If you love buildings, architecture, and food, Hong Kong should be on your must go list. Hong Kong is connected to China but was formerly under British rule. If you’ve been following the news recently, you know about the massive protest that happened a few weeks ago. Thousands of Hong Kong residents crowded the streets protesting the extradition law that would allow them to be tried in mainland China. We traveled during the period these protests were happening, but luckily did not run into any problems, and did not get hurt at all. It’s crazy how we take things like this for granted sometimes. I am in no way political, but really feel for the Hongkongers that are fighting for their freedom. While the bill has been suspended as of now, only the future will show what the government will do.
I visited Hong Kong with my family a while ago when I was younger, and frankly don’t remember much. I was less interested in things growing up, and honestly have a horrible memory. Going back to Hong Kong this year was a fun experience, and I’d go back in a heart beat! Prior to the trip, I imagined HK to be a lot like China - a bit dirty and loud. However, once arriving, I realized that because of the heavy British Influence, Hong Kong is a lot more similar to London. You see the red double decker buses driving by, a bunch of British clothing brands, and the people there speak perfect English. While that’s just a portion of the city, it was really a nice surprise to me.
Day 1:
I started my first day really early in the morning. My flight left at 1 AM from Haneda Airport, so I went to the airport after work. I flew for only $250 roundtrip on Hong Kong Express, another budget airlines that gets the job done for the cheapest price but inconveniences you time-wise. Despite it being a short red-eye flight, I was able to get a few hours of sleep and landed early in HK around 5 AM. It took a while to get out of the airport as the immigration line took about an hour to get through, and then I had to find my wifi rental booth, get money out of the ATM, and finally get an octopus card for transport.
Finally, I got out of the airport and stepped outside to the muggy, humid HK weather. It was 7 AM and I was extremely sweaty, but I made it to the bus stop which takes you into the city for only 33 HKD. Unlike my other trips, this one was with my mom and her friend, so I got to stay in a nice hotel, eat good meals, and relax a bit! While my mom did most of the planning, I had some input in where to go and what we did. Depending on where you’re staying in the city, you can choose from different bus or train routes. There was a bus that went directly to our hotel (Nathan Hotel) on Nathan Road within one hour. The drive from the airport to the city was beautiful and we passed by the sea and green mountains and eventually passed through the huge skyscrapers and colorful buildings that the city is known for. After arriving at the hotel, I dropped off my bags and got ready to start my day!
Since my mom and aunty did not land until late afternoon, I basically had the whole day to myself. First on my list was the insta famous spot, Choi Hung Estate. The Estate has become an increasingly popular spot for instagram photography and often is really crowded as the day goes by. I read several guides and blogs on how to find the area. But basically, you should just map to the Choi Hung Estate Parking Garage. The famous area is the basketball courts that are located at the top of the garage. My mom and aunty definitely would not have enjoyed the spot, but I was in photography heaven. The courts are colorfully designed and mesh well with the rainbow colored apartment complex in the background. I arrived around 8:30 AM, so there were still locals doing tai chi and playing basketball. By 9 AM, they start to clear out and you can take pictures easily. I probably took at least 100 photos of the courts and buildings at different angles. While waiting for the locals to clear out, I observed some brave solo travelers who came prepared with their tripods. They were determined to get the perfect shot. I unfortunately was unprepared and too scared to ask any one for pics, but it was still nice to wander around and soak in the sight. I stayed for around an hour or so, but it started to rain a bit, and then all of a sudden started storming and pouring rain. Luckily, I took all my pics and left just in time to hide under the parking lot area for a bit while it was pouring.
I decided to change my plans and head to an indoor mall to avoid the rain. At this point, it was thundering and pouring so hard that the streets were flooded. I waited a bit for it to let up, but it didn’t seem to get any better after a while. Luckily I brought an umbrella and didn’t get too soaked. I made my way to The Mills which is a warehouse transformed to a shopping complex for local brands and artists. By bus it was about 50 minutes away from the estate, but kept me dry for a bit while it was raining. When I arrived, the rain had stopped and I was already pretty far from where I planned to be. Most shops at The Mills were closed so I ended up just eating breakfast at a restaurant on the first floor. I tried to order beef noodles, but the waitress told me they only served things from their breakfast menu at the time. I ended up getting a set that came with a small bowl of beef noodles, toast with egg and sausage, and iced milk tea - all for only $5!! I really just wanted a small snack, but ended up getting a full on meal. I was so full by the end of it and really couldn’t finish the whole thing. The beef was really tender in the noodles and the milk tea was really sweet and refreshing after walking around in the humid weather. After finishing brunch, I stopped by a nearby shopping complex that was across the street, shopped a bit, and then headed to the next destination.
