Hong Kong

Two days before arriving in Hong Kong, I got really sick with flulike symptoms that progressed quickly. That evening was extremely painful and I ended up in the medical clinic the next day. My malaria test was negative but it was clear that it was more than the flu. My white blood count was exceptionally high so I definitely had some sort of an infection. The doctor’s diagnosed it as Dengue Fever, but I’m still not sure that that’s what it was. I spent the second day taking tests and figuring out if I was still going to participate in what I had planned for China. Hong Kong and Shanghai were both supposed to have stringent mandates for temperature screenings and medical records for those entering because of their past epidemic issues.

The ship’s plan was to dock in Hong Kong, stay for two days, and then leave for Shanghai for two days. The transit also took two days. Students had to designate weeks ago whether they would take the ship from one port to the other or travel independently and meet the ship there. Whatever you had chosen could not be changed because of manifest laws. I had signed up for independent travel because I was planning on going to Beijing in between Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Even though I felt better the morning of arrival, the doctor did not advise sleeping anywhere but the ship or going too far. This meant that I had to stay on the ship for the two days in between Hong Kong and Shanghai, and miss my trip to Beijing. The papers were signed almost immediately. I was upset about wasting two days in a country but I knew it was the smartest decision. The next decision was whether or not I would even be able to get off the ship in Hong Kong or Shanghai because of the medical paperwork that they had to submit in order to change my registration from independent travel to an “in transit” passenger.  The assistant executive dean told me that technically, I would not be allowed off the ship, but it would take time to process the paperwork so I could probably slip through.

Day 1:

After dealing with all of this, my friends were still on the ship because of customs, so I met up with them. I walked off no problem! We took the ferry across and wandered around for a little while. We walked through a huge mall, complete with every fancy designer store and a ton of watch stores, for some reason. We noticed this in other places, too- Hong Kong loves watches. After stalling for a little bit, we met up with Tim’s two friends from home. They have been teaching English in Ladi for the past six months, which is about 3 hours away by train. We immediately walked to get lunch somewhere, preferably something Chinese. This was the first non-third world port that we have been in so it was a bit shocking to see such a clean, nice city. I have never been to New York or anything comparable, but many were saying that it’s New York on steroids, with a little Chinese culture thrown in. Technically, Hong Kong is an independent republic, and not a part of China so it definitely has a diluted sense of Chinese culture. Nonetheless, the street food and markets are vibrant and smelly and everything I expected. Either way, lets be honest, I’m the last person who knows the difference between a Mandarin and Cantonese sign. We had lunch at a busy lunch restaurant that was ill fit for big groups. Most tables were for two so we were told that we had to wait a little while to get a table for six. Even though we were fine with that, a smaller group at a larger table moved and joined another party so that we would have a seat. This was one of many unspoken, kind gestures that we experienced in Hong Kong. Although we couldn’t speak the same language, it was very refreshing after Vietnam. We ordered by pointing at pictures on the menu and the waiter silently scanned everything and ordered it electronically. The food was amazing, as was every other meal that we had while in HK. We wandered around the city for a while, marveling at the hustle and bustle. The architecture of all the buildings is really extreme and intricate and many seem to defy gravity. We took an elevator to the top floor of one of the highest buildings to get a better view, which gave us a better idea of just how large Hong Kong is. Even though it was a little cloudy, you could see the cluster of islands and the massive buildings on each. After lunch, we walked to the hill that has the longest outdoor escalator in the world. It’s split up in different segments but riding the whole thing up gave us a really good feel of the area because it went through apartment complexes, outside markets, and commercial buildings. One of the two friends that live in China had been to Hong Kong briefly, so he was trying to remember what he liked and showed us those areas. It was kind of fun not having a plan and just wandering- especially when I wasn’t feeling one hundred percent healthy. We made our way to a zoological and botanical garden and walked around, looking at all the birds and monkeys. It wasn’t too spectacular but the set up was really cool and at the end, we had a great view of the city. Most of HK is on a steep slope (a lot like San Francisco) so the whole day we were either trudging uphill or running downhill. We made our way to a bar for an hour to relax and then I headed back to the ship with one friend to nap for a while. We had dinner and watched the light show from the ship, which was awesome but didn’t totally live up to what I had heard. It was pretty cool how all of the buildings coordinated their parts, but the overall impact wasn’t as overwhelming as I expected- I later found out that that was just because of where we were watching it. We ended up going out and meeting the rest of our friends but I was trying to take it easy so I came home before the night got too out of hand.

Day 2:

