We went on a cultural day tour of Hong Kong, stopping at a street grocery market, a temple, the harborfront, and a nunnery. We also stopped for some dim sum lunch.

The street market was a culture shock for some, not having seen living fish or other animals at their local supermarket. However, growing up with Chinese parents, it was a common sight at ours. My mom always insisted on buying fresh fish.

The Buddhist temple is where people went to give offerings to the dead. They would burn paper ‘money’ and other goodies for their loved ones to use in another form. The also would burn incense sticks so the temple was filled with the strong smell and ashes flew everywhere.

The harborfront was mostly a scenic stop, but it does have an Avenue of Stars, with the handprints of famous Chinese actors such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

The nunnery was unique in its architecture and actually really pretty. The walls were constructed without any nails or screws, just great woodcraft. The inside housed many different Buddhas and of various sizes. It also had a beautiful, quaint garden in the middle of the bustling city.

Dim sum was at a nearby restaurant. The food by my standards was not exactly memorable, but a first for others. Learning to use chopsticks… was interesting to watch. Haha. But it was great to spend a nice (hot) day with the other exchange students, and got to know several different folk that I’ll be hanging out with this semester. :)

Originally posted on halfwayaroundtheworld.studentsgoneglobal.com.