I caught the train to Quarry Bay where the Yik Fat Building is that was famously featured in the transformers movie. I love the colorful abandoned building look which a lot of buildings in Hong Kong have. Hong Kong apartments are huge, colorful, and often have a lot of character (cracks, dirt, etc.) that make it so fun to photograph. The buildings are located about five minutes away from the station. Luckily it wasn’t so crowded, but it was a bit dreary and underwhelming from what I had expected. There are two building complexes, one has more red apartments while the other less popular is a bit duller in color. I spent a short time here to take photos, but left a bit disappointed. I would definitely recommend the Choi Hung Estate, but don’t think these buildings were worth the journey, unless you’re in the area! After, I killed some time by walking around the Quarry Bay area for a little bit. I finally couldn’t take the humidity and walked around a nearby mall for a while to cool off.
By the time I finished photographing the buildings, I made my way back to the hotel area to meet my mom. When I got back, it started to storm again and then I heard news that their flight was delayed and they were still at the airport. After walking around all day, I was exhausted so I convinced the hotel to let me check in despite my mom not being there, and relaxed a bit until they arrived. The hotel was super nice and definitely an upgrade from the usual airbnb that I book on my trips. We got a triple room that was spacious and modern. And the room came with free bottled water and buffet breakfast every morning. It’s also conveniently located right on Nathan road in the middle of Temple Street Night Market and the Ladies Market, making it a perfect destination to stay in the heart of one of the best districts!
Finally, they arrived at the hotel around 6 PM and we quickly got ready to eat dinner. We decided on a nearby dim sum place! While they had most of the normal dishes we order (shrimp hargow, steamed veggies, shrimp look fun, charsiubao, etc), they also had a few cool dishes like the shrimp hargow with truffle sauce. I love dim sum and while typically considered a breakfast or lunch dish, I would gladly eat it for dinner any day!
After dinner, we made our way to the Ladies Market for some shopping and bargaining. If you’re looking for fake designer or brand bags, this is definitely the place to hit. If you’re in the mood to shop, be prepared to bargain, bargain, bargain! This is a must or else you’ll pay a horrible tourist price. Know what you’re paying for and keep in mind, it is fake, so obviously the quality is not worth a whole lot of money. After the Ladies Market, we also hit Temple Street Night Market. At the end of the night, I walked out with a new Fjallraven Kanken Bag for around $13 (100 HKD) :) I was absolutely exhausted from this jam-packed first day and had a great first nights sleep.
Day 2:
The next day, we headed to Macau! Macau was under Portuguese rule until the late 1990’s and is now an island part of China. However, it is easily reachable from Hong Kong in under one hour by high speed ferry, making it a popular weekend destination for many locals and visitors. We had a three day Hong-Kong Pass that covered a bunch of attractions including a few on Macau, so we decided to take full advantage. We took the Cotai Ferry to Macau with our pass and arrived in the afternoon. Once you get off the ferry, you can catch free shuttles to the hotels on the strip. Macau is known as the Vegas of Asia, and the strip really does transport you to a Las Vegas type of place. There are huge casinos including the Venetian, Wynn, etc. It’s really amazing how similar the buildings and vibe of the strip were to Vegas. The Venetian had a small art exhibition in the walkway area, gambling area in the middle, and lots of high end shops inside the hotel. We were shocked to see the minimum bets at the table started at 500 HKD which is about $60+. For one hand of blackjack, we thought it wasn’t worth our time and money, so we left quickly and started the rest of our day.
With the Hong Kong Pass, you must redeem your tickets at each of the participating companies booths which made it a bit inconvenient to travel. We joined the Macau Hop on Hop off bus, covered by the pass, and followed the route throughout the town. Macau has a heavy portuguese influence so all of the signage is written in both Chinese and Portuguese which I found really interesting. Their food and architecture was also heavily influenced by the Portuguese which was fun to see in person. First, we stopped by the Historic Center of Macao which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you’re looking for food, it’s a great place to grab quick street food bites and enjoy the local scene. We stopped for portuguese egg tarts & michelin recommended pork buns on our way to the ruins of the church of St. Paul. The area was very similar to an old European town and definitely reminded me of my study abroad days! It was blazing hot outside, so we quickly took pics, dodged into ac’d stores, and then made our way back to the bus to go to our next stop.
Before heading home, we stopped at the Macau Tower to look at the beautiful view. Luckily, our pass covered this attraction as well so we definitely saved money and got up the tower easily. It’s similar to a lookout like the Sky Tree in Tokyo, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can opt for bungee jumping off the tower. While the lookout was nice, the water in Macau was really brown and dirty, and was a bit off-putting to look at and take pictures of. We made our way back to Hong Kong area by 6 PM, and wandered off to find dinner!
