We stayed at Pearl Guesthouse in Mirador Mansion on Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, a strange place with various shops and cheap accommodation. There are four different lifts depending on which floor you want to go to as each one went to a different set of floors. We were on floor 15 which meant that we always managed to get in the lift on the way down but sometimes had to queue on the way up. The room was very small and basic but fine for what we needed it for. Enough space for a double bed with storage space underneath and a bedside cabinet with fridge and safe. We also had a tiny bathroom with just about enough space to stand in for a shower. It was all very clean and there was a communal water dispenser and microwave available for us to use as well as free WiFi which just about worked if you stood by the door of the room.
When we arrived we crashed in the room for the afternoon from lack of sleep before venturing out in the evening for a walk down to the harbour where we saw the Symphony of Lights show, getting something quick to eat and then going to Ned Kelly's Last Stand, a jazz club where I'd been with my mum and brother, Fraser, 4 years previously. We only stayed for one drink as we were still tired from the journey but it was one of the highlights of the trip for me. I used to play the piano in my secondary school swing band so really enjoy listening to that type of music live. Alex caught onto this and bought me the house band's, China Coast Jazzmen, album as an early birthday present!
The next day was new year's eve and as we didn't really know what we were doing to celebrate in the evening, struggling to contact our friends who had come down from Xiamen, we didn't do too much. We took the Star Ferry over to Central and have a wander around before getting the ferry back, having dinner at an Irish pub and getting ready to go out. When we left the hotel to go and meet the others it was unbelievable how many people were already out on the streets at 9pm! The new year fireworks took place at Victoria harbour so thousands of people flocked to Tsim Sha Tsui (mainland side of the harbour) to see them. We were meeting our friends at IFC mall on the other side of the harbour and with the amount of people on the streets, police everywhere and MTR (Hong Kong's underground system) stations closed off we were worried we wouldn't be able to get there. Thankfully the Star Ferry was still running and we made it to the roof of the mall before 10pm. This seemed to be a popular place to go as many people had turned up, bringing their own drinks with them, to wait for the firework display. There was also a DJ, bar and ice sculpture which was slowly melting. We decided to claim our spot early as we wanted to be in a good location to see the fireworks. When it was finally time for the display it was very impressive. The fireworks were let off from barges in the harbour after a countdown to 2014 which we unfortunately couldn't see from where we were. We'd already seen them testing it earlier though so knew what it looked like! After the fireworks we went along to a club to continue celebrating.
The next day we attempted to go up the Peak but the queue for the tram was 3 hours so we wandered down to the Mid-Levels escalator instead before heading to Temple Street Night Market in the evening. The day after we finally made it up the Peak after queuing for an hour. The Peak is somewhere you must go to if you visit Hong Kong and we paid the little extra to go onto the Sky Terrace viewing platform. When we were in Dubai I had kept telling Alex that although Dubai's skyline is impressive, Hong Kong still beats it. He did have to agree with me in the end.
That evening we met up with one of my childhood friends, Marisa, for a meal at a Vietnamese restaurant. It was really nice to catch up but made me realise how long ago it was that I left Hong Kong. I mentioned my youngest brother, Ethan, in conversation and then realised that she'd never met him. He was born when we moved to the UK and he's almost 14! It was similar when we met up with another school friend, Hayley, the next day. I am thankful that after all these years we still remain friends despite the distance.
Unfortunately it was then time to go back to Xiamen. Alex and I were booked on different flights back so I went off to the airport on my own, leaving him in Hong Kong. It worked out well though as my uncle who lives in the US was in Xiamen for business but was leaving the next morning to go back to the States. We had a few hours overlapping which meant I got to meet him at his hotel and have dinner before heading back to Xiang'an campus. It was a really good two weeks off from classes and is a bit strange that I'm already off again!
Trekking in Nepal is still the most favorite adventure holiday activity in the country. The two classic trekking routes either to Everest base camp or the Annapurna circuit are not easy and the challenge you'll face on either route will have a lasting effect. The Manaslu route trek around the world's eighth largest mountain is more remote but no less beautiful passing through stunning bamboo forests, villages filled with prayer flags and culminating with spectacular views from Larkya La. Mustang is an easier cultural trek, suitable for those with good general fitness but not necessarily any previous trekking experience. The language, culture and tradition of the Mustang region are still mostly Tibetan making this one of the most culturally interesting treks. There are shorter treks up the Langtang Valley and Helambu which are still hard work but also deeply rewarding. They generally begin in Kathmandu, leading through large grazing areas covered in flowers, dotted with stone huts used for butter making, Sherpa, Tamang villages and the homes of yak herders, right up to the Tibetan border.
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