Puerto, Manila, KK

25.1.2013

Mr. Donut fans 4 life

It's weird how during traveling you can get attached to random places and things. This time when we got back to Puerto Princesa, it felt almost like coming home. We stayed at the same guesthouse as the last time and the staff remembered us and treated us like old friends. We ate breakfast at the same Mister Donut as the last time, and walking on the main street felt weirdly comfortable and cozy. I guess it has something to do with the fact that when you always change the location and most of the people around you are there only for a brief moment, your mind starts to miss some stability and familiarity.

So if you ever end up in Puerto Princesa City, here's a few things I can recommend. First, DLM Pensionne is a fantastic place to sleep, almost like a homestay, the family who runs it is super friendly. Second, Kalui restaurant is one of the best ones I have been to in SE Asia, great and fast service, delicious food, unique atmosphere. And the third thing is all the second hand flea markets. There are so many and the prices are so low. I don't know where all the clothes come from, but there are shirts and skirts and dresses for around one euro, some of them great quality and some crap of course. We spent hours just going through those shops and I wish I had a bottomless backpack, but sadly it's already 14,5 kilos heavy, so probably it's not a good idea to buy any more stuff.

Dodgy karaoke bar in Puerto

From the tranquility of Puerto Princesa we arrived to the busy, dirty, sinful Manila. This time it wasn't as bad as the first time; we arrived earlier, we were not that tired, and we already knew where to sleep our night.  Also we had met Australian Andrew in El Nido and were supposed to meet up with him for dinner and some beers since we were all in Manila, so there was something worth waiting for and a plan what to do. Otherwise we probably would've just stayed at our hostel, being scared of the street life outside haha. Andrew's family is from the Philippines, and we got a ride from his uncle and cousin to a bar area, then spent an extremely random evening singing karaoke, listening to a terrible live band, and in the end got a ride back to the hostel from a Filipino guy who said his mother is a politician so he can get away with anything. He also told us that the police doesn't care if you drive on when the traffic light is red – and just to prove this he was driving through all the red lights with his massive monster truck jeep. Weird Manila experiences, but it was a very nice evening, a good way to end our time in the Philippines. We also saw street kids throwing rocks at each other, it was a small fight between two gangs, all the participants were around 12 years old. Such a tough life they're living. Manila is not a very happy place to live, too much tragedy all around.

Our Manila gang

Jenny waiting for the bus to the Clark Airport

And as I said in the previous post, we were flying to Kota Kinabalu from Clark, and then heading to Indonesia when we would feel like it. Well, we felt like it very soon. We spent two nights in Borneo, and even though it is a huge island with plenty of things to see, do and try, our minds were already in Indonesia so we were super eager to continue our travels as fast as possible. I can confess that at this point, planning would've saved us time and money, and quite a lot of both. Going with the flow is a nice idea but doesn't always work out as well as I would hope it to work. We were almost desperate to get to Bali, it is actually quite funny how sad and annoyed we felt to be stuck in Borneo with no plan about how to continue. We went to a travel agency where a cool, mother-like middle-aged Malaysian woman helped us to find some flights that would make sense. It is ridiculous when thinking about it afterwards; there we sat with our desperate faces, thinking what to do next, being and looking miserable, wondering how much money we would be ready to spend to get to Bali soon. Horrible how our first world problems seem so big at the moment when they appear... “Oh no, poor me, I'm stuck in Borneo, I want to go to Bali, blah blah blah, my life is so hard, the flights are so expensive, what should we do, oh no it's so hard to decide...” That woman at the travel agency must've thought we were world class idiots. She gave us motherly advice like “You can never get everything on your travels, you just have to choose”, “Don't take drugs!” and so on. After maybe one hour of thinking and thinking and thinking a bit more we decided to take the expensive flight to Bali. Hard decisions of life.

Fish from the fresh market in Kota Kinabalu

Us crying over our ringgits that we paid for our flights to Bali

Our room in KK

We are now on our flight from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur, and later flying from KL to Bali. It is the rainy season in Indonesia, will be interesting to see how we will like it. Seems like half of the people we have talked with love Bali and half of the people think it's overrated. In a few days we will have our own opinion about it and I will let you know how it is ;----)

The Palawan Experience

20.01.2013

Ja matka jatkuu. Tällä hetkellä istutaan minibussissa, suunnataan El Nidosta takaisin kohti Puerto Princesaa. Aika pomppuinen ja mutkainen pahoinvointikyyti tiedossa seuraavaksi kuudeksi tunniksi, joten mikäs sen parempaa ajanvietettä kuin tihrustaa pientä tekstiä koneen näytöltä ja yrittää osua oikeisiin näppäimiin soratien hakatessa autonrenkaita.

