Hong Kong, Here I Come!

I've booked both the hotel and flight for my jaunt from Taipei to Hong Kong.

I almost (but didn't) ended up at the infamous Chung King Mansions. Cutting it so close, I was sure one of the gazillion hotels in that complex would end up being my only choice. This could have been quite the experience, or not. Either way, right now, I'm secure with my choice of the Dragon Hostel. I'm seeing great reviews on different sites. It's not really a hostel in the sense that you would know, the bunk beds with strangers experience and all that, but a teeny tiny totally no frills hotel room with it's own bathroom. Probably about the size of postage stamp. As with most of these types of hostels in Hong Kong, there is really no area to socialize, and no breakfast. I'm a big breakfast girl so I will have to find something nearby.

I chose Hong Kong as a destination probably because I work in a business that deals with the country on a day to day basis. Because of this, it just seemed to make sense. Plus, that equal marriage of East and West is appealing. Besides, who knows if or when I'll ever get to that side of the world again. My uncle had visited the Philippines and expressed his regret at not doing a quick side trip to a nearby country, and that really stuck with me. So, I took his advice and will forever be grateful that I did.

The countdown begins...

Getting Real

Taking a break from my lunch, I headed over the the Taiwanese embassy to get brochures and maps for my upcoming trip. I forgot that the UN was having a big brouhaha, so was confused at first why I wasn't allowed up to the travel and tourism division of the embassy. Instead, someone came downstairs to the lobby and asked me what I was interested in. I specified brochures and maps, and they headed back up to retrieve the information for me and bring it down.

What they provided was probably more informative and detailed than the Lonely Planet book I bought. The maps are out of this world. Something the LP book is seriously lacking, and which I fretted the most over. For the first time, I felt in the loop about the city of Taipei. Even my co-worker, a native of Taiwan, who has been helping me tremendously with all this, was shocked at the breadth of information provided.

Now, it feels a bit more real. Aside from the prolonged flight each way, which still gives me hesitation, I'm really feeling more and more prepared. Like I can now get excited at what's ahead.

3.74

And that's the GPA I will graduate with. Woot!! With honors. As a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Yesterday, my mother and I headed up to Madison Square Garden to participate in my previous college's graduation ceremonies. Wearing colors that were supposed to be red and gray, but resembled rust and silver, I received my Associates in Art. My major was Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, and it wasn't without thinking about the pain and anguish I had been through up until this milestone.

Originally, I wanted no part of the ceremonies. My heart and mind bitter at the rigmarole I went through dealing with the college administration. My feelings only gave way because my mother wanted so badly to watch her daughter graduate. My brother and I are the only grandchildren on my mother's side of the family to receive a degree. Telling someone my feelings about this, it was pointed out that I should go and view it for what it really was...an academic achievement. Not for what the administrative side of the school had done.

Still, I have another round to go before I can even think about obtaining my bachelors. But if I have come this far, I can only believe that day will come too.

Ireland - Day Five

Just got back!

Last night, as planned, I went out some of my hostel mates. Had a faboo time. The disco nap on the bus back from Belfast did me a world of good so I could be in top form for going out. We hit a bar near to the hostel before stopping at a pub on the Quay near to the Temple Bar area.

The pub was packed and we were highly amused by the antics of one girl in particular, whom we nicknamed "pink shirt", and was dancing wildly and out of sync. Kind of like Elaine from Seinfeld, but sped up and the appearance of a seizure or two thrown in. We weren't out for too long, but enough. One of the girls turned me on to a great drink - cider with a shot of blackcurrant. We stumbled back and I clocked in under four hours of sleep but made sure to get up super early this morning to catch the bus back to the airport.

It was quite soothing really. Taking in the last of the city so early in the morning. I miss that feeling of being alone for few minutes in Dublin, before the hustle and bustle begins for the day. Thankfully, I didn't let time slip because the airport turned out to be so crowded. I had avoided doing an online check-in, which I ended up regretting because I ended up with possibly the worst seat on the plane! The middle seat in the last row of the plane. Having only four hours and needing some sleep was so difficult. I ended up throwing a blanket over my head to get some semblance of shut eye. Given that I was in the middle, there was no way I could curl up anywhere. It was a rough ride.

