Hong Kong: First day!

So I have now settled in Hong Kong! I arrived at 5pm yesterday local time and caught the bus to my accommodation, which is in Mong Kok; right in the heart of Kowloon (bustling, populated living/working area of Hong Kong). For those who don't know, Hong Kong is separated into different parts. Kowloon, which then extends northwards into outer Hong Kong territories and then Mainland China. Lantau Island, which is mountainous mostly and holds the airport and Disneyland. Hong Kong island, is south of Kowloon and holds the most touristy attractions of Hong Kong and is far more affluent and wealthy.

The temperature was noticeably cooler which I was pleased about. Singapore tired me out very quickly with the humidity. I met the host, who helped me up to my room...I went to bed almost straight away as I was absolutely shattered! First thing this morning, my host and the other two English guests staying in the apartment went for Dim Sum. Dim Sum is small bite sized authentic dishes served in steamer baskets. For example, I ate shrimp dumplings, barbecue pork bun, sticky rice with chinese sausage and deep fried chicken. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before, it was amazing! The place was packed with locals which is always a good sign! On the down side though, my chopstick skills really need work haha! Nic my host even paid for us all! Very generous :)

I then made my way down to the Tsim Sha Tsiu promenade which boasts amazing views of Hong Kong Island... I wondered along the harbour and stumbled across the 'Avenue of Stars', which celebrates the Chinese film industry and it's actors/actresses' and directors. Like the Hollywood walk of fame, the floor is plastered with the names of the famous...As a little extra though, it also has the handprints of the stars imprinted into the concrete! The one everyone was taking snaps of was Jackie Chan..He was born in Hong Kong, but I didn't realise he was so loved! Whilst walking along, I saw the national art museum was hosting a special exhibition of Andy Warhol's pop art. I've never been an artist (those who know me well will know exactly what I mean), but I have become slightly more appreciative of it in the last few weeks having gone to some museums. Pop art is a fairly easy medium to enjoy as it isn't as sophisticated as other forms of art. I couldn't take pictures inside but it featured his early drawings, his classic Campbell's soup pieces, his iconic portraits e.g Marilyn Monroe and also a room completely transformed to represent the Silver Factory. I learnt a lot, and his character and work really does interest me, much to my surprise!

This evening I spent the evening walking the local streets and checking out the 'Ladies Market', which sells mainly sportswear, electronics and clothing. Hong Kong is one of the most populated places per space in the world. It was absolutely packed. It's like Oxford Street in London, but everywhere! The bright lights and the vibe of 'Nathan Road' and it's smaller side roads, is something I have never seen anything like. It is a completely different world to that back home, but also to that of Singapore or Dubai. The markets are full of people trying to flog stuff, all armed with calculators to bargain prices with. One man was even being pulled back by the arm in order to get the sale! They won't take no for an answer! I grabbed some street food from a stall which was selling fried chicken. It was really nice... It's common that the locals here eat the street food as it is extremely cheap and accessible. I have never seen so many places serving food as here...

Tomorrow, I am going to Hong Kong Island to see what that side of the river has to offer :) Should be a good day!

Singapore: The Art of the Brick at the ArtScience Museum.

Right, so I know I only posted a blog last night but what I did this morning was so brilliant I had to share it!  Now despite being 20 years old, I do have a slight thing for Lego... Some of you are probably aware, some definitely won't be! I know that sounds ridiculous but it does kind of fascinate me. I used to spend hours playing with it when I was a kid and I still today can't resist if I see a set hanging about. It's hugely iconic. I enjoy experimentation with it, especially when it is sculpted and presented in ways like I saw today. The exhibition follows American born Nathan Sawaya who uses Lego to create art. He builds a range of models such as Human bodies, Household items, Logo's and even portraits (which are exceptionally clever)!  As the pictures show below he has made some truly amazing things out of standard Lego bricks...

The exhibition shows you his journey from a small set of bricks and how he transforms them into a work of art. It reveals his influences for his work and it discusses whether his work should even be considered art. After all, without Lego he wouldn't have been able to produce his work. You then get to have your photo transformed into Lego Bricks! I found this rather fun and messed about for a while :) After seeing the final piece (A huge 80,000 piece dinosaur which was stunning; and took months to complete!), you were lead into the creativity area where you could step on a huge lego floor, try the finger maze which was impossible, or just have a go at building something.

I was truly blown away by it. If I was a child I don't know what I would have done! It was definitely one of my favourite experiences of my trip so far. That might seem barmy to a lot of people but what can I say, I like Lego ha! I ended up buying the limited edition official book as well because I was so impressed!

To get the general gist of his stuff, have a look at me with the Lego man in the chair:

Here are quite a few pieces of his work...

         

Singapore: Raffles, Marina Light & Laser Show, Hard Rock Cafe & Oceanarium!

So I am entering the last day of Singapore tomorrow! Yesterday, I spent the day on the bus tour taking in some of the areas I hadn't got to visit yet. On the way, I stopped off at the famous Raffles Hotel :) I didn't have a Singapore Sling as the prices are quite hefty and I've heard it's pretty horrible! I instead had lunch there in the bakery which was really posh... I was asked if I wanted a newspaper... very formal! The hotel itself is quite unique in it's look, and it appears modern despite it being very old. The tour said it cost 400$ US dollars a night!

