Hong Kong is famous for having the best horse races in all East Asia. Last week I had the opportunity of going to the most famous race and it is truly a magnificent event. Starting at 7pm until 11pm and there are around twelve races in total. The racecourse is called The Hong Kong Jockey Club and it has a capacity of 55,000; it is incredible how many people are attracted by the races. Going to the event is a very nice experience since there is not only the races but also different concerts and a lot of activities going on around the racecourse. I would recommend anyone coming to Hong Kong to go at least once to The Hong Kong Jockey Club. Many locals go to the races to bet, but most tourists and internationals go to have fun and just watch all the events going on at the place. Getting inside the racecourse costs around $5 USD and once inside there are not any fixed seats, anyone can sit wherever so it is great since you can be very close to the horses and even hear them as they run rally fast just a couple meters from you.
Another activity that anyone coming to Hong Kong must do is watching the light show of Hong Kong Island from Kowloon. It is amazing. All the tallest buildings from the island have lasers at the top and they turn on with colors and move around tuned with each other and with some music that sounds out loud in Kowloon. There are plenty videos on Youtube, but actually watching it live is a unique experience. Since I came I have watched it three times and I still enjoy it.
Anyone coming to Hong Kong also needs to go for one day to Shenzhen. Shenzhen is a big Chinese city just in the border with Hong Kong and it takes around two hours to get there in train form Hong Kong Island. Shenzhen is not a beautiful city as it is Hong Kong but it is extremely interesting going for several reasons. First of all to understand the huge differences that exist between Hong Kong and mainland China. Just crossing the border anyone can realize how different everything is: the people, the culture, the organization of the city, the food, etc. Also the city has the cheapest prices I have seen in my life. They sell basically anything you can imagine at least half the price than in America. I left my dorm at 8am and at 10am I was already in Shenzhen and I got back the same day at around 5pm. The only negative thing about Shenzhen is that since it is mainland China it requires the Chinese visa to get in.
I can’t believe that there is only one month left until I go back home. Time has passed extremely fast and the only reason why I have that feeling is because it has been an amazing experience. As time goes on I am more convinced every day that going abroad was the best decision I have made since I started university. I would truly recommend anyone that is thinking about going abroad to definitely do it.
