127) My China Trip

During my 43-day span in China, I visited Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. Shanghai was my home.

April 3-8: Beijing
April 8 - May 9: Shanghai
May 9-15: Hong Kong
May 15-16: Beijing
May 16: Fly back home

Beijing:
-Hiked Great Wall's section of Mutianyu. (It snowed heavily the day before. It rarely snows over there. Last time was 22 years ago. I witnessed more history.)
-Visited Olympic Park, where the Summer Olympics was held in 2008.
-Witnessed Stephon Marbury’s basketball legacy at his museum.
-Ate exotic food, such as scorpion, seahorse, starfish, and snake, in Wangfujing Street. I was terrified to eat tarantula.
-Explored Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace.

Shanghai:
-Walked the Bund.
-Saw the Oriental Pearl Tower.
-Rode on ferry, then visited the Observatory Tower, which is the 2nd tallest building in world.
-Visited Yu Garden, and Jing'an Temple.
-Observed people at Jing'an Park.
-Stopped over Fairmont Peace Hotel, where famous and known people have visited and stayed.
-Tried a fish pedicure for the first time.
-Enjoyed playing basketball at Rucker Park. (People respected my game.)
​-Stayed at different hostels. I met many locals, travelers, and foreigners.
-Always went for Yang’s Dumplings. Their dumplings are crunchy, tasty, and juicy. (Just right. This spot is the McDonald’s of Shanghai. You see it everywhere.)
-Also, stayed 2 nights at a Couchsurfing host.
-Met a nice lady from England, who I see as my auntie, at a hostel. (She is my mother's age.) She asked me, "What are you doing in China?" I answered, "I have already went to the main tourist spots in Beijing and Shanghai. Now, I want to play basketball." She laughed.
-At another hostel, I met a scientist from the Netherlands, and a school teacher from France. We respected our space. Each of us wandered off and explored alone during the day. Every night, we met up together for dinner and drinks. (Yuh, cheers.)
-Met another traveler at a hostel from Belgium, who I see as my big brother. (Thank you, hostel.) He wanted to visit the French concession many times.
-Met a girl that I really like at French Concession. We went on a few dates together. (Thank you, big bro.)
-Encountered a strange man at hostel. He asked for my credit card information so he can book an Airbnb spot. Also, he wanted me to lend his phone at Observatory Tower. I answered him, "Sorry, I cannot do it."
-My big brother introduced me to a solo kid traveler at 22 years old. He learned a lot from us.

​Hong Kong (Flew from Shanghai to here with big bro. He already has been in HK many times. My big brother accompanied with me in my Hong Kong adventures, except Repulse Bay. He was my great tour guide.):
-Must buy an octopus card. It gets you everywhere in public transit use. (Imagine a real octopus with 8 legs. The name makes sense.)
-Relaxed at Repulse Bay
-Wandered off Soho, where it is a district of various restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
-Walked into antique store. Then, we were kindly invited to their free exhibition museum, where dresses from Xing and Ming dynasty were displayed.
-Ate delicious beef curry at Café de Coral. (This spot is the McDonald’s of Hong Kong. You see it everywhere.)
-Stayed at a hostel, Mojo Nomad Aberdeen. It was more of a co-living spot. People do their own thing over there. Not much of a typical hostel, where people meet each other. (I was able to recover from my rest. No distractions.)
​-Discovered a zoo.
-Ate the best dim sum in Hong Kong at Maxim’s Palace, which is located in its city hall.
-Enjoyed eating at Aberdeen Promenade.

More moments and memories to talk about, but it would be forever to read.

​Honestly, it does get tiring and exhausting to meet new people every day, while I tell them my same story over and over.

A good friend told me something like, "It is fine. Continue on telling the same story every day. Make it better. You are a stand-up comedian."

The hardest part in traveling is the goodbyes. (I will write about this in my upcoming blog entry. Stay tuned.)

See you later.​