Hong Kong IS Blade Runner.

Did I sound like I didn't like HK in my last entry? Well, let me clarify that I LOVE IT HERE! I would even live here if given the opportunity. This city is amazing and even better than I thought it would be. I wish we were here longer. I feel like we've barely even scratched the surface of this city.

Yesterday morning we checked out of Caritas Bianchi Lodge and into the Salisbury YMCA. We were sad to leave CBL; we really liked it there. The YMCA is alright but we're not yet convinced that it lives up to the hype it's been given. Pro: mind-blowing view of the HK skyline. Con: being charged for the internet. LAME. You'll probably be seeing less photos and posts from me over the course of the next few days because of this. Sorry, my friends!

After checking into the Y, we decided to check out HK Island. We took the Star Ferry - a commuter boat that crosses the harbor every few minutes. It costs about a dollar and the view of the harbor is amazing. You get to see the futuristic skyline of HK and all the various boats in the harbor... tugs, barges, junks, hydrofoils. It was really neat.

The ferry landed in the Central district. This is where all the skyscrapers are. It's similar to Manhattan or the Financial District. Hong Kongers are a superstitious lot so most of the skyscrapers have been built using feng shui principles. Several of them are decorated with glowing lights that change color. Hong Kong IS Blade Runner come to life. I am mildly obsessed with that movie, so to encounter a real life environment that looks just like it is super cool.

When we got off the ferry and walked towards the tram, we noticed thousands of Filipino domestic worker ladies having lunch. Apparently every Sunday the meet in Central to picnic together. It was quite a sight!

Then we took the tram to the Peak, a tall point on one of the mountains on Hong Kong Island. From there you can see the sprawling metropolis that is HK for miles on a clear day. Unfortunately, it was a rainy day. We went anyways because every day here is forecasted to be rainy, and apparently it's one of the top things to in HK. The queue to get on to the tram was very long, and once it was time to board the tram, I saw people aggressively pushing each other. It reminded me trying to board a bus back in SF and being elbowed out of the way by tiny Chinese ladies, ha!

The ride up was pretty fantastic, albeit foggy. The tram incline is VERY steep. When we reached the top, we disembarked into a multi-level tourist fast food and shopping center. Basically the HK equivalent of Fisherman's Wharf. It was really obnoxious and immediately turned us off since it smacked of tourist trap. We figured out where the hiking trail was and got out of there as soon as possible.

The hiking trail made a loop around the top of the peak and was totally worth the tourist trap part. It's very green and lush up there - I breathed the pungent air deeply into my lungs. I saw many plants I'd never seen before... and heard strangely beautiful bird calls. As we walked along the path, we saw million dollar mansions and wondered who lived there. Lucky! Although it had started raining and there was rolling in, we could still see the skyscrapers of HK Island below, the harbor, and Kowloon very faintly through the fog. It was breathtaking, and I am sure it's even more gorgeous on a clear day. Maybe someday we will return and be blessed with gorgeous weather and we can see the view more clearly?

After our trip up the Peak, we wandered through Hong Kong Park. It was an oddly artificial park set amongst soaring skyscrapers full of Filipina tourists and old Chinese ladies doing tai chi. We both really enjoyed it and took some pretty cool photos of beautiful lotus filled ponds against glimmering geometric skyscrapers.

After the park, Mike said he knew there had to be more to Hong Kong than just the financial district full of businessmen. We started wandering until we hit a very interesting hilly intersection that led us into the Lan Kwai Fong and Soho districts. I want to mention here that HK's streets are not built on the grid system which can lead to confusion.

Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo were really neat areas full of restaurants and bars of all kinds. Geographically, the streets were very narrow and seemed to be pedestrian only. The buildings were a mash between colonial British style and Chinese. The people there were very international - I think the world goes to these areas to hang out together and eat and drink. This area is also home to the world's longest escalator! You KNOW we rode it and took our time beaking (my Dad's term for staring) at all the people sitting in the bars and restaurants!

We decided to eat dinner in SoHo at a Greek restaurant called Rick's. My veggie moussaka was good but seemed an odd take on what a Chinese person's idea of what moussaka should be. I love cultural mashup food. We chose Rick's mostly for the golden beaking opportunity it afforded. Our table looked right on to the escalator and I got to get some hardcore major beaking in. I was in heaven because one of my favorite things to do is people watch. I think I saw the whole world go up the escalator; people of every size, shape, and color. I wondered who they were and why they're in Hong Kong. Do they live here or are they tourists like me?