Jännä juttu miten El Nidossa vierähti loppujen lopuksi yli viikko ja vielä niin vaivattomasti. Oltiin alusta asti suunniteltu, että Filippiineillä relataan eikä hoppuilla minnekään, haluttiin mieluummin nautiskella yhdessä paikassa kauan kuin että oltaisiin sohittu menemään hurjalla vauhdilla vain siksi, että asiaan nyt vaan kuuluu nähdä mahdollisimman paljon. Yksi yllätys josta oltaisiin kuitenkin ehkä aiemmin voitu ottaa selvää ennen tänne tuloa oli se, miten hankalaa Filippiineillä on liikkua saarelta saarelle. Ainakin mulla oli pääni sisällä mielikuva, että lauttoja ja muita paatteja kulkisi tiuhaan tahtiin, ja niitä voisi nappailla pikkuisilla pesomäärillä aina kun siltä tuntuu. Karu totuus on kuitenkin ollut se, että lautat kulkevat harvoin, maksavat melkein yhtä paljon kuin lennot, matkanteko niillä kestää ikuisuuden, ja kaiken kukkuraksi ne ovat usein täynnä. Lentäminen on siis pakollinen paha. Olisi tietysti ollut mukavaa käydä vaikka missä, erityisesti Visayas-saaret (Boracay!) ja Cebun ympäristö kuulostivat kiinnostavilta, mutta jo pelkällä Palawanilla ja sitä ympäröivillä pikkusaarilla riittäisi nähtävää ikuisuuksiksi. Priorisointia on tehtävä, kaikkea ei voi koskaan saada tai nähdä.

Toinen ylläri on ollut pankkiautomaattien olemattomuus; viimeksi nähtiin sellainen Puertossa pari viikkoa sitten, eikä silloin tajuttu nostaa rahaa, kuviteltiin että kyllä niitä vielä tulee vastaan. Ilman Jennyn luottokorttia matkan kulku olisi ollut huomattavan erilainen, sillä onneksi saatiin nostettua rahaa kahdelta bensikseltä, ja koko El Nidossa vietetty aika rahoitettiin sitten sillä. Nyt Jennyn luottoraja on lähellä ja meillä kolmella on tällä nimenomaisella hetkellä pesoja taskuissa yhteensä noin kolmen euron edestä, joten pidetään peukkuja pystyssä että Puertosta löytyy toimiva automaatti pian. Joskus pieni taustatutkimus ei olisi pahitteeksi, eheh. Toki hätävarana matkassa kulkee jonkun verran Ameriikan dollareita, mutta ne me säästetään oikean pahan päivän varalle. Toivottavasti sellaista ei tule vastaan.

Inkkihinkki ja San Miguel.

Intiimi hetki hyttysverkon alla

Kuva jonka ansiosta tiputin Inkin kameran maahan. Totally worth it.

Tsirbula kastelee kukkia partsillaan El Nidossa.

Plaza Innin rennot hauvat vessan ulkopuolella.

Elnidolaiset tytot ja joku hiussota.

Ollaan myös vähän ihmetelty Filippiinien mainetta superhalpana matkakohteena. Kai se sitten riippuu siitä mihin vertaa, mutta väittäisin ettei täällä ole halvempaa kuin Thaimaassakaan, ja Vietnam ja Laos on selvästi Filppareita halvempia. Osasyy voi toki olla se, että monessa paikassa Filippiineillä turismi ei ole kehittynyt vielä pitkälle, joten kilpailu on vähäistä. Turisteilla ei ole valinnavaraa joten ollaan valmiita maksamaan siitä ainoasta tai lähes ainoasta vaihtoehdosta enemmän. Lentäminen tietysti maksaa myös, ja sen ollessa ainoa järkevä matkustusvaihtoehto rahaa uppoaa siihenkin.

