Getaway Part I: Hong Kong Part 4/5
CHI LIN NUNNERY/NAN LIAN GARDEN
MONASTÈRE DE CHIN LIN/JARDIN DE NAN LIAN
Getaway Part I : Hong Kong Part 3/5
WONG TAI SIN TEMPLE
Getaway Part I : Hong Kong Part 2/5
THE PEAK
Once up there, you could just stay inside and shop your wallet away. You could spend 10 minutes taking pictures of the city, there on the roof, flashing to your heart’s content along with the other tourists. You could do all the cliché activities in an hour and get back down in an hour’s time. But why go all the way up there if not to fill your lungs with fresh air and get lost in the abundant vegetation? Just for one afternoon, get away, floating in all that green.
The Peak… I love you.
Getaway Part I: Hong Kong Part 1/5
I spent a few days traveling with my mom and sister during my Christmas vacation. First stop: Hong Kong!
J’ai passé quelques jours à voyager pendant les vacances de Noël, avec ma mère et ma soeur. Premier arrêt : Hong Kong!
Taoyuan Airport/À l’aéroport de Taoyuan
The Hello Kitty self check-in booth… Why didn’t I get to use it?!
Ready to go!
Prête à partir !
Getting ready to board the plane. In two hours I’ll get to see my mommy!
Presque embarquée. Plus que deux heures avant de revoir ma maman !
First contact with Hong Kong notes. The $10 bill is made of plastic.
Premier contact avec la monnaie hong-kongaise. Les billets de $10 sont en plastique.
After meeting with my mom & sis’, commuting to the city and getting to the studio we rented for those few days, and timidly choosing a place to have dinner, we were exhausted! Time to rest and prepare for Day 1.
Après les retrouvailles, le trajet aéroport/centre-ville, l’arrivée au studio que ma soeur a loué avec nos grosses valises et la galère pour trouver un restaurant dans lequel on ose entrer, on était bien fatiguées. Repos obligatoire pour se préparer pour le lendemain !
DAY ONE/PREMIER JOUR
THE CITY
First real contact with the city, under a beautiful sun. It was quite a shock to get out the door and find myself in a jungle of skyscrapers, glass and metal. But I was soon going to discover that the city can offer beautiful landscapes too. Follow me!
Premier contact avec la ville, et me voilà transportée dans une mer de verre et de métal. Je me sens toute, toute petite. Mais cette jungle me révèle bientôt ses secrets de beauté, et je vois tout d’un autre oeil. Levez les yeux !
In Part 2, we’ll go from blue and grey to green! Stay tuned.
Dans la deuxième partie, on découvrira les trésors verts de l’île de Hong Kong.
Joy on the Bike Trail | Après-midi sur la piste cyclable
If there’s something that I really enjoy in my neighbourhood, it’s the bike trail. Build along the Danshui river, this little road connects Danshui to Taipei, and allows everyone to enjoy a little bit of nature while still being in the city. One afternoon, some friends and I decided to rent some bikes and cross the river to visit Bali, the city on the other shore. It was a glorious day! Below are some of the pictures I took that day. Can’t wait for Spring!
S’il y bien quelque chose que j’apprécie dans mon quartier, c’est bien la proximité de la piste cyclable aménagée, qui serpente de Danshui jusqu’à Taipei et au delà, le long du fleuve Danshui. C’est un bon moyen de s’évader, les jours de beaux temps, sans sortir de la ville. Mais que dis-je, ça, c’est une des caractéristiques de Taïwan : la nature n’est jamais loin ! Voici quelques photos que j’ai prises ce jour-là. J’ai hâte que le printemps arrive et qu’on reparte sur les routes !
On est parties à six, deux vélos et deux tandem ! À la station de Danshui, plusieurs magasins louent des vélos. $100 (2,50€) pour un après-midi, qui dit mieux ? Renée, Nancy, Angèle et la petite Lucie
We made a little friend!
We took that bridge to cross the river.
That grandpa was so funny! We stopped to try the machines and he showed us how to be a boss, almost did a split and rode the thing with no hands. Boss, I tell you!
The shore shops in Bali.
Les échoppes au bord du fleuve, à Bali.
Un après-midi entre amis à Taïwan n’est pas complet tant qu’on a pas mangé !
