Welcome to the “suite life” of St. Olaf Global. After a solid month of showering in a bucket and sleeping under mosquito netting, we are comfortably ensconced in the Hyatt Regency hotel, soaking up the rainfall showers and squishy comforters. It’s definitely the nicest place I’ve ever stayed in, but after India and Egypt, living in such luxury takes some getting used to.
[Photo: The entire Global group in our fluffy hotel robes!]
We’re well into our fourth month and sixth country on Global, and here in Hong Kong we’re studying Arts of China at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Although technically part of China as a “Special Administrative Region,” Hong Kong was colonized by the British from 1839 until 1997 and has a unique cultural mix of both Eastern and Western influences. It’s probably the easiest city we’ve been to in terms of transportation and although none of us speak Cantonese, many Hong Kong residents also speak English.
[Photo: The skyline of Hong Kong from the harbor.]
Even though Hong Kong is a big, modern city with plenty of skyscrapers and busy traffic, it’s also a place of surprising tranquility, with great parks and easily accessible hiking opportunities. It seems silly, but I never would have expected to find so much nature in such an urban area. This weekend we hiked a segment of the MacLehose trail to reach Talanwan Beach, a beautiful crescent of sand wedged between mountains secluded except for hikers and surfers.
[Photo: Me at Talanwan Beach.]
Well-known for its party scene more than its parks, Hong Kong definitely delivers on both counts. The nightlife district of Lan Kwai Fong street starts warming up at 11 p.m. and stays lit until the sun comes up or the Metro line starts running at 6 a.m., whichever comes first. We discovered a 24-hour breakfast restaurant called The Flying Pan and almost stayed awake until the first train, before sheepishly hailing a taxi after falling asleep mid-bite of pancakes.
Other highlights include tiny hole-in-the-wall dim sum restaurants serving shrimp wontons and steamed pork buns washed down with green tea, and the nightly light show by the harbor. Every night at 8 p.m., the city’s skyline beams lasers and lights in a simultaneously dazzling and spectacularly cheesy display, the hallmark of a city that never truly shuts off and rarely ever sleeps.
*Catherine O’Connor ’13 is on Global for first semester and J-term. She majors in Asian Studies with a concentration in Chinese.