Nukuttiin tosiaan kahdeksan yötä El Nido Plaza Inn -nimisessä guesthousessa, saatiin taas oma kolmen hengen huone josta maksettiin 200 pesoa tyypiltä. Paikan omisti ihana vanha hampaaton filippiinoheppu, koirat ja hipit jolkottelivat pitkin pihamaata, gekot vilistivät katonrajassa ja roskiksissa, ja joku ovela lähiörotta kävi haukkaamassa Jennyn cashew-pähkinöitä yön aikana jättäen jälkeensä vain pari pientä papanaa ja reiän muovipussiin. Meininki Plaza Innissä oli kaikin puolin mutkatonta, öisin saattoi herätä lähialueen kukkojen mielipuoliseen kiekumiseen tai naapureiden kovaääniseen öiseen puuhailuun. Sellainen on El Nido.

Yksi oleellisimmista aktiviteeteista (sukelluksen ohella) El Nidossa on island hopping. Ensin tehtiin Tour A, johon sisältyi snorklausta, laguuneja ja hiekkarantoja, juurikin sitä turkoosia vettä ja raikasta meri-ilmaa. Meille sattui todella symppikset filippiino-oppaat, ja päivä kului nopeasti fiilaillen maisemien kauneutta. Vaikka muuten ruoka täällä on ollut suoranainen pettymys, niin island hoppingin aikana tarjotut tuoreena grillatut merenelävät ja makean mehukkaat hedelmät olivat ihan taivaallisia, ehdottomasti paras ateria Filippiineillä tähän mennessä. Niitä katkarapuja ja fisuja voin sitten muistella kun seuraavan kerran saan eteeni jotain epämääräisen näköistä ja makuista.

Swaggers

Hinkki snorklaa, pulppluppulplulp

Felix.

The Big Lagoon

Bobo

Pari iltaa sitten kun istuttiin Pukka-reggaebaarissa rannalla, Felix (yksi Tour A:n filippiinoista) tuli kysymään jos haluttaisiin lähteä seuraavana päivänä vuorokaudeksi telttaretkelle lähisaarelle, hinta 1500 pesoa sisältäen kaiken aterioista rommiin ja hieman lisää island hoppingia. Tartuttiin tilaisuuteen ja aamulla klo 10 istuttiin taas veneessä suuntana laguunit. Vaikken ole koskaan ollut mikään merikarhu tai vesipeto, niin voisin väittää, että harvassa paikassa on yhtä helppoa olla onnellinen ja unohtaa kaikki mahdolliset päätä vaivaavat jutut kuin puuveneessä turkoosilla merellä, moottorin potkiessa ja suolaveden roiskuessa silmiin. Kaikki muu tuntuu niin kaukaiselta ja pieneltä ja olemattomalta, hetkessä eläminen muuttuu helpoksi. Ainoa huoli on polttava aurinko ja elämän suurin kysymys se, että milloin kannattaisi lisätä aurinkorasvaa.

Meitä turisteja oli retkellä 11 ja paikallisia oppaita 5. Meidän ei tarvinnut paljoa evääkään heilauttaa filippiinojen tehdessä meille kaiken valmiiksi. Välillä se oli jotenkin häiritsevää siirtomaarouvameininkiä kun paikalliset palvelivat meitä minimaalisella palkalla, meidän turistien loikoillessa rannalla laiskasti, odotellen ruokaa valmistuvaksi tai telttoja pystyyn ilmestyviksi. Oppaat myös söivät sivussa keskenään koko päivän, vasta illalla rannalla soihtujen valossa ja rommikolan ollessa pöydällä Felix kysyi, jos saa liittyä turistijengin seuraan. Se tuntui inhottavalta. Miten niin saa? Tottakai saa! Miksi sitä edes tarvitsee kysyä? Ei me olla mitenkään sen ylempänä vaikka ollaankin maksavia asiakkaita. Tasa-arvoisesta Suomesta tultaessa mua enemmänkin vaivaannuttaa se, että täällä asiakaspalvelijat sanovat “Yes, Madam” ja “Yes, Sir” ihan jatkuvasti. Onhan se kohteliasta, mutta en vaan tunne itseäni kovinkaan madamiksi, mieluummin olisin ihan vaan minä.

Paatti jolla mentiin saarelle yoksi.

Leirisaaren autio ranta.

Aamupalapaikka.

