A year ago this week I was exploring Hong Kong with my brother Guy. We had booked the holiday many months (maybe even a year) before the actual trip, so my excitement had built up rather a lot and I couldn't wait to explore the islands. If you didn't know, Hong Kong is made up of a number of islands and is known for its deep natural harbour. It is essentially a modern city on an ancient civilisation, with a mixture of cultures. I decided to write a little diary of my time there, so I've decided this blog post can be a digital format of said diary.
Sunday 20th October 2013
Arrived in Hong Kong, visited Lai Chi Kok Road, experienced Hong Kong Mc Donald's, wondered along Nathan Road, Granville Road and Cameron Road (all around our hotel). We ate dinner in a noodle bar, I remember the food as a big bowl of vegetables and noodles, it was very plain and the textures were weird.
Monday 21st October 2013
Travelled across to Lantau Island, where we got the Ngong Ping 360 cable car over the island to Ngong Ping Village, where the Big Buddha is. We took a short coach ride around part of the island, where we picked up a boat, and sailed around Tai O fishing village. We had the chance to wonder around the village, which I loved as it was original and native. Yes there was tourists there but it had such an untouched and undeveloped feel for it. As the day progressed we headed back to Hong Kong Island, taking a tram ride to travel up the Mid-Levels escalator, the worlds longest, outdoor under covered escalator. This took us through Mid-Levels, which I believe is quite a wealthy area, where a lot of British workers live and work. Following this, we travelled up to The Peak via The Peak Tram and had a lovely chicken curry at the top, before adoring the night time views across Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. All the buildings were lit up, it was spectacular.
Tuesday 22nd October 2013
We started the day by trying the hotels breakfast, which shortly ended and a further trip to the local Mc Donald's was had as the hotels breakfast was not up to scratch. After chowing down some food, we hopped on the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island, where we jumped on the 6X bus to Stanley Market and the police museum and prison. Stanley is a very nice area, lots of wealth and class around there. We wondered around the market, which was very touristy but a good chance to see the bustle of locals trying to make a living. I remember we sat on the water front eating a New Zealand cheese burger and chips. Once we had explored this area, we headed back towards the Star Ferry on a 973 bus via Aberdeen. The easiest way to cross the harbour is by ferry, so we took another ride on the Star Ferry and headed to the Sky 100 observation deck, which is a 360 degree indoor observation deck on the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre. We were up on the 100th floor at just the right time, as there was a perfect sunset. It was magical. As the evening drew in we headed back to our hotel for an early night, stopping off for some dinner in a Korean restaurant, which was different but tasty.
Wednesday 23rd October 2013
Another day, another Mc Donald's for breakfast.... We found it pretty hard to find somewhere for breakfast around our hotel as not much was open at 8-9am when we wanted it, so that is why we ate Mc Donald's for the rest of the week. We headed down to the Star Ferry pier, where we met up with Stuart (a friend of my dad's and his friend), who took us to Starbucks and gave us someone tips for how to spend the rest of our time in Hong Kong. We jumped on a number 15 bus to the Peak, so we could take in the views in daylight, one word, spectacular. This was followed by a tram to Western Market and Man Mo Temple. I really liked the temple, it is so interesting to learn about other religions and cultures. We travelled back to Kowloon by the Star Ferry and had a wonder around Kowloon Park, where there were many exotic and beautiful plants. I was desperate to go to a night market, so I went off on my own and explored the Temple Street night market, but in the day, where I got some bargains. Guy and I then met up and visited the Jade Market, which we caught at the wrong time, when everyone was packing up. But, it was still interesting as the sellers were desperate to catch any tourist willing to pay silly money for something apparently made of Jade. We were not fooled by them, so just walked through. After lots of walking for the last few days, we thought what better way to end the day with a massage. Guy went for the full body massage, and I went for a foot massage, which was painful but worth it. With all this relaxation we nearly forgot about dinner, but just along from our hotel there was a restaurant that from the outside didn't look anything special, however, we made our way through all the locals who were dining there to our own little booth, where we enjoyed a traditional Chinese meal. We did stand out slightly by being the only British people there, but hey you can tell the good restaurants by how popular it is with the locals, and this sure was a great choice.
Thursday 24th October 2013
Can you guess how we started the day?... Yep, you're probably right Mc Donald's! Today we took the MTR to Mong Kok where I wondered around 'sneaker street' (a street full of shops selling trainers-heaven!), the ladies market and had my first mc-float, basically a coke float (in Mc Donald's of course). Later we took the Star Ferry across to Hong Kong Island, where we took a Big Bus tour around Central. This was interesting as it took us through and past many iconic sites in Hong Kong. Then we headed back to Kowloon via the Star Ferry, and had another nice dinner and finished the day off with a bit of retail therapy.
Friday 25th October 2013
The last day, which was a day of travel! We started the day with our traditional Mc Donald's breakfast and checked out of our hotel. After a quick stop at 711 (local convenience store in Asia) to pick up some snacks for the journey home, we rode the A21, City Flyer bus to the airport. It took a good hour but that was fine as it meant we could see more of Hong Kong and take in the lovely sights. The flight home seemed to go on forever but it was a great time to think back and reflect on an incredible week, which I am so lucky to have experienced.
I'm not sure I could describe Hong Kong in one word, but here are a few that sum it up for me. East meets West, bustling, diversity, financial, breathtaking, muggy, welcoming and beautiful.
I am so grateful to have been given this chance to explore Hong Kong, it was a great week for me in many ways. I learnt so much, not just about Hong Kong but also about myself. So thanks to my brother Guy for taking me there, I'll take you somewhere one day!
M.
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