Hong Kong is like a weird, humid metropolis sprawling with people, markets, and public intoxication. There is also a large amount of history and colonial identity, but also massive apartment complexes that kind of look like slums. That said, I can understand why people fall in love with this city. There are some really beautiful parts, and the energy that is radiating from each corner of the island is immense. There is definitely not a shortage of things to do here. I arrived at 7 AM on Saturday morning Hong Kong time. I was dead tired because I took one of the bargain flights at two in the morning and didn't sleep at all on the flight. The ride was rough and uncomfortable; I definitely regretting wanting to save thirty dollars, but it was character building non-the-less (stay tuned for a post about the best bargain airlines around Asia). Regardless, I picked myself with some eye cream and brushed teeth, then proceeded to take on the day. The first thing on the list was Big Buddha, also called Tian Tan Buddha on Ngong Ping Lantau island. A cable car takes you a few kilometers up the side of the mountain from sea level on the island, giving you gorgeous views of the extremely blue water and also a lot of the industry of Hong Kong. Regardless, it was beautiful. I didn't realize the natural beauty of the archipelago; with buzzing forests of thick and lush trees. It would be very easy to forget that one of the world's most populated cities is about one kilometer away. There's a constructed path around Lantau island for hikers to reach Big Buddha by foot, but it looked absolutely insane. I think when I come back that is something I want to try. After the gondola ride to big Buddha, I got out and walked through a touristy area that resembles an open air mall leading to a plaza of statues. When you proceed through, you are met with about five floors with of stairs to get to the actual Buddha. Wow. I was definitely winded when I got to the top and was greeted by the giant presence of the Buddha. I had walked all of the steps, carry on and all. It was gorgeous up there, though. I am still blown away by the views and the very stature of big Buddha. It was truly an incredible experience seeing the monks from the near by Po Lin Monastery perform their morning prayer. After about an hour of soaking in the beauty of it all, I descended the stairs and continued my exploration. There is a path that is part of the attraction called the Wisdom Walk, which I walked until its end, and I do not recommend doing. It was essentially a paved path through the forest to a look out point in which you could not see anything. It was also, however, the trail head for a more intense hike, which seemed extremely cool. Oh well, I got some more steps in for the day. I proceeded to take the gondola down to sea level a little after noon. I hopped on the MTR, which is the Hong Kong version of the subway, and headed underneath the harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST), which is a bustling part of Hong Kong on mainland China. I got off at TST station, of course going out the wrong exit, and being railroaded by hand outs and throngs of people. The TST area is home to luxury shopping, fake luxury shopping, and throngs of foreigners. A lot of tourists come to this area to shop at one of the various Chanels, Diors, or Guccis. It was also home to many cheap guest houses, which was why I was attracted to the area. It is kind of odd because the main Streets, such as Nathan Road, are lined with stores that are a bit run down looking, yet sell nice things, but as soon as you turn down a side street, it is all run down. Small restaurants, guest houses, small stores, and 7-11s occupy this area. It is as though the main streets have been given a face lift: purely topical in its looks. Also, towering above you in every direction are those high rise apartment buildings that I mentioned before. I decided that was something I was not extremely crazy about. It took about forty five minutes to find my guest house, InnSpirit, which would have taken five if I had just read a map initially-- but ya win some ya loose some. ![]() InnSpirit was amazing. If you are looking for a cheap place to stay in Hong Kong, I would highly recommend this guest house. I have nothing to say that contradicts any of its previous glowing reviews. I think the funniest part of Hong Kong culture is the juxtaposition of nice and clean with dirty, old, and not taken care of. InnSpirit is located in a building with some old Chinese restaurants, with a steel stair case and mops in the stair wells. And when you arrive onto the sixth floor where the hostile is located, you are greeted by the cleanest space you have probably seen since the Hong Kong airport. In fact, the owner Samuel, was actually in the middle of cleaning everything as I arrived. After a painless check in and an hour long nap, it was time to get back out there. I decided to head north of TST to the Monkok area. I managed to get lost a dozen times in the area, wandering through markets of live chickens, giant swimming gold fish, live crabs, and other random assortments of goods. It is the classic story