Hong Kong
Quick Facts
Type: City Break
Best Date to Visit: October – December
Expense: Fair
Things to Do: Sightseeing, Shopping
Points of Interest: Victoria Peak, Temple Street, Disney Land, Tian Tan Buddha, Ocean Park, Avenue of the Stars, Ngong Ping 360 ect
The Good: Lots of things to see and do in such a small place
The Bad: Lots of people, not many quiet spaces
Brief
Hong Kong is a small country which is independently governed, however owned by their motherland China. It is part of what they call the “one country, two systems” where mainland China allows Hong Kong to manage its own laws, a little bit like the United Kingdom with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A previous territory of the United Kingdom, used as an area for trade, much of its British teachings and culture still remains.
The Place
Hong Kong was my first ever trip away from the Philippines or UK. It was a strange experience surrounded by a new culture and also not knowing what to expect in terms of travel, the language barriers, money and even people. Here is my experience of Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is a very interesting place culturally. It is a city that has both Chinese and British virtues. It is famous for its high buildings (light show’s), harbours, foods, markets and many more. Firstly in my opinion the more famous past time in Hong Kong whether a tourist or local is the famous night markets within Kowloon. Between two MTR stations ‘Yua Ma Tei’ and ‘Mong Kwok’ ‘Temple street Market’ starts at around 18:00 -19:00. However there is no formal time of when the stalls open as its up to the individual stalls into when they are ready. Complete with Food stalls often used by tourism, karaoke café, Tarot card readers, psychics, clothes stalls, toy stalls, souvenir, antiques, adult products and many more the market is desirable for all. The markets are very good as you get to haggle for prices, some enjoy this as it cant be done in other nations, however whether you get to haggle or not all products are considerably cheap anyway.
Apart from the many night markets , we also visited the shopping areas, one of the most notable being at Central Hong Kong, which has all the class and luxury shops. Central includes branded outlets like Ralph Lauren, Armani, Prada and many alike. The area is also home to the many of the landmark high rise buildings such as the Bank of china which is iconic around the world. Furthermore Central is also walking distance from the tourist attraction ‘The peak tram’ which climbs the scenic route to the ‘Victoria Peak’ which is itself one of the most best attraction in Hong Kong. The trams to the peak can get very busy so if you dont want to wait try walking up or taking a taxi.
Across ‘Victoria Harbour’ is Tsim Sha Tsui where the ‘Avenue of the Star’ is situated. This bay side attraction mimics the Hollywood walk of fame and has plenty of visitors visiting. Tsim Sha Tsui also has the ‘Hong Kong space museum’ the ‘ Art Museum’ and many more.
Disneyland and Ocean Park is also very popular amongst the younger tourists. I haven’t been to Ocean Park, however Disneyland always proves to be amazing. Like all Disneyland all over the world Hong Kong’s attraction has plenty to keep families busy for the whole day. Their famous daily parade and firework display is somewhat special to the Disneyland brand. However the theme park is highly aimed at the younger visitors, when I was there at 2013 all the rides where predominantly for the children and no bigger thrill rides for young adults. Anyhow this is a family theme park and there are few attractions for the adult as the 4d cinema, fireworks and a little more.
My Conclusion
Overall Hong Kong is a fine place to visit, it is a small place but big in the tourism industry. There is more to visit in Hong Kong and ill be sure to be back for the other attractions I have yet to visit such as the Ngong Ping 360 and the Tian Tan Buddha. Furthermore Macau is also a popular visit from Hong Kong even if its just for a full day, a 1 hour Jetty ride is needed to go to Macau.
My first experience travelling went well, with the obvious newbie mistakes such as giving in to the simplest of tourist traps such as expensive tickets and meals. However overall I did have a great time and it is interesting how far I have come since my first trip.
Makabiyahe 
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