Elo on siis sujunut oikein rattoisasti ja kauniissa maisemissa kuten kuvistakin varmaan välittyy. El Nido oli oikeastaan matkan ensimmäinen etappi jossa oli vähän enemmän reissaajayhteisötunnelmaa ja nuoria ihmisiä, mutta samalla paljon paikallisia jotka puhuivat hyvää englantia, joten päästiin sosiaalisempaan modeen kuin mitä pari ensimmäistä viikkoa harjoitettiin. Filippiineillä on ollut todella ikimuistoista, rentouttavaa, kaunista ja ihanaa, mutta odotan jo tosi mielenkiinnolla mitä tulevat viikot tuovat mukanaan. Suunnitelmana on nyt viettää kaksi yötä Puerto Princesassa, sitten lentää Manilaan yhdeksi yöksi, ja lentää 23. tammikuuta Malesiaan Kota Kinabaluun, Borneon saarelle. Fiiliksen ja bussi- ja lautta-aikataulujen mukaan jatketaan Indonesiaan kun siltä tuntuu. Kuukausi vielä aikaa – mitähän kaikkea jännää ehtiikään vielä tapahtua, en malta odottaa :D

Engelska: So we ended up spending 8 nights in El Nido. It was a beautiful and chill place, we had a nice room for us three for 200 pesos per person per night in a guesthouse called El Nido Plaza Inn. During our stay we did some island hopping, met some nice new people, enjoyed the sea, and spent one night on an island camping with a bunch of tourists and some Filipino tour guides.

I didn't realize how little time three weeks actually is in a country like the Philippines where the islands and interesting places are far away from each other and the transportation system is not very convenient. It would take at least a lifetime to feel like you've seen it all, now we got only a taste of the country. We've spent all our time in Palawan and soon we're heading back to Manila for one night just to fly to Malaysia from Clark airport. We'll see how long we'll end up spending in Malaysia since Indonesia is where we're really planning on going. But we will keep on going with the flow and see how it works out!

Baywatch in front of another lagoon. But where is David Hasselhoff?

Beaches and other awesome things

Locals taking a nap in Sabang

On the road to a small waterfall in Sabang

12 January, 2013

We just arrived to a town called El Nido, which is in the north end of Palawan island. I'm sitting in a cafe drinking coffee that tastes like it's made from sea water, motorbikes are driving by on the narrow street and being loud, I'm wearing my new hippie pants and they are way too hot, the air is sticky sweaty even at 6PM. J & I went to walk around to see if they could find some good accommodation for us and I stayed here to watch after our backpacks - a good excuse for my laziness.

The days we spent in Puerto Princesa feel like ages away even though it hasn't been even a week since we were there. It was a nice place to hang out for a few days, a cute little town. Not much happened during that time; there was a gigantic spider in our room and one of our hosts came to kill it while we were panicking and screaming (Jenny was standing on the bed, just to be safe), we ate maybe six donuts each at Mister Donut, and just enjoyed the slow and easy living and the uncomfortable hammock at our guesthouse. Sometimes you just might end up having an amazing time in a place which should have nothing special in it. But what's better than eating breakfast for a few hours and talking with your friends about everything important or meaningless that crosses your mind? Days feel super short here. Everything we do takes so much time, never in my normal life I do things as slowly as here; eat, walk, get dressed, write, pack, unpack, talk, brush my teeth. We just have so much time and wasting it feels goooood.

The beach in Sabang

Photo shoot in a tree :'D

After three nights in Puerto Princesa we decided to head to Sabang, since a girl working at the guesthouse we stayed in recommended the place. We took a nice air-conditioned van for maybe 2 hours (200 pesos = 4 euros) and were already there. Four nights there passed by pretty fast without internet connection, Sabang was such a tiny tiny place that there was electricity only from 6PM until 11PM or so, and it was made with an electricity generator that sounded like a motor boat that was just about to start the engine. It was the only sound to break the small village silence in the evening.

So far we've been traveling quite aimlessly, ending up in places, not planning much, and I guess it's working well. For example Sabang was absolutely lovely. We got our own bungalow 10 meters away from the beach, about 15 euros a night (5 euros each). It is one of the best things in traveling when you fall asleep listening to the sea, and when waking up, open the bungalow door and the first thing you see is the turquoise waves hitting the sand so close to your terrace. First we planned to stay in Sabang for a week, ignoring the clock, eating mostly fruits and detoxing in general, but being as small as it is, there were only a few (relatively pricey) restaurants, only small kiosks, and it was actually quite hard to find something to eat at times. So four nights was enough. We got to know a funny Filipino guy called R.J. and we played our Finnish rap song to him. He started calling me a gangster since I was wearing a bandana scarf around my head the way that in Manila means you're a gangster. Maybe joining the local mafia here will be my next step in life?