I mapped to a Hong Kong style diner called Lan Fong Yuen in Kowloon area. It was packed with locals, so we knew it was good. The menu was all in Chinese so we had no clue what they had or what to order. We relied on google translate and some pictures they had on the menu, and ended up with two plates of roast chicken (?) and a plate of beef curry. The chicken was served with noodles, veggies, and topped with ginger sauce. Each meal came with a drink, and this place is apparently known for their hk style milk tea! Despite the communication difficulties, it was an excellent dinner and I would come back again! The meat was really tender in both types of dishes we tried, and the tea/coffee was strong and flavorful. I believe its a chain restaurant so you should be on the lookout for one of them if you ever travel to HK!
After dinner, my mom and aunty really wanted a foot massage, so we followed a lady to this shop for a 30 min session for around 90 HKD. I had a foot massage in Bangkok earlier in the year, and did not enjoy it too much. But this one was quite relaxing and not painful (like it should be). Southeast Asia is the best place to get massages, so if you’re into that, you should take full advantage of the cheap pricing! Here, they soaked your feet for a while in hot water, and then massaged your feet and legs for a while.
After the foot massage, we headed to the sky100 HK Deck for a night view of the city. Since we saw a view of the city from Macau during the day, it was a cool thing to see at night. Hong Kong is vibrant with many commercial buildings as well as residential. It’s a true concrete jungle surrounded by blue waters.
Day 3:
The next day, we decided to take advantage of the Hop on Hop off bus tours in the city. We had a rough start to the morning, as we walked for a bit to the wrong area and then waited for a bus that never came. After an hour of going back and forth, we decided to taxi to another area where we could activate our passes and take the bus. By this time, it was nearly 12, the buses only ran once or twice an hour, and we had already wasted half of the day trying to find the starting place. I think we were all a bit tired and grouchy, but we powered through and finally made our way to Stanley Market on the other side of the island.
I fell asleep on most of the bus ride there, but towards the end, the views are amazing and you can see the water and small islands in the distance. The area near the market is a bit posh and very luxurious. We were dropped off at Stanley Plaza which has a bunch of shops, eateries, and even a super market. For lunch, we stopped by and grabbed a few things to share and ate nearby the water. After lunch, we walked through the area, and around Stanley Market, which had mainly touristy goods, clothing, and toys. The market was underwhelming compared to the Ladies Market or Temple Street Night Market, but the views of the water and the bay were incredible.
After returning back to the city, we hopped on another bus to the Peak Tram Lookout. When we visited, the cable car was closed for renovations (until 2021), so the company offered a shuttle service instead. At the top of the peak tram, is the Sky Terrace which gives you a nice view of the city skyscrapers during the day. Since it was covered with our pass, it was a nice stop, but it wasn’t the most amazing part of the trip. If you’ve already decided to pay to go up other lookout points, I would consider if you want to pay more to go up here as well.
For our last journey, we caught another bus line to explore the Soho city area. I wanted to stop by Man Mo Temple, but unfortunately it was too late by the time we got there, and it was closed. Instead, we got off near Graham Street, passed by the murals, and then wandered around to find some dinner. I had read that the area was known for street art and cool architecture, but there weren’t many photo spots that we passed by. Nevertheless, we still had a great time exploring. We walked through a vegetable and fruit market down an alley and I found mangosteens which I’ve been craving ever since I tried it in Bali.
For dinner, we stopped by a street food stand selling seafood. We tried steamed scallops with garlic, green onions, and glass noodles in a shoyu-based sauce, and some fish with steamed veggies. I love street food, and the quality of the seafood we got was definitely really good. Still hungry after dinner, we stopped by Mak’s Noodle which is a michelin recommended eatery known for their wontons and noodle soup! Luckily the portions were small enough to fill our stomachs just enough to satisfy us for the day. And of course, for dessert, we stopped by a nearby gelato shop which served Hong Kong made local gelato! At the end of the night, we caught the public ferry back to the Kowloon Island side, and made our way back to the hotel to shower and sleep.
Day 4:
My favorite day was our last full day in Hong Kong. We made our way to Lantau Island to the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car. Covered with our pass, we got a free guided tour and free gondola ride up to the town. We were blessed with sunny but a bit cooler weather. The cable car ride went over the ocean and through the beautiful green mountains. At the top, there is a gift shop, and a bunch of restaurants immediately as you walk out of the station.
Around 11, we met our tour guide and went on a tour of the island! We had no clue what to expect, but definitely had a great time. The first stop was at a tea house located right outside the station. They specialize in the blooming flower tea which they claim to have created at that very shop. We got a small tea tasting and went back after the tour to stock up on tea for ourselves and as gifts!
