The Night Life in Hong Kong...

A lot of people have been asking me what the night life in Hong Kong is like.

My answer: It is unique.

So far, I have only been out a few times. Here is how a night typically goes.

A bunch of exchange students meet at the "bluebird" on campus. It is actually a red statue of a bird, and it is close to the bus stop. Sometimes, there are over 30 students heading downtown together...it is great. We take a minibus to the subway station, and then a thirty minute subway ride to downtown. This whole one-way trip costs about $1 CAD. It is a great deal.

Once we arrive downtown, we head to Club 7-11. We have them in Canada, too...but they aren't nearly as fun. Normally, 7-11's are just typical convenience stores, but in Hong Kong, 7-11 is a place to buy cheap beers (they cost $1 CAD) and hang out before heading to any of many bars in the downtown areas.

One of our favourite places is called Lan Kwai Fong, or LKF. It is an area on Hong Kong Island, and is a cobblestone, pedestrian area with every type of bar you can think of, and mostly foreigners hang outthere. Many of the bars have "Ladies' Nights" a few times a week, which are definitely not legal in Canada. There, ladies pay no cover and can drink for free all night. Men pay about $20 CAD and enjoy unlimited drinks as well.

Another cool bar is called "Pi". It is on the 25th floor of a skyscraper, and you can look out over the whole city as you enjoy $12 CAD drinks. See why we love Club 7-11?

At the end of the night, the only way back to HKUST is to take a taxi. The subway stops running at 1:14 am. Luckily, we have Dennis. He is a cab driver, and we call him up and he charges us a flat rate to get back to campus - $20. When you put five people in a cab (that's legal here, apparently), it is very inexpensive.

So far, we have had some great nights. Partying with the other exchange students here is a blast.

Hong Kong has completely exceeded my expectations...and it has only been two weeks!