This morning we left Sabang and took a bus that was supposed to arrive to El Nido in 5 hours. In the end it took us over 7 hours, but that's something you kind of have to get used to, 2 hours extra is considered as a very little amount of wasted minutes in here. And then again, we have no need to hurry :)

Sabang. Our bungalow is the one in the middle

Arrival to the Philippines

Inka and the first hammock of the trip in Puerto Princesa

We're in the Philippines! Holy shit. It is extremely hot, colourful and chill, this trip will most likely be superb.

The beginning was not too pleasant though. We arrived to the Clark airport around midnight and had no plans about where to sleep or what to do. Quite randomly we took a van to a bus station and then a bus (3 euros, maybe 1,5 hours?) to Manila. I felt very far away from home when sitting on the floor of a full local bus, having no clue what is about to happen or what kind of place we would arrive at. At the same time I got some strong flashbacks from three years back when traveling in Laos and Vietnam in those similar local buses in the middle of the night, it was somehow scary and awesome to be in that situation again. During the flight I had been crying because of leaving Hong Kong, but after arriving to a new country, the travel and being on the move just took all my thoughts away from what I otherwise would've been missing.

We got off in no-idea-what-part-of-Manila and took a taxi, trying to find a place to sleep around 1AM. We couldn't find anything cheap, it was pouring this warm Asian rain, we were extremely tired, and the taxi driver seemed dishonest, so around 2:30 in the morning we gave up and took a room which cost 13 euros per person. Quite expensive. At least I slept like a baby that night.

It was surprisingly hard to get out of Manila, since we did not want to fly. Ferry would've been nicer, but all the ferries we wanted to take were leaving on Monday, so after two nights in Manila we just took a flight to Puerto Princesa. I had heard a lot of bad things about Manila, and to be honest I didn't like it either. The poverty and all the homeless people and kids on the streets were quite a lot to handle, it was one of the strongest culture shocks I've ever got. Even in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia I didn't feel this bad anywhere. Of course it is good for people from the first world countries to see how bad the situation somewhere else is, but at the same time it makes me so hopeless and anxious in a bad way. It is so easy to live my little comfortable life in my little bubble without thinking how tragic and unhappy lives other people are living somewhere else... Just so much easier to close my eyes and try not to think about it. I have such a lucky life I can't even believe it.

And the first beach during our trip - Puerto Princesa, local kids swimming and playing around

So now we're happily in Puerto Princesa, and the atmosphere is completely different. This is a nice small village with happy people shouting “HELLO!!!!” to us constantly, tricycles driving around, shops closing early. I know it sounds stupid but I really thought Manila was scary. Puerto Princesa is more friendly and cozy. We've spent our days here making new lyrics to a rap, eating cheap food, sleeping, chatting with ladyboys, shopping second hand clothes (this is a second hand heaven), planning what to do next. Inka and Jenny are so good to travel with, I've got a really good feeling about the next 1,5 months. :)

Local bus style, leaving Puerto Princesa

The last post from HK

I have about 14 hours left in Hong Kong. Feels surreal.

New Year's eve was pretty memorable, I went on a 4-hour boat trip with about 20 other exchange students, saw the midnight fireworks from the sea, and met up with Jenny and Inka afterwards in Wan Chai. Last year I made a promise in Salzburg that this year I would celebrate the new year better than the arrival of 2012, and I guess I succeeded - in a way at least. :D

A happy bunch of people from the boat trip :)

Yesterday we spent the day in New Territories with Jenny and Inka because they wanted to see some local lifestyle, and in Kowloon or Hong Kong Island the atmosphere is totally different than when you get a bit more to the north. One of the best coincidences of my whole exchange happened there: while we were sitting on a bench in a random spot outside a mall, listening to Ruudolf from tiny speakers, my classmate Verline showed up randomly, and I don't know which one of us was more surprised - probably her. After the first surprised shock she asked if we wanted to visit her home nearby, and of course we said yes. I had been there once before, but my friends got a huge kick out of it, seeing indoors of one of the endless blocks of flats. Verline gave us Chinese calendars as a small memory and we were amazed by the Nuuskamuikkunen in the living room again. That was probably the best part of the day.