Naturally, I miss Dublin already. But I feel I did so much in the short time allowed there. I really moved around. I would definitely visit Ireland again. However, it would be a trip to focus on the western side of the isle. Getting back to NYC, it was depressing getting hit like a ton of bricks by the heat. Aside from the spurts of rain, Dublin had such perfect temperatures.

Ireland - Day Four

Yesterday, was the day trip up to Belfast. I had always wanted to visit this city, but didn't know if or when I would ever get to go. Enter Paddywagon Tours. They offered a cheap one day trip package up there with stops in Drogheda and at Monasterboice. The buses are Kelly green with leprechauns emblazoned on them. Really obvious and bizarre. Unmissable, really.

I was able to catch a quick nap on the way to Drogheda, falling in and out of consciousness as the bus driver gave his spiel about the counties we were driving through and what we were going to see at our destination. Our first stop, St. Peter's Church, we were given about 15-20 minutes total to visit and see the remains of Oliver Plunkett. His head is the highlight and I was surprised that it's just out there in the sanctuary for everyone to see. If you regularly attend services at this church, you might possibly end up sitting in a pew that has a direct view of his relics, and his head! Too creepy.

Our next stop, outside of Drogheda, was Monasterboice monastery. The sun was out in full force. This was picture perfect considering there were lush green open fields surrounding the monastery. Our group was fairly small and we had the place to ourselves, making it out just as one of those mega tour buses pulled up.

We arrived in Belfast a half hour early. This worked in our favor because we now had more time to spend there. We arrived in the city centre and transferred over to the Black Cab tour, which took us to both the Shankhill and Falls Road areas of Belfast. What I saw will stay with me forever. Shankhill Road is the Protestant (or loyalist) section. Falls Road is the Catholic (or nationalist) section. The murals were fascinating, some of them very disturbing. Our tour stopped at the Peace Wall. It was amusing to be handed markers and crayons and told we could write on the wall.

We returned back to the centre with a few hours to kill. I had become chummy with some of the group so we headed to the Victoria Square Mall to see the city from the observation dome. Our group then split up and myself and another person walked over to the Crown Pub. On our way there, we passed a woman with who appeared to be her daughter. This kid was probably no older than six. Passing by them, the woman was scolding her, hissing "stop being a little wench!". We were flabbergasted. Because of time restrictions I ordered only tomato soup. As delicious as it was, I sorely regretted not getting the Irish stew that passed by me. The Crown is a historic Belfast pub and it's stunningly gorgeous inside. Across the street is the Europa Hotel, which has the distinction of being the most bombed hotel in Europe.

We had a little time to kill over by the pick up spot and listened to the symphony warm up for the BBC Proms that were taking place on the lawn of city hall. We ended up getting back to Dublin early, giving me time to eat at Beshoff's and get ready to go out.

My time in Belfast, though short, further enriched my trip to Ireland. It was quite the learning experience. Seeing some of the differences in partitioned country was eye opening for what little I saw.

Ireland - Day Three

Today, I figured for the purposes of change of scenery, I would venture outside the city to check out the 'burbs. I rode the DART first to Howth, which is a sleepy seaside town, and walked around. The ride over was ruined by some stereotypical loud and large Americans, one of whom thought it necessary to read aloud to his entire group, word for word, from the tour book about Howth and continually butchering the pronunciation of Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Dun Leary). Annoyed, I ended up changing cars.

The trip to Howth was quite short for such a drastic change to a seaside scenery. The skies were quickly turning dark, and I wondered if I would be stuck in the rain the whole day. I walked the edge of the seashore on a raised stone wall walkway towards the lighthouse. Coming back, I decided to walk up the hill towards Howth Village. Then, the sun came shining through. I stumbled upon St. Mary's Abbey, which are ruins of an old church from the 12th century.

I hopped back on the DART to head towards Dun Laoghaire. I ended up falling asleep on the train, thankfully waking just two stops before I was to get off! If Howth was a sleepy seaside town, Dun Laoghaire was it's aggressive big sister. Also a seaside town, Dun Laoghaire is much more commercial and busy as it serves as an arriving and departing point for the ferry from Wales. An equal mix of retail and residential, it was in this town I spent the bulk of my time, walking around taking everything in, browsing the shops and small mom and pop stores.