I woke up and found my friend Ken on the ship, when we realized that we were the only ones of our friends who had slept onboard. I was pretty unmotivated and we had no contact with our other friends so we just went into the mall and got Internet for a couple of hours. Luckily, we ran into one friend who was on her way back to the ship to change so we rallied and joined back up with the group. We walked through the subway and took a bus to a place where we could get Dim Sum. Ken was very adamant on getting Dim Sum at some point so that was a top priority. In the states, Dim Sum is a specific type of dumpling but in China or Hong Kong, Dim Sum refers to any type of tapas. We got a bunch of different small Dim Sum dishes and shared. They were all very good and I can’t wait to get more in Shanghai. Afterwards, we made our way to an electronic market because a few of us had certain things that we wanted to get- for cheap. I forgot my camera battery charger at home and I had been using another kid’s on the ship that has the same camera. He’s not a good friend, though, and I was starting to feel bad about always asking for it. We got some good deals, but nothing spectacular. Afterwards, we went to the “ladies” market that was just rows and rows of cheap clothing, jewelry, and fake goods. I didn’t buy much because I’ve heard that everything is cheaper and better quality in Shanghai, but it was definitely interesting to see. After that, most of the group split off to head to the train station and Ken and I went back to the ship. We had relied on the HK-savvy friend to get us to the market so getting back was a little tricky. Let’s just say that my sense of direction will never be trusted again. We rested, got more Internet, and headed out to take a cable car up Victoria’s Peak. We had heard that the views from Victoria’s Peak were incredible and that it would be a perfect place to watch the light show. Unfortunately, we got there and found that a lot of people had the same idea. The line was extremely long and we had to be back at the ship by 9pm so we opted out and walked around the city a little more. I really appreciate feeling safe and clean after the ports we have visited and it was great just exploring and looking at all the buildings and lights. We got dinner and headed back to take the ferry back to the ship. It was awesome because we ended up catching the light show while on the ferry. The angle we were at was prime because the lights hit the water in such a vibrant way. It was a perfect way to end our time in Hong Kong, even if it was way too short.

Ship time:

We’re back on the boat now in between Hong Kong and Shanghai and it’s a ghost town. I have a few friends on that previously planned on doing it to save money, but I’m having a little bit of a hard time being positive about it. All I can think about is that if I hadn’t gotten Dengue, I would be sleeping on the Great Wall right now. I am completely aware of how spoiled I am and how ridiculous that comment is because I am so lucky to be on a ship and in between two internationally renowned cities. I’ve been trying to study for the midterm I slept through before Hong Kong (woops!)- good thing my teachers love me. I’m going to retake it after Shanghai but studying is so difficult because all I want to do is sleep. I feel better but still not at full gear. I’m excited to get to Shanghai but even more excited for Japan. My friend Ken who I’ve traveled with through Malaysia, Vietnam, and Hong Kong is half Japanese and has been there over ten times. He’s going to take a small group of us backpacking from Kobe to Yokohama. We’ll probably spend a majority of time in Tokyo and I can’t wait!

I’m really starting to feel like a seasoned traveler. I’m totally confident going out and exploring without a plan. I used to feel like I needed to be with a huge group to feel safe, but I’m now confident and feel self-sufficient with one or two others, depending on the specific region’s level of safeness. Either way, I’m less shocked when I’m pushed through busy intersections and I only take Pepto if the food is extremely questionable. Showers are not a priority and dancing in the middle of the street is a regular occurrence. I’ve learned that even though plans are great, going with the flow and merely watching what is going on around me is sometimes the best. The places we are going to are incredible, magical places that I am eager to return to. My mom joked that I always email her right afterwards with how much I LOVE each country. It really seems like I’m over exaggerating how I feel about each place, but I’m not. The travel bug is way stronger than any disease I’ve ever heard of and this experience is kind of freaking me out because I had no idea the impact that it would have on me. I think that the biggest change it has had on me is that it has made me realize what I want my life to be about.

If each day in each of these countries has been one of the best days of my life, more than any day back home, how is it even feasible that I go home and don’t work every day to return? The mere reality is that this is what I want to do with my life. I now think that I want to live abroad after college for a little while, maybe in multiple places; but I definitely want to make it a top priority to have these experiences on a semi-regular basis. I realize that the situation of traveling the world for such a length of time with so many kids my age will never happen again, but bits and pieces can be replicated. I want to go back to South Africa and see where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet, to bungee jump, and to cuddle with cheetahs. I want to go to India and swim in the Ganges River. I want to backpack through Southeast Asia: return to Langkawi, hike to caves in Kuala Lampur, party in Singapore, and go through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia. I want to learn the rules of the streets in Vietnam, rent a motorcycle, and not have an end date to my adventure. I want to take the ferry to work every day in Hong Kong.

Will any of this happen? I’m not sure. But hopefully, some will. The reality is that these can be realities- which is extremely scary but also liberating. All of these things are done daily by adventurous, amazing human beings that I have met. At home, we are surrounded by people who don’t do what they really want, a lot of times because they aren’t aware of what they want.

Whenever people ask what you want to do with your life, it’s regarding your job, or at least the type of job you want. I don’t know what I want to do because I haven’t found a career that I’m truly passionate about. I now feel so blessed because this trip has helped me to realize my passion. I don’t particularly like public speaking, art, or any sport. I now know that I love speaking with language barriers in China, drawing with artists on the beach in Ghana, and playing soccer with children in India. Keeping this all in perspective and recognizing reality is crucial because I am so determined to have this experience become more than a dream upon return. I am overwhelmed by it all but also so excited because it is feasible.

I’m a caged animal on this ship and the only people that are helping me hold it together are the amazing people on here. Five days, three friends, one bus ticket, a small backpack and an entirely unknown country is the only thing on my mind and the only thing that separates me from that unreal adventure is this ship- oh, and two days in Shanghai. I’m aware of how lucky I am and I’m also coming to terms with the fact that it’s never okay to settle. I’ve always been okay with settling in many instances- grades, for example- but if there’s something that you want your life to be about, why not? The older people that I have met who have been to over 100 countries impress me tenfold more than CEOs of major multinational corporations, so I clearly have an idea of success in my mind. I finally have an area of life that I want to thrive in, am excited about, and will never get sick of. I’m also worried about getting back to the states because I think that that’s going to be the worst culture shock of all. Who wants to start taking bets for where I’ll be next summer?