After the tasting, we headed to Tai O Fishing Village by shuttle bus. While at the village, we took a boat tour out a bit to see the stunning views of the bay. The water and scenery reminded me a bit of Ha Long Bay, and was beautiful with the sunny sky. After returning back, we toured the floating houses and walked around the village while our tour guide gave us some history about the area. At the end, we got 30 minutes of free time to buy souvenirs and eat local sweets. While you should probably get the fish snacks in the area, I thought the best thing at the village was the fresh mango mochi. I wish I had bought more than one because they were sooo tasty and fresh. I’m seriously thinking of making this to sell in Hawaii when I go home. My mom and aunty also did some damage and bought some dried scallops, dried ume, walnut cookies, cheap blooming flower tea, and coconut cakes.
After returning back to the main town area, we ended the tour at the Buddhist Monastery. During the tour, I learned that the Tian Tian Buddha was actually inspired by the Buddha in Kamakura when one of the monks visited Japan. In the monastery, they have a bunch of statues where many people go to pray and pay their respects. And in the common area, they also have a vegetarian restaurant that serves dim sum and other dishes to purchase! We tried a bunch of dim sum that was stuffed with veggies like mushrooms, noodles, etc, instead of meat or seafood. And they had more mango mochi, so I had to get another one before we left!
Finally, we made our way up to see the Buddha Statue after climbing 200 steps to the top. From up close, the buddha is huge, but a bit hard to picture well. The views at the top are incredible, and give you a 360 view of the island and all of the beautiful nature of it! The island is so beautiful and a must see if you’re in Hong Kong. If you get the Hong Kong pass, definitely arrange to do the group tour thats included with the pass. You learn a bit of history and about the culture of the area.
After walking around all day, we stopped by the City Outlet Mall which is located right outside the train station. Since we were already in the area, we looked around, but nothing was incredibly cheap or worth buying. We stopped for a short snack and tried McDonalds waffle fries and then went back to the city.
For dinner, we stayed nearby our hotel and I found a place that serves roast duck. Although google had a few reviews, we were shocked to see it was really a hole-in-the-wall, local restaurant. One of the girls working said there was no english menu, so we ended up showing them pictures on my phone to order. We got a half order of roast duck and an egg omelet that happened to come with cooked goya (bitter melon) inside. The duck was tender but a bit fatty for us. It was nice to see that so many locals were eating there though, so we knew it must be good! After dinner, we did some last minute shopping through the night markets again, and I stopped for some dessert to try the famous egg waffle! It’s honestly really similar to eating a waffle, just with a cooler shape. I recommend getting it with ice cream if you want a real treat! We also stopped for another foot massage before going back to the hotel…this time it was a bit painful, but my feet felt rejuvenated at the end of the session.
Day 5:
After days of eating the hotel breakfast buffet, we decided to go out for our last day. My mom got us late check out, so we could relax and not rush to get our things out of the room. We walked to Dim Dim Sum Jordan to get our last dim sum fix for brunch! Although it was a weekday, the restaurant was packed and we had to wait a bit to get seated. But it was definitely worth the wait! We got usual things like fried taro cakes & shrimp hargow, but also tried some new dishes they had on the menu. We had two types of xiao long bao (soup dumplings), mushroom buns filled with truffle mushroom filling, piggy custard buns, stuffed eggplant, and truffle mushroom look fun. If you’re ever in the area, I would highly recommend! We definitely pigged out, but it was our last breakfast so why not.
It started to rain a bit hard before we finished, so we decided to walk to the Jade Market nearby and hide from the rain. After that, we walked to a mall to kill time, use the bathroom, and hide from the rain. We were really lucky and only got rained on the first and the last day of our trip. For lunch, we were determined to find scallops to eat again before we left, but couldn’t find any in the area we were in. We ended up getting some wonton soup noodles in the mall foodcourt, which was equally as satisfying.
Our day was coming to an end, so we went back to the hotel, packed up, and checked out.
Since we still had two hours to kill, we went back out to find dinner. We ended up near Temple Street Night Market (again!) and enjoyed dinner at one of the seafood eateries. Finally, we got our scallop fix, and tried a chinese style steamed fish, and abalone with lettuce. It was a memorable last meal and I would go back in a heartbeat! Finally, we made our way to the airport and caught a red-eye flight back to Tokyo.
Hong Kong was honestly a pleasant surprise for me. I imagined it to be a lot different and grungier than it was. The food was so good and they had a lot of variety. I had also been missing good, cheap Chinese food since we don’t have a lot of that in Tokyo. There is both high-end and low-end (fake good) shopping, so it really suits all types of people. And it has some beautiful scenery in the seaside areas in addition to the crazy skyscrapers and colorful apartment complexes in the heart of the city. I cant wait to go back!