Yuen Long district + Inka and Jenny posing

Otherwise yesterday was quite terrible emotionally. In the morning I walked with Sandra to the bus station where she took her bus to the airport, and it was one of the hardest goodbyes of my life. The fact that you can never know when you'll meet again is the worst, it makes it very different from those goodbyes when you know you'll be back. When walking away from the Hung Hom station alone, crying my heart out, I got the weirdest feeling of Hong Kong being empty to me after Sandra was gone, so I felt kind of ready to leave myself as well, and at the same time I was so sad to know that the whole experience was over. Only some posts ago I was writing about all the things I won't be missing about Hong Kong, but at this moment right before leaving, I can't help but feel extremely sad. Kathi left for China one hour ago, I'm sitting in our room, old local people are doing their morning gymnastics in the park and I can hear their music through the window. Hung Hom looks so normal, just like any other morning, and all I can think of is that hey, I am leaving today, don't you people know?? Like every day, everyone is going for work, walking to school, but nobody down on the streets has any idea that there's a Finnish girl sitting on the 6th floor in front of her computer writing about them and feeling sorry for herself because of leaving this fantastic city. Funny how my mind has been changing so much during the exchange, at times being so ready to leave already and at times feeling like I wish I could stay here forever... Hong Kong has become one of my absolute favorite cities in the world. Would be great to come back one day.

Anyway, tonight we'll continue our travels to the Philippines, where I'll try my best to get over Hong Kong as soon as possible and start enjoying the new adventures. Yesterday my Fjällräven backpack's zipper broke and I had to throw it away. Another end of an era, it had served me well during the last three years, and I'm afraid there will never be another backpack as meaningful as this one was :D

Probably the next time I'll be posting I can share some beach photos and more positive thoughts with you all, now I'm just tired and overwhelmed from all this.

Goodbye Hong Kong, I will miss you so much.

Finnish invasion

Some Chinese game going on in Mong Kok

I promised to Nina that the next time I'm writing on my blog it will be in English again - so Nina, this one is for you :---)

Life has been good in Hong Kong, many wonderful things have happened since last time I posted. We had a Christmas party at our student halls, which was quite nice, I didn't expect to get any Christmas spirit at all in here but in the end the mashed potatoes, herring in a mustard sauce, salmon rolls & ginger bread actually made me feel at least a bit christmassy. We were just hanging out, enjoying red wine, we even had a (plastic) Christmas tree, got some live music from a few cool local students, and started watching Love actually around two in the morning (such a great movie! Makes me happy every time!). To be honest I really missed home and wished I could have spent Christmas in Finland, but you know, you can never have it all. Of course I am lucky to have the chance to be here and stay in Asia for such a long time, so no reason to complain here. Just thinking of the smell of the (real) Christmas tree in my parents' living room, staying up late watching TV, overdosing ham, and the fact that my family was enjoying these things on the other side of the world without me - well, I guess it's understandable it made me a bit wistful.

This is what our Christmas party looked like in t he beginning of the evening.

A gigantic Christmas teddy bear. I thought it was a bit scary?

Symphony of Lights on Victoria Harbor, on the 26th of December

So after surviving from Christmas, the Finnish invasion started. First Aino came to Hong Kong for a few days, since she is traveling in Asia for some weeks, and on Thursday I went to the airport to welcome Inka and Jenny to Asia. It's cool to have someone to show Hong Kong to during my last week here, it also makes me see things I haven't paid any attention to in a long time anymore and then again making me remember again how it felt to be here in the very beginning. Also I am happy to notice that I have seen quite many places and sides of Hong Kong. I stopped carrying map with me already in October, and noticed that Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are extremely easy to get around as soon as you get even the slightest idea of them. A few tips for future exchange students: use the buses more than MTR and walk around. The distances are surprisingly short.

Just another market stall in Mong Kok.

Some beautiful Chinese lotions & tiger balms & medicine

A random man taking a nap in front of a temple.

Our student halls around five in the morning.

Jenny & Inka finally here :)

The most famous sightseeing spot in Hong Kong: Victoria Peak. Most of the people go there even if they spend
only a few days in Hong Kong, but I went there for the first time the last week of my exchange :'D

Awesome Finnish people on top of Hong Kong.

Asian sunsets...

Walking in Victoria Park and enjoying the space around us.

Milk / bubble teas

Hong Kong has been much colder lately than I ever expected it to be. There's no point in buying a bunch of warm clothes now that I'm heading to the Philippines so soon, so I'm just suffering with my very thin jacket for a while. Today it was also windy and probably less than +10 degrees during the day... And if I ever say anything about the weather being too cold, I get all these "But you're from Finland! You can't feel cold here!" phrases from other people :D

Tomorrow I'm planning on packing my stuff ready to go and celebrating the year 2013 in Hong Kong style. Can't wait to see what the next year will bring!

Sometimes it's hard to understand the point in it all.