
To wrap up this series on HK, here is a totally subjective list of what I loved and didn’t love so much about this bustling metropolis:
- Cheap and good food: I have written a lot (in fact, mostly) about the food here, here and here, so I won’t go into too much detail here. Some of my favourites:
Kam’s Roast Goose Fried dough ball with sesame seeds Kam Wah Polo Bun Kwan Kee Claypot Rice Kam Wah noodles - Hiking opportunities: Hong Kong may not be known for its scenic hiking trails, but if you tire of the city (or you just want to see another side of Hong Kong) there are plenty of hiking options on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the neighbouring islands. For us, however, this was offset by:
- Typhoon season (May to November): Maybe not the best time to visit HK, but our rainy adventure taught us the importance of bringing good ponchos and having a wet-weather plan!
- Flower Market: When walking among flowers, you almost forget that you’re in the middle of a concrete jungle. Highly inspiring for would-be or current gardeners. I’ll let the pictures do the talking for me:
- Plentiful and cheap cabs, which is somewhat offset by:
- Cab drivers who speak only Cantonese, although during this latest trip most of the cab drivers we met could understand Mandarin too. If only I knew Cantonese – it would make getting around so much easier!
- Efficient public transportation system: HK’s metro system is considered to be among the world’s top. Trains arrive on time, the signs are also in English, and there are many lines so it’s quite possible to devise an alternative route if there is some delay on one of the lines. While my own country, Singapore, has a fairly enviable public transportation system, we still look to Hong Kong’s as the gold standard – especially after one of the increasingly frequent train breakdowns or delays.
- The crowds: Although I’m used to crowded places, that doesn’t mean I find it pleasant. That’s why I like to escape to places like Mongolia. HK is one of the most densely populated cities on earth and you need to steel yourself to push ruthlessly past people, squeeze onto a crowded train with your nose almost touching the door and accept that everyone around you doesn’t care about (or can’t avoid) invading your personal space. That said, I understand it is a lot worse in some other cities (Shanghai comes to mind) and I have nothing but respect for people who survive that on a daily basis.
- Safety: I loved that we 3 girls were able to walk around at night on deserted streets and it felt completely safe. The most scary thing that happened on those streets was encountering a (giant) cockroach.
- Random glimpses of the NBA: as a fan living far, far away from North America, I take great pleasure in taking pictures like these:
So there you have it! Is there anything else you loved or hated about Hong Kong? Let me know about it in the comments, or tweet me (@michwanderlust)!
This post is part of The Weekly Postcard hosted by As We Saw It, Travel Notes & Beyond, A Hole in My Shoe and Selim Family Raasta – check out what’s going on elsewhere!
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I haven’t been to Hong Kong but the food and flower markets sound great! Just not the crowds.
Well it’s probably no worse than NYC or London during rush hour 😉 imo, the food is worth braving the crowds for – once in a while!
Great timing to see this post as Hong Kong is on my radar. It looks incredible and fortunately is somewhere that is within a reasonable travel distance for us here in Western Australia. Thank you for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard
No problem and thanks for hosting the link-up! Was trying to give a more balanced view of the city – there are already many “reasons why you should go to [name of city]” posts, and I think people should be aware of both the pros and the cons!
interesting! I’d like to visit it one day
Imo, the food alone is worth the trip! Similar to London Chinatown but better and cheaper 😉 Plus it’s easy to make a short trip to other parts of China or South East Asia (or even North East Asia) with Hong Kong as a base
I’ve never been to Hong Kong. I am sure it’s a very interesting city to visit. Just the food along and it would be a good reason for me to go. China has so many magic places that I would love to visit and such a rich culture! I hope to get there someday.
Thanks for stopping by! I totally agree (although there might be a tiny element of bias here as an ethnic Chinese myself)! It’s such an ancient culture with lots of history. I hope you experience it for yourself sometime. 🙂
oh this is awesome! food looks amazing:) being a guy, I forget that walking at night for a girl can feel unsafe, but I’m glad you felt safe. NBA fan? who’s your favorite team?
Spurs! Are you an NBA fan too?
No I’m not, but my gf wants the Spurs to win too so I was just wondering:)
Love HK <3 lived in Mong Kok almost two months! the whole stay was such an adventure…
Yup I saw you mentioned that on your blog! Thanks for stopping by, Anna 😄
I totally know what you mean by Hong Kong being over cowded, but then again everything is just fine compared to other asian cities like Manila or Jakarta. The Hong Kong people still know how to line up properly, something the British might have had a good influence in.
Yes, everything is relative, isn’t it! You might be on to something there about the British influence – I hear that queue manners are non-existent in mainland China, haha. Thanks for stopping by, Clemens!