A huge plus to the visit was the discovery of a frikkin' huge Tesco! I stocked up on the things I wasn't finding in Dublin. Much more cheaply I might add. I even snagged a couple of containers of Cadbury's Instant Hot Chocolate. This is the one item I can never find in the US.

I had also heard about the town called Killiney (pronounced Kil-Loiny). It's a more affluent town known for being the residence of Bono, Enya, and other Irish celebrities. I wasn't going there looking for them, mind you, but I wanted to see what the town was all about. What I got, however, was a different impression. Killiney turned out to be a bust and I stayed on what seemed to like an endless loop of a bus route trying to get back myself to Dun Laoghaire. My fellow bus patrons seemed to be mostly old people and school kids.

Once back in Dun Laoghaire, I decided to call it a day and hopped the bus back to Dublin. A long trek, it was refreshing knowing I would be back at my destination. This day exhausted me so. I managed to get a seat up top and in front and three raucous young girls sat next to me. They were screeching and swearing up a storm. I was shocked given the fact they were only about the age of ten and so disarming in their pastel and frilly track suits. They saw some mates outside and began banging on the window hoping to catch their attention before running off the bus to catch up. Relieved I was to be rid of the little brats.

In their place sat a trio of older school girls. When we all witnessed some unlucky soul running for the bus, but missing it, one of the girls relayed a story about her mother witnessing her missing the bus and informing her "never run after a bus...or a man".

Back in Dublin and hungry, I headed for the famous Leo Burdock's for fish n' chips. I have to say that for this trip, I lucked out with my restaurant choices, getting to eat at mostly all of the places I hand picked. With Burdock's, I wasn't disappointed. Walking towards Christ Church Cathedral, the bells began ringing to mark the 8 o'clock hour. It was so beautiful and moving, I momentarily forgot my surroundings.

Back to Leo's! After waiting in line outside, I ordered the usual (cod and chips). There are no places to sit so I curbed it, digging in to my delicious meal. I'm not too keen on Irish chips for some reason, but these were good. Halfway through, it began to rain lightly. I didn't care and just sat there finishing up and relishing the moment. Thankfully, I had Wet Wipes on me, or else the situation would've been really dire.

Getting back to my room at the hostel, I soon realized I wasn't alone. A group of women from England (West Midlands) on a girl's weekend had taken up residence, bringing with them alcohol and spreading out their things to the point that it looked like a hardworking beauty salon. They were so friendly and even invited me out. I declined because I would have to get up early the next day for Belfast, but confirmed that I would indeed go out with them the next night.

Ireland - Day Two

Got a somewhat later start yesterday. This was due to what amounted to the kiss of death for someone suffering their first day of jet lag - I took an evening nap. After eating dinner, I came back to the hostel to put my things down. I laid across the bed and that was it. I was awoken by the sound of someone in the room, a new hostel guest. I got myself together, but it was too late to really do anything since Dublin closes up shop so much earlier. So, I walked around the city a bit, checking things out. Still, when I got back to the hostel, I couldn't get to sleep until really late and that screwed me for the next day.

However, for day two, it didn't stop me from getting out and seeing it all. Instead of doing too much walking, which always seems to do me in, I decided to rely a lot on the buses to stave off the exhaustion that occurs from walking everywhere. This new plan worked and I found I had more energy at night. I took advantage of the Hop On Hop Off bus that was part of my super saver ticket. Starting from the beginning, it was a great way to see certain things quickly that walking would only take up too much time doing. I got off at the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) stop because this was one of the attractions I really, really wanted to visit. I wasn't disappointed. It turned out to be one of the highlights of my trip.

Afterwards, I grabbed the HOHO bus back to the city centre. I hoofed it over to Trinity College to see the Book of Kells and the Long Room. I was more impressed with the Long Room. Saw the Molly Malone statue, aptly nicknamed "the tart with the cart". Doing research about places to eat, I had read about a little cafe called Queen of Tarts that I wanted to try. It turned out to be exactly what I needed for dinner. Since the hostel served a full Irish breakfast, and I got a late start, I was full for the entire day and only needed a light dinner.

