Review: Hong Kong

    My trip to Hong Kong was part of my planned round-the-world trip, unlike the detour I took to Macau. Like I said in my previous review, Hong Kong is the other special administrative zone of China, which was under British sovereignty from 1842 till 1997, so in way or another it does feel like "East meets West". The city still retains some British culture and feel, which was nice to see. I had decided to stay 5 days in the former British colony, which turned out enough for me. Although I do wish I had visited some other sights that I missed out on.

Electric city!

    It is best to purchase an Octopus card to travel throughout the city, as it is fast and convenient (it works on buses, trams and subway). There are several ways to get from the airport to the main part of the city, such as using buses, subway or the airport express. I did not record the price using a combination of buses and subway to get to Causeway Bay on my first trip, however it cost me $100 (£8.31) using the premium airport express on the way back.

Modern underground

     With Hong Kong having a population of 7 million people and being one of the most densely populated areas in the world, I was not entirely surprised to find that my accommodation was situated in an apartment block. I used a map to find my way to the hostel, as it felt like a maze in this city!! Although the hostel I stayed at was only a minute's walk from Causeway Bay station exit D1 on Cannon Street. I used a code given to me by the manager of the hostel, Pandora after 80's, to get inside the main apartment block.

Common Room @ Pandora After 80's (from internet)

    The hostel was actually two separate rooms. I took the elevator to get to the main apartment on the 11th floor, whilst the common room was on the 9th. The guy who was running it, Ronnie, was a backpacker itself, however the hostel was a bit messy and disorganised as I had to go down two floors to get to the common room itself. Inside there was free tea and coffee plus you could watch cable TV. Also, it seemed the bed sheets were not changed daily as in Wink Hostel and neither were the bathrooms cleaned often. However, the location was awesome and the showers were hot, which was a massive plus. It cost me $350 (£28.08) per night, but I did pay for a 3 bed dorm deluxe room. They were in a re-building process at the time, so it looked a bit messy. The hostel is good enough if there are no other options, although for the price I am sure they are better places. I would recommend looking around first.

Not how the dorms looked whilst I was there, although it was under development (from internet)

   As you can imagine, the food in Hong Kong is very varied in its tastes because the city has been a port open to merchants for over 150 years. One of the places that was recommended to go to was the "Australian Diary." The place was packed when we got there, but we did not have to wait long to get served. Here the food seemed to be mixture of both Asian and European dishes as for the set lunch I had noodles with pork, plus a ham and egg sandwich. I also bought a ham and cheese sandwich; the total cost was $47 (£3.85). It was interesting to get an idea of how the people of Hong Kong like to eat when in a rush or buying cheap.

Mixing of cultures @ Australian Diary

   Another place we went to was an all-you-can-eat American-Chinese style restaurant owned by Mr Wong. There were many Westerners there, but it is probably because it only cost $50 (£4.10) each for all-you-can-eat-and-drink. There were many dishes brought to us, such as rice, various meats, noodles, and other Chinese-style food, but the food was pretty bland. I would not recommend the place unless you want a really cheap meal, and plan to get drunk afterwards!!!

The cheap American-Chinese meal @ Mr Wong's

   My favourite place I ate at whilst in Hong Kong was in a Taiwanese restaurant inside a tower block. Like my hostel, this place was unique as I have never gone up several floors to eat at a restaurant. I was with two girls, and they kindly bought me the meals, so I do not have an idea of the price! There was quite a selection of food from rice to various meats. I struggled to use the chop sticks, but they had knives and forks, which was good! The food was much better than Mr Wong's restaurant, but I guess you had to pay more for better quality food. I also ate this Chinese dessert with a bread-like pudding, which was rather tasty too!

Me with Iris @ the delicious Taiwanese restaurant 'above' ground!

   On the penultimate day of my stay in the city, I ate dim sum, which is a traditional Cantonese delicacy, normally eaten as snacks in the early morning. It is quite common to eat, so there are several restaurants throughout Hong Kong. It consists of small bite-sized portions of food served in small steamer baskets or on plates. There were several dishes of meat, rice, vegetables and dumplings. There were also a variety of sauces to you can dip your food into, which gave it an added taste. It cost us each $85 (around £7). It is a little bit expensive, but the food was really delicious, and you certainly get the taste of Hong Kong food by eating dim sum.

Tasty morning snacks of dim sum with sauces

    In regards to things to do in the city that is known to be the most vertical in the world, there are numerous things to do. For free, you can visit the Avenue of Stars on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. There are statues of film greats, such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, handprints of movie celebrities from the last 100 years, as well as plaques commemorating certain actors. It was quite interesting to see, although the best part of it was viewing the Symphony of Lights at 8PM. After a few minutes of adverts, music is played in sync with the lights from the various skyscrapers across the harbour. It is very interesting to see, although I am sure it would be better on a clearer night, as the clouds and mist ruined the most of the view for me.

