Three days in Hong Kong, what to do?

We were staying way out in the New Territories and that is worth it. No-one spoke English but they wer emore than willing to feed us silly with Dim Sum.

I have to admit, I did ask him to go with me just to see how annoyed he would get.

to get a cheap flight i had to stay there for ten days, which is obviously ACE except i may get kicked out on my ear once the reunion is over - officially we're all meant to bugger off on the morning of monday 14th. i don't fly back til saturday 19th. i'm hoping they won't be that strict and will let me hang out for another 4 nights (flight is earlyish saturday, it's easy to stay out late/all night in hk then head to the airport whenever... or is it? i haven't been to the new airport, eep!) or that i'll find a hk local's sofa to crash on, but if not, where do i stay that is CHEAP? i was always seriously tempted by chungking mansions, will i die if i stay there? i do not look rich, no one will stab me for my diamonds.

omg omg i am so excited. share with me!

i stayed there. they weren't so bad. look around though - some of the guesthouses in there are way better than others. my bunkbed was cheap as hell though, for HK anyway. single rooms i think were around $10 or $15? I can't remember. the mirador mansion is just up the road and a little nicer and only a little more expensive.

SNAP CITY

Wanchai is where you want to hang out if you want to run into western wanks boozing it up with Asian and SOuth American Chicks.

Back over to Kowloon... Take the KTR to the border, cross and then take a bus to Shenzen... a lot of good shopping... much stuf to do.. stay away from queer ass shit like Stanley Market! You'll get ripped off and only porkbutts go there.

Fuck anyone who tells you to go to that bitch ass crap shoot known as Stanley Market.

ktr=kcr, or did it change its name? i'm staying way out in the new territories, between sai kung and sha tin. i hear it has changed dramatically.

er i ca't work out if you guys are joking or not but by jabs i meant inoculations... i don't do heroin, i just like needles.

http://homepage.mac.com/philtwo/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2003-08-13%2015.14.35%20-0700/Image-A6A91716CDDB11D7.jpg

There's this new railway line covering east of shatin now.. A couple of years ago I went to the station at the end of the line, and it was still pretty quiet.. and by walking for an hour or so you'd end up at little communities that were isolated (well for hk anyway).. I guess all that land around that station would probably be all built up now..

http://www.globalconnections-int.com/Lncelectricity/adapters/VG4HONGKONGGRD_2_small.JPG

i guess it depends where you're living.

i'm surprised nobody said "butt" as the answer yet.

*BUMP*

how bad is the Chungking mansions experience? I figure one night is worth it for something so ridiculously cheap...

...and considering I move into this the next day (!) http://www.hulletthouse.com/

it's not so bad actually, they've cleaned it up in terms of the violence, about the worst you can expect is a bunch of hawkers shoving their stuff in your face

when are you coming ?

I land on Sat 30th.... am probably just gonna stick with whatever i booked at Chungking Mansions considering its so cheap. Then move to luxury Hullet House for 1 night and Peninsula for 2..... (perks of girlf who is reviewing them)

I guess I'm there till Wed 3 Nov.

hahahah oh my god my friend's dream job is to be a hotel reviewer.

well me and at least one other ilxor are currently in hk, if you need help w/ anything / need a tour guide webmail me

I didn't even know that hotel reviewer was a job

now that I do it's my dream job too

Dayo, if you're not doing anything on on Sunday 31st eve let me know. ( chromogenik[at]gmail[dot]com )

hi dere,

will be there from 27th apr - 7th may.. there may be FAPability..

Hong Kong is great. Go to Lantau island to see the giant Buddha, casino in Macau, greasy spoon, drink lots of milk tea, Snoopy's World, walk around Yuen Long, get on the $4 dollar small bus. The Symphony of Lights is kinda rubbish though.

symphony of lights is pretty cool on nights when it's not cloudy (which is like, 2/365)

hong kong is the greatest city in the world.

walking around hong kong never really gets old. pretty much any part of it.

i wish i knew of a good affordable place to stay. i always end up at places with hourly rates, doors that don't lock and tvs that have three channels of porn and one of cartoons. but cheap. but man, i'd rather stay in a chinese chain hotel across the border in luo hu.

shenzhen is not to be underrated. and i think if i had three days, i would make an effort to walk to take the mtr to lo wu and spend a night in shenzhen, which is a radically different city from hong kong. ((((((((((((((((i don't know how easy it is to just VISIT without planning (the other way around is quite easy since i can walk into hong kong without a visa and stay for 30 days)

is chungking mansion one of these hourly rate/porn places?

i dunno about walking around hong kong (aren't all the places just the same shops in different shopping centres??) but whenever i'm there i just eat all day and that never gets old

a trip to shenzhen after some time in HK is truly a strange and worthwhile experience. last time i was there we just went on a whim but the information online is quite confusing regarding which passports can go in and which can't (i think it changes regularly). the japanese ppl i was with were just allowed to go in without a visa but i (with british passport) had to pay for a temporary VISA that allowed me to stay for 5 days as long as you don't leave the city.

