Neon City - Hong Kong

This blogpost comes in a tad bit late due to my usual work-life stretch followed by hectic Indian Holiday season. However it is never too late to reminiscence a good story, so sharing my Hong Kong travelogue here with everyone.

Not sure how many of you have the same confusion as I had about this place, about whether it is a country or a city? So before I went there, I did my bit of "googling" to find out more. An interesting system of governance here - manged through the principle of "one country - two systems", this former British colony enjoys quite an autonomy even though it is part of China - and almost despises the fact that it is (which I learnt upon my visit later). Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997 and enjoys political freedom from China for a period of 50 years. Thus it won't be wrong to say that it is almost a country by itself - quite distinct and aloof from Mainland China.

Located on the Southern coast of People's Republic of China, Hong Kong is made up of 3 distinct areas - The New Territories, Kowloon Bay Peninsula, and the Hong Kong Island - the latter being the most happening of the 3 if you are looking for fun and action while on your trip. All three areas are very well connected through an awesome transport system which just blew my mind away.

This busy city can overwhelm many outsiders, however if you are coming from India, the population density should not disturb you much - though I must say that its still quite heavy for you to pause and take notice. Hong Kong is considered to be one of the most densely populated places on the planet yet it is so organized, clean and beautiful. I totally loved Hong Kong - perhaps because it was the first real foreign vacation with my husband, and we really explored and lived the "Hong-Kong" life for 8 days.

This city gets you at the very first glimpse, when you land onto one of the most scenic airports of the world - right beside the sea and perched below the hills. Yes you will be disappointed if you are looking to explore the remains of an ancient civilization or the colonial era as most of it has been usurped by the giant glass structures standing tall where-ever your vision takes you.

Water Landing ... almost at Hong Kong Airport

View from the airplane - mist descending on mountain top

During our stay, we got a hotel on the Hong Kong Island which can be reached conveniently by the "Airport Express" which brings you in from the Hong Kong airport. Another reason for staying on the main Island was because my husband had to meet a client too and their office was quite close to our hotel which made it convenient for him to finish his meetings and get back to the hotel early.

There is loads to explore and see around Hong Kong, and I will list down all that is worth the mention. However, do want to say that when traveling, my husband and I do not do much of the "touristy stuff", but really explore the place as a "local". That helps you appreciate the culture and the life of that city much more than just ticking off places on an itinerary. So if you are not the kinds to steer away from the mundane, then best to stick to the list of places to see that your hotel concierge desk might hand out to you.

Hong Kong Skyline

Serene Parks

Hong Kong is a great city for those first-timers who are looking for a decent foreign vacation coupled with a thrilling shopping experience. In fact I plan to write a complimentary blogpost soon on this amazing shopping destination. So to start with, I would like to share some general tips for the first-timers here as it can make your experience really worthwhile.

• First thing to do as soon as you embark at Hong Kong airport,  is to get a one time ticket for the Airport Express to get to the Hong Kong Island, and an "Octopus Card" from the same counter. The latter is a reusable/ rechargeable smart card and your ticket to a hassle-free travel and shopping - widely used in Mass Transit Systems and Supermarkets.
• Right here, you can also exchange some Euros or US Dollars for Hong Kong Dollars if you are not already carrying it.
• Once you hit the Hong Kong Island, do not look far for reaching your hotel. You get a shuttle service to all Key 5 Star Hotels free of charge from the MTR station and all you need to do is to just get to that point which is clearly earmarked for it.
• Do not approach folks directly with questions, as most of the time they are taken aback and are not very friendly towards outsiders. This is not because they are rude, but because they are not well-versed in English. Fortunately the entire Mass Transit System and other key places are marked clearly in English. The MTR Helpdesks are very helpful and respond to your queries related to routes. stoppages and fares in a friendly way.
• A pre-paid Sim card that will come in very handy for you to find your way , though most hotels will hand you a free cellphone with unlimited data and free phone calls (best perk I have seen so far anywhere).

So now we should be all set to enjoy this beautiful city and the first thing worthy of a mention once again here is that Hong Kong has one of the most beautiful landing tarmacs in the world. You almost feel like you are floating on waters of the South China Sea for a while before hitting the ground. 

You can get around Hong Kong and its neighboring islands through world's most efficient Mass Transit Systems - Airport Shuttles, Metro Trains, Buses, Taxis (Reds ones for entire Hong Kong except Lantau Island; Blue ones for Lantau Island and Green ones for New Territories), Ferries, and lastly Walking. I can proudly say that I took to all of these in my bid to explore the city.
  
