Day 3: So. Many. Observations.

Today, we went to Cheung Chau island in Hong Kong. It was absolutely beautiful. The ferry ride over to the island made me a little motion sick, but that seems to be the norm. I started the morning a little bummed that I couldn't see Lily Singh (aka iiSuperwomanii) at her world tour in Hong Kong that night. It worked out for the best though. I was able to peacefully enjoy my time in Cheung Chau and mesmerize it for it's beauty. The day was a lot slower than the day before. They say people who want to relax and escape the busy life of Hong Kong take a trip over to Cheung Chau. I mean who doesn't want to be on an island with the ocean at their feet!?

Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach

Along with the beautiful nature, I observed a lot of cultural things today. For one, the Chinese are not a fan of eating vegetarian. There is a ton of seafood, which is great for me because I can eat sea food, but I did not feel comfortable eating a lot of it. I worried that there was meat related flavoring of some kind mixed within the food. It is hard to ask at the restaurants whether or not the food has anything meat related mixed within because of the language barrier. The popularity of meat makes the concept of halal food a litter harder to explain to the Chinese people. I chose not to eat food that has any trace of meat, including something like gelatin, which may not be viewed as a meat product to some because it does not have pieces of meat visible. Not eating very much for a couple days made me feel a little sick. There must be food that I can eat and it will take some exploring to find. I am very fortunate to have two Malaysian students studying here in Hong Kong who understand what my concerns are with food. They are helping me find some halal places and also some vegetarian options. I did try mango mochi. It had a dough-like outer layer with a slice of mango in the inside. It was delicious!

Mango Mochi

Smoking seems to be very popular in Hong Kong. In America, people tend to stand in corners and smoke in a more private manner. Here in China, people smoke while walking down the street. I can only imagine the amount of illnesses caused by second hand smoking. There are a good number of people who choose not to smoke, but with the country being so populated, the people who do smoke are very close by. 

The Chinese people are very smart in their multifunctional use of an umbrella. Not only is it useful in the rain, it is protective against the very hot sun. The sun is strong here and the weather is very humid making it very sticky. Any protection from the sun is necessary. A lot of us from America are not used to such hot weather. I have been asked numerous times about how hot I feel wearing the hijab and long sleeves and long pants. Although it is hot, I try my best not to complain about it. I look at the woman wearing a full burqa (long black dress and headscarf) and remind myself that she must feel even hotter than I do.

I also learned a little bit about the Buddhist religion and traditions. The bun festival took place in Cheung Chau. This is the festival celebrating the birth of Buddha. From what I was told, people climb a tall statue to reach the buns on the top.

The buns that people eat in celebration

Location of festival

This is a group of people who were spotted on the island. I was told the significance of their performance included releasing evil spirits



Along with walking, biking is a very popular method of transportation on this island. You have to be very alert not to get run over by a biker!