Dan Ryan's Chicago Grill!!!!

no, chungking mansions isn't no-locks/porn, as a rule, i think. whenever i walk thru it's lots of australian backpackers and like german tourists with big cameras. there's a tgi friday's right next door.

there's an ilx thread where i accidentally walk past chungking mansions and end up walking all the way to sham shui po. i never really got a "just the same shops in different shopping centres" vibe from hk but maybe i was in the wrong places.

http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Ming+Court+Hotel,+Lockhart+Road,+Hong+Kong&hl=en&ll=22.278188,114.173025&spn=0.00133,0.002411&sll=22.303808,114.159193&sspn=0.010641,0.01929&oq=ming+court+hotel&hq=Ming+Court+Hotel,&hnear=Lockhart+Rd,+Hong+Kong&t=m&z=19&layer=c&cbll=22.278176,114.172919&panoid=qF3Peq2zhzaG-5o6Hghr1Q&cbp=12,55.25,,0,3

where i stay. what a beautiful corner.

it's probably more that i was in the wrong places (shopping centres)

well lockhart road is kinda the 'red light district' of HK, heh

I def get the 'same shops in diff shopping centres' vibe from HK as well

I, too, have a quick trip to Hong Kong later this month. What must I do with 4 days?

What are you interested in?

Where are you staying?

I could probably write 100 posts about what to do in HK

This is the perfect time of year to go too

Just off the top of my head I'd probably skip the Peak unless it happens to be gorgeously clear/sunny on one of your days

It's a timesink in that it takes too long to go up and to get down

Staying in Sheung Wan. I like to eat, drink, shop, go to museums, take photos of pretty things. Good to know about the peak, we were thinking of doing it if it was a nice day. I will be with a friend who is a crazily picky eater: vegetarian who won't do spicy or cold or pickled food (going to Japan a few years ago with her was...interesting). I'll only be there for 3.5 days, so what can't I miss?

Great, you'll be on the island and near Central, the business/expat district

To get the veg thing out of the way - there's a Pret in the Central MTR station (one stop from Sheung Wan) near the LKF exit (LKF is the bar district), so if all else fails I think she'd be able to find something there?. It's a good thing you're in Sheung Wan since you'll be near lots of expat-friendly (read: vegetarian) options. I liked Veggie SF and MANA! in Central, the former being in an elevator building, the later streetside. Use openrice, it's the Yelp of HK, reviews are mostly in Chinese but there are a few English ones. http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=40435&tc=sr1 Some of my local friends took me to a Chinese vegetarian place in Causeway Bay (also on the island), I liked it and HK has a fair share of these kinds of places, but beware they are pretty oil / soy product dependent. Here's the one I went to: http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=22451&tc=sr1

Eating - HK doesn't really have great food unless you're willing to pay for it, I think most of the street food is kinda blah. The local classics are HK milk tea, Cantonese BBQ (char-siu pork, roast pork, yellow chicken, etc.), dim sum, bakeries (the kind you'd find in any overseas Chinatown). I think HK does mid-level sushi really well, and I'm sure it does high level sushi well too but it's expensive. Mi-ne is probably my favorite convey belt place

Drinking - HKers don't really like to drink, it's mostly expat bars in LKF, hotel bars, and bars for HK locals across the harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui/Prince Edward. Beer is usually shitty but can be decent (read: Hoegaarden), it's rare to find a place with a large selection. Not sure if artisanal cocktails have made it to HK yet. LKF is kinda gross and obnoxious but if you're only doing it for a night it can be pretty fun. If you're there during a Wednesday I'd recommend going to Happy Valley in Causeway Bay to see the horse races, you can get turf-level no problem, beer is cheap and pretty decent. Take a trolley that says "HAPPY VALLEY", if that's too much of a hassle just take a cab (they're relatively cheap in HK). Wan Chai can be okay to drink at too but it's where all the girlie bars are (read: prostitutes)

Shopping - HK has a reputation of being a giant 'mall.' All the malls have all the same chain stores, I really choose the ones I go to based on the architecture and design, Langham Place in Mong Kok is the standout one I'd recommend. There's literally like 5 malls in TST all within a few blocks of each other. My recommendation here would be to spend a night in Mong Kok, probably the busiest place in HK, it's mostly locals. Second would be Causeway Bay, used to be more interesting but a lot of shopowners have sold to luxury watch and jewelry retailers who've gutted the street level shops to serve rich Mainland China tourists

Museums - There are a few museums at the end of Nathan Road by the pier, tbh I lived in HK for three years and never heard about a must-see exhibition at any of them

