Indigenous Peoples Culture Park & Buddhist Monastery

Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park

~ Visiting this culture park and seeing various dance and musical performances was one of my favorite aspects of my entire Taiwan experience. There were many noticeable similarities between their performances and those of Polynesian indigenous peoples. This is due to the fact that Taiwan's indigenous peoples belong to the Austronesian group both culturally and linguistically. 

Fó Guāng Shān 佛光山 Buddhist Monastery

~ Fó Guāng Shān aka "Buddha's Light Mountain" is Taiwan's largest Buddhist Monastery located in the Dashu District of Kaohsiung. During our stay at the monastery, we were given a tour of the serene grounds, an introduction into the Humanistic Buddhist teachings by Buddhist nuns, meditated many times throughout the day, and experienced a Buddhist formal dinner (described in the next section). 

A Buddhist Formal Dinner

~ One of the most interesting experiences of my time in Taiwan so far was eating a formal dinner at the Buddhist temple. Before we went to dinner we were briefed on the rules and etiquette. First of all there is no talking once you enter the dining hall. You bow toward the Buddha statue in the front of the dining hall and take your seat quietly. You must wait until after the chant is complete to begin eating. There is a specific place setting and way to align your two bowls and one plate of food to signify to the servers that you either don't want something on your plate or you want more of something. Our meal consisted of a bowl of sticky white rice, a bowl of bamboo soup, and a plate with tofu and green vegetables, and chopsticks of course. Even though it was a plain meal, eating in silence and relatively slowly because of the chopsticks, it was surprisingly satisfying both physically and mentally.

According to our monk guide, the purpose of eating in silence is to be mindful of what we are putting into our bodies and to be thankful for the nourishment it provides. She talked about how when we eat and chat with friends or eat while watching TV, we aren't being mindful of what we are putting into our bodies. If I applied this mindful eating, Buddhist lifestyle to my own life I would certainly lose weight!

Exploring Hong Kong 香港

The TUSA Program is unique in providing multiple resources to learn traditional Chinese through group language classes, one-on-one tutor sessions, cultural classes, and language partners. It also funds and organizes cultural excursions such as our weekend in Taipei and host family stay. The program is two months long with two free weekends that we can use to make our own travel arrangements to wherever we want. So what did my friends and I do with our first free weekend? We flew to Hong Kong of course! 

Note: My family went on vacation to Hong Kong for two days when I was about 9 years old. I loved my time in Hong Kong then but it was a completely different experience years later and traveling with my friends!

First Impressions

~ Immediately upon arrival all of the passengers received welcome packets with loads of free coupons. We went to the "Summer Fun" area to redeem them, each of us receiving different coupons for everything from a 50% off airport shuttle ride to a free 30 minute long "summer makeup" session. Our favorite gift, however, was a yellow duck. "Hong Kong Duck" (its official name) may seem like a childish and boring gift for a bunch of 20-somethings, but we certainly had fun touring Hong Kong with our new friend!

AirBNB

~ My friends and I decided to book an AirBNB for the two nights we were in Hong Kong. It came out to about 26 USD per person for both nights, including free wi-fi, free air conditioning, 5 beds, 1 bathroom, and a small kitchen. The location was perfect because it was a short walk to Starbucks and to the MTR (Hong Kong's subway system). 

MTR (Mass Transit Railway)

~ Taipei and Hong Kong both have incredibly clean subway systems. I didn't see any graffiti anywhere on the trains or in the stations and there wasn't any trash (or gum) littering the floors and walls. Mass transit is definitely the way to go, especially since it's so convenient! Even if you don't understand Chinese, the MTR is very easy to navigate and everything is translated into English or Pinyin (the official phonetic system for transcribing Chinese characters into the Latin alphabet). If you get lost, don't worry because nearly everyone in Hong Kong speaks pretty good English! 

Hittin' the Streets

~ If you enjoy nightlife activities, you should definitely visit Lan Kwai Fong 蘭坊桂 in Central Hong Kong. We met people from all over the world including Austria, Germany, France, Ethiopia, and Somalia! We danced to everything from American pop music to salsa and merengue and ended the night by visiting a hookah bar. 

Note: Drinks in Lan Kwai Fong are pretty expensive ( >10 USD for one shot/drink) and by the time we left the MTR was closed so we had to take a cab.

 HK Custom Tailors

~ We were walking to Starbucks when I noticed a sign for custom tailored suits. My inner-businesswoman prompted me to stop and look at the sign. I read the sign for all of two seconds before I was quickly ushered into the shop and fitted for a custom tailored suit. I ended up purchasing a suit jacket, blouse, a skirt which were all custom-made and ready within 24 hours. Talk about great service! 

 

Victoria Peak 太平山

 ~ Victoria Peak is one of Hong Kong's most popular tourist attractions. It offers incredible views of Victoria Harbour, Central Hong Kong, and Lamma Island.

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 Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade

~ The Promenade is another of Hong Kong's very famous tourist attractions, namely for its beautiful nighttime view of the Hong Kong skyline. Every night at 8pm buildings on both sides of the water put on "A Symphony of Lights" featuring synchronized colored lights, laser beams, and spotlights. Another popular attraction is the Star Ferry which is a short ferry ride across the harbor (about 10 minutes). 

Zàijiàn 再見 (goodbye) Hong Kong

~ Even though we only spent two days in Hong Kong, we made memories to last a lifetime!