Voices from Abroad

Semester Abroad in Hong Kong

by Richard Sheng
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On a beautiful sunny day in late March, I decided to visit Lama Island with my roommate. As we departed on the ferry ride, I realized how amazingly stunning Hong Kong’s skyline really is.
MBA student Richard Sheng blogs about studying abroad at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
On a beautiful sunny day in late March, I decided to visit Lama Island with my roommate. As we departed on the ferry ride, I realized how amazingly stunning Hong Kong’s skyline really is. Below is a picture with the infamous IFC tower to the left side.

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The ferry ride to lama island was only about 40 minutes, but the scenery changed drastically. We were far removed from the concrete jungle of Hong Kong, and landed on a serene and pleasant island. Lama Island had two major ports. Most visitors (including us) disembarked in one port and hiked for about an hour to the other port, and from there departed back to Hong Kong. Below is a picture of the scenery the island had to offer.

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For my third semester, I decided to overload my courses knowing that I would be on exchange in Hong Kong for my last semester. This allowed me to maneuver my schedule so that I ended up finishing all my classes by the end of March. To celebrate, I went to Macau the very last day of my classes for a few days and had an amazing time. Macau is only a short ferry ride away from Hong Kong, but offers world-class casinos and night life.

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For many visitors from Hong Kong, it’s a chance to enjoy the many local delicacies that Macau’s fusion of cultures has to offer. My favorite was the deep-friend port cutlet “burger,” seen below.

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Like all tourists, we made sure to stop by the Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral, also known as “Mater Dei.” This famous landmark is a 17th century Portuguese cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle.

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After returning to Hong Kong, the weather kept getting better and better. I was finally able to make it out to Dragon’s Back, a very famous hiking trail in Hong Kong that ends in the quaint Shek O beach town. Below is a picture of the views from the top of the mountain at the climax of the hike.

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On another sunny day, I went to the famous “Big Buddha” by riding on a newly renovated cable car ride. The ride is definitely not for those who fear heights, and those who seek a thrill can take the car with the glass floors. From the cable car, one can get a panoramic view of Hong Kong International Airport, as well as rolling mountains alongside the vast ocean. The picture below was captured during my ride up the mountain, and the following is of the Buddha statue.

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