I decided, last minute, that I really did want to visit the Guinness Storehouse. The HOHO bus had stopped there prior to the Kilmainham stop and I began to feel that this was something I shouldn't miss. I'm not a beer drinker and I can't stand stout. Having visited both Amsterdam and Copenhagen, I could have cared less to visit the Heineken and Carlsberg breweries. But, there was something about Guinness which made me rethink my position about visiting a brewery. It turned out to be a cool experience and the complimentary pint you get up top in the Sky Bar was actually quite smooth and creamy. I had always heard the cliche about Guinness tasting better in Ireland, and now, I get to be part of the choir who agrees - even though I don't drink the stuff. The views of Dublin from the top of the Sky Bar are fantastic!

For the rest of the day, I centered my travels around the Grafton Street area, and walking a bit through St. Stephen's Green. I tried a Butler's hot chocolate but was more impressed with the service I recieved than the actual drink. It was so lukewarm, I ended up throwing most of it out. At night, I walked around the Temple Bar section before calling it a night.

Ireland - Day One

Glasnevin Cemetery was utterly fantastic!! I grabbed the #40 bus there and got to sit up top in the front row. I had read that the tour was free, but became a bit concerned when I saw that there would be an 8 euro charge. I was assured that today it would be free. Woosh! Such a feeling of relief.

Prior to the tour, I used the bathroom, but faced a quandary afterwards when I soaped up my hands, turned on the water, and nothing came out of the faucets! Walking into the flower shop with soapy hands, the clerk was sympathetic but couldn't do anything. She explained the waterworks had just flooded and they had to shut the water off. I searched for, and found, a huge puddle in the cemetery to dip my hands in to finish washing up. I must've looked silly, but desperate acts call for desperate measures.. This was a dire situation!

There were only a few of us for the tour, our guide looked like what you would expect a person of history to look like - a bit disheveled but a fountain of knowledge. He showed us around and gave us a run down of the cemetery's beginnings and many of the famous people buried there. We were brought into the tomb of Daniel O'Connell and also shown the tiny room which contains the resting area of his descendants. The thing is, they aren't entombed. Instead, their coffins are stacked on top of each other creating an unsettling sight. This was a bit too freaky for us, especially since we were only a few feet from the coffins, and learning right then and there that since most of the older coffins in the cemetery are lead lined, they still contain the diseases of the day. So, say for instance, a coffin breaks and the person inside had perished from cholera, the preserved disease will now enter the air.

Still, it was all too fascinating for words. What was especially cool were the thousands of Celtic crosses throughout the cemetery. Most of them very ornate. Many are in need of repair and in today's dollars, the work needed to restore them would go into the tens of thousands. Some of them into the hundreds of thousands. Politics also plays in important role because of the sectarian groups associated with the many people buried there. You see this in the laying of flowers and in the epitaphs. The military does do a sweep of the cemetery to make sure there is no sectarian vandalism. Glasnevin doesn't get funding from the government for upkeep, which explains the dire state of some of the gravestones. However, some of the graves are tended to by certain political sectarian groups, but only for their own. Also fascinating was seeing the final resting place of the many who shaped Irish history.

Afterwards, I headed back to the city center and putzed around browsing some of the shops. The exchange rate is still terrible so any shopping sprees are out of the question. I may sashay into Penney's (Primark) for some cheap new threads though. I headed to the Epicurean Food Hall, which is a big food court type place. I had read about The Pie Kitchen and was interested in ordering the root vegetable and cheddar pie. It turned out to be delicious, but my taste buds had to get used to food that wasn't laced with some sort of sugar or preservative, like most things are in the US. As satisfied as I was, I couldn't resist ordering the apple crumble dessert. When the counter woman came over with the double cream, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. I left stuffed for the entire night. This time, thankfully, the tea was drinkable.

I've Landed in Dublin

The flight was uneventful. In addition to picking a choice seat online, I managed only a carry-on for the trip over. Yeah! We even got in early. Forget about any halfway decent sleep on the plane, which wasn't such a surprise. It would have been nice to get at least three or more hours. But that wasn't possible. The meal was decent. I ordered the beef dish. I sat next to an older cougar-ish woman with bleach blonde hair who talked my ear off a bit prior to landing, but she was at least entertaining and gave me some good tips. Her outfit was a trip; very busy patterns with bare tanned legs and open toed shoes. Her headband even matched the dress. Tons of clunky jewelry. She was originally from Ireland, but had lived in the US for decades, so there was no trace of an Irish accent. Bless her heart.

