Hong Kong has got to be my new favorite city. To me, it’s as though Mexico City and New York had a tropical, Asian love-child and I fucking love it!! My biggest regret is not being able to speak the language, although I can’t really regret it since it’s not like I grew up in an Asian household but was never taught to speak the language or something. The beautiful thing here, though, is that most people at least understand English and you can get by with some basic communication and maybe some hand gestures.
Most everyone’s reaction when I told them about my plans to visit Hong Kong was surprise and they would ask me why Hong Kong. The funny thing is I never wanted to go to Hong Kong; I didn’t not want to go, but it was never on my bucket list for whatever reason. Then one random night I was watching House Hunters International (god I love that show) and the episode took place in Hong Kong. I couldn’t believe what I saw and I immediately fell in love and became obsessed with it. If anything, after my trip there I’m just ready for more. I plan to go back someday and keep exploring this amazing city but for now here’s my tips for making the most of your time in Hong Kong:
– Buy an Octopus Card. Traffic is pretty brutal here and you’ll be way better off using the MTR to get around instead of a cab. I primarily used the octopus card for the MTR but it can be used in tons of stores, on-street parking meters, car parks, the peak tram, service stations and vending machines. I would buy this at the airport after you land if possible. Having this card makes it a lot quicker to use the metro since you just tap your card on the sensor. I would imagine there’s a kiosk at the airport where they sell this, otherwise you can buy them at kiosk’s at other MTR stations.
– Take the bus to get to Victoria Peak. The tram line is insane and you’ll probabaly be waiting for a long time. Plus, the bus is way cheaper. Walking is out of the question unless you’re cray (we tried it and got about a quarter of the way there before we were dying so we hailed a cab which is about the same price as a tram ticket).