of markets where you are so overwhelmed with the sounds and the smells of live animals and cooking food and fish being killed right in front me that I really just stumbled through. I managed to make my way to a dumpling restaurant that has a Michelin star in the Tai Kok Tsui area by the Olympic Mall. I was starving from not eating all day, so I ordered plate loads of things: fried need dumplings (they were eh), streamed shrimp (so good), pork buns (so good I got a second plate), and raw pork spring rolls (was okay, just very different). The entire meal ended up costing about 16 USD. I thought that was the greatest part of all. After eating, I set out in search of the Ladies market, which took me about an hour and a half to find due to the inability to cross streets and a faulty navigation system. ![]() Crossing freeways and wandering through some sketchy neighborhoods, in hind sight, may have not been the best idea, but it all turned out okay. The Ladies Market is basically the epicenter of knock off luxury goods (watches, hand bags, wallets) as well as various silk goods, cheap clothing, and other random electronics. You get a bit of a rush when you attempt to bargain-- which you should most definitely do. It can make your HK dollars go a lot farther. That said, after about twenty stalls many of the goods start to look identical, and for me the overwhelming nature was too much. I hopped on the closest sub way and took it back to TST, with actually only a five minute walk away from my guest house. I took a shower, freshened up, and put some concealer over the bags underneath my eyes, and took a cab to the Ritz Carlton. When you're in Hong Kong, you have to head up to Ozone, the world's tallest bar, for at least two drinks (there is a minimum spending limit, of course). The view is best on a clear evening, but the spectacle of the hotel and the bar itself will make up for some clouds, in case you are worried about it. As you would expect the Ritz Carlton is beautiful, iconic and elegant. As you ride from the 103 floor lobby to the 139 floor bar, your ears will pop a few times and maybe experience some motion sickness as I did. When the elevator opens you are greeted by dimmed lighting with accents of blue, and the pumping bass of techno music. Ozone is laid out more similar to a lounge, rather than a bar. Most are clad in hand bags and shoes that are worth more than a year of my rent. I found this pretty comical, as my modest Madewell dress and shoes were considered peasants wear. More importantly: the drinks. Wow. The person I was with and myself ordered four different drinks, each wonderful, strong, and aesthetic. If I had to recommend one, it's the Dragontini: so good. So so so good. Most important: the view. I guess I wasn't sure what I was expecting from Ozone. I first didn't think it would strike more resemblance to a club than a bar, but more than that, I thought the view would be more accessible. The outdoor portion is only outdoor because of the open air roof. There are floor to ceiling glass windows, with segments of wall inbetween, and a bar situated in front of those windows. The seating for this bar is first come first serve, so it is not typical you will be able to find a seat. We were not. It also slightly uncomfortable when you are looking over strangers shoulders to try to see the view, as there is no empty space in front of any of the Windows. Once we racked up a sizable bill, we took a taxi across the harbor to Lan Kwai Fong, the debated center of night life in Hong Kong.
When we got out of the taxi a little past midnight, my peers from all across the world were drinking in the street. Another overwhelming experience in Hong Kong. The bars line up side by side, playing throw back hits from the US as loud as humanly possible. All of the drinks are so expensive in the bar, so everyone buys their alcohol from 7-11 and drinks in the streets. This is why it is affectionately called club 7-11. When in Rome, right? I grabbed a beer and roamed the streets while trying to take it all in. When I finally did decide to enter a bar, beers were about $11USD each. That is currently pushing my college student budget. I then really understood why 7-11 was the better choice. Regardless, it was so much fun to get to dance and laugh while singing along to some of the best throw backs of the last ten years. LKF, you are something else. Around two in the morning I decided it was about time to call it a night. The taxi home took about thirty minutes with traffic and all, and cost about $12USD. Every Trip Advisor post about Hong Kong that you will read says public transportation is relatively cheap, and I agree. You will definitely not break the bank when taking a taxi in this city. It felt good to be able to go to bed. I checked my apple health and it read twenty miles for the day. No wonder my feet throbbed. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out. My first day in Hong Kong was unreal.
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Author: Allyson DitizioGeographer, yogi and occasionally creative writer. Archives
September 2016
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