don't know if we had bad directions on what), we ended up in Xipulu Market, or the "Fake Market". There were no tourists to be seen, though. This was a fully local shopping place. It was a really interesting place to see - there was tons of street food, people selling anything you can imagine, and there were people EVERYWHERE. There were also a lot of beggars. One guy saw me and yelled "Beautiful!" and came at me with open arms...like he wanted a hug. I ran away.

Since we were a little off track, we grabbed a cab and asked them to take us to the Fabric Market. Actually, we didn't ask. We used the "Magic Number". It's the best. You call this number, and tell the operator where you want to go, in English. You can even say what type of restaurant you want, if you don't know the exact name. Then, you hand your phone over to the cab driver, and the operator will tell the cab driver where to take you, in Mandarin. It is a really good way of overcoming the language barrier!

The Fabric Market was really cool. It was just booths and booths of vendors, and they all wanted to make us clothes. We did some bargaining (we are getting REALLY good!) and ended up finding a place that would make us custom suits for $50 CAD (actually, less than that...but I will explain later) and long-sleeved dress shirts for $13 CAD. I got a suit. And five shirts. Choosing our fabrics was really, really fun! They told us to come back on Monday at 10 am to pick up our things.

We grabbed lunch in a restaurant on the same street (Chinese food again...good thing I love it!) and then took a cab to the Yu Bazaar and Gardens in the "Old City". The place looked completely traditional...there were tons of shops (the whole place was shopping), but the stores were inside what looked like temples. It is funny, though. The Yu Bazaar isn't old...it was built recently, and just looks old! We did some bargaining here, too. I got a silk scarf with a Chinese Opera singer on it for a couple dollars (CAD). Lisa bought some really nice pearls.

The gardens were beautiful. On a nicer day, it is definitely the kind of place that you could spend a few hours. It was pretty cold, though, so we decided to have afternoon tea at the Huxining Teahouse. I actually have to include a photo of the teahouse because it is so cool (it is on the left).

I called the Teahouse the original Starbucks, because it was over $10 for a tea. But it was SO cool. We ordered "Flower Tea" (mine was called something crazy like "When the Butterfly and the Flower Meet"...Lisa's was called "Jasmine") and it comes in a clear glass teapot. The server puts what looks like a bulb inside the teapot, and the hot water causes the bulb to open...and a flower grows out of it! It was so neat and pretty. They also served us some snacks...tofu, mini eggs boiled in tea (not for me) and some other things that were kind of gross.

Next, we took a "90 Minute Walking Tour" of the Old City that we found in our guidebook, and eventually ended up back at our hostel.

I don't think it was too late when we got back (maybe 7 pm or so), which was good because we had a big night ahead of us. Lisa's friend of a friend, Deidre, invited us to come out with her friends for Teppanyaki, a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. Apparently, going for teppanyaki is a very "Shanghai" thing to do. We were also planning on hitting up some great bars afterwards, so we put on some nicer clothes and headed to the restaurant.

Dinner was fantastic. It was about $30 CAD per person, and the food was virtually unlimited. So was the beer and Sake (a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice). There ended up being about 15 people in our party - mostly Canadians and a few Americans, and it was really cool to talk to them about their lives in Shanghai. A couple of them were BCG consultants, on sabbatical in the city. Deidre works in PR for a Shanghai hotel chain. A few were in Shanghai teaching English. A few more were involved in start-ups, which is actually quite a normal thing in Shanghai. It was REALLY cool hearing them speak in Mandarin (also called Putonghua) to servers. It sounded so neat, and really inspired me to learn the language. More on that later.

Here are the three of us at dinner (please note the ridiculous quantity of food):

We left a lot of food on the table (there is no way we could have eaten everything!) and headed to a bar called Muse 1. It was a cool, young, local crowd...and the music was great! But, the group really wanted to show us Shanghai nightlife at its finest. So, after a while, we headed to Lounge 18, which is really popular among Westerners. It is located on The Bund, and it has spectacular views of Pudong, which is the new, very modern area of Shanghai. At night, Pudong looks amazing. In the summer, I could easily spend all night on the Lounge 18 patio.

Just above Lounge 18 is Bar Rouge, so we went there next. It was kind of similar to Lounge 18, but with different decor. I am pretty sure that cover is normally 300 RMB for both of these places...but the people we were with had connections, so we just walked right in.

