Name: Alana Scott
Course: BA Honours International Business
So Alana, you recently spent 4 months studying in Hong Kong. During that time, you visited lot of places in Asia … where was your first trip and can you describe it in 3 words?
Firstly, I went to Thailand as I have some family from there. Oh this is hard to describe in just three words but I suppose, temples, beaches and massages, definitely describe it well.
What are your 5 packing essentials for a weekend trip?
As we would only travel with hand luggage we had to make sure we travelled lightly, but my travel essentials would be:
– Sun cream
– Hand Sanitizer
– At least two different bank cards
– Waterproof phone bag/case
– Sunglasses
What has been your funniest travelling experience?
The funniest experience was definitely my trip to Tokyo with Kirstie. Tokyo is a crazy place with lots of weird and wonderful things to do. First of all, we stumbled upon a place with unlimited bar for around £8 for two hours (never going to end well) so after numerous sake shots we found ourselves at a karaoke place. This place had individual karaoke rooms with dressing up costumes, so we dressed up as dolls and bunnies and sang along to all our favourite songs.
Then the next day we decided to go to a Japanese Onsen which is basically a hot spring. We looked up the best rated one in Tokyo and decided to go for it. When getting there we realised that most people didn’t speak English and therefore nothing was really explained to us, but nevertheless we just went for it. We got on our swimsuits and went on into the spa. First thing we realised was that everyone was naked! In fact swimsuits were actually not allowed and everyone stared at us for being the only foreign people and for having clothes on.
Have you had any bad travelling experiences?
With travelling it is inevitable that some things won’t go to plan. When we arrived at Ho Chi Minh airport in Vietnam none of our cards would work in the ATM, therefore we were stranded with no money and no working sim card in our phones. Luckily we found some Malaysian money that we could exchange (roughly £7) that would get us to our hostel.
Another bad experience was when I got my bank card stolen and Kirstie got her purse stolen. Asia can be quite bad with thefts therefore need to be extra careful.
Which things did you tick off your bucket list while travelling around Asia?
I went swimming with whale sharks in the Philippines which was fun and also quite scary at the same time. I also had a drink at the highest bar in the world in Hong Kong which had pretty amazing views. I went to an owl and Alice in Wonderland café in Tokyo too.
Did you try any adventurous foods during your travels?
No not really, well not that I know of anyway. I accidently ate fried cartilage which wasn’t nice at all. Quite a lot of the food we ate looked strange but wouldn’t say I ate anything too adventurous.
Which city had the best nightlife?
Probably Hong Kong. There are two areas in Hong Kong which are good for nightlife Lan Kwai Fong(LKF) and Wan Chai, and on Wednesday and Thursday drinks are free for girls. There is also a thing called “club 7eleven.” Bars and clubs in Hong Kong can be busy and expensive and drinking on the street is legal, therefore people often buy cheap drink from 7eleven and gather outside. Halloween was also crazy in Hong Kong and locals take dressing up very seriously, it was definitely the busiest night out I’ve ever been on.
Finally, why would you recommend travelling to others?
Travelling is so fun, especially around Asia where you can experience so many different cultures. You can meet friends from all over the world and gives you further places to visit in the future. I feel now that I have travelled I am so much more aware of different cultures in Asia and definitely have caught that travel bug and cant wait for my next adventure.
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