During my study abroad experience in Hong Kong, I had the opportunity to explore not only the local area but also take advantage of being in Asia to travel to places I had never been before. Three visas and many passport stamps later, I am incredibly grateful that this summer took me across two SARs and three countries: Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Vietnam, and China.

Special shoutout to my roommate and travel buddy, who was there through almost all of the adventures, missed flights, questionable decisions, and unforgettable memories.

Here are a few of my travel highlights!

Seoul, South Korea 🇰🇷

Seoul was such a beautiful and exciting city. We visited several must-see places like Gyeongbokgung Palace and the modern N Seoul Tower and spent time exploring. 

The main attraction for us was the S20 Songkran Music Festival. Songkran is traditionally a Thai New Year holiday famous for its massive water celebrations. However, I was completely unprepared for just how much water was involved. It felt like ten giant water cannons continuously blasted the crowd from the stage. This unique festival was one of the best live music experiences of my life.

I’m so glad I got to experience Songkran, and apparently once wasn’t enough- I already want to experience the original celebration in Thailand next spring!

Hanoi, Vietnam 🇻🇳

When I reflect on Vietnam, all I can really think is: wow.

I am so grateful I got to experience Hanoi- from amazing egg coffees and authentic pho to Grab motorbike rides through the city. At the same time, I have to admit that almost everything that could have gone wrong on this trip… went wrong.

It started at the airport when we realized we couldn’t get visas on arrival. Without them, we couldn’t board our flight. So, naturally, we missed it.

But no worries- we’re resilient! We booked another flight for later that day and waited at the airport for our expedited visas to arrive. Of course, we had pulled an all-nighter to get to the airport at 5 a.m. for our original flight, but luckily, airport benches make surprisingly decent places for a cat nap.

Things were looking up! Spoiler: not for long.

It didn’t take long for the food poisoning to set in. My travel buddy got extremely sick, and we ended up having to take a trip to the hospital. It definitely gave me an unexpected perspective on what it is like to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system while traveling.

Although we had eaten all the same foods, I was feeling fine at this point. Because we had lost some much time on our trip due to the unexpected hospital visit, I decided to extend my trip. I booked another flight for a day later and said goodbye to my travel buddy. Unfortunately, it turned out that I couldn’t escape the stomach bug either. I still managed to squeeze in some sightseeing and take a guided motor bike tour, where I got to see iconic landmarks, such as the Train Road.

By the time my flight back to Hong Kong arrived, I was more than ready to go home. I eventually saw a doctor after returning to Hong Kong, got treatment, and thankfully felt much better soon after. Vietnam may not have gone according to plan, but it certainly gave me stories I will be telling for years. A trip to remember, for sure.

Beijing, China 🇨🇳

Beijing was three action-packed days from beginning to end.

On our first day, we took a guided tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. These structures spanned blocks and blocks, yet every building had the most intricate architecture. It was the coolest feeling being able to stand in the presence of so much history and culture.

The next morning, we set out on a guided trip to the Great Wall of China, where we hiked the Xishuiyu section and set up camp just in time to watch the sunset.Camping overnight on the Great Wall has to be one of the coolest experiences of my life. Sitting there and watching the sun go down over something I had seen countless times in pictures was surreal. It was one of those moments where I had to remind myself, I’m actually here.

The next day, after making our way back to Beijing, we went to the zoo to see the pandas and finished our trip with a visit to the Lama Temple. Without a doubt, we had made the absolute most of our weekend getaway.

Reflection

Every destination brought something completely different- whether it was dancing while getting absolutely drenched at a music festival in Seoul, surviving one disaster after another in Hanoi, or watching the sunset from the Great Wall of China. Not everything went according to plan, but those unexpected moments became some of the best stories.