Our arrival in Hong Kong was needed to keep our 144-hour Visa status and remain in China for another week. China allows foreign visitors in to the country on 24hr, 144hr and 10-year Visas. The first two are free as long as you don’t overstay but the 10-year visa would have cost us around $130 CDN per person. For such a short stay, we didn’t see the relevancy.
Upon stepping into the subway system here in Hong Kong, I can already sense a feeling of confinement. I had the “western understanding” that Hong Kong was one of the most densely populated cities on the world. Wrong and wrong. Hong Kong with a population density of just over 6300 people per square kilometer, doesn’t hold a candle to cities like Manilla, Philippines (43,079/km2) and Kolkata, India (24,252km2).Even Paris France boasts a whopping 21,498 people per square kilometer reading!
Boy was I mistaken. Can’t wait to visit those places…
The subway came out very close to where we are to stay. This has been a choice we made from the beginning to allow for easier access to the cities guts plus for the ease and cost effectiveness once we have out the miles on these Canadian legs.
Walking up to see our room, we grew more and more unsure of the choice that we had made. The halls were dark and it smelled of… I don’t know. Once we hit the little jail cell in the wall, we promptly turned around and scurried out, forfeiting our room fee. A small price to pay for safety and comfort plus a good learning experience.
The room we found next across town was 4x the price but we didn’t care. The Flashpackerz card has been played and we are glad we played it.
We have two “must sees” on our agenda on today, our only exploring day here in the city.
The Peak Tram and the Victoria Harbour tour.
The Peak Tram is a train the sends you on a 27 degree climb up a mountain to view Hong Kong from the highest observation point in the city. The Tram has been taking passengers and residents on this ride since May of 1888. 130 years!! The view from the top does not disappoint. I am although surprised at the height of the walls that keeps people from falling. At barely 4’ high it sure does not reflect western civilization safety standards but then again I think people here are a lot happier with what they have therefore less apt to “end it.”
With super awesome footage on our cams and wind-burnt lips, we head back down to the ant-pile.
We make our way through the city and hit a view of the ocean before grabbing a cab to Stanley Market to waste time before our Night Harbour Tour and view of Hong Kong at night. Before visiting the market, a little dip in the ocean is needed to calm the soul.
Stanley market bustles with activity and high prices but they manage to steal a few bucks form us before we leave.
The cab ride back was very interesting and answered a few questions that we had (see LONGER VERSION) about the city and its financial implications on the population.
The Star Ferry Tour of Victoria Harbour is a must see in my opinion. Again, we only had a couple of days here and I don’t think that this is really even a tourist city to begin with but I am glad we came if only to see Hong Kong at night. The buildings light up like Christmas and ironically are sporting Merry Christmas messages already.
The subway and another cab ride finds us back at our hotel. Budget absolutely decimated by this city but was necessary to be here and many more memories were made. A good night’s sleep is in order for we embark on another day of traveling tomorrow to our next destination…
Good night from Hong Kong!
absolutely amazing and very interesting to read!
But could you sometimes write more details, ( cost of meals, like one fried dog is cheaper in Beijing than in Hong Kong, transport, staying etc.
Yes, it is a crowded place and no bargains to be had. Fortunately, we did not have the hotel experience as we were on a cruise ship, parked right next to the Star Ferry. Light show was great! In one day you did quite good with the sights and you are on a budget.
We have been to HK many times, there is no place more expensive to stay in my opinion. Our main stay place is the Regal Airport hotel, which if you book 90 days out makes for an almost affordable stopover. We also have stayed in Kowloon at the Mira on Nathan Rd, but it’s almost $300 CAD/ night. Don’t ever stay in a place with “Mansion” in the name. Ie Chungking Mansion. There are rodents or cats, or both in some of the suspended ceilings in some of these budget buildings & shops. Ya…
Did you ever find a place in HK with food that you liked? Please share, as I’m still looking.
The Peaks, was awesome, as you saw.
HK Disney doesn’t even have a Pirates of the Caribbean! It was a disappointment. The big Buda and sky tram are cool. There is an electronics building called the Computer Centre in Mongkok which sells everything. It’s good for a few hours of browsing for cheap stuff that shows up on eBay.
We enjoyed having our fortune read at one of the temples,make sure they can speak English really well or you miss the finer details.
If you don’t order new suits or dress shirts here try out Bangkok because they will be the best fitting clothes you will ever buy.
I’m curious how you travelled from the Great Wall to HK, please share.
Where to next?
Enjoying the posts, can’t wait for the next one 🙂 Stay safe guys xoxo