Bryan in Hong Kong

Ok, this post is actually just about how my friend Jin Gu and I hiked through the woods to the beach and then took some posed photos, but I thought it deserved a better title. So here’s the story…

Everyday for the past month, I’ve looked out along the coast and seen a sweet beach just beyond campus. I tried to get there by walking directly from the other beach in front of campus, but it appeared impossible. However, last week a friend showed me a path through the woods that lead there. Yesterday I finally made the hike with another friend. It was incredible.

It takes about a half hour of walking through the woods, but the path is very nice. It’s actually not that far from campus, but because there’s a mountain in-between, it takes a while to get there. Other than an old man swimming alone, it was empty. Hong Kong is famous for it’s hiking trails, so I guess this is sort of an introduction for me. I plan on buying some hiking maps soon and trying out some real paths.

As you’ll see in the photos, we found some old bamboo staffs which inspired some creative picture taking.

Well, now that I’ve got my government issued Hong Kong ID card, I guess I officially live in Hong Kong. I wonder what’s stored on that chip…

I went to my first movie theatre in Hong Kong today to see The Banquet, a new Chinese movie released Thursday. Overall the movie is pretty good and I’m glad it was the first one I saw in HK (though I should really see an HK-made movie next time).

After the movie we headed downtown to the Central district on the island. From there we took the tram up the mountain to Victoria Peak. The peak has an amazing view out over the entire city (see pics). The unique thing about Hong Kong is that it’s one of the only mega-cities that is literally on a mountain. It makes for amazing views. A just posted a few photos.

Sam (my younger brother in New York) has just put up some of his amazing September 11th, 2006 NYC photos. Very nice. Please check them out and leave him a comment if you have a flickr account. Click below.

Just got this e-mail a few hours ago:

Dear Residents of PG Hall II,

Please Take Necessary Typhoon Precautions
=========================================

A typhoon signal no.3 has just been hoisted. For the sake of your
safety, please take the following precautions AT ONCE:

1. Fasten all loose items properly or move them inside hall/room area.

2. Close all windows.

3. Pay attention to TV or radio broadcasts of weather forecasts

4. Stock up some food as the catering provision on campus may be
limited.

Thank you for your attention and cooperation.

Student Housing Office

No need to worry though, all my friends say a level 3 is nothing to get excited about ;)

With current technology, this isn’t as important as it used to be, but here is my contact information in Hong Kong:

update: I have moved to a new apartment, see here

PG Hall II, room 018
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong

cell: 001 852 64871010
update: my phone number is now 011 852 9060 5662

I’ve also added a new album of pictures taken around campus, link is to the left.

Today was my first day of classes. I’m taking four courses this semester: microeconomic analysis, macroeconomic analysis, applied econometrics, and a mathematics for economics course. So far so good, though I only had one class today.

Also, all the pictures from my Malaysia and Singapore trip are now up.

Just got back in Hong Kong last night. The trip was amazing. I’ve posted the Singapore pictures and will post the Malaysia set as soon I as can sort through them. Hopefully by tomorrow.