Day 1 - Arrival, Explored Wan Chai followed by Dinner

Given that the Check-in Time for all Hotels is 3 PM here, and with a delayed Cathay Pacific flight, we got to our Hotel on Hennessy Road in Wan Chai roughly around 4ish, and after freshening up, got out to explore Wan Chai since we were tired to go anywhere far. This Neon-lit area is filled with eating and shopping options and we settled for the Spanish joint El Cerdo on Lockhart Road. The food was good, and the chef even better ;-)

Spanish meal in a Chinese City

Day 2 - A Sunday and Shopping at Mong Kok (Kowloon Peninsula)

We left early as our plan was to "shop-till-we-drop" at Mong Kok; thanks to all the You-Tube videos we had watched before zeroing in on the best places to shop in Hong Kong. The main streets to explore here are - Argyle Street, Canton Street, Nathan Street, Prince Edward Road and Shanghai Street. While my focus was on local stores and the "Ladies Market", my "Levis-fan" husband committedly walked into a Levis store and bought himself a few Levis numbers that he convinced me were not found in India yet, apart from making friends with the Canadian born Chinese store manager. I later corroborated my husband's story with a friend of mine who works with Levis in Bangalore, and realized he was right. We picked up bagful of gifts this day for friends and family from here. An advise for shopping in the Ladies Market at Mong Kok is to be ready to bargain and to carry cash as they won't oblige the credit cards at all.

While this place is filled with multiple curbside eateries mostly selling traditional snacking items like fish-balls, octopuses, bean-curd and dim-sums, they were not to our liking so we walked into Trafalgar Pub for an English treat. So far, had not spotted an Indian restaurant but was not missing it yet.

Chinese Street Food

These things were alive and breathing

Trafalgar Pub

Mong Kok Main Market - Korean cosmetic brands are big here

Survival Food

Day 3 - The Peak Tram and Victoria Peak

This was a Monday and my husband pushed off to meet his clients sharp at 9 AM.  We had not planned anything in particular for this day as we were not sure how long his meetings would go, but it was not a dampener. He was back by lunch and we pushed off to Central by MTR and after a frustratingly long wait (of 3 hours) got onto the "Peak Tram" which took us to the most breath-taking view of Hong Kong city from the Victoria Peak. For those who are interested , you can club this with a visit to Madame Tussauds. We wanted to avoid any in-door visits that take a lot of your time, like Museums and Libraries so headed straight for Sky Terrace 428; costs you extra compared to the view from "the Victoria Peak" but totally worth it as it gives you a 360 degree view of Hong Kong City. This place is crowded, but a strange calm descends upon you once you get there - not sure if its the spectacular panoramic view or the cool breeze that has that effect. The Peak Tram ride is enthralling all the way up and down.

View from Victoria Peak

 

Peak Tram Museum

For dinner we got back to Wan Chai at Istanbul Express which served some really good "home-made" Turkish food that satisfied our Indian taste-buds. 3rd day in a row, we had not had the confidence to walk into the local Chinese eateries as we were mostly put off by the smell emanating from these joints.

Back on the streets

Restaurant Istanbul - delicious food

Day 4 - Avenues of Stars & Symphony of Lights at Kowloon and more shopping at Tsim Tsa Tsui

Took the first "Star Ferry" incidentally owned by an Indian named Modi to Kowloon/Tsim Tsa Tsui area to watch the Symphony of Lights which is best viewed from the Kowloon Bay given that the lights are projected from the Hong Kong Island. We waited at the Tsim Tsa Tsui waterfront promenade for the laser lights to kick off at 8 PM - a free treat for all. I was a bit disappointed though as I have seen much better laser shows in India, though definitely not something that covers the skies of an entire city.

Hong Kong Island from Kowloon Bay

The entire promenade comes alive in the evenings since a lot of cultural artists from Hong Kong and other countries put up their shows here which can keep everyone, especially the kids quite intrigued and entertained.

