Pauline Kersjes | Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Asia Travels
Hong Kong’s wonderful
location was one of the main reasons I chose it as a destination for my
semester abroad. It is so central in Asia that a lot of exchange students,
including me, got the chance to travel to more cities than we could have ever
hoped for. Plane tickets are incredibly cheap compared to tickets from Europe
to Asia, so of course I took my chances as well.
Recommended by many
locals, I took the trip to Macao in only my second week of the semester. A
wonderful experience with many fantastic hotels, casinos, clubs and regrets the
day after…
A couple of weeks
later, I got to experience local life in Guangzhou. A friend of mine has a family there and were so kind to invite us to
their home. A wonderful opportunity to experience the actual Chinese life
instead of just seeing it from a touristic perspective. We got to try the local
food, such as dim sum and luyu and did karaoke until the early morning.
I must say I completely
turned into a tourist again when I visited Shanghai not long ago. This city was
overwhelming to me with its long shopping streets and beautiful skyline. It was
cool to experience the difference between Shanghai and Hong Kong first-hand. I
was surprised by its peace and quietness and loved the atmosphere there! I
enjoyed staying in a hostel, since it gave me the opportunity to meet many
people from all around the world, with whom I played ping pong and drank some
beers at the rooftop in the evenings.
What I probably enjoyed
most was my four-day trip to Taiwan. I visited Taipei for two full days and
explored the area, with some great villages, waterfalls and hikes the two days
after. I loved the street markets and the friendly people who came to help us
even when we tried to only frown a little.
Now the semester is
almost over, which makes me happy and sad at the same time. I am sad to leave
this amazing country, but also happy since I get one more chance to travel. I
will spend two weeks in Bali with my boyfriend and then visit Thailand for
three weeks with a friend. Can’t wait!
Travelling across Asia
has taught me a lot and I am very grateful for that. I will miss it, but never
forget it. Thanks Hong Kong, you were great!
