Happy New Year from Singapore! After 4 long months of being apart from my loved ones, I finally got to see my boyfriend and family again! Once I finished my last final exam, I hopped on a plane and met my boyfriend in Osaka. We toured the Kansai region, starting in Osaka then traveling through Kobe to Kyoto, and finally spending our last day in Nara. Japan completely surpassed my expectations; I absolutely fell in love with Kyoto especially. You could walk for hours there just viewing all the different temples and shrines in the region. We did a ton while in Japan, so I won't bore you with all of the details. Below are a few of the highlights of our trip.
I got back to Hong Kong from Japan in time for Christmas, which is when my brother, sister, uncle, and grandpa arrived! It was so nice to see my family again, and I was so grateful to be able to spend the holidays with them. I spent a few days showing them around Hong Kong before we traveled to Singapore, which is where we are as I'm writing this. Singapore is the most different of all of the places in Asia I had traveled and by far the most diverse. There are different sectors for different cultures (like Chinatown, Little India, Arab Quarters, etc) and tons of different types of religious centers. I had never visited a Hindu temple or a mosque before, but I was able to visit both within one day here! The architecture of the old shophouses found in many of these sectors is also the cutest thing I've ever seen. While I've loved just wandering around Singapore, there are a few must see attractions, like the merlion statue and the Gardens by the Bay. The merlion statue was lit up during the light show the night we went to see it, so it was even more beautiful than usual! You also can't visit Singapore without visiting a Hawker Center, which is like a food court for street food. My personal favorite dish was black pepper crab. Don't forget to bring napkins, hand wipes, and an empty stomach! If you happen to be in Singapore for New Year's, they do an amazing hour-long New Year's celebration light and fireworks show at the Marina. I heard that you have to get to the Marina pretty early if you want a good spot. My family and I didn't want to deal with the crowds, so we were going to head over to Gardens by the Bay East (which is across the Marina) because I read online that you can see the fireworks well and that it is much less crowded there. On our way to the gardens, we ended up finding the best spot on accident! In my opinion, the best spot for viewing the fireworks is from the highway between the ferris wheel and the Gardens by the Bay East. There were a few other people who were sitting on the ground or leaning on the rail (the pedestrian area is separated from the vehicle area). It wasn't hectic and there were no crowds, but we still had a great view of the fireworks display! There was another highway that passed directly in front of where the fireworks show was taking place, but we saw a ton of people walking down from the highway after the show was over, so it may only be a good option if you're okay with crowds. Watching the show from the highway was probably the most unforgettable New Year's countdown yet. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019!
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Emily BallBorn and raised in Aiea, HI, traveling to Hong Kong to study Human Resource Administration. Archives
January 2019
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