Traditional Chinese Boats ferrying people between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Bay

Kid in a Candy Store

Right here, you come face to face with the shopping marvel that all shopaholics would kill for - Harbour City Mall. Spread over 185,000 square meters of prime real estate, Harbour City is Hong Kong's largest and most diverse shopping mall. It is home to 450 shops with dedicated floors for kids, men and women; 60 food and beverage outlets; 3 Hotels; 10 Office Buildings; 2 Service Apartments, a Private Club and a Cruise Terminal. With the “Star” Ferry pier (named one of the “50 Places of a Lifetime” by the National Geographic Traveler in 1999), it is home to cruise liner berths, maritime history museum and a fabulous harbour view – all at its doorstep. Now you know what inspires the name for this mall. No amount of writing can do justice to this place, and one truly has to visit the place to experience it. I was blown away by the brands here, which I never knew existed.

 

Day 5 - Temple Street Night Market

Temple Street Night Market is pretty similar to the Ladies Market that we visited earlier. However still a good place to pick some good but inexpensive souvenirs if you have missed picking them earlier.

At dusk these shops come up, accompanied with street performers, fortune tellers, and open-air operas. The shops are filled with nick-knacks, Chinese pottery, traditional Chinese medicines and loads of cheap plastic toys and electronic items.

Alight at Jordan MTR station, and walk through these streets - just to experience the Hong Kong marketplace. Nothing that you are going to miss if you skip.

Thai restaurant, Thai God

Amazing Thai fried rice and Thai Red Curry

Day 6 - Exploration of Queen's Road 

The first road to be constructed by British after their occupation of Hong Kong - it runs along the northern coast of the island. It is really the hub of Hong Kong.

Amidst the luxury brand stores, international fashion retailers and towering sky-scrapers, its not unusual to find quiet gardens and tiny temples. Best place to spend your evenings walking through this road and exploring the tiny nooks and crannies nestled comfortably within.

This by-lane on Queen's Road took my heart away

Majestic Window Dressing

And met this Chinese Couple, they obliged with many photographs

A Telsa and many more

  

Day 7 - Lantau Island : 360 Ngong Ping, Po Lin Monastry and Tian Tan Buddha

A piece of well-meant advise. Even if you miss all of the above, or have limited time for anything better to do, spend at least half a day at Lantau Island - the largest island in Hong Kong located at the entry of Pearl river. In old times, this was the place for fishing villages, only to be taken over by expat bungalows, Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong Disneyland and Ngong Ping 360.

My first ever enthralling 5.7 kms. long cable car ride to reach this place will remain unforgettable. The cable cars glide over the South China Sea and the verdant mountainous terrain for approximately 30 minutes and provide some of the best panoramic views in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong International Airport and the Tian Tan Buddha statue. Compared to most European cable car rides, while quite high up from sea level, still maintain a considerable and safe distance from ground (a solace or sorts). However, the cable cars to Lantau literally took my breath away (being an asthmatic...LOL ) since they are suspended so high above the ground level that sky scrapers appear like tiny deck of cards, and humans nothing more than specs of dirt.

I scaled these heights, and it was breath-taking

View from my cable car - South China Sea in the distance

Hong Kong Airport as viewed from my cable car

Those high rises shrunk a bit more later

This cable ride escalates you to an impressive village - Ngong Ping, and to the Tian Tan Buddha. At this themed village there are some good attractions - eateries, tea stalls, and tiny shops selling great souvenirs. Note that there are often lengthy queues to go up the mountains, so to avoid it you can take a bus or a taxi up there, though you will miss the best part of the spectacular views you get from the cable cars.

Tian Tan Buddha and the Monastery Gates

First view of the Ngong Ping theme village from the cable car

Ngong Ping Market

 

Tian Tan Buddha

 

 

Tian Tan Buddha is the largest seated outdoor Buddha in the world. Took 12 years to build it, and carved in bronze, weighing 250 tonnes and 34 meters in height it reminded me of a similar statue back home in Bodh Gaya which is roughly 19.5 meters high. Had to take some serious resolve before climbing those 268 steps in order to enjoy the breathtaking view from the top. Towed behind my husband 10 steps at at time to reach this steep climb given that I am not the most athletic kinds and my asthmatic lungs had already been tested once while in the cable car. The statue faces the Hong Kong island and supposedly blessing it and its people.

 
Right opposite the Tian Tan Buddha is the Po Lin Monastery hidden way in lush greenery below. A serene attraction, the main template building houses bronze statues representing the Buddha of the past, present and future.

Pictures do not do justice to the natural and abundant beauty this island has to offer.

So there you go, I shared a glimpse of a modern marvel, an iconic destination that you cannot leave without the promise of coming back at least one more time in this life-time - for its Congee, for its neon lit streets, for its man-made skyline, and for its god-made marvels :)