I then went to 'Merlion Park' which is a very touristy area with the famous Lion Statue shooting water into the Singapore River. The views here were incredible... Probably the best I've seen so far this trip! Here's a couple of pictures :

Yesterday evening I went to see the Marina Bay water and light show. This was amazing and potentially better than the Burj show in Dubai! They spray up a cloud of mist which then has images and lasers projected onto it. It was really clever and fascinating to watch. There was fire balls, water shoots, bubbles, fireworks... really worth seeing! I also ate a Nanyang Nasi Lemak which is a signature Singapore dish with rice, fried chicken and finish with a spicy paste. Probably the best thing I've eaten so far, it was so so good!

So today I decided I would head back to Sentosa Island as I didn't get to see it all the other night... Like I said I couldn't resist going to Hard Rock Cafe :) Had a bbq pulled pork sandwich :) I always love it in there, they had Beatles vinyls and pictures of Nirvana, Gwen Stefani and Guns n Roses amongst others :) They played Coldplay, Jamiroquai and Arctic Monkeys which I was very happy about being probably the only English person in there!

Walking up and down the island was seriously wearing me out (very hot again today), so I decided to part some cash and go into the Oceanarium/Aquarium, which is officially the biggest in the world! It was seriously cool and made Bournemouth's look stupid! Being in Asia I obviously saw fish from the Pacific Ocean and the Arabian Sea rather than the usual Atlantic stuff I have seen before. It took you from the smallest of fish to the larger ones, then stingrays, crabs and sea-horses, starfish (which I actually got to touch in one area), jellyfish (still the weirdest!) and then finally sharks... It built you up to the sharks at the end with them being the last things you see before leaving. The place was heaving but it's a great place to visit. The whole aquarium is surrounded by an 'open ocean' giving the fish masses of space to roam wherever they like. Really quite unique :)

So tomorrow is my last day! In my room of 6, I have just been joined by 5 chinese girls after everyone else moved out! Ha! I fly on Tuesday to Hong Kong so I am getting myself ready for that... Not long and I'll be settled in Australia where I stay for nearly 2 weeks, before starting the very slow journey towards home! I would have to say Singapore and Dubai is too close to call. Singapore slightly just edges it for me; simply because it's more cultured and there is slightly more to see that interests me. I like the idea of an urban city but also one that boasts lush green landscapes like Singapore does. It is probably the prettiest place I have ever been and certainly the cleanest. Yesterday a young child in a pram dropped there plastic spoon for their ice cream. Without knowing, their parents carried on down the street. Only one person passed before a local man, who looked in his 60s bent down and put it into the bin. They have a level of care and respect that is beyond our realms. Very telling...

Singapore: Botanic Gardens, Orchard Road, Sentosa and Singapore Zoo!

 I have been very busy the last two days seeing loads of Singapore in quite a short space of time :) Yesterday (24th) I had a much needed lie in, then headed over to the Botanic Gardens. Now, I'm not one for plants or flowers (daisies, lilies, sunflowers are about as much as I know haha!) but this place was really beautiful. It was very peaceful and it's treated with respect from the locals. This isn't a park to come and have a picnic or play games, it is truly a peaceful place to think or relax. I then paid a small fee to go into the National Orchid Garden (I know this sounds crazy. Me, in an Orchid garden enjoying myself)! It was well worth it though... Every single type of slower or plant was labelled with descriptions. Must have been thousands! Well worth the visit...

I then visited the famous Orchard Road which is the fashion street of Singapore. It had all the top names like Gucci, D&G etc. It was similar to Oxford Street in many ways, just an Asian version! I don't have wads of cash to spend on aftershave and suits so it was great to see but wasn't a lot that I could do there...

That evening after returning for a shower (still so hot, nearly 35c ahhh), I went to the Harbourfront and then the amazing Sentosa Island, which is a tiny little island holding some amazing attractions. Universal studios Singapore is there, Sea World, Singapore Hard Rock Cafe and some great Bars and Restaurants :) I had a quick walk around but I was short for time and had to head back. Think I'll go back again before I go (Can't resist a hard rock cafe!)

That brings me to today which was amazing! I went to Singapore Zoo which is one of the best in the world! I saw everything you'd expect, but mainly asian and african animals. It's amazing how many things you see that you didn't even know existed! Also, it's incredible to think just how many animals there are... You forget easily and just remember the big names so to speak. It was weird seeing an Elephant (which you could ride!), Giraffe, Rhino, Cheetah, Leopard,Tiger, Lion, Penguin etc up close... Was my first time! Not a fan of baboons though... how peculiar! There were two live shows, the 'Rainforest strikes back' which was a selection of animals climbing around the stage. My favourite was the second show which was 'Splash Safari', which was a Sea Lion performing tricks and generally getting everyone drenched. I had no idea just how intelligent and clever they were! They could even clap and hide there face for their trainer! When looking at the kangaroo's there was a piece of Steve Irwin. He was a close friend to the zoo and was there regularly. It said how much they loved him and how they miss him. He was very exuberant and passionate and he cared so much for animals. It was very sad actually. Then this evening, I did the night safari which is a tram ride in the dark with the wild animals not in the zoo, on display... Was really amazing being so close. A deer seemed to like me a lot and nearly boarded the train!

Singapore is a very lovely place. The people are the kindest I've ever met. Everyones smiles at you, everywhere. You walk into a little shop and you are greeted and smiled at instantly. It's different to back home. Next couple of days I plan to do the bus tour to see more and hopefully even a trip to Raffles Hotel! I have a quite a few photos from today :) :

This Baboon clearly wants to be a DJ.

This isn't Santa - It's an Orangutan :')

Zoo Staff holding a giant snake. Guy at the end on the right clearly hates everyone in the crowd taking pictures.