8 Awesome Things to Do in Hong Kong
We had a four day weekend from teaching, so we spent the night in the airport and caught a cheap flight to Hong Kong! I had previously spent a few months in Beijing so I went in fully nostalgic of China, but let me tell you: Hong Kong is a world of its own. We stayed in Mongkok in a cheap hotel (described as a "roach-infested sinkhole" in one review, but it turned out to be AMAZING with the sweetest owner and it was just what we needed! Long Yuen Hotel.) Like our other girl's trips, most of the weekend was wandering around talking and eating, but here at 8 things you'll definitely want to do if you visit Hong Kong!
1. Head Up to Victoria's Peak
One of those touristy things that is totally worth the money and time! We made great use of Octopus Cards to get around the city and between the islands on the (extremely efficient) subway, and you can get here from the the HK central stop. Off the subway, you can take the tram car up the almost vertical mountainside. You pretty much have to pay to enter the top deck if you want to see the view at all, but you can get the tram ticket and entrance for less than 100 HK dollars.
THOSE VIEWS. Head up before sunset to catch the city at both day and night!
2. Explore the Districts - Mongkok
We could barely put a dent in this (bustling) city in just a couple days, but I'd recommend getting out of the central area to see one or two of the neighborhoods! If you're looking for a more "traditional" vibe (the city feels more international that Shanghai!) Mogkok is a great area. The food options are incredible (see #8), the streets are wild and it did feel a bit more like China. Enjoy wandering around right off the subway stop of the same name, and make sure to catch the flower market in the morning!
3. Take a StarFerry Around the Harbor
Touristy but so so nice! It was a great way to see the harbor and all the buildings around it. You can catch the touristy loop for about 10USD or ride one of the short public transit ferries for about a quarter.
4. See the City Center
After exploring your district, you have to check out the city center! Maybe it's because we live in a more rural area, but we walked around in awe of the towering buildings and if you're into shopping--head this way.
5. Hike Dragon's Back
A study in contrasts, HK was sharp steel and breezy outdoor adventures all in one! Dragon's Back isn't too strenuous and offers gorgeous views of the city and coast line. To get there, ride the subway to the Shau Kei Wan stop, then walk over to Shau Kei Wan Bus Terminus--take bus 9 to "Shek O," and it will stop right across from the starting point!
We went up about an hour before sunset, so we hiked up and back down to the same starting point. It was gorgeous and our favorite part of our trip!
6. The Harbor at Night // Nightlife
Those city lights! We spent pretty much every night by the harbor--packing sandwich ingredients to watch the city slowly light up from the shore or catching one of those cheaper transit ferries to see it from the water. The nightlife is so fun in Hong Kong! We wandered down a street (looking for Lush) and ended up in a block party blaring YMCA with a conga line, danced till all hours of the night Lan Kwai Fong (the bustling bar district) and headed up to a rooftop bar to catch the view one last time before heading home. It's not horribly expensive if you are intentional (read: 7/11 on the way) but Hong Kong is a pretty expensive city in general so don't expect SE Asia prices by any means.
7. Venture out to the "Big Buddha"
Its actual name is the "Tian Tan Buddha statue" but it really is informally known as the Big Buddha! Built in 1993, it really is massive. Take the 268 steps up to check it out, and see all the views of the mountains and coast! The cable cars were still under renovations when we went (May 2017), so we took a ferry to Mui Woo (from the central pier) then the New Lantao Bus 2 to Ngong Ping Village. It only took us about 45 minutes! On the way back we took bus 23 to the subway, and we thought both options were cheap and great. Check out the cable cars for us!
8. Eat EVERYTHING
If you remember only one thing from this blog post, let it be this! I could write sonnets (or a whole nother blog post) about the food in HK. (1) We ate so many egg waffles that I started to hate myself, but they're just so good and so cheap!
(2) Dim summmm, also a NECESSITY, so many variations of delicious steamed goodness to try.
(3) Hong Kong is also home to some crazy culinary creations: be on the look out for adorable cafes or grilled cheese shops that sell rainbow cheese?!
And of course, eat as much street food as possible. Here "street duck" is pictured, but you can buy pretty much anything you can imagine on the streets of HK!
Hong Kong was a BLAST and I would highly recommend going if you even have just 3 or 4 days! It was gorgeous hiking, ocean breeze, city space, clubbing and a whirlwind of food all in one place. We had an incredible time and all agreed we either wanted to visit again, or move there. Let me know if you have any questions or would like ore recommendations! We just got home from Sri Lanka so be on the lookout for a post on THAT soon as well :)