My recommendations in addition:

Daywalk - I'd take a walk up Nathan Road starting from Tsim Sha Tsui and going through Sham Shui Po (Past Prince Edward MTR station Nathan Road will turn left and change into Cheung Sha Wan road). Just a crazily busy road, you'll find many detours I'm sure, shouldn't take more than a few hours, HK is a crazy small place. TST is where Chungking Mansions from Chunking Express is btw, you'll probably get mobbed by hawkers if you walk in there, it's got a feeling unlike any other part of HK tho

Ferry - Take the ferry between TST and Central or Wan Chai

Harbor view - Go to TST at nighttime on a clear night to see HK island - still blows me away every time I do this

Double decker bus - Maybe I like this only because we don't have any double decker buses in the states but taking a double decker up Nathan road at night, starting from the TST terminal, getting a front seat at the top deck, and riding past all that neon, amazing imo

Octopus card - Might be worth it to get an Octopus card, which you can use to take the MTR, buy shit at 7-11/supermarkets., take trolleys and buses, etc. 50HKD deposit that you can get back when you leave, and you'll probably save a lot of time from having to buy single journey tickets every time you wanna take the MTR

Other neighborhoods I think are cool to just sort of walk around in: North Point, Kwun Tong/Lam Tin, Mid-levels (take the Mid Levels escalator up when in Central), HKU (north and uphill of Midlevels), Kowloon City (walk from Lok Fu station or find a bus from Mong Kok), Yuen Long/Tuen Mun/Tin Shui Wai (about an hour from the city and you probably won't have time)

Also, it might be worth it to get a tourist sim card from One2Free for data/Google Maps etc.

;-)

Has anyone flown HK Express? I'm looking at flights from HK to Tokyo and they're about a quarter of the price of JAL, etc.

i haven't heard anything disturbing about hk express but ive never flown with them. i usually take vanilla for that flight, hkg to nrt.

Cool, thanks - i'll look in to Vanilla.

There seem to be really good value Cathay air mile redemptions with air miles as well.

Yes, I'm reviving China threads. Going to be there at the end of next week, wish it could be longer but maybe have 2-3 days in HK. Updated recs?

one of my favorite cities but i feel i've explored v little of it. usually stay in wanchai.
maybe depends on where you're staying but last time there i finally made it out to the islands and i can't recommend it enough. i always thought it would be a bitch to get out there if i was only there for a few days but it takes 30-45 to go to lamma or cheung chao. go out to lamma, wander around, get some tofu hua, record store, eat a late lunch seafood lunch at one of the restaurants by the ferry dock surrounded by sunburnt expats. cheung chao, considerably more chill and vibesy and time capsuley and fewer sunburnt expats.
walk from central over to wanchai, maybe see a horse race at happy valley (i've never done that but supposedly you should).
figure out one of the markets to go to. walk from tsim sha tsui to sham shui po and you'll hit them (as i say earlier "there's an ilx thread where i accidentally walk past chungking mansions and end up walking all the way to sham shui po," and probably check out chunking mansions maybe? if that interests you), depending on your detours and timing, go to vinyl hero in sham shui po.
go to some classic cha chaan teng (preferably in wanchai), get thai food (in wanchai), curry beef brisket noodles, wonton noodles, tuna sandwiches and chocolate milk from 7-11.

Thanks! I think if we even make a third of that list, we'll have a spectacular time.

i think you'll find unlike guangzhou or shanghai or beijing, it's a better city to explore a random area on foot because: it's so dense (mostly talking about hong kong island and kowloon, even parts of the new territories) + it has a history as a major world city that goes back further than 1980 or 1990 (i mean guangzhou and shanghai and beijing were world cities but they were put on ice for almost a hundred years) + far more multicultural than mainland cities, visibly, people from across asia and beyond, but also different peoples from china and the diaspora + more welcoming of outside and non"mainstream" ideas and lifestyles and cuisines and music and religion and everything else, making for a more interesting urban environment than you'll get in any city on the mainland.

i think it's my favorite city on earth and coming back to tokyo after visiting, i'm struck by how dull and unwelcoming this city can be. every time i go back, i regret not somehow living in a box in wanchai or a tiny house out on some island, as bad an idea as that would surely turn out to be. i mean, i think i love hk because i've never lived there... and visiting these days, i think it's impossible, unfortunately, to not feel that hong kong's days are numbered as an vibrant, multicultural urban experiment... i get the sense and maybe it's just my own prejudices that i'm seeing the last of hong kong as it existed for however long before 1997 or before the mid-2000s umbrella protests, the clampdown on hk democracy, the united front strategy, language laws, patriotic education, mainland wealth flooding into the real estate market.

