My boyfriend, Zack, had yet another Sneakercon to travel to this year. He surprised me with the purchase of these tickets and I was shocked and excited at the same time. Since this trip to Hong Kong was a little last-minute, we rushed the planning a little. I literally sat in LAX mapping out Hong Kong and what was in the same areas. That little map helped us work out what we really wanted to see and how to see it all. We also printed a map of where our hotel was and of the MTR station.
Day One- Friday at 8 a.m.
On the flight we sat next to another person. There were a lot of people on the flight so there wasn’t much room to move around. Our ankles were FAT from only getting up like 3 times on a 13 hour flight. We went into the flight saying we would stay up for the first 7 hours in attempt to get on the same time as HK. That failed miserably, it was midnight our time so it was a little hard but we felt fine. The plane food wasn’t miserable but bringing snacks is always a good idea.
MTR Stations
The MTR was crucial to getting around on this trip. Another necessity of this trip was the Octopus Card. We purchased the Octopus Card at the airport right before you get on the Airport Express. You need HK currency to purchase one. There is a currency exchange right after you go through customs and get out. This was the easiest route to take in terms of getting around. We used these at different tourist attractions to make things quicker. Once you get off the Airport Express you buy a one way ticket and use that card to get out of the station. Also be aware of people digging through your bag or pockets. We kept everything in a small backpack that zipped and did not put in anything in the front pockets, just be smart.
Heading to: The Peak
Let me tell you finding our hotel was a nightmare. The humidity, dragging luggage around and being lost were not a good combination. We figured out the direction to go but once we got out of the MTR station we were lost. The elevators were always a mess and people could care less about others. There are priority lines but that just makes the people in the regular line shove in quicker. Luckily, a few strangers ended up helping us get to our hotel. We stayed at Dorset Tsuen Wan and we liked it enough. One really convenient thing about our hotel was they gave us a phone to use with a hotspot and wi-fi. We were able to take this phone everywhere and use it to connect to maps or anything else we needed. So after cooling down in the lobby we set off on our first adventure.
This was a journey to say the least. We, again, got directions to the Peak and they made it seem as if we would see signs everywhere. We asked another stranger and we eventually found our way. We had to hike up a big hill but we got there with a few breaks in between. The line was SO long. We realized after waiting like 10 minutes in line, we could use our Octopus Card and walk right in. Perfect! You can reload your card at 7-11’s. Also some places accepted card which made conversions easier. So at the Peak you take a very steep trip up a hill up to “The Peak”.
The view was amazing. You can see for yourself.
The Peak had a bunch of restaurants and we chose a pizza place. I know, how American of us. We both don’t love asian style food to begin with so we knew we wouldn’t be trying all that much food while we were here. I was more open to it than Zack but we didn’t try much. At the buffet at the hotel I tried something and it was awful so yea… not our thing haha.
Temple Street
This is the famous place where all the knock offs are! There were a lot of different vendors and different products. We went to McDonald’s a couple blocks down (I told you we weren’t adventurous with food) and the food is pretty similar to food in the U.S.
Day Two
Ngong Ping 360
This is basically the way to get up to Buddha but getting a view along the way. We paid with card and were on our way. I don’t think the upgrade of a glass clear cabin is worth the extra cost. I really didn’t even see a difference. This was a really cool way to get up to Buddha especially if you did not want to take a bus and just use the MTR. Right when you get off the MTR there is actually signs directing you to the entrance.
Buddha
Once you get off the cabin, it drops you off in a village-like area. This village has wonderfully air-conditioned restaurants and an information center. The information actually holds any luggage for a small fee, just fyi. This little village was nice and you keep walking towards buddha and a less developed village. There was souvenir shops and live cattle walking around. Once we got to buddha we realized we had to climb around 10 flights of stairs and it was HOT. Nonetheless it was worth it. We were hot and sat in front of fan under the buddha museum.
Meal with Buddha
We went ahead and purchased the snack with buddha. I assume the meal came with even more food but we each got this noodle dish, one pineapple bun and a drink. That handheld fan is a must if you hate the extreme heat like me. We thought the meal was up the stairs because you had to buy the meal to go up the stairs. We were wrong we had to walk across to the temple to grab our food. It was a really good deal though.
Taxi Ride
Victoria Harbour: Star Ferry
This was the view right outside of the Star Ferry. We opted to not take the ferry because we did not need to go across to the other side, but this was the view.
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort
When we realized Hong Kong had Disneyland we saw how cheap the tickets were and HAD to go. Our original plan was to go in the morning on Sunday before our flight. Luckily we decided to go around 5 pm and spend some time before fireworks. We got the two-day tickets and wanted to go again Sunday. Unfortunately, the typhoon had Disneyland closed and we ended up getting a refund.
Disneyland looked pretty much the same as the Anaheim location. There were differences in decoration and a few different rides. The layout was the same as in Tomorrowland is to the right and Fantasyland straight and so on. It was still a totally beautiful park and had that Disney magic.
The food was the biggest difference. These are some options at one of the stands. They did have normal options like the hot chocolate, ice cream and Mickey themed treats.
We tried ice cream from It’s a Small World Ice Cream (right outside of It’s a Small World) and it was really good. It cooled us down from the humidity.
The fireworks were really good too! We actually downloaded the app to check times and ride wait times. Also, people don’t like waiting
One of the big differences was the Toy Story Land which I thought was really cute. It felt like being a little toy walking around. It reminded me of Toon Town or Cars Land in California.
Day Three
Another typhoon hit Hong Kong on Sunday morning. So our plans changed and our flight delayed until 1 am instead of 6 pm. We laid in bed until 2 p.m and ordered room service. Once we decided it was safer to go out we went exploring again. We kind of walked around different places again.
Temple Street Round 2
So the weather was raining and humid, if you’re confused about Zack’s outfit lol. I looked the same. Once it stopped raining we could take off the ponchos, otherwise it was too hot.
On Temple street we stopped here in hopes of getting the egg waffle cone I wanted. There was large miscommunication so I got nothing close to it but check my Pinterest for a reference photo.
I was attempting to get the Egg Waffle that you see on Instagram and Pinterest…. this is what I got. It was still delicious hahahaha.
This was an inside look at the egg waffle. If you’re curious haha.
Things I did but didn’t get any photos of:
We also visited the Causeway Bay shopping district after visiting the Buddha. It had all the high-end stores like Bape and Gucci.
Clocktower
We also went to the Ladies Market but it was pretty much the same as Temple Street with different vendors.
On our flight home there was a lot fewer people and we could spread out a little more (some people were more selfish than others). I will also mention you cannot bring water, even from the airport on flights.
You might get lost and confused with where you are but just go with it. They had maps in the MTR stations and keep a map with you at all times. I also recommend wearing light clothes, buying travel fans, and bringing your own toilet paper. This trip was something I will never forget. It was an amazing trip and had awesome memories. If you’re headed to Hong Kong take some of my tips with a grain of salt. Traveling is what you make it, so make it fun. Thank you guys for catching the wave this week! Comment down below if you have any travel tips or questions. See ya next week!
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