After my delightful beak fest, we wandered around HK for awhile longer. We stumbled upon some night dining markets in narrow alleys and ladder streets (what they call steep terraced streets) full of locked stalls I assumed to be vendors stalls. We came across a blinking neon sign that said Game Centre and followed it into a subterranean room full of chain smoking Chinese men playing games on old machines held together by duct tape. It was really different than the sleek modern sterile qualities of the Japanese game arcades. Mike is into gaming and game design, so this place really appealed to him.

The ferry ride back to our hotel on Kowloon was beautiful. Seeing the Hong Kong skyline in the misty rain was a site to behold. We tried to photograph it but pictures don't do it justice!

Rain, rain go away.

I just woke up - it's about 7 am. I finally got a decent night's of rest.

Yesterday was another very busy day. I woke up at 4 am, took a shower, and tried to make a game plan for the day. Rain has been forecasted for every day that we've been here, and yesterday the percentage looked pretty high. Unfortunately almost everything we want to do involves being outdoors. We decided to check out the Chi Lin Nunnery, Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple, Kowloon Walled City Park, and Chungking Mansions.

Breakfast was not good at all. It consisted of an odd assortment of foods such as fishy tasting turnip pattys, ketchup beans, cocktail weenies, lukewarm noodles, shrimp congee, and questionable soggy pastries. At least there was toast, watermelon, and a mysterious hot pink skinned fruit.

We finally rode the MTR (public transit line) and I was quite jealous of it. The MTR was very easy to figure out, clean, modern, and efficient. A nice employee saw us trying to puzzle out how to buy a ticket and advised to buy an Octopus card, which is the HK equivalent of a Clipper or MTA card. You just swipe it on the turnstile and that's it. It can also be used at places like 7 Eleven for snacks.

When we arrived at the stop for Chi Lin Nunnery we took the wrong station exit and found ourselves in residential area. Residential areas in HK are quite different than your average city. They consist of massive concrete high rise structures that are at least 100 stories tall. It was astonishing and looked like pictures of massive mainland manufacturing cities in China that I had seen. Another remarkable thing was the pollution in the air. I could literally taste it. I had read on certain days that when the wind blows a certain direction, it carries all the mainland's pollution to HK.
The air here is definitely smoggy too. Since I've been here I have noticed there is a total disregard for the environment. I wonder if they're thinking about the future at all. What will happen when the environment is too poisoned to breathe the air and the plants and animals needed for eating no longer grow in the poisoned water and soil? Where is all the garbage going?

We were using a HK Tourist Association app for our day's excursions and it helped us find the way to the Nunnery. First we arrived and Nan Lian Gardens, a traditionally landscaped Chinese garden with piped in music, a pagoda, a red bridge, ornamental rocks, and various plant life. It looked very artificial and was really strange looking with the massive high rise concrete apartment blocks in the background. This was exactly the kind of thing I love because it's so weird. The gardens were right next to the Nunnery, which was very beautiful and peaceful. There were many people there paying respects to their various Buddhist deities. Someone was singing a beautiful hymn and for a few peaceful moments the wind stopped and the sky wasn't as threatening.

Our next stop was the Sik Sik Yuen Temple. This was a very brightly colored temple (I think it was Taoist?) and very popular with many people, so it was thronged with worshippers lighting incense, casting bamboo chim, and posing for photos with bronze statues of deities. The air was thick with incense and the energy was more fun than reverent. To the side of the temple was a building full of tiny fortune teller booths. For a fee, these men and women would read your palm and face to determine your future. We picked a lady we had a good feeling about and she gave me a reading. One of the things she said was that I worry too much and that I will continue to worry throughout my long life - no surprise there! She also said I need to grow a fat and round face in my forties because it's lucky, and sharp angular faces are unlucky. Hmmmm. Not sure how I feel about that. I think my face is too round already.

When we left the temple, the rain started to pour down. All the MTR stops have massive malls attached to them. We went into one and purchased some umbrellas. I probably should have bought some rain boots too because my legs and feet got soaking wet. Finding a size that will fit my big white American feet might be a problem though!

Kowloon Walled City Park was next. The park was rather unremarkable, and the main reason why I wanted to go there was to see the scaled model of the city they tore down. It's hard to believe such a place existed and we're both totally fascinated by it. Our next destination was Chungking Mansions, a modern day place that retains some of the flavor Kowloon Walled City had.