Of course, three bars in one night is not enough. After a while, we headed to our final destination, a place called Shelter, in the French Concession. It is appropriately named, because it actually used to be a bomb shelter! It was really cool - super dark, crowded, and you could tell that it was legitimate. Around 3:30 am, Lisa, Hafida and I decided to call it a night. We headed back to our hostel and went to bed.

The next day, we wanted to go to a nearby city called Suzhou, but the timing was off...and there was lots still to do in Shanghai! We took the subway to Hongkou Stadium and Park. The stadium looked pretty cool...but pretty much just like a stadium. The park was neat. There were karaoke players set up all over the park, and people were loving it!

In the afternoon, we went to Pudong to see the new, futuristic-looking area of Shanghai. It is insane. There was construction going on everywhere. In fact, it was hard to take a nice-looking picture a lot of the time, because of the construction. Before checking out the city, we went into "Super Brand Mall", a super high-end mall (could you guess?) to look around and have a coffee (which I was desperately needing by this point in the day). Plus, stopping at a Starbucks always makes you feel like you aren't too far from home.

That feeling didn't last long, though. Right outside the Super Brand Mall is Shanghai's famous Oriental Pearl Tower. It is so weird and cool-looking. Check it out:

Oh, and I should mention...I didn't take this photo. I got it off Google...because for some reason, I only travel in the rain, and photos just don't look as cool.

According to Wikipedia, people actually LIVE in the bottom "pearl"...I wonder how much that would cost?

Next, we headed over to the Jin Mao Tower, which used to be the tallest tower in Shanghai. We headed up to the 87th floor to have a drink at a bar called Cloud 9 (what an appropriate name!). I had a latte (yes, I know...I need to curb my caffeine consumption) and just relaxed and enjoyed the bill. The atmosphere was great, and we actually ran into some people from HKUST. It really is such a small world. When the bill came, I was even happier. They forgot to charge me for my drink! Don't you love when that happens?!?

On our way home, we walked along Nanjing Road, which is a really exciting street at night. There are still people trying to sell you stuff, but there are also tons of neon and flashing lights, and lots of people enjoying restaurants and coffee shops.

After relaxing and putting on some nicer clothes at our hostel, we headed out to meet Deidre and her boyfriend at a really, really cool bar called Barbarosa. Actually, Hafida was meeting some of her French friends there, too, so we had quite a diverse group. Barbarossa is in the middle of People's Square (a park), which is pretty much the centre of Shanghai (and not far from our hostel - which was lucky, because it was raining really, really hard!). Actually, I have to post a photo of the place, just because I have never seen anything like it:

Yes. It is surrounded by a moat.

Anyways, it's not a night out in Shanghai if you don't hit up at least three locations. So, next, we headed to a private birthday party, which was located at another bar in the middle of the park (how cool is it that they have all of these bars in a PARK!?!?). The place was called Kathleen 5, and it was filled to the brim with people who I thought were really glamourous. There were some CBA (Chinese Basketball Association) players there. One of them was 7'1".

After Kathleen 5, we headed to Mint, one of Shanghai's best clubs. Deidre's friends hooked us up again, so we were inside sipping free drinks in no time. The place was gorgeous - there was even a 30 foot fish tank with baby sharks inside! We had a lot of fun dancing the night away...by the time we got home, it must have been 5 am.

The nest morning, we were up at 10 am, and off to brunch at Sasha's, a buffet place that had been recommended to us. It is in the French Concession, and it was adorable. And delicious! I had a great combination of foods...everything from croissants to sashimi. And too much delicious coffee.

At breakfast, a guy from Mexico who works in an Italian restaurant in Shanghai brought me a flower, and sat with us at our table for a long, long time. He had clearly consumed more than an appropriate amount of champagne for a Sunday morning. But it was funny.

After eating far too much (mmm...sashimi), I grabbed our Shanghai guidebook and led the girls on a walking tour through the French Concession (and only got lost once!). We saw great European-inspired architecture, cute tea houses, Fuxing Park, Taikung Lu (which I cannot even try to descibe - you'll have to see it for yourself!) and the former residences of Mao Zedong and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (my Grade 12 Chinese history is really starting to come back to me!). Even though it was raining, Lisa, Hafida and I were troopers and didn't even complain. By the time we came to the end of the tour, it was the evening...and we were soaked.

