Blog Hong Kong
While Hong Kong was just another quick extended stopover for me I did manage to see my fair share. Public transit is incredibly easy here, so you can get anywhere easily and quickly! Just a heads up, Hong Kong is a bit more expensive than I was expecting. I probably spent a similar amount in 2 days there as I did over a week in Sri Lanka..
As soon as I landed I was greeting by singing and dancing in the Airport, an airport rendition of ‘Grease’ was in action all day. After watching a bit of it (how could I not?), I checked into my hotel and started looking for things to do.
The Hong Kong Airport is a separate island from Hong Kong Island and since I was already there I decided to explore that area for the rest of the day (Lantau Island). Lantau Island is famous for the Tian Tan Buddha in Ngong Ping. Aside from the huge Buddha there are some hikes in the area, restaurants, and a few other touristy things. It’s a decent day trip. Ngong Ping is easily accessed by a cable car that provides amazing views. Definitely take the time of the cable car into consideration and the fact that it closes kind of early, 6pm.
Since I had such a late start I was in a rush from the beginning of my journey. At first my goal was to see the big Buddha, but as with all my plans they quickly evolved. I took the bus to the cable car (S1 or S9 are cheapest, make sure to have exact change). The cable car takes about 20-30 minutes to reach Ngong Ping, you get some cool views of the Buddha from the cable car. Once out of the cable car I headed straight for the Buddha. i made it there pretty fast and then decided to go check out the tea gardens area. Upon walking over here I discovered a hiking trail to Lantau Peak! I told myself I could get as far as possible in 30min and then I would have to turn around so I could catch the last cable car back down, you do not want to walk that. so, I raced up the stairs trying to make it to the top. If I had another half hour or hour I might have made it, but unfortunately I had to turn around before the peak. I definitely recommend the hike though. The views I saw were incredible and I wasn’t even at the top! So a hastily made my way back down to the cable car and then back to my hotel.
The next day I had a full day to explore! I took the airport express into Hong Kong and headed to Shek-O to hike the dragons back! The start of the hike is actually at a bus stop (To Tei Wan, see map) which is super convenient. I trekked to the ‘top’, and then continued on to Big Wave Beach (which was super flat and had no surfing signs???, see map). Aside from the name confusion, there’s a café called Eric’s Kitchen which is a great place for beer on the beach, and the water is super refreshing. This is the turning around point for many hikers, but I saw a trail continuing along the coast.. so obviously I continued trekking! This trail is nothing but tons and tons of stairs, so if your legs feel weak it might not be the best idea. It does provide some great views though. It ends in Chai-Wan, so you can take the subway back (island line). After I finished that portion of the hike I took the island line to Causeway Bay where I was meeting up with my friend for dinner.
This area of Hong Kong had horrific phone service and gps so make sure you have a good idea of where you’re going if you go here. I got a little lost, which doesn’t happen often. We met and had a delicious Cantonese dinner! It’s always so nice to see a familiar face in a foreign place! After dinner she took me to see the Hong Kong skyline from Kowloon, such a beautiful sight. We were only expecting to see the skyline, but there also happened to be a light show going on as well! It was pretty neat to see the tower all lit up and the dragon! Overall a great day of exploring Hong Kong. One more day and I probably could’ve seen the rest, but now I have something to do for next time!