The airport was so ghetto and confusing for such an international destination. The customs room was tiny and unorganized. Getting down to the arrivals room, I immediately purchased the three day saver for 25 euros. This pass would give me free transportation to and around the city plus it's environs, in addition to use of the hop on hop off bus for the entire duration of the ticket. It was sunny when I stepped outside, but quickly turned to dark skies and light rain once I got on the Airlink bus to get into the city.

My first impressions? Immediately outside of the airport you are met with lush farmland, which gives way to industry. Finally, entering Dublin, it reminded me of a less busy London.

The Airlink bus stopped on O'Connell Street right near the GPO. Finding the hostel was fairly easy, once I got my street bearings. The room wasn't ready, so I put my suitcase in the left luggage room. This kinda sucked, because it didn't give me a chance to settle in and freshen up before hitting the city. Since breakfast was over, I found a place around the corner and ordered an egg and chip dish with tea. The tea was gross and had a bit of a bleachy taste to it. Blech! I hope this isn't going to be an ongoing thing here in Ireland.

Heading out to Glasnevin Cemetery shortly. Every Wednesday is a free tour.

Off to the Emerald Isle

And for the first time, I'm attempting carry-on for the flight there. Coming back is another matter all together. Looking at the suitcase, I swear it will be a miracle if I'm not flagged and forced to check it in. Speaking of check-in, thankfully, I went online and printed the boarding pass out. I even managed to snag a good seat.

The plane leaves (fingers crossed!) at 9:45pm, and lands tomorrow morning at about 9:30am. To be totally honest, I still don't have a lot of things mapped out. I have a good idea of what I want to do, but no firm itinerary. I'll be fine. Once my feet hit the ground and the vibe hits me full force, I'll get in gear and breeze through the city.

Tai-What?!

Some of you know, some you don't. In one month, I'm heading all the way to Taipei, Taiwan!

If you recall, awhile back, I went to the NY Times Travel Show and entered my name in all those sweepstakes entry boxes. Well, one of them took and I won a "free" flight to Taiwan. I just had to pay the taxes. Taiwan is a country that previously, I had absolutely no desire to visit. Since non reputable companies use the travel show as a guise to pass off notorious timeshare scams as huge wins, I was naturally quite skeptical when I got the news. After a bit of research, a confirmation that this was in fact legit, the peace of mind flowed, and I began the preparations. It was a disappointment to discover that the prize was for one plane ticket only. Not that I'm upset. It just would have been better if I could've brought along another person with me for such a journey.

My response to the win was - Taiwan?!?! Who goes there? What on earth does one do whilst there?

The country has launched a tourism initiative, and the booth at the show was part of it. Searching my head, I actually do remember being at the booth. I think that's only because in addition to slipping the entry form into the box, I was allowed to spin a wheel and win a "prize". I chose a writing pad because that was the only thing of interest they were giving out.

Now. To plan this trip. To my disappointment, there aren't really many tourism books on this country, which makes it all the more difficult to plan something for a country I know hardly anything about. The bulk of the attention going instead to her other Asian sisters. I'm having some luck with a few travel sites, which has helped me immensely. It's just a matter of really sitting down with the information and sussing out an itinerary. The flight. What can I say? The flight will be killer. 18 hours NONSTOP!! I predict there will be crying after 8 hours. I'm not comfortable with taking them, but maybe my doctor will be sympathetic and prescribe me Ambien.

So far, I have a tentative itinerary that focuses mainly on the capital of Taipei with side trips to the countryside. There is also a plan in place to visit Hong Kong as one of these side trips. That is, only if I can find a decently priced flight. Right now, it's all a big "we'll see". Am I excited? Yes. A little unsure and apprehensive? Yes. Scared? Maybe. Ungrateful for such an incredible win? Not on your life.

Hot springs, night markets, Snake Alley, and Taipei 101. I'm building on a mystery.

Starting it All Over Again in Two Weeks

Whew! Summer classes are done. The university hasn't entered the grades yet, but I know I did pretty good. Judging from the grades of all the essays I turned in, I'm confident I received an A in the intercultural communications class, but not sure what I received for the Internet essentials course. Grades should be posted soon to confirm or deny the above.

I'm not going to lie, it was difficult, especially when it came to forcing myself to dedicate the time and energy. I worry because I'll be attempting three classes next semester. That said, I have to do this. There is no other way around it all. Getting my degree is not a choice, but a necessity.