We put on some dry clothes and went to meet some of Hafida's friends at their flat. They had just moved to Shanghai for an exchange program, and found an apartment only a few days earlier. Not that you would ever be able to tell. It is a four-bedroom apartment, on the 25th floor. The views are spectacular, and it came completely furnished. The furniture is really cool, too! Very modern and clean-looking, which is exactly my style. And how much do they pay for this incredible abode in one of the coolest metropolitan cities in the world? They each pay $328 CAD per month. $328 CAD PER MONTH! And this includes the services of a cleaning lady twice a week! When I heard this, I was blown away.

After a while, about 25 people had shown up at the apartment. All of them were French, so Lisa and I had fun practicing our French and hearing about these people's lives. Some people have some really fascinating stories.

I tried a shot of Baijiu - Chinese liquor that is 50% alcohol. It smells disgusting. It also tastes disgusting. But I would do it again...

At the end of the night, we said our goodbyes and headed home to Y35 for our last night. I was so exhausted!

In the morning, we woke up early to see the Urban Museum. This was so neat, and probably a highlight of the trip. It showed Shanghai's development, from a small town to the booming metropolis it is today. It even showed where Shanghai is going...with enormous scale models that you could observe from a raised walkway around the model's edges. It is neat to see the intense planning that goes on when a city meant to support over 20 million people is being built. It seems to me that Shanghai's city planners really know what they are doing.

We wanted to go to the MOCA Art Gallery, but it was closed (if you go to Shanghai, go there! It is supposed to be great!). We wandered through People's Square for a bit, and found it strange that three separate groups of local young adults stopped us to talk. They asked us where we were from, if we liked Shanghai, where we had been, etc. This didn't happen at any other time during the trip...so I still don't really know what to think. Perhaps they wanted to practice their English? Perhaps Mondays are particularly friendly days in Shanghai? Maybe it is something about the park? I really don't know.

Next, we were off to the Fabric Market, to pick up the clothes that we had ordered. Even though we said that we needed to pick up our things at 10 am (and we know they understood us...their English was very good), nothing was ready. This made us a bit nervous, because we needed to be leaving our hostel for the airport around 3 pm, and we still had lots to do. After waiting around for about an hour, our clothes were ready.

The dress shirts are GREAT! I love the fit, and the embroidered "HMP" on the sleeve looks really neat.

The suits were a different story.

I took my suit and tried it on - behind a sheet that someone held up for me (no changerooms here!). The skirt fit okay, but the sleeves were only to the middle of my forearm! I looked over at Lisa, and she was SWIMMING in her suit. We were not off to a good start.

As it turns out, they switched the fabrics by mistake - Lisa's suit had been made in the black cashmere that I picked out, and my suit was made out of black cashmere with grey pinstripes. Once I tried on the right suit (in the wrong fabric) I was happier - even though it isn't exactly what I wanted, it fits really well and looks very professional. Plus, I ended up paying them 50 Yuan less than I was supposed to, for the mix up. Now, the cuit cost $35 CAD. So, it really worked out okay for everyone.

Well, except for Lisa. Her suit (in my fabric) didn't fit at all. So, she got her money back. We thought that this might be a huge hassle, but it really wasn't so bad. I think everyone understood the problem, and so the tailor was okay with fixing it, as best he could.

Next, we were off to The Bund. We had seen it at night, but needed to check it out during the day. Even though it was raining, it was really neat. When you look left, across the river, you can see futuristic Pudong. It looks like this:

When you look to the right, you see The Bund, which is a street lined with historical European-inspired buildings (mostly banks). It looks like this:

Isn't that an interesting contrast? I just thought it was so neat, and like no place I had ever seen before.

We ended our trip to Shanghai with lunch at a great restaurant called Crystal Jade. We had Dim Sum, and it was (of course!) delicious. We relaxed and talked about the trip and all the fun we had...and how we didn't want to go back to Hong Kong!

But, alas, after gathering our things from the hostel, a short subway ride, another 10 minute journey on a 446 km/hour train and an hour wait at the airport, we were on our flight home.

It was a great trip. Being with Lisa and Hafida was easy and fun, and we really got a taste of what life is like for a young person in Shanghai - for locally-born Chinese or Ex-pats. It really piqued (re-piqued?) my interest in China (the next day, I went to the library on campus and borrowed American Businesses in China, Imagining Globalisation in China, and Understanding Emerging Markets). It inspired me to sign up for Madarin classes at the university - I will have to write about my first class later. It also set a really high standard for my next trip, which is to Taipei, Taiwan!

If anyone out there is planning to go to Shanghai, let me know! I will give you some additional recommendations so that you can have just as great of a trip as I did!