DAY 9: FIRST DAY IN HONG KONG

July 13, 2017

Hi World,

Hong Kong is beautiful. It was recently of British territory as of 20 years ago so Hong Kong never had the one child policy and it was considered separate from China for a long time. Therefore, Hong Kong feels more western than most Chinese cities. Eventually, Hong Kong was given back to China and is now communist. Though the people have little tax, the cost of living is very high considering there is a large population, so there is a high demand and low supply of living space. An average person will live in a couple hundred square foot high rise for around 400,000 US dollars. Some cannot shower without completely soaking other areas of the room and literally have to gate their belongings so they will not get stolen in the daytime. Beside the high cost of living, education is free or with a nominal fee. It is VERY hard to get into a university in Hong Kong. When one is a student they must take an entry exam in 11th grade and a major exam when graduating from high school. The universities do not even regard the grades from high school, they solely rely on your SAT score to determine whether you get into any college at all. Since most colleges are community it means the competition is very high. In Hong Kong, students must know what profession they want to continue at the age of 15 because that will determine what test they will take. The medical science exams are the most difficult to pursue. The universities only select the students that receive an A on their exam and to receive an A one must get a 99% percent in competition with others. To put things in perspective, it is more difficult or equivalent to even get into any university in Hong Kong as it is to getting a acceptance letter to Harvard University in the US. So many students do not even get a university education and must start a career from high school. The only stipulation is the more money you have, the more times you get to retake the test.

As we say goodbye to our new boyfriend Kevin (who I will say called me a princess), we say hello to Hong Kong and to our new tour Guide Rosita. The aura was already different. Hong Kong was cleaner, with frequent blue skies, clean air, ocean view, and more American people. The toilets, however, were still holes in the ground (to a certain degree), and the crowds maintained their appearances. We started the day with a lavish breakfast at the Island Shangri-La for a mix of Asian ad classic American food. Our first sight was the Victoria Peak, which was basically the most beautiful panoramic view of Hong Kong. We took some good picture, I bought a Burberry hat, so far I was liking the city. Next, we viewed Stanley Beach on the mountainous coast of the Island on our way to a short river trip to the restaurant called the Dragon Court. We had our typically delicious meal of dim sum of all kinds, shrimp and duck, and pork sandwiches which a mango tart to top it off. Finally we went to a local market for some more shopping mostly for beautiful local art pieces and calligraphy, before heading back to the hotel for some relaxation time. We sure took advantage of the facilities as the boys enjoyed the spa while mom and I sat by the pool!

Be Brave Today

XOXO

Lyricallivi