Travel: 2 Days in Hong Kong

2 days in Hong Kong! It’s time to visit the first stop on our 23 day vacation to Southeast Asia! That’s right, I’ve finally sorted through thousands of photos from our Southeast Asia trip and it’s time to share. Seemed only fitting that since we left on April 13 and that I start blogging about it on June 13. Ya, that’s fitting.

I will note, however, that out of all of my photos I’m most disappointed with the ones from Hong Kong. Perhaps it was the thick fog or my jet lag that caused me to lack care in my settings, but either way, these are the best of the okay-ish. The rest will be better, I assure you. Plus, we didn’t get many of each other in Hong Kong and we make up for that on the rest of the trip.

Oh, and I wasn’t quite sure where to start or how to break it all up, so I thought I’d share all of our two days in Hong Kong in one post. Here we go!

Two Days in Hong Kong

We spent 2 nights and 2 days in Hong Kong. The flight from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was about 17 hours, including our layover in Vancouver. We got to Hong Kong and cleared customs by 6pm (which was actually 4am our time). The first thing on our to-do list was to get one of our iPhones up and running. Get this – the SIM was free. Yes, free! All I had to do was watch ads (about 7 seconds long) and then my data would go up. As I used the phone the data went down and then I could ‘recharge’ by watching more ads. The plan was free for 7 days, which was perfect for us.

Up next, the hotel/guest house. Hong Kong has great transit and the MTR is quite easy to follow. We stayed right around iSquare – if you’re like us, don’t take the airport express to Kowloon – take it to the first stop and then transfer lines until you get to Central and get off at Tsim Sha Tsui – it’s faster and you won’t be stuck at the Kowloon station trying to find a taxi.

The train is so long!

Our hotel – so small and in a huge mansion tower (which is common for cheap accommodations in Hong Kong). The KK Hotel was clean and served it’s function – clean shower and a place to sleep. We reserved all of our places ahead of time – with 23 days we didn’t want to waste any time hunting down places. Be sure you take the right elevator when you’re heading up to your mansion, I’ve heard you can get really turned around.

Temple Street Night Market

The Temple Street Night Market was fun and full of action. A must on any Hong Kong itinerary. The eats and the vendors are there to sell and sell, so be ready. Out of all the markets we visited the Temple Street Night Market had the best art. Poor knock offs, though. All places had poor knock offs – real is best.

Up next is a busy day – our single full day in Hong Kong and we jammed it packed with events, yet left room for down time. No need to schedule every moment.

Take the Star Ferry across the harbour. We took the ferry at 6:50am or so and we were the only tourists on the boat. The experience was unforgettable.

The Peak Tram

The Peak Tram was our first stop on our full day – so foggy, though! The ride was worth it alone; however, if you’re looking for views and it’s foggy then just pass. We enjoyed the ride and the small museum at the bottom.

Man Mo Temple

Man Mo Temple opens at 8am and we were there just shortly after. The best part, no lines and we watched locals come in and pray. The beauty and the history is unexplainable. The sense of calm that came over me was unexpected and all in the heart of Hong Kong. On a busy street corner, no less.

Soho

After the Man Mo Temple we walked around Soho. Food markets with hanging raw meat and fragrant flowers. So gross and so awesome all at once.

Soho was home to one of my favourite places to eat in Hong Kong – Mana! Fast Slow Food – it’s challenging for a Celiac to find good food in Hong Kong, or it was for me, but this place, Mana! was so good. So good that’s getting it’s own post some time soon.

We took the ferry once and then stuck to the MTR the rest of the time. I found these Do-Do-Do and Ding-Dong signs so funny. Not sure why, but I still laugh at them.

At times it didn’t feel like we were far from home, though. Waiting for the train there were hundreds of people around, most on their phones, parents holding on to children, students with backpacks and business people dressed well with fancy purses. All in all, Hong Kong felt like any big busy city.

Science Museum

Ah, this place is awesome! We visited the Hong Kong Science Museum on a Friday afternoon and it was full of school children. So fun. Certainly a must do for two days in Hong Kong. The best part was this area on the bottom left to the south that was full of puzzle games. Bryce and I spent almost an hour trying to master each puzzle. I was doing the nail one and ended up with an entourage of fifth graders who thought I was so smart for completing it. Bryce and I laughed and ran around like kids ourselves it was that much fun. Odd, though, since it really has nothing to do with Hong Kong, but that’s not the point. The point is to fill your heart with enjoyable and memorable experience – at least, that’s my point.

Museum of History

This place was boring compared to the Science Museum. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, yet we should have done it first. Coming off the high of the fun museum this one felt like work. Do them in the other order and you’ll have a better time; that is, unless you’re a total history buff.

I will say this, however, I learned so much about Hong Kong (and all the other places that we visited) that I didn’t know and there was a part of me that started to feel embarrassed for not knowing. I want to know, so that’s a start!

Avenue of the Stars

Go see it. It was closed when we visited and all the statues were moved up the road – I didn’t get any good photos in the fog. Worth the walk.

Symphony of Lights

They are beautiful, yet underwhelming if you’ve been to Disney and watched the World of Colour show. Not that this has much to do with water, but still – it’s just okay. If you’re in the area, then check it out, if not, don’t feel like you’ve missed too much.

Well, that’s how we spent our two days in Hong Kong. On the third day we jumped on the MTR and made our way back to the airport to catch our flight to Bangkok, Thailand. It was at this point that both Bryce and I were so glad we only packed our 33L backpacks. It would have sucked to carry more.

Thanks for visiting and happy travelling!