At this point in the day my jet lag started hitting me hard again. I was getting pretty tired of being rained upon. I drank a cup of coffee and tried to be a sport. It's not everyday that you're in Hong Kong, so I tried to make the most of it.

Our MTR stop was Tsim Sha Tsui. It was a massive terminal crammed to the gills with people. I noticed there were a lot more foreigners there. It was a surprise to see so many of them after being the only foreigners in a sea of Hong Kongers for the past few days.

When I went into a public toilet before we walked to Chungking Mansions, I noticed the walls were full of posters warning about drug use and pickpockets. I was definitely in a different part of town and I gathered my wits about me. I knew we were in front of CM when a group of sketchy looking young men followed us, whispering into our ears promises of hash and cocaine just seconds after asking us if we wanted a tailored shirt. CM is a gigantic building that houses about 4,000 people at given time. It's full of businesses, residences, and guesthouses. The first 2 floors have tiny stalls selling anything from curry to fake iPhones. There are a lot of sketchy characters milling about and we were clearly getting cased when we weren't being asked if we wanted to buy drugs. Mom... I know you don't like me going to places like this but Mike and I have a fascination with the seedy underbelly of cities. We weren't in there for long before we got too skeeved out and decided to leave. I didn't take any photos because I didn't want to whip my camera out and look even more like a wide-eyed tourist than I already do.

At this point in the day it was absolutely pouring. After smelling all that Indian food in CM, I had a desire for some curry. Both places we tried to eat at were closed, so we settled for middle eastern instead at a place called Happy Camels. It was kind of a sketchy place, but I didn't care because the falafel was delicious and it was great to be out of the rain and off my feet. I couldn't figure the place out. It seemed to be run by a mix of track suited hair gel guys who employed a sad looking HK boy who put Celine Dion on the stereo and stared dolefully at me.

After dinner we went to a bar across the street for a drink. They were playing lots of delightfully bad Western pop music and the patrons were a mix of foreigners from around the world. I ordered a margarita because I thought it would be ridiculous to drink a margarita in Hong Kong. It turned out to be pretty good, and I really enjoyed sipping it and watching the rain pour down in the neon lit night. We watched the middle eastern restaurant across the street and laughed how people are pretty much the same all around the world.

Well... time to take a shower and get some food in me. Let's hope it doesn't rain too much today!

Hong Kong is overwhelming.

I'm having so much fun in Hong Kong so far! Please forgive me if this entry seems disjointed... I'm having pretty bad jetlag right now and Hong Kong really overstimulated my senses today.

But... I guess I should start this blog off by telling you how our plane rides here went. Asiana Airlines was alright. It could have been better, it could have been worse. When we went through security I was pulled out of the line as usual. I always get pulled out of the line and extra inspected and I don't know why. This time they swabbed my hands down "for particles." I don't know what that means, that's just what the security guy told me when he tested my hands in some weird machine.

On the first leg of the flight I was stuck sitting next to a fuller figured older Indian lady. I spent most of the flight with her elbow jabbing into my left side. I tempered my unhappiness with her uncomfortable elbow by reminding myself that she's an old lady and someday I'll be an old lady too and I'll probably have to jab some poor young lady with my elbow on a 14 hour flight, and I hope she'll be patient with me. The Indian lady didn't speak any English and was very perplexed during most of the flight. She would squeeze my leg and start speaking in her language when she wanted me to help her unhook her seatbelt, turn off her light, or move her purse.

The whole flight was full of elderly Indian people. I wonder if there was a tour group that went to San Francisco? Mike joked that he was among his brethren because all the Indian men had impressive beards.

They served bibimbap for lunch and it was pretty good. The red bean paste came in a toothpaste like tube which was interesting. The rest of the food was unremarkable. All the Indians were served vegetarian curry that I was pretty jealous of.

Arriving in Seoul was quite confusing. We had to transfer to another plane and the gates weren't really well marked. There was a large queue that all the other people on my plane were in, so we went there. It turned out to be the right line. We had to go through security again which I thought was odd. Let me tell you, the security in Seoul's airport is like how security used to be in the 1980s before all that awful terrorism. You don't have to take off your shoes or empty your bag or get a full body scan. I can't tell you much else about the airport because I was very tired at this point and ended up curling into a little ball on a bench until they boarded the flight for Hong Kong.

I slept during most of the flight to HK. My favorite part of the flight was watching all the stewardesses bow at the same time. Asiana stewardesses are all remarkably beautiful. A PSY lookalike sat in front of me.

