In each entry of this series, participating RTW travelers highlight one experience or destination they consider a favorite from their trip and share what they loved about it.
Today's #myRTW interview features Nico from Experience It. His long-term trip took him to seven countries over three years including two years teaching English in South Korea. For him, the experience he recalls as a favorite was exploring Hong Kong in August 2012.
In his words, Nico describes his time in the country...
"Although this trip has been a while ago, Hong Kong has been my baseline measure for any trip that I go on, here's why.
It Was My First Time to Leave My Country
Two years ago, I arrived in South Korea to teach English. It was my first time to leave my country and do something for myself. Excited and scared I set out to find adventure. Teaching English in South Korea has afforded me this chance to work and travel more easily. So for my first solo vacation, which was only 6 short days due to short leave, I set out to the amazing city of Hong Kong.
Excitement overwhelmed me when I arrived in Hong Kong. The sky was clear and beautiful, due to a typhoon a few days before clearing out all the dust and dirt. So with clear blue skies I set out to find my guest house. The room was really tiny, more like a closet I suppose, but I knew this would do, as I only needed a place to sleep. I knew that for the rest of the time I'd be walking myself to death. I had 6 days in Hong Kong. I planned to see as much as I could in 4 days and then relax or return to a nice place on the remaining 2 days. So as soon as I dropped of my bags and studied the map, I set out on my adventure.
First Evening - Victoria Harbor Waterfront
For the first evening immediately went "Avenue of stars" located at Vicotria harbor waterfront. Although it was nice to see some things like a statue of Bruce lee, I was stunned and amazed by the beautiful building across the harbor. The modern city skyline shimmering in the sunset as the Chinese "Junk" Boats sailed by with their beautiful red sails. Nothing could prepare me for what happened next. As I waited for the light show of Victoria Harbor to start, a girl(who turned out to be South African) tried to find a place to sit. After making some space for her, we soon started to chat and became fast friends. I then met her friends and spent the rest of the evening with them. One of her friends was orginally from Hong Kong and she took us to this local little restuarant where we had some mindblowing sweet and spicy pork dish. We spent the rest of the evening together sightseeing until it was time for them to go back. A perfect end to a exciting day and a perfect way to start of my trip.
Seeing One of the Biggest Buddha Statues
There is so much to say about this place, in short, I spent the next few days seeing the "replica" of Noah's ark located in Ma Wan island. I did a big bus tour of Hong Kong Island, seeing the "otherside" of the island with beautiful beaches, local markets and colorful harbors and boats. I have amazing memories of driving through the vibrant streets, taking photos from the bus and going to the top of the gorgeous Victoria peak overlooking Hong Kong. I also made a friend on "Couchsurfing" and we went exploring the stunning fishing village of Sai Kung, with beautiful sunsets and fantastic local cuisine. And also seeing one of the biggest Buddha statues on top of a mountain.
The six days that I had spent in Hong Kong will forever be my benchmark of travel. The friendly local people as well as travelers I had met on this trip. The friends that I had made. The amazing sights and food. Hong Kong will be the place for me to return to as soon as I can. It has a lot to offer and experience.
If you'd like to see more photos from my trip to Hong Kong. Please Visit my albums on Google+:
Hong Kong Part 1 - http://goo.gl/ghu9It
Hong Kong Part 2 - http://goo.gl/L40xw3"
Check out more great photos and stories from Experience It on social media at the following links:
Twitter - Pinterest - Instagram
Join in! Are you a traveler who has been on a RTW adventure, has an amazing experience or destination to share, and would like to participate in this series? Email us at jeremy@livingthedreamrtw.com to receive the prompt for the post!
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