Me on the Avenue of Stars overlooking Hong Kong harbour

   Another essential place to visit is Victoria Peak, which offers panoramic views of the city from 552 meters above sea level. You can either take the 120 year-old railway from near Central station, grab a bus or walk. I decided to walk; it took me 75 minutes to climb the Peak, which was a refreshing exercise. It can be a bit dangerous in places, such as a lack of pavement, but it is certainly recommended. There are some nice locations to take pictures on the way up. Near the top, I came across a quaint bakery shop, which was rather nice. Once at the top, there is a shopping centre with many restaurants to relax. You can view the city from the top of the shopping centre. Unfortunately, there was a real lack of visibility due to the clouds surrounding the mountain peak, but I am sure the views offered on a clear day would be fantastic. I then took a bus back down the mountain for only $9.80 (80p).

Me looking over the view on the Peak

    In the evenings, Temple Street Night Market in central Kawloon offers an interesting alternative. Here you will find anything 'dark' to suit your tastes, such as sex shops, fortune telling and counterfeit items. To be honest, I was here with a friend, who recommended me to do some fortune telling. It cost me $200 (£16.33) to have a palm reading. It was something I have never done before, but he offered insights about myself that seemed eerily true! It is best to have an open mind about places like this, but it offers a fascinating experience to learn more about Hong Kong culture than what appears on the surface. But the time I had finished, I felt it was enough to move on!!

Fortune telling @ Temple Street (from internet)

    Hong Kong is not just Hong Kong island, but this special administrative region of China comprises of Kowloon peninsula and another 262 islands. For this reason, there are many other areas to see other than central Hong Kong. One of the quieter and less densely populated locations is Stanley. Here there is a lovely market where it is less hectic than the hustle and bustle of the streets of downtown Hong Kong. There are beautiful views of the bay along Stanley Street, and a lovely promenade to walk down. There are also two beaches you can go to whilst you are, although I did not. I would definitely recommend coming here, as it offers an area to 'escape' the noise and crowdedness of central Hong Kong.

A quieter side to Hong Kong, Stanley

    If you love to gamble, have an interest in horses or just want to have a little fun, Happy Valley is the best place to go. It is located on Hong Kong Island surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. It was originally built in the 19th century to quench the thirst of the British people who loved horse riding, and even now in the 21st century you will see plenty of Westerners here. The cost to enter the facility is $10 (83p), so it is fairly cheap. There are plenty of stalls and small fast food restaurants for drinks and snacks. There is a big stand where you can sit down to watch the races, or you can go inside to watch it on the TV. I would recommend going if you want a but of fun with friends, although do not expect to win anything!

Me with Rud @ Happy Valley Racecourse

   There are many other places to visit that I missed out on, which I would love to go to if I go back to Hong Kong one day. Other sites of interest include Lantau Island, which once had the tallest outside Buddha prior to 2007 at 34 metres. If you like Disneyland, there is that too. There are many botanical gardens to explore, such as Nan Lian and Chi Lin. Besides from that, there are buildings of knowledge that may be thought provoking to visit, such as the science, history and maritime museums. I am sure there are plenty of islands that are worth going to that I do not know of.

Big Buddha, Lantau Island (from internet)

   The people of Hong Kong are mainly Cantonese people, although there are many Westerners who work in the city, as well as growing number of people from China, which adds Mandarin to the mix of languages spoken here. This gives Hong Kong a unique blend of East meeting West, as well as a real capitalist feel to it. The people are really friendly, and generally most youngsters speak English as a second language, so communication is not a problem. I have heard the further you go out from the city, the ruder people tend to become, although I never went into mainland China so it is hard for me to comment on that. However, the people I met from Hong Kong were really easy going, and it is not too difficult to make friends here.

Amazing Hong Kong hospitality!!! Thanks Key & Iris :)

   To summarise, despite Hong Kong being one of the tallest and most densely populated cities in the world, it is truly a lovely place to visit, as it offers plenty to keep you interested. From the quaint and quiet feel Stanley, the hustle and bustle of downtown Hong Kong, to the night markets of Kowloon, there is always something to see and do. Scattered throughout the archipelago, there are remnants of its status as a British colony with trams, police stations and of course, Happy Valley racecourse. The skyline is amazing to see, especially at night with the Symphony of Lights. The Peak offers a great panoramic view of the surrounding areas. Furthermore, the food is uniquely Cantonese, and if you dine at the right places, it is a delight to eat too. The people of Hong Kong make you feel welcomed as well. I would recommend several days to explore the city, and if you want to chill-out, there are beaches to sunbathe at in Stanley.