Oyster omelet : so good!
La spécialité du resto : l’omelette aux huîtres. Délicieux !
How artsy am I?
Doggies chilling on the beach.
The sun is setting, time to go back!
Le soleil se couche, il est temps de rentrer.Vue sur Danshui. By the time we got to the bridge, it was already dark. But riding on the trail by night is a very fun experience. Totally safe, too!
Le temps qu’on retourne au pont, il faisait déjà nuit. Mais la piste cyclable la nuit, c’est assez drôle, et pas dangereux du tout.
Questions pour un champion à Kaohsiung
Mon travail à l’Association des professeurs de français de Taïwan, autre les questions administratives (ô joie) consiste à aider à l’organisation d’activités pour les professeurs et les étudiants de français. En décembre, nous avons ainsi participé au Francoquiz, un concours de culture générale française à l’université Wenzao, à Kaohsiung, dans le Sud de Taïwan. Des étudiants de tout Taïwan étaient invités à participer. Nous sommes donc partis très tôt le matin de Taipei afin d’aller chercher les étudiants et d’emmener tout ce petit monde à Kaohsiung.
J’ai été très impressionné par le niveau de connaissances des étudiants. Certaines questions, qu’elles soient de grammaire ou de géographie, étaient très pointues !
C’était un vrai plaisir de sortir de mon bureau et de pouvoir rencontrer des étudiants, même si ça m’obligeait à faire 10 h de minibus dans la journée…
J’ai hâte que le programme continue !
There’s a New Mall In Town! Meito In Danshui
My friends and I were very excited to hear that a new mall was going to open in Danshui. It sprung up from the ground at the speed o light, and before we even had time to notice the construction site, it was already time for the opening. Opening Day = sale, right? So we decided to give Meito a chance, eager to find some deals for us fashion deprived girls. Let’s go!
The busy entrance. Employees were busy distributing flyers and people were lining up to get in.
On the first floor, a shoe store, some beauty stores, a The Body Shop and… A giant bottle of cosmetics. Guess where I went first?
Elsa raving in fornt of the nail polish. So many to choose from!
We were particularly excited about the Uniqlo and the Ladies’ floor.
The jewelry floor. Nothing to do here if you’re less than 50 years old…
The layout was pretty standard, but it was nice to walk in a brand-new building.
I just HAD to stop at the Nike store. Just looking guys!
French brand alert! Pierre Cardin is in the building, s’il-vous-plaît.
In the book store, I couldn’t even navigate the kids section. It’s good to see that all those kids still like to read.
On the novelty floor, there were a lot of useless stuff with super cute designs. I think they were trying to emulate the Muji style, only edgier.
The colorful products gives the floor some warmth.
Overall, it was a nice 2-hour tour, but I don’t think I will visit Meito anytime soon. Most of the stuff was very overpriced and/or not what I usually go for when shopping. The fashion had a strong Chinese feel to it, it’s very different from the clothes we see elsewhere in Taipei. I guess it caters to middle-aged rich women more than anything.
I’d still go back for the Uniqlo and the restaurants on the higher floors, some of them looked very nice and the decoration was stunning. I was very disappointed by the bookstore, though.
Guess that’ll save me some money!
End of my hiatus!
Happy New Year!
Btw: I’m back. Yeah.
Random Post of the Month
I always see doggies chilling in packs on the street at night. Don’t they have owners?!
Cutest latte art I’ve seen so far! And this cup is so cute! Love the color! Want!
Nice café, weird bathrooms, crazy prices!
Huge Muji store in a very cool mall in Taipei.
Very nice side street in Zhongxiao Dunhua. Taipei can be awesomely cosy!
I swear, Taipei has the cutest accessories!
Can you spot what’s funny about this picture?
On the way back to Taipei from Kaohsiung.
Christmas lights are up in my apartment complex…
… and there’s a cute Christmas tree in the lobby!
One fine day in between bouts of rain. (Picture taken in front of my building. I love the view on the mountains of Bali!)
Doggy is taking a nap on campus. Daily occurrence.
My Christmas gift? One or the other? Pretty please, Mom?
Mon cadeau de Noël ? L’une ou l’autre ? S’il-te-plaît, Maman ?