Wonder of the Week: Breathing Underwater!

That's me - giving the "OK" sign!

Today I officially became a PADI certified open water diver! The course consisted of 2 days of work in the pool, an e-learning program and 4 open water dives, which I completed here in Hong Kong (Sharp Island, Sai Kung). 

While the visibility wasn't great, we still did see some cool fish and coral and even eel and a trumpet fish. I was amazed by how comfortable I was in the water and how easy the breathing was. Because I was going for my certification, I had to complete certain tasks, such as hovering mid water to practice buoyancy and breathing with an alternate air source. I've also learned how to use the dive charts and navigate underwater using a compass. 

Coming Up...Next week we're off to Malaysia to explore the amazing underwater universe, trek up Mount Kinabalu (SE Asia's tallest mountain) and go white water rafting! And you thought I was a city girl....

Staycation: Beach Camping In Style

This weekend Pat and I took a little staycation with a few friends. Our destination: beach camping at Palm Beach (Lower Cheung Sha Beach, Lantau Island, Hong Kong). 

Palm Beach is my dream come true and if I could spend every weekend there, I would. (In fact, only 45 minutes from home and at a pretty cheap rate, just maybe I can!).  This is no ordinary camping – no pitching tents and hanging bear bags – this is glamping at its best. Teepees that sleep 8 come equipped with air coolers and sleep mats, a small kiosk sells cold water, ice pops and beer and plays beach tunes all day long while surfboards, kayaks more are available to rent by the hour. 

Saturday was a perfect beach day filled with stand up paddle boarding, reading, swimming and lounging with friends. 

At around seven we motivated, still donning our bathing suits and sarongs, and made the six-minute walk down the beach to The Stoep,  an awesome beach restaurant serving up South African braai (bbq). Greeting us at the restaurant was a herd of cattle sitting right out front, just taking in the view on the beach.

Pat in front of The Stoep with his new friend.

These guys parked it on the beach and stayed well past sun set.

A few hours of eating and many pitchers of sangria later, we headed back to camp (sporting our newly purchased headlamps to ensure we wouldn't trip over cattle!) where we made s’mores, danced on the beach, took a night swim and even had an impromptu sumo wrestling match with a group of French campers (weird, but true).  Among the many awesome moments of the night was swimming with phosphorescence in the ocean, which caused us to all light up and sparkle as we swam (and squealed) late night in the South China Sea.  I had never seen this phenomenon before, but it was truly one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.

Here's an example of the phosphorescence! Pretty cool stuff.
photograph courtesy of facebook.com/microbiologynews

 And the best part was, once we finally got to bed, we got to wake up the next day right on the beach and ready to do it all again!

 

Summer summer summertime....

A classic junk boat sets sail in Victoria Harbor

Summer is in full swing and it's officially really f&*%ing hot!!

If we were in NY we’d be running off to Montauk every weekend. I miss it there and all of our friends and favorite spots (long waits at chowder house, lazy days at Ditch, Saturday mornings at Love, cookouts + clambakes, fishing off the pier, bocce ball + pro kadima matches and so much more….)

BUT here I am in Hong Kong! You might be wondering what we do here to escape the heat? We go on junk boats!  (For those Bachelorette fans out there, you may remember the dramatic night junk from Ashley's season).

Me and Pat and on our way to a
cowboys + indians themed junk!

Pat diving off the top deck.
A junk favorite!

It seems like you could go on one every weekend if you play your cards right. In fact, we've already been on 5! They’re usually organized by one or two people and have anywhere from 15-30 friends onboard (a great way to meet people, too). Depending on the weather, the boats sail to different islands around HK and then anchor for a day of swimming, eating, drinking and playing (yes, it's sort of like spring break - but better)! It’s an awesome way to spend the day and an even better way to see Hong Kong.

Before going on my first junk, our friends warned us be prepared to fall in love with HK. As if I hadn’t already!

 Here are some pics from our junk trips! Stay tuned for more as we get our sea legs wet!