^
Always enjoy your posts D

thanks, buddy

Recent Bourdain Parts Unknown episode on Hong Kong I just saw was interesting to me on how "old" Hong Kong is being knocked down, etc. and on food and fishing villages and politics. Some of the things Dylannn mentioned yesterday.

I haven't been there.

i know arriving in hong kong for the first time in 2006, i had arrived too late to see all of the buildings and the ways of life that disappeared in the postwar boom, up through the 1990s. from that visit in 2006, visiting maybe once a year since, more often when i was in guangzhou, most recently last year, i can feel a difference, though, not just in the, like, physical city but in the feel, maybe? maybe it's because i have a romantic attachment to the city and also follow what's been done there politically.

whining about gentrification as a tourist in hong kong is not what i want to do, though, like complaining its not a perfect museum. even though it's a symptom of a bad things happening in hk it looks bad. i tried writing a long post about walking between sheung wan and shek tong tsui in 2006 vs 2017 to clarify something but my unfamiliarity and mixed emotions were showing. that's it. deleted rest of a long rambling post.

Been here for two days and have already changed plans to nix Shanghai and stay here for a few days more before heading to Beijing. I think I can simultaneously hold all three “this city is special,” “you should have been here years ago,” and “gentrification has ruined the place” perspectives at the same time.

Buildings older than 1990 stand out from the scene like old appendixes, there are more $200K cars here than Beverly Hills, and the construction along the train line down from Shenzhen is indistinguishable from SimCity at 10x the speed. OTOH, had an all-time great meal somewhere here at 3am, had a cab ride with a driver who insisted that we all sing “California Dreaming” together when he learned we were from LA, and goddamn.... killer Hedgehog show at This Town Needs. Going out the hotel door is insane and great.

good choice. dig deeper into hk.

lol ironically when I hear “California Dreamin” it is intrinsically linked w “Chungking Express” and nothing else. That would have been so surreal for me.

I understand why people miss Hong Kong. I miss Hong Kong.

i too miss hong kong

Thirded, and I’ve only spent three days there!

revive? or is there another thread to discuss HK?

穹顶之下: Rolling 中华人民共和国 / People's Republic of China (PRC) Thread

some mentions on here

I always forget how staggeringly Western ILX is (unless it is the middle east)...

at least they've got one region sorted :p

When these protesters are waving British colonial flags or stars and stripes i don't what to say tbh

I've been there a few times, AMA

I recommend a very long recent episode of the "Grubstakers" podcast on HK that eventually goes into the highly diverse makeup of the protesters

(ideologically speaking)

a lot of the familiar human grievances behind these protests get lost in all the noise, which is very sad.

I work with a guy from Hong Kong and he's been back and forth to there quite a lot recently but I've never actually heard him talking about what's going on.

Even where I am (chile) one of the Taiwanese pollo places got fucked with by the here Chinese because the restaurant had a HK support sign.

unless you are buddies, I'm not sure I'd bother to bring it up. I feel like I have a decent grasp of it but it is in essence a very confused thing. Daily life goes on basically as normal, it isn't the battleground you get the picture of sometimes

xp

Yes, we don't have that kind of relationship, he's not really a hanging out kinda guy.

You could just ask him if his family is all in HK and if they are ok.

They are, that's why he goes back!

I haven't been following closely but have been seeing bits via twitter. There's this thread instigated by an American who's spent a lot of time in Hong Kong during the riots. I feel slightly wary of the outsider perspective on something that's probably changed character in quite complex ways since its started - he's very supportive of the protests and Hong Kong culture in a way that seems to skew things a bit sometimes, but it seems like a useful summary:

SHAME-FREE thread: ask the dumbest question you have about the Hong Kong protests. I'll try to answer it or loop in a real Hong Konger to answer it for you. No question too ignorant or basic.

— Pinboard (@Pinboard) October 15, 2019

He also wrote this quite nice piece on the mechanics of protest.

A Walk in Hong Kong

I found this Chuang piece on the perspective from within China an interesting and useful perspective, with wider application to how government can control media, and how absence of information doesn't mean that there's a gap from which you can infer correctly what's going on, more that you get stuck on an axis of the controlled government messaage and confusion.

Why are informed Beijingers increasingly baffled by the struggle in Hong Kong?

There's a useful timeline if slightly annoyingly presented here.

reusing this thread to offset some air miles

theres no real reason to avoid a layover in HK airport in the next few months.....right?

people i know have been through hong kong airport fine over the last month. i almost did as well, but then went via dubai, because of the same doubts as you, which was a) in retrospect a bit silly and b) the rong decision because dubai airport is horrible and i quite like hong kong airport as airports go (good food options and cheap electronics).

excellent, seeing as we booked regardless

reusing this thread to offset some air miles

theres no real reason to avoid a layover in HK airport in the next few months.....right?

― Banáná hÉireann (darraghmac), Thursday, 2 January 2020 13:13 (six months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Oh my