Note: I have been bad about posting. Ow well, it is my blog. I have some stuff written up from the last months, it just needs to be touched up.
But first, Hong Kong. Last month, I took a much-needed vacation. I spent a few days with friends in Taipei and then spent nearly two weeks on a whirlwind tour of Thailand. Everything was pretty swell of course, however I finished the trip with two days in Hong Kong and I feel like writing about it.
Both Taipei and Hong Kong were on my itinerary because of my favorite, exhausting travel trick, extended layovers. The main goal of this vacation was the sun and beaches of Thailand, but when traveling that far, you often have layovers in new places. With a little bit of effort, and help from budget sites like Momondo and Kiwi, you can often get two or three days at a new location for almost nothing. I see this as essentially free travel as I would have to pay the cost even if I skipped it.
I had enjoyed the trip so far, but I had a distinct sense of excitement for Hong Kong. I had always heard good things from all friends who had been and of course, it is a city laden with history and culture and FOOD. I was interested to compare the experience with Beijing and Taipei, as all three are Chinese cities with distinctly different geopolitical pasts and presents. And because I am as #basic as they come, I was very hyped to see Victoria Peak and not only for the Insta. I took an evening flight in from Chiang Mai on Hong Kong Express (easily the nicest budget airline I have ever flown), and as we approached, the lights from the city inspired that sense of awe that normally is reserved for landing at La Guardia at night while coming up the East River. It is incredibly cheesy I know, but I was struck with this feeling of gratitude for the opportunity to experience it. I even told my random seatmate that one of my desires for life was that I hope I still get that same child-like giddy feeling of wonder whenever I visit a new place, no matter what age I am.
Thoughts on Hong Kong’s Airport: Customs are very easy as an American (I think it is something like 90 days visa free) and while their airport is a long way from the main touristy parts of the city, it was super easy to navigate even at the middle of night. First, I highly suggest snagging a SIM card and Octopus card (Hong Kong’s all-everything reloadable public transit card that also works to buy things at stores like 7-11s). Next, taxis from the airport are very expensive. Enter my new favorite bus system anywhere in the world. Hong Kong has huge, comfortable buses with Wi-Fi that run to and from the airport from all over the city, 24-7. They cost ~$5. Both times, it took between 45 minutes to an hour to get from the airport to Hong Kong Island. Highly Recommended.
My goal when having limited time in a city while knowing you cannot see and do everything is to prioritize one or two big things a day and let the rest of it come as it will. For the first day, I set my sites on Victoria Peak and taking a boat across the harbor to check out the skyline. Decked out in Michigan gear to celebrate our early morning NCAA tourney victory over mighty Montana (Traveling in a big, international city during the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is hilarious. The uni polos are out and you are reminded just how deep people roll with their alma mater. And yes, I realize how weird the rest of the world finds Americans’ obsession with this), I set out early to combat what was sure to be long lines for the Peak. I considered going at night for the absurd light-show views, however I had friends to go out with that night and it was supposed to rain the next day, so I decided now was the time. The quicker option to get to the peak is probably to take public transport up the backside of the mountain; however, I was a tourist and hence opted to experience the tram ride up. I recommend it at least once as I found it kind of thrilling. The Peak itself did not disappoint, it was magnificent up there. The Hong Kong skyline is kind of mid blowing to be honest. I did not have perfect weather, but it was good enough. Basically, there is a reason every tourist goes and it is because it is worth it. Pro tip: I decided to crush a beer and pizza on a restaurant’s balcony afterward. Sure, it was overpriced, but I basically got a private view of the city. For me, it was totally worth it.
Next, I headed to the Tsim Sha Tsui neighborhood to meet with a fellow traveler from Couchsurfing Hangouts. (Not sure if I mentioned this before but Couchsurfing Hangouts is easily my favorite solo travel application. I have met so many fascinating people all over the world using it. Basically, in major travel areas, you are never alone, and if you do not vibe with the people or group, it is easy enough to excuse yourself.) Today, I was meeting up on the waterfront with Dina, a Kazakh girl in her 20s, who turned out to be cool af. We hit it off as we had similar travel goals and ended up spending the next day and a half exploring the city together. We wandered around the waterfront and eventually took a boat across the harbor for the #views. Cheap and highly recommended. That night, we met up with two of my American friends who were having a weekend in Hong Kong. We all went out in Lan Kwai Fong and it was as fun as advertised. It is a lit district near Central with different bars, restaurants, and clubs all in a row. I admit, it is key to have a normal, big city night when you live on a remote island full time. I highly suggest it.
The following day, Dina and I settled on two goals: walk the Mid-Levels escalator system in the Central shopping district and to see if we could find one of Hong Kong’s beaches. Mid-Levels is a fun way to see the city as it is this long continuous elevated escalator system that takes maybe 20-30 minutes to complete in total. It is another thing that I am told is cooler at night with the lights, but was still neat during the day. I have never seen something quite like it. In the afternoon, I mapped out a route to the beaches on the south side of Hong Kong Island (only a 15-20 minute bus ride from the Causeway Bay neighborhood) and hence I spent the last afternoon of my vacation chilling in a bougie little beach bar and restaurant on Repulse Bay Beach. Honestly, it was a perfect way to end my trip.
Video Credit: Дина Тазабекова
Overall
Hong Kong was awesome and I have to go back again some time. It was probably my favorite place on a trip full of amazing places. One thing of note, the city is not cheap and space is super limited. I decided to stay in a hostel (it was very nice for a hostel) for the cost savings (still was not particularly cheap) even though my body has basically decided it can no longer sleep in beds that are maybe 175 cm long. I think this was a mistake and I think I may finally be too old for hostels because at this point, I barely sleep and my legs spend the day cramping from having to sleep like a pretzel. I stayed in the Wan Chai neighborhood on Hong Kong Island. I do suggest it as it is centrally located for getting all over the city. Furthermore, it has many chill little restaurants and bars of its own that I barely got to explore due to time limitations. I strongly recommend not skipping out on the beaches. They were a pleasant break from the hustle and bustle of the city. Finally, the legacy of Hong Kong’s Imperial British past are everywhere and obvious.
Food
DIM SUM! My god, it is just amazing, I think I honestly had Dim Sum for three meals in two days. Good, cheap Dim Sum places are all over and are even open for breakfast. Everything I tried was amazing (Dumplings, Rolls, Buns, Stuffed peppers, etc.). I suggest just going with others and ordering a bunch of things and seeing what you like. Honestly, if I had a dim sum place of similar quality in Yuzhno, I would probably eat there two to three times a week. It was that good.
