Hong Kong - Day 1

Hong Kong station

Hong Kong remains my favourite place on earth by a long way. Despite having been there three times over the past few years, I have found that its charms have only improved with each visit I make!

This time, however, I made a point of ending the arguments with my boyfriend on the merits of Hong Kong vis a vis any other fabulous place on earth and decided to let Hong Kong speak for itself instead. And so off we went to discover (well, rediscover in my case) that land where many call, the real Pearl of the Orient.

Six days and five nights

Our trip spanned six wonderful days and 5 maddeningly short nights. The agenda included a day trip to Disneyland, a Macau excursion, and soaking up the very best of Hong Kong tourist hot spots! While we felt a bit sad that it seemed 6 days is not nearly enough to see everything we wanted to see, I would definitely recommend to all Hong Kong first-timers to plan for at least 1 week's stay in order to truly appreciate Hong Kong in all her glory :)

I also have to note that while at first the thought of hotel costs was a little worrying, a friend of mine very kindly offered us her place so that we can save on accommodations. We're were extremely blessed! I really am the luckiest to have such wonderful friends!

Day 1



We went budget and took Air Asia to HK and it has to be said, what a great flight and what a great airline! It never ceases to amaze me how rapidly this little company that could has managed to grow into one of the world's most influential corporations. Nothing drives this point home more than arriving at the LCCT at 5.30am and being greeted by a hum of activity by leisure and business travelers alike trying to catch a flight to somewhere. Usually a sight that I only get to see in more developed countries!



3 hours and 45 minutes is apparently enough
for "someone" to catch a nap!

Anyway, our flight was on time (both take off and touch down) and after 3hrs and 45mins, we arrived in HK! Took the train from the airport (easy peesy to do) into the city and then a cab from there to our friend's apartment. What a thing to digest seeing that the apartment building was 50 stories tall and still looked much shorter than some of the other neighbouring buildings. 

  

Our first stop was to Victoria's Peak, which I think is the highest point on Hong Kong Island. There are several ways to get there but I would recommend taking the official tram that goes up the hill. Very touristy but one that cannot be missed. Oh and be sure to check the weather report beforehand as clear skies is best to appreciate the view. Don't be discouraged by the long queues because if there's one thing about HK is that it's efficient! The time will pass quickly (just read your guidebook or something) and when you get to the booth, purchase the Tram+Sky Terrace tickets. Once you're up there, the view will more than make up for the long wait! 





View from the Sky Terrace - from here you can see the Northern portion
of Hong Kong Island and the southern tip of Kowloon Peninsula,
the two regions that form the bulk of Hong Kong.

Simply takes your breath away doesn't it? I've seen
a night time version of this view
and it is really something to behold.



 

I always maintain that you have not really seen Hong Kong until you have spent a few hours wandering around Kowloon and especially in Mongkok / Yau Ma Tei where you should eventually end up at the Ladies Market or the Jade Market. Emerging from the underground MTR station, you will suddenly feel the presence of all 8million of Hong Kong's inhabitants and at the same time, witness the healthy commercial activities for which Hong Kong is famous. My favourite thing to do in this area is to gaze upward as I enter each new street so that I can observe the haphazard arrangements of neon signs that poke out of each skyscraper, threatening to block out the sky entirely with their loud declarations of each new mobile / computing technology.

To me it's like a scene out of a movie like Fifth Element or Star Wars or something where people lived within inches of one another and commerce exists seamlessly with everyday life.

Kowloon is the place to be seduced by fanciful electronics and photographic paraphernalia, many of which are not available in Malaysia. One observation I made during the trip was that you will be hard pressed to find a local Hongky using anything less than an SLR. Just walk 10 minutes along Tsim Sha Tsui (the banks of the Kow Loon harbour) and you will find numerous families and couples straining to position their SLRs on camera stands for that perfect photo.

  

Speaking of Tsim Sha Tsui, there is only one word to describe it: crowded. You will not believe the number of people that can be squeezes onto a single square feet but somehow Hongkys manage just fine.

We ended our first day in the most perfect way imaginable: a short trip across the harbour to Hong Kong Island on one of the city's oldest mode of transportation - the Star Ferry. It is also arguably the cheapest. At HK$3 (or something like that) one way, it can be the most economical method of seeing the most famous panoramas on earth, the lights of Hong Kong Island's most iconic buildings such as the IFC and the Bank of China building!

The view from our ferry

So that was our first day in Hong Kong. Definitely a memorable one at that having seen the sights, sounds and lights of the place in one whirlwind of a day!

Day two will be our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland! Yay! Stay tuned for my review of that famous place where everyone suddenly embraces their inner child. Until then :)