Stepping into a new continent – a week in Hong Kong COMPLETED - Page 27 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I do have one question - if you were going again where would you stay? I get the impression that you felt you could have been better located.
Thanks very much for such an interesting and entertaining report!
You're right - I did feel we could've been better located. We were in Causeway Bay, which was a little way out. I'd have prefered to have been more central in Hong Kong Island, somewhere closer to the Star Ferry maybe or perhaps in Kowloon. Ideally I'd have loved one of the hotels on the waterfront in either area, overlooking the buildings on the other side of the water, but you're talking big bucks for that!
I think Mark summed it up well before we left, when he said that he was excited to be going to Hong Kong, but was also a little scared, as it was a part of the world we had never been to before. We didn’t have to be sacred, as it was such a safe and friendly city.
It’s impossible to comprehend how densely populated this place is until you see it for yourself. Essentially it’s seven and a half million in a not very big area and everywhere you look, even in the suburbs, there are high rise tower blocks. It’s fascinating to see, but not something I’d ever want to experience for myself. I couldn’t imagine living in those things. It’s something that is very difficult to take and makes you feel very grateful for the green friends and houses that we have at home. Not everyone is that lucky.
I was expecting Hong Kong to be more of a culture shock than it was. It’s very British and that did surprise me, as it’s been more than 10 years now since it was handed back, but there’s no sign of any real change here yet. I had heard all sorts of stories about the things that would be different out here, but actually they weren’t. Best of all, there was no real language barrier, which makes it a great place to visit as an introduction to Asia.
What did amaze me was how slowly people move here. I thought it would be rush, rush, just like New York or London, but not a bit of it. In fact, it was quite slow. A lot of that was to do with the fact that people here seem to live their lives on their cell phones. Even worse, there’s no escape, even on the subway.
When I was deciding where we wanted to go for this holiday, I wanted to find somewhere that would have plenty to do for the seven nights that we would be there and Hong Kong certainly fits the bill. There’s no way we could see and do everything, even in that time, although we gave it our best shot. It was so nice to be able to stay in one place for so long, as all too often, we are literally flying all over the world, as I like to visit a lot of different places in one vacation. I know I have got no-one to blame, but it was such a nice change to stay still and enjoy one place for so long.
Our hotel was nice, but it wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t my first choice and I would’ve preferred something nearer to the centre of Hong Kong Island. Fortunately, it was very convenient and the fact that it was about 20 minutes away on the subway only cause a problem once on our last night. The breakfast buffet here was certainly excellent and often led to us having late lunches or snacks during the day, as we were so full, so I couldn’t fault that.
I found the jetlag over to Hong Kong much easier to cope with than when we go over to the States, which bodes well for our next planned trip in that direction, over to Japan next year. Arriving at night when you’re tired is much easier than getting there in the afternoon and having to try and stay awake until bedtime.
It’s hard to pick a few favourite experiences out of this vacation, there were just so many. I think the biggest one was being able to enjoy such a different city that’s halfway around the world. To me, that’s what travel is all about – seeing new places and new cultures and we were certainly able to do that over the week we were there.
Highlights for me included the Peak, both during the day and at night, although I did prefer it at night, as it was easier to see with less pollution in view. In fact, the skyline at night was very dramatic and perhaps one of my favourite views so far in the world.
I also loved the Museum of History, this is really how all museums should be done and our visit to Aberdeen was well worth it. Those floating restaurants were quite something! Let’s not forget Macau and the amazing flower market.
I have to give Hong Kong Disneyland a special mention here as well. We went for the day, not really having high hopes for the park at all. After all, it had only been open for a couple of years and we knew it was lacking in attractions. Well, what it was lacking there, it more than made up for with theming, enthusiastic Cast Members and some wonderful Chinese New Year celebrations that really made our visit.
Looking back, that was probably the best part of our visit to Hong Kong, the fact that we were there for Chinese New Year and all the decorations were still up. They were stunning and it was lovely to see them everywhere we went. I guess in that respect, it’s a bit like visiting Walt Disney World at Christmas when the decorations add so much to your experience.
I hope we do get to go back to Hong Kong again one day and I wasn’t sure that I would feel that way after seven nights there, but there is still more to see there and I’m not ruling out a return there in a few years time to see what’s changed. Previously I had looked with interest at guided tours of China and most include Hong Kong, but I figured that we wouldn’t want to go back. Well, I can now say that I do and maybe that is something that we’ll consider doing in the future, but that’s a long way off yet……
Next: a new trip report, Berlin – a newly reunited city
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Thanks for sharing your trip to Hong Kong with us. I really enjoyed all your pictures. It's some where I'll never get to see so seeing it through your eyes was really nice.
Liz
Just finishing up! What a wonderful trip you & Mark had!! Now I'll have some idea about some of the places they are bound to feature during the Olympics!! for sharing! I have enjoyed reading!
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