Towards the end of the flight, the turbulence got really bad. When we'd hit a rough spot, the whole plane would gasp in unison. Several people threw up. I was sitting next to a window near the wing and lightning hit it several times. That scared the hell out of me. And yes, Jessica, I did think of the Twilight Zone when it happened.

When we landed I was struck by how humid it was. There was a definite smell in the air and I thought of how Hong Kong is named "Fragrant Harbor." Since I have been here, I have smelled so many indescribable things.

Getting through immigration took forever and we weren't able to leave the airport until 2 am. We took a taxi into the city because the train had stopped running, and besides... we were both totally mentally toasted after being in the plane for so long. I perked up when we drove into the city and I saw all the interesting buildings and neon. Hong Kong is so sci-fi when it's lit up at night!

We were both SO relieved when we walked into our hotel room. Finally we could stretch out and get some sleep and some quiet time to ourselves. The hotel room is better than I expected. After reading so many reviews about how most hotel rooms in HK are glorified closets and seeing pictures of atrocious filth on TripAdvisor, my expectations were pretty low. I was delighted to find our hotel room is quite spacious and recently remodeled, so it's very clean. The beds are a different story though. I had read that rock hard beds are par for the course in this part of the world, and it's true. Mike sat on the bed first and said "the beds are worse than you'd expect." And he was right. The bed is about as hard as sleeping on the ground in a tent. But I am not here to sleep!

I was only able to get a few hours of sleep in before my jet lag kicked in and I was wide awake and ravenous for food. I looked out the window and saw the city and got restless to wake up and experience it. Our hotel serves a breakfast that TripAdvisor reviewers had very negative things to say. Well, it wasn't as bad as I expected and it adequately fueled me for the day. There was a mixture of Western style food like scrambled eggs and pancakes and Chinese food like steamed pork buns and rice with vegetables. The dining room crowd was a mixture of Chinese people and international tourists.

We decided to spend the day checking out the various markets in our neighborhood of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui. The first market we checked out was a the jade market, which consisted of several buildings full of small stalls hawking various jade trinkets. All the guides books I had read warned of buying fake jade under false pretenses that it was real. The shop owners were VERY aggressive! I wasn't used to it and it freaked me out at first. They grabbed my arms and tried to put bracelets on me and would follow me around. Eventually I found a few necklaces I liked that were made of fake jade with a decent price. The lady who sold me the second necklace was very funny. She tried to tell me the hole in the middle of my pendant was "where good lucky money goes, in hole" and had a different story each time she described the 6 lucky beads. One time it was for "luck child" and the next time it was for "long love." Whatever, I just thought it was a pretty necklace.

Next we checked out the Ladies Market, which is basically a massive collection of tents selling anything from fake Jimmy Choo bags to iPhone cases. It was at this market that I started to notice the streets were really filling up with hundreds of people.

After the Ladies Market, we went to the Flower Market and Bird Market. The Flower Market was really green and peaceful after the clamor and chaos of the Ladies Market. Plants of every shape, size, and color were for sale. The Bird Market was interesting and made me a little sad. There were so many birds crammed into tiny cages. I never understood why people want to caged birds as pets. Birds are meant to fly free in trees! It was still a really neat market. There were lots of beautiful cages and creepy crawlies for birds to eat for sale.

After the Bird Market, we checked out the Goldfish Market which turned out to be a street lined with pet shops selling creatures of all sorts. Again, this made me a little sad because I don't like creatures of any sort miserably crammed into a tiny bag or cage. PETA would have a heart attack over what I witnessed today.

After all the marketing, we had worked up quite an appetite. I had a yen for some Japanese noodles, so we found a ramen shop. At this point my jet lag had started to hit me pretty bad and I began to feel quite disoriented and I decided I want to come back to the hotel and write a blog before I got to the point of being unable to focus.

Let me tell you, Hong Kong is an overwhelming place to be. There are so many people and things to see here. The buildings are very tall and people live in very cramped quarters. The sidewalks are always congested with people. When you walk, you always have to pay attention because you are always surrounded by humanity. When you look around, it's hard to focus on any one things since there is so much going on at once - so many colors, smells, sounds, and sights. It is crazier than I expected. So far, I like it quite a bit.

Tonight I had hoped to go to the Temple Street Night Market but now I don't think that's going to happen because Mike has dozed off. Maybe I will go out myself? I want to photograph some of the insane neon signs! Of course, pictures don't do it justice.

 

We made it to Hong Kong!

We have arrived!