Nice form! Notice the beach party happening behind the boats. We swam ashore to join in.

This was our first junk. It was a rainy morning but the afternoon cleared up.

We watched the Dragon Boat Races from an anchored sailboat in Stanley. It was a great day on the water!

A gorgeous sunny day! What's not to love?

A rainy junk day - just as much fun and less spf required!

Yep. This is how I've spent my weekends. Not bad for a Saturday....

There she is - the beautiful Hong Kong. Hong Kong Island is on the left and Kowloon is on the right. 

Why Hello, Big Buddha

Perched high on Lantau Island, Big Buddha is the largest, seated, outdoor bronze Buddha in the world! While it is absolutely a tourist trap (built in 1993!) it’s still a really cool attraction here in HK. Read more about how they built this gigantic Buddha here. Apparently the head alone weighs over 11,000lbs!

Feast your eyes on these pics and be sure to come with your battery charged on your own visit!

How to get there:  MTR from Central Station to Tung Chung Station, followed by a 25minute cable car ride high above the water and the mountains - opt for the glass bottom gondola (YIKES!).






A short walk through the souvenir shops in Ngong Ping village (left).

Finally up 200 plus steps to come face to face with Buddha himself (below).

After Buddha, recharge your batteries at the vegetarian restaurant and stroll through nearby Po Lin Monastery.

Namaste
xoGillian 

Chi Lin Nunnery + Nan Lian Gardens

Nan Lian Gardens with apartment buildings all around.  Check out that amazing orange!

One of my favorite things about Hong Kong is that, while you’re in the middle of a giant city, you can always find an escape. In these oases it’s easy to forget that you’re in the epicenter of a bustling metropolis. And then you look up and all around you are cement buildings and skyscrapers and malls. But for just a moment, you could have been a million miles away.

Chi Lin Nunnery

Amazing architecture and greenery

Recently I took an afternoon trip to the Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden in Kowloon. The Nunnery and Garden boast beautiful grounds, maintained to a T. The Nunnery was founded in 1934 and rebuilt in the 90's in traditional Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907AD) architectural style. That means that they are built without any iron nails and there are special interlocking systems cut into the wood to hold the buildings together! Pretty amazing. The Nunnery buildings are the only buildings in Hong Kong built using Tang Dynasty techniques.  Inside are massive gold statues of Buddhas and goddesses. They are awe-inspiring.

The Garden, built in 2006, was built in the classical style of the Tang Dynasty.  The position of each structure, rock, plant and tree in the garden was perfectly crafted to accommodate the rules of the Tang style.  It’s a gorgeous area to stroll through or to relax in the shade and escape big city living.

Beautiful gardens and ponds

Hard at work maintaining the feng shui of the tree!

Visitors at The Nunnery

Island Hopping: Tai O, Lantau Island

Yesterday I had a breakthrough. This may sound strange, but yesterday was the first day I actually realized I was living in Asia.

It is true. I have been here almost 7 (gasp!) weeks now.  And you would think that living in a city where the majority of people on the streets are Chinese and are speaking (aka yelling) Chinese, I would have realized this a lot sooner. But the truth about Hong Kong is that it is a world city. It is incredibly international and modern and you’d be hard pressed to walk through downtown Hong Kong without passing a Cartier or a Louis Vuitton while sipping your Starbucks soy latte and feeling just like you’re on 5^th Avenue.

Mangroves and mountains in Tai O.

My breakthrough happened on my third and final Foon Ying trip to Tai O, an old fishing village on the northwest coast of Lantau Island. From Hong Kong Island, Tai O is a 30-minute ferry ride to Mui Wo and then a 45 minute bus ride. The bus ride was beautiful, taking us along the coastline, winding around foggy mountains, and even stopping as cattle crossed the roads.

