Hong Kong: City to Surf

Hong Kong might not have the annual Sydney City2Surf race but it does share a lot in common with Sydney, it has a great city & beach culture!

Having been in Hong Kong for little over a month now, I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of my time so far:

1. City Life:

Hong Kong is an amazing city! Having seen pictures of the skyline of Hong Kong before, it isn’t until you see it with your own eyes that you realise how beautiful it is. Hong Kong is very densely populated and there are high rises on every corner and you do often need to queue for things but what has impressed me is that everything runs so efficiently. From the subways coming every 2 minutes, to shops that stay open till 11pm, life in Hong Kong is very convenient and you never actually end up having to wait too long for anything!

Below is a picture of the Peak, which offers one of the best views of the Hong Kong Skyline. I recommend going up during the day and at night, you see a completely different view.

2. Beaches and outdoors:

I knew that Hong Kong was a big and busy city before I came here but what I never realised was that it has so many beautiful islands, beaches and hiking trails. In fact from any point in the city, if you look up just past the sky scrapers you see a number of lush green hills and it is often just beyond these that the hidden gems of Hong Kong lie.

Below is a picture of a beautiful beach called Tung Wan, which is on island called Cheung Chau, only a 45 minute ferry ride from Hong Kong Central. On the island you can find beaches, walking trails, fresh sea food and one of oldest temples in Hong Kong. It is just a very small part of the things that you can discover when you get go on an exchange to Hong Kong. 

3. Finally – a few tips about coming to Hong Kong!

• Make sure you sign up for things early, this includes your application to stay in student residence before you get here and once you get here – signing up for the university gym or language classes. There are a lot of things on offer in Hong Kong generally and at City University – but to take advantage of them you do need to get in early!
• Although a lot of people in Hong Kong have a good command of English, but it is by no means universal, so learning a couple of phrases in Cantonese is really helpful.

Ramlah Fakhri

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