For my first vacation on my own, I didn’t know where to go. I friend of mine introduced me to the idea of going to Hong Kong and making the most of all short vacation. As soon as I saw her pictures, I knew I had to go and was really excited in seeing this metropolis.
Here are some of the highlights of my trip.

DAY 1

After I landed and found my feet, I set out to explore what Kowloon had to offer. I went to the avenue of stars and had a beautiful sunset over Victoria Harbour.



The first night I was there, I was greeted by the symphony of lights! It truly is an beautiful sight! Just to take in all of the colours, makes this sight so spectacular.

DAY 2

DAY 3

I decided to do a Big Bus tour of Hong Kong Island. I reckoned that this would be the fastest way to see the most. And I was right. I started out with all the buildings around me and making my way around the island.


While sitting in the “Big Bus”, I drove past this colorful scene in one of the streets! I am very happy that I got the chance to catch this moment.



Trams are still very much in use and a preferred method of traveling by many. The locals had to vote to get rid of it or keep it and almost all of Hong Kong decided to keep it. It just gives that extra bit of authentic vintage feel to Hong Kong.




This view was really one of the most amazing sites I’ve ever seen . I loved standing there and just taking the moment in, one breath at a time. I wanted to stay there for as long as I could.



One of the Big Bus stops, was Repulse Bay. It’s a very beautiful and popular beach for many.



One of my most favourite places was Stanley harbour and Stanley Market. It was a perfect place to stop for a quick lunch, after walking around in the market.



This street really felt like a street on a tiny island somewhere. It had a lot of pubs and restaurants with a seaside view. I wish I a bit more time to sit down for a drink.



After Stanley market, I went to Aberdeen. I took the Sampan ride, that comes included with your Big Bus ticket. There you can find the Jumbo Kingdom floating restaurant. Apparently you can find some good, but more expensive seafood here. There is also a bit of a themed park next to it.



You can also find the boat houses of all the fishing families, in Aberdeen. There are a lot of families, living on their boats in this little bay. They even have dogs living with them on these floating houses. It makes you think just how lucky you are when you have a normal home, even if it’s not big.

DAY 4

My second last day I spent to go see the Giant Buddha at Nong Ping. I took the cable car ride, which was amazing. The cable car ride is 25 minutes and overlooks the beautiful countryside. Unfortunately the pollution was setting in and making the views a bit dim.

Overall Experience

In April I had to do my work Visa for South Korea, in Fukuoka Japan. This is my experience.

Starting out on my journey, I was very excited. Never in my life have I really traveled, let alone gone to Japan. On this trip I was lucky to experience my first Ferry trip as well. I took the overnight Ferry to Fukuoka which turned out to be a cheaper and very good option. First of all, you have a gorgeous panoramic view of the Busan Harbor at night. The Ferry left for Busan to Fukuoka at 10pm.


I immediately got on a bus and made my way to the Korean consulate. Armed with my Nikon camera and my iphone I was very happy to take a lot of shots as I moved along. This was my first time in a bigger city with this kind of public transport.
 We crossed a bridge on our way to the consulate, which had a great view of the city and harbor. We arrived at the consulate with a guard standing outside. I took a picture of the consulate, but was immediately told that it wasn't allowed. I then took a picture of the nice Yahoo dome, just down the road.




 I found my Hotel on the other side of Hakata city. It was midday by now, and it was getting hotter. As soon as I dropped of my bags, I made my way back to the buses to see what the city held in store for me. My first mission was to get to the Castle Ruins in Ohori Park! I got of the bus and saw the most beautiful sight I've seen in a long time. All the cherry trees were in full blossom! It was spectacular.

 I couldn't believe my eyes as I walked around the park. It was amazing to see how people just spend their day under the cherry trees and enjoyed the beauty of it all.

 The Ruins itself was beautifully situated. It was on top of a hill and overlooked the city once you got to the top.





 I then made my way to the Canal City Shopping mall. It was a beautiful structured building and full of life and just had a buzz to it. I wished that I could do some more shopping there. At this point I walked my feet into a coma and they just refused to walk any further.


I went back to the Hotel at 7PM to have a little dinner and rest my feet.



Later that night I walked around again, but it was only a short while until it started to rain. One store I would recommend seeing is Yodabashi electronics store. It was level upon level of gadgets and electronics and had a lot of sales of really cool stuff.



The next day was raining again and after walking a lot the previous day, I decided to spend my time finding a place where I could sit and use a little bit of internet.

I had to pick my Visa up at 2PM and make my way back to the Ferry to catch it at 3:30, but the ferry was canceled due to bad weather, so I had to fly back. Unfortunately my flight was delayed as well, so I spend the afternoon at the airport. There I met two new American friends and we spend some time in the lounge enjoying our time before our flight.

All and all it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had in my life. I took a lot of pictures, but it can't begin to describe what I experienced. It was a combination of everything new, big city, beautiful views, different country, and a song in my head (One short day - Wicked the musical)
It was truly One (amazing) short day experience......

Look out for my next posts. It will feature Seoul and Busan and also coming up will be Hong Kong.