Our plane was delayed and we flew through a thunderstorm. Lightning hit our plane several times and the turbulence was really bad. I am REALLY glad to be off the plane. I almost reached for the sickness bag.

Now we have to find a place to exchange money and then we need to find a cab. The train has stopped running at this hour and frankly, we are so jet lagged that trying to navigate public transit seems pretty hard right now.

I'll update later after I've had some rest.

Hi, I'm in South Korea!

We made it to South Korea! We are currently on our layover and have about an hour before we board our plane to Hong Kong.

That was a really LONG flight and I feel quite odd physically and mentally right now. The Incheon Airport is very clean and modern and to be honest, reminds me a lot of SFO.

I'm typing this with my unwieldy fingers on my iPhone so I'm going to make it brief. More to come later after we land in Hong Kong!

It's the final countdown.

One more full day left in San Francisco before we leave!

Here's our itinerary (because I know my family wants to know where we are) :

Wednesday, March 27th
Depart SFO at 1 pm
Fly to Incheon International Airport for 13 hours
2 hour layover
Land at Hong Kong International Airport at 11pm

3/27 - 3/31 : Stay at Caritas Bianchi Lodge in Hong Kong

3/31 - 4/3 : Stay at YMCA Salisbury Hotel in Hong Kong

...day trip to Macau in here somewhere...

4/3 : Depart Hong Kong and arrive in Seoul, South Korea

4/3 - 4/6 : Stay at Doulos Hotel in Seoul

4/4 : Night Dining tour of Seoul

4/5 : DMZ Tour (I hope it's not canceled!)

4/6 - 4/7 : Stay at Rakkojae Seoul

4/7 - 4/9 : Stay at Namhyundang Hanok Seoul

4/9 : Fly home to San Francisco

These past few days I have been luxuriating in my freedom of movement because before long I'm going to be sitting on a plane for 13 hours.... then a 2 hour layover... then another 4 hours. That's a VERY long time to be sitting in one spot. I'm trying not to to think about it too much. We've loaded up our various devices with music, movies, and e-books to help pass the time. I'll try and doze but I always have difficulty sleeping on planes. I often end up having weird dreams about choking and wake up gasping for air. I think it has something to do with my neck not being used to supporting my head while I sleep. I need one of those neck donuts!

Anyways...

We depart on Wednesday afternoon at 1 pm from San Francisco International Airport. We're flying Korea based Asiana Airlines. Today I was reading about their inflight meal and movie services and much to my delight discovered that they're very highly regarded by travelers and have won awards for excellence. They serve a choice between Korean or Western meals on board. I am packing an assortment of snacks regardless.

We fly for 13 hours and land in Seoul's Incheon Airport for a brief layover before finally landing at Hong Kong International Airport at 11 pm. We're traveling back in time (ha!) so we arrive on Wednesday, March 27th.

There are a variety of ways to get into the city of Hong Kong after you arrive at the airport. We're going to take the Airport Express train to Kowloon Station and from there, take a cab to our hotel. I've already printed out Cantonese directions for the cab driver.

Tomorrow we pack. I've been obsessively checking the weather in both cities and it's quite a difference. It's going to be in the mid 70s/low 80s in Hong Kong and upper 30s/low 50s in Seoul. I'm packing lots of layers. Lugging my wool pea coat to Hong Kong is going to be a drag, but I'll be happy I did when it keeps me warm and toasty in Seoul. There's thunderstorms in the forecast for Hong Kong (frown!) but we'll have to make do. There's always indoor museums, shopping malls and umbrellas!

Food and politics

10 days until we leave!

I am finally getting well after being really sick for two weeks with some sort of awful flu/cold thing. I was pretty nervous for awhile there... I thought I was never going to feel better in time for the trip. I had no appetite and could barely eat which was awful since a big part of international travel is trying new food.

In preparation for our trip, we've been trying new food. This past weekend our friends took us out for a dim sum lunch and walked us through how to order it and common dishes. It was a very interesting experience and I can't remember the names of what I ate. I especially liked the little dumplings full of hot soup that exploded in your mouth. I was not a fan of the pile of boney pork (not a big surprise there.) One of the qualities Cantonese food seems to have is lot of texture. The food I'm used to isn't as textural, so taking a bite of pork and crunching into bones wasn't an experience I was ready for. A few weeks ago we went to a Korean place and tried one of the more famous national dishes called bibimbap. It was delicious and I can't wait to eat it again. The only other time I had Korean food was a couple of years ago when some school friends of mine took me to a Korean restaurant. I tried all kinds of food, I had NO idea what I was eating, it was all quite spicy, and I really liked all of it.

