Travel | El's Top 5 Favourite Areas to Shop in Hong Kong (Part Two)

Hello again!

Welcome to the continuation of my list of top 5 places to visit in Hong Kong! If you have not read the first part, click HERE.

Anyway, let's continue on with the shopping wonderland called Hong Kong!

Travel | Stanley Dragonboat Rowing Races at Stanley Beach, Hong Kong

Hello everyone! One of the biggest events that took place in June was the Stanley International Dragon Boat Championships. It is held annually as part of the Dragon Boat/ Rice Dumpling Festival. The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese festival where part of it involves feasting on rice dumplings with braised meat or seafood fillings. The Dragon Boat Festival in Hong Kong is a pretty big event as there are dragon boat races held and you can find rice dumplings being sold in almost every eatery, restaurant and bakery. In Singapore, there isn't much of a hooha over the festival sadly. Thus, it is a rare opportunity to be able to participate in the festivities in Hong Kong!

And so, on a super sunny morning, aka the kind where you will get a tan regardless of the amount of sunblock you slap on, my friends and I headed out to Causeway Bay to take bus no. 40 all the way to Stanley Beach. It costs HKD 10 per ride. The queue was ridiculously long as many people were also going for the event. It didn't help that each bus can only seat 16 people. Imagine waiting for an hour while getting roasted by the sunlight -- not fun.


However, the trip was worth it. Look at the amazing scenery!

Travel | Seoul, Korea 2014 - LOTTE WORLD (TRICK EYE MUSEUM, FOLK MUSEUM)

Annyeong yeorobun!* 

*'hello everyone' in Korean

Here's a question: what's one place that pops in mind when I say Korea?

I know, I totally primed you guys into thinking this.

cr://JY

Did I hear someone say 'Lotte World'?

That's right!

Located in the heart of Seoul, Lotte World Adventure is the one-stop entertainment place for travellers. It boasts of the world's largest indoor theme park; Indoor Adventure (Guinness World Record Holder!), an outdoor theme park; Magic Island, a Korean Folk Museum, a mini Trick Eye Museum, shopping malls, departmental stores, an ice-skating rink, a movie theatre and even a luxury hotel. Getting there is also super convenient as Lotte World is directly connected to Jamsil train station (Seoul Subway Line 2 & 8, exit 4)

And for my k-drama/shows fans, you guys know this is the place where the romantic magic happens. *winks*

When my friends and I were planning the trip, it was basically a toss up between Everland or Lotte World. As you all know, time is never enough when you're on vacation. We could only spare a day for theme park fun so, we had to choose. Lotte World won by virtue of having an indoor theme park (in case of rain) and being in Seoul itself (minimized travelling time) Our choice proved to be wise because it started to pour heavily in the afternoon.

Travel | Seoul, Korea 2014 - NAMI ISLAND

Annyeonghaseyo!* 

                                                  *(Hello in Korean)

That was, and still is, 1 of the few Korean phrases I know before I went to Korea last year in August.  Me heading to Korea would never have materialized then if not for a friend asking if we, my friends and I, would like to go as she can offer us free accommodation in Seoul. So, definitely a huge thank you to her! :)

Funfact: This is the first time in my 22 years of life that I travelled overseas with only friends. Seoul, it was a pretty huge milestone for me.

I spent a total of 13 days in Korea which means a lot of places were visited. 

(Check out #13daysinKorea on Instagram!)

Let's start with one of the most beautiful places I've had the privilege of visiting - Namiseom Island 

(or affectionately known as just Nami Island)

Did you know? Namiseom declared its cultural independence as a self-governing country, Naminara Republic, in 2006  and has its own national flag, anthem, passport, currency etc.