Tai O is known for its stilt-houses (pang uk in Cantonese) and all along there are hundreds of homes sitting high above the water. I’ve heard this town referred to as the Venice of Hong Kong, but I’ll let you be the judge of that! It was amazing walking through the community and peering into the home’s open doors, where you would see men playing mahjong or napping and elderly women sitting on the stoop, laying shrimp on baskets to dry in the sun.  Because this is a fishing village, the streets are lined with market stalls selling both fresh and dried fish and the town’s popular shrimp paste.

I’ve heard that Cambodia and Thailand have areas that feel very similar and I can’t wait to start traveling to check them out. But yesterday, just an hour and a half after eating my imported Greek yogurt in my air conditioning, there I was in this amazing village. I could have been a million miles from home. But I wasn’t. I was in Hong Kong. Where I live. Amazing.

In case you were worried that my awe would inspire me become a Buddhist nun, fear not. We finished up the day with a glass of wine at the brand new Tai O Heritage Hotel, Tai O’s refurbished police station. The hotel has only nine rooms and is truly spectacular, boasting beautiful architecture, stunning views and an absolutely tranquil environment. I’ll be putting my name down on the wait list for a room but rumor has it the wait list is 2 years long!  So for now I’ll have to settle for a day trip now and then. I think I can handle that.

Check out the bamboo scaffolding used for construction.

Behind the Scenes at Ocean Park

On Friday I joined the AWA for a behind the scenes tour of Ocean Park. Located on the south side of HK Island, Ocean Park is an aquarium, zoo and amusement park rolled into one.  Known for its large crowds of mainland Chinese visitors, many of my friends have avoided visiting Ocean Park. This b.t.s. tour was an awesome way to visit, granting us access to employee only areas, including the Ocean Park animal hospital, the dolphin training facilities and the lab where they breed their own jelly fish!

Our day started at 9:45 where we were met by Ocean Park’s Executive Director Zoological Operations and Education, Suzanne Gendron.  Suzanne spent the majority of the day with us, walking us through the big exhibits in the zoo and aquarium and pumping us full of facts about the species and the specific ways in which OP cares for them. It was some pretty amazing access.

Our first stop was the aquarium, where we saw hammerhead sharks, bluefin tuna, mackerel (all pictured below) along with turtles, rays, parrot fish, unicorn fish and more! The fish are fed thawed frozen fish multiple times a day. To ensure that the sharks are happy and full (and avoid any tank disasters!) they are hand-fed 3 times a day. 

Next stop: pandas! There are two pandas at Ocean Park and they are kept happy by the park's home grown bamboo. OP grows 3 types of bamboo to ensure that they are able to offer the panda's a variety in their diet! This guy was taking a nap in the shade and pooping simultaneously.  Nice life!

Then the penguins! The penguin exhibit isn't up and running yet but our guide was able to bring us to the area where they are housing them until the exhibit is ready. Pictured at left is our group entering the employee only penguin area through a back alley. We peered through a small window to check out the penguins, who were busy swimming and waddling around. 

After a lunch break, we took a train to the other side of the park (you can also take a cable car, seen below). On the other side we saw the rainforest exhibit, where the below kinkajou (also known as a honey bear) was showing off his tricks and the two-toed sloth (above) very slowly made his way across the branches.

....And then the vet hospital where they even preform surgeries on fish! To do a fish surgery, they put the fish on a sponge and use a device that pours waters over the gills of the fish only. Next to the animal hospital are the indoor pools for dolphins. This is used for dolphins that need special attention - pregnant, newborns, sick etc.

And our final stop of the day was a lab where they are breeding jellyfish for the Sea Jelly Spectacular. To the left, one of our guides explains the process and stages of the jellyfish life cycle.  Jellyfish are kept in round tanks, otherwise they would get caught in the corners of a square tank. Notice how small they are behind her  and then how large they can become (right)!  

After the lab we checked out the show, where the tanks were adorned with colored lights and jellyfish danced to a concerto playing throughout the exhibit. 

Sadly, my day was cut short at 5pm when a crazy rain storm caused the roller coasters to shut down for the day! Clearly I'll need to make a second trip back to Ocean Park to check out the rides!