I think the food situation in Hong Kong will be alright. To be honest, neither of us are huge Chinese food fans. Lucky for us Hong Kong is a very international city, so I have faith that there will be many options for us to choose from.

Korea will be a different story since it's not as international. But that's okay, since the Korean food I've had so far has been quite good. While reading about Korea, I have learned that food is a very important part of their culture. Since we know little to nothing about Korean food, I booked a night food tour through O'ngo. The reviews on Tripadvisor were great and the videos of the tour  made it look really fun and informative.

Speaking of tours, I've also booked us a tour of the DMZ . However, with all the tension in North Korea lately I won't be surprised if the tour is canceled. I'll be extremely disappointed, but I'd rather be safe than end up in a scary hostage situation. I have been checking the US Government travel advisory page on South Korea regularly to make sure we don't have to cancel our trip. Seoul is only an hour south of North Korea, yikes!

Things we'd like to do in Seoul

I've also made a list of things we'd like to do in Seoul. Here they are, listed in no particular order:

Visit the palaces
Seoul is home to many traditional and beautiful old palaces. The four main ones are Changdeokgung, Gyeonbokgung, Changgyeonggung, and Deoksugung. I'd like to tour them all and I am especially keen to see the colorful changing on the guards ceremony.

Namsam Park
Either hike or take a cable car up to the top and watch the day turn into neon lit night. On the way up to the top is a cluster of traditional buildings called Namsangol. I'd like to take a lock and key and add it to the collection left by thousands of others - true love forever, guaranteed!

Bukchon Hanok Village
An area of traditional buildings. While we're there, I'd like to stop by the Donglim Knot Museum and pick up some interesting knotted souvenirs.

Insadong Neighborhood
A popular tourist area full of shops. Sundays are the best time to visit since the main street is pedestrian only and there's a better chance to see street performers. Have tea at Yetchatjip - a tiny tea shop with birds.

Myeong-Dong Neighborhood
Get there by walking along the Cheonggyecheon River walkway. Visit the Namdaemun Market for second-hand clothing by day and atmospheric shopping at night. Sample some street food and visit the nearby Chungmoro neighborhood to wander through mazelike streets and coffeeshops still stuck in the '70s. Towards the south is Russiatown and the futuristic design plaza.

Rent a bicycle and take a ride along the Han River

Hongdae Neighborhood
A hipster neighborhood that's pretty hopping at night. On Saturdays there's a cute craft market. Check out the design museum.

Noryangjin Fish Market
Lively auctions begin at 5am. I loved Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market, so I'm excited to check this out! Lots of cool photo opportunities and fresh fish for breakfast.

The National Museum of Korea, Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, and War Memorial Museum

Samsung D-Light
Located in Gangnam, a multi-story shop full of Samsung's latest gadgets. I have a feeling Mike will really dig this place.

Things we'd like to do in Hong Kong

There is a LOT to do in Hong Kong. After combing my guide books and various internet sites, I made a list of things I'd really like to do. We might not get to do everything, but that's okay. I don't have our days planned out either. Like all our other trips, we take it as it comes. And - it's always fun to randomly wander about and discover things by accident.

Here's my list:

The Peak
Take the tram or the 15 or 15B double decker bus up for beautiful views day or night. Stroll along Governors Walk.

Afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel
From 2 to 6 pm. Arrive early to get a seat and dress smart!

Day trip to Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery at Lantau Island
Take the Orange Tung Chung MTR line and then Ngong Ping 360 cable car to get to the island. Once there, walk to the monastery and the Buddha. Have lunch at the vegetarian dining hall.

Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
Ask the fortune tellers outside to read the results of the chim (bamboo sticks.)

Star Ferry
For a stunning view of the Hong Kong skyline day or night, ride the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry.

Temple Street Night Market
Best from 7 to 10pm. See Cantonese opera singers, haggle for bargains, and eat some good street food on Temple Street or on Woo Sung Street.

Jade Market, Yuen Po Bird Market, Flower Market, Goldfish Market
Buy jade trinkets and see old men at the bird market feeding their caged birds.

Mid-levels escalator
Ride the world's longest escalator!

Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade
Beautiful views from the East Star Ferry pier to Salisbury Road. Check out the Symphony of Lights from 8 - 8:20pm.

Eat Cha Chaan Teng style food
An interesting fusion of foods.

Day trip to Macau
Take the New World First Ferry to the former Portuguese colony.