THE SWAGGY GROUP 1 FAMILY: My Hong Kong Trip! (By: Jeanette)

My holidays are spent in a much more interesting way then a normal student. Aside from going back for cca and projects, in November, I went to Hong Kong with my family. Initially, when I heard about the trip to hong kong, I was not really that interested, since I had been to hong kong before. In fact, I had not packed my bag till a few days before flying off. But I have to admit, this trip was much more interesting than what I had imagined it to be. I visited many different places and learnt more about the culture of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is actually made up of many islands, the three biggest which are the New territories, Kowloon and Hong Kong island. There are other small islands, like Disneyland and Chingyi. There is a train system whoch connects all these island, called the MTR. That was my family's main form of transport.

In my opinion, Hong Kong is very much like Singapore. Many buildings, and very modern, yet both countries have their differences. Singapore might be greener in terms of air quality, but Hong Kong is much more considerate. Look around on the street and no litter will be in sight. One thing noticeable in both countries is that everyone is always rushing around. The pace of life is very fast. However, I as a tourist can take life at a much more relaxed and casual pace.

When someone mentions Hong Kong, usually the first thing which pops up in your head is Hong Kong Disneyland. As a tourist, it is a must for me to visit Disneyland. In Disneyland, you will be able to see many families from China. It is not surprising, since part of Hong Kong, the new territories, borders with Shenzhen. Disneyland is very fun, I have to admit. It truly deserves the title "the happiest place in the world". I have taken all the rides there. Yes, it is possible to tour the whole of Disneyland in one day, even after expanding last year, since compared to other disney lands around the world, this is considered small. But nevertheless, the fun experience remains the same. There was a new ride which was built just last year. It is called the mystery manor, which is a ride around an ancient house. It might sound boring, but the ride is very exciting. In fact, my brother and I liked it so much that we took the ride thrice! Another ride my whole family enjoys is a ride called "it's a small world”. You can tour all continents in this ride, with the song "it's a small world” playing in different languages. As you can see, the name of this ride is after the song "it's a small world". This ride is very soothing and pleasant, as it is on the water slowly riding, giving a sense of peace while watching doll figures represent people of different countries. My favourite is actually the small ice-cream booth outside the ride. Ice-cream might seem simple and nothing extravagant, but for someone with a sweet tooth, ice-cream never gets boring. And a fact I found out in Disneyland, the sparrows never eat ice-cream, but they eat the ice-cream cone. Unfortunately for the cleaners, many children dropped their ice-cream and just leave it there. We should alway be considerate people and do our part for the environment. When we can help, like cleaning up our spilled ice-cream, we should do so, as ice-cream is sweet and can easily melt, attracting many insects like ants. Another favourite of Disneyland is the fireworks, which start at 8.00pm. The fireworks are magnificent, with disney theme songs like beauty and the beast and Mickey Mouse playing as the fireworks light up the sky. To many it is just fireworks, but as a Singaporean, fireworks are quite rare since it is against the law to use fireworks unless it is on a special occasion. No one is ever too old for fireworks, even my parents enjoyed the fireworks display very much. Although it is like Black Friday in America when the fireworks display is over, the experience is worth it.

Hong Kong also has its traditional Chinese culture embedded in different parts if the country. One example is the temples and monasteries. In Hong Kong, I have been to two monasteries and temples. One is Wong Tai Sin and the other is Chi Lin monastery. The names might sound odd, but it is a translation from Cantonese, since in Hong Kong, the main language spoken is Cantonese. There is a vast difference between the two places. Wong Tai Sin is a Taoist temple, with many people praying. It is loud and boisterous with many people standing beside the statues taking photos. I was one of them. When you enter the temple, you will be greeted by the twelve mystical creatures. Since I am born in the year of the dragon, I took a picture beside the dragon. My family also managed to see the monks walking out. I also remember, my father wanted me to take a picture with a statue. He thought that it was a statue of 孟子, a famous Chinese. It was actually 月岁, the god of weddings, witnessing the marriage of a couple. My mother and my brother had a good laugh about it. I also visited the Chi Lin monastery. It practises Buddhism, and is very peaceful and serene, unlike Wong Tai Sin. Chi Lin monastery is a very beautiful place, with many beautiful plants. If you go further in, there will be statues of Buddha, from the first one to the most recent one. Buddhism originated in India, however there is a close relation to the Chinese culture. At the temple, an Indian man received a phone call, and in front of Buddha he talked loudly. His other companions made no move to ask him to be quieter and be more respectful. I feel that it is very rude. It is a monastery, we should be respectful and not talk loudly, and not to include that he is in front of Buddha. Opposite Chi Lin monastery there is a very beautiful garden, with many plants and ponds. It is very peaceful, and calming. I felt very at ease. There is also a vegetarian restaurant and cafe. My family had a snack in the cafe. Although our snack was quite simple, butter toast and coffee, for me water, it is refreshing. Everything is very simple and light, very serene, like the monastery.

Hong Kong also has its share of western culture, like western food and products. It is not surprising since it was under the British rule before 1997, as Hong Kong was given to Britain for China lost against Britain. Its British influence is most probably the reason why the Hong kongers are fluent in English. They also have western companies, like America's Apple store. My family had taken a boat to Shuam Shui Pom where we saw the Walk of Stars. It is like in Los Angeles, where famous Hong Kong actors and actresses have their handprints, footprints and signature imprinted into the sand. It was interesting, as we put our hands to see if the hand size matched. Occasionally, my parents would exclaim that this actor or actress acted in a famous show during their generation. My brother and I would listen as they laughed and recalled their childhood memories. We also saw some more recent actors like Bruce Lee.

Hong Kong is not all riches and extravagance. In places like Mongkok or Shuam Shuai Po, there are still some run-down places with poor people. I remember hearing a saying about Hong Kong, " The richer the rich, the poorer the poor." . For example there still are street side stores selling items like newspapers. Not everything about Hong Kong is perfect, many shows and newspapers have reported about the poor living conditions of the very poor Hong kongers. I saw the apartments, which seem so small and run-down, yet house so many people. I live in a house with only my father, mother and brother, and cannot imagine how cramp it is to live in the size of my living and kitchen with ten other people. Like singapore, Hong Kong is also a small country. They also have very tall apartments, some which have twenty stories. There are also streets with many shops near these apartments. Especially at night, it is bustling with people. It sells many items, ranging from clothes to toys and umbrellas. Although some products might be fake, but it is still very nice and besides, it is not a must for everything to be the best.

One famous thing about Hong Kong is its food. I think in the week I was in Hong Kong I gained so much weight. The food is simply just so delicious. I ate their chicken rice, oily and sinful but mouth-watering. They are famous for their milk tea, and I also remember drinking pantyhose tea. The name might sound weird, but it is very nice. And they really do use a stocking. I believe that no one has worn it before. Many Hong Kong cafés sell both western and Chinese food, like in singapore. Hong Kong can make anyone on a diet give up. Hong Kong food is just too tempting and delicious.

In this trip, I have learnt much more about Hong Kong, like their culture and tried new food, like pantyhose tea. I had so much fun in Hong Kong! I know that I am very lucky to have a family who can go holiday and bring me to so many places. I will treasure this experience. I doubt I will ever forget about this trip, considering all the photos we took. I have also learnt that Hong Kong is not just about the famous attractions like Disneyland. Without these attractions, Hong Kong itself is still a very intriguing place. With both the Chinese and western culture, Hong Kong is very similar to Singapore, but yet so different. I guess only when up you go Hong Kong you can feel the similarities and differences. Hong Kong is truly a magnificent and beautiful place.