Site Title

Hong Kong

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Tips: 

-Subways do not run 24 hours a day. Keep this in mind if you are planning on staying out late one evening. 

-There are plenty of taxi’s waiting at the designated taxi stands (especially when subways aren't running) but there also may be a line of people waiting for these taxis. We were on Hong Kong Island but our hotel was not. We learned that there are taxis that sit in front of the taxi line (separate from the line) for people who are going off the island. There is no sign for this and nobody will tell you unless you ask.  Keep a lookout for something similar if you are also taking a taxi off the island.

-Finding a public bathroom can be difficult in any city. Luckily we discovered one (and a nice one) right in the heart of the shopping district (aka the ladies market). The Park-In Commercial Center is a BIG building on Dundas St which is the end of the ladies market street.  There is a Starbucks in the basement of that building. The Starbucks gives you a key but there are so many businesses doing the same that you don’t need a key. Enter the main entrance (next to Starbucks) and go to the 16th floor. Since its a huge commercial building they are very clean toilets. You are welcome.

-Many people speak English and this is a very diverse place so don’t be too worried about learning the language. HOWEVER, please keep a business card from your hotel with the address written in Cantonese or any place you specifically want to go. I promise this will be helpful.

 

Common Phrases:

-Trip Advisor has the basics you need to know.

 Yum cha (飲茶) - Drink Tea

Chi sin (黐線) - Crazy (you can use this when you see someone acting a fool)

Hou ging (好勁)- Outstanding (use this to compliment someones skills)

Gwai lo (鬼佬)- A term for Caucasians. Can be derogatory but many expats call themselves this so its loosing is negativity. Just remember it in case you hear someone calling you this.

 

 

Unique:

 -Head to Kowloon and the public pier. Take the Star Ferry across the water to Hong Kong Island (or reverse if you are staying on Hong Kong Island). It is ridiculously cheap for this ride and on a clear sunny day you will get a view like no other.

-Check out the Central-Mid-Levels escalator. Its the longest escalator in the world. You may not want to take the entire thing (its looooong) but its fun to check out. It is easy to pass since it is in a popular part of the city. You can see part of it on Queens Road Central.

-If you are the super bar hopping party type then check out D’Aguilar street (off of Lan Kwai Fung). It is jam packed with party go-ers all night. You will see a few bachelor and bachelorette parties among other interesting things worth watching. This is not my jam though so we only had 1 drink on this street before heading elsewhere.

 

Food & Drink:

 -As a general statement, there is good food everywhere you turn. I don’t think we ate at one place or ate one thing that we thought was gross. The city is so huge that you can definitely find something for you.

-Cali-Mex Taqueria is a chain with locations all over the city. This is a good break from Asian food if you need one.

-Rummin Tings is the freaking best. We started off our night at this bar and ended up returning there at the end of the night because it far surpasses all of the other spots. They had a DJ spinning  90’s rap which made everyone in the place happy.

 

Budget:

- This is much like other parts of Asia where you can find suer cheap anything but also very expensive. Public transit is relatively inexpensive and easy to use.

-Ladies Market is an open air market where you can negotiate prices on everything. I think most people go here to get fake designer handbags but they also have typical Chinese gifts like chopsticks and tea sets, electronics like bluetooth speakers, Iphone things galore, sunglasses, etc. Also, if you are not comfortable with negotiating then you WILL get ripped off. 

-I also would like to mention there is another similar market in Kowloon on Temple Street between Jordan Rd and Saigon. I found that the people started off with lower prices at this one. For example, I bought a small purse/clutch for 50 Hong Kong Dollars (about 6$ or Euros) at this market. At the Ladies Market they wanted to charge 150 Hong Kong Dollars (3 times the price) and most refused to go below 100HKD. With enough searching I managed to find a stall who would sell it to me again for 50 but just want to give you this example so you can prepare yourself.

 

Shopping:

 -Outside of the budget markets mentioned above there is a Times Square district with tons of popular shops. I would recommend heading hear to find everything you are looking for.

-Gentle Monster is a must see. It is a sunglass/eyeglass shop but you wouldn't know this from the entrance. I highly recommend stopping by this store just to check out the design inside. I have never been in a store quite like it. They have a phone booth, a photo booth, old move seats, and each room in the store looks different. Not to mention they have crazy bizarre sunglasses that could be fun to try on. Just don’t break them because they are quite expensive. Oh and if you buy a pair, I promise you it will be worth it based the amount of compliments I have gotten from mine.

 

Downfalls:

-Short period of time. I was only passing by on a work trip and there is entirely way too much to see in this city in 2 days. This is a place I definitely want to visit again.

 

Travel Details:

April 2017

2 days