Hong Kong
What would any trip to Asia be without a stopover in Hong Kong either on the way over or the way back? had always been curious about the city and its clearly divided side. You see, Hong Kong is more like fraternal twins rather than identical where you have the hip and modern Island side versus her hipster sister, the Kowloon side however unified by their common heritage and language - Cantonese. My primary goal for this stopover was to clearly define these two in my mind.
With an estimated population of just over 7 million people and being one of the region’s business gateways, Hong Kong is amazingly efficient where it needs to be. Flying into the airport and transferring into town was one of the smoothest journeys I’ve ever experienced. The finer hotels offer a desk just outside of baggage claim right in the airport. One just simply has to report to the desk and decide whether they would like a private car transfer or whether they would like to take the amazingly clean and swift MTR underground system. We chose the MYR for our return to the airport and WOW, what efficiency that all major airports need.
After a quick private transfer in a sleek Mercedes we soon found ourselves at the front door of the very warm and welcoming The Harbour Grand Hotel which overlooks the beautiful Harbour Because we had a spectacular harbour view from our 39th floor and not so far up to the spectacular Club Floor on the 41st floor, this hotel has a WOW Factor. OMG were we treated well. Especially with staying there for 4 nights (Stay 4/Pay 3) the value was incredible and many relationships were built.
After a great night’s rest in one of the most perfectly appointed hotel rooms, we met up with Charles, one of our new friends from our Vietnam group who were ‘stopping’ over on this way home as well. We met up after breakfast when the laughs began! We set out through Hong Kong Park towards the Peak Tram stopping along the way for a little bird watching at the Hong Kong Park Aviary. It was this unexpected detour that would become the highlight of the day’s touring.
I highly recommend the Peak Tram not just for the amazing views from that vantage point but for the cable car ride to the top. Think San Francisco cable car but at a 45 degree angle. My companions were lucky enough to snag seats!
Coming down from the mount we decided to head straight for lunch. Going on a trusted tip, we make the decision to try out a Michelin Starred Dim Sum Place. Don’t worry we had saved up for this experience. Two locations - one on the Kowloon side the other in the Central MTR station. Hey this is Hong Kong. Anything is possible. Tim Ho Wan turned out to be an experience, but not quite the experience any of us had cooked up in our mind’s eye. We showed up to the station and kept getting instructed to go downstairs. Go downstairs. Again? Down in the obvious food court of the MTR station was a mass of locals waiting patiently for their turn at dim sum worth waiting for. After about 30 minutes our number (yes number!) was called. To applause we were whisked through the dining room to our non assuming table for three. I think it took about 7 minutes for our food to come after ordering. Come on! Michelin One Star? You’ve got to be kidding me here! I want a refund. Then flavors light your taste buds a blaze. The only think I really remember was their signature dish, which is a barbeque pork bun worth every Hong Kong Dollar they charge for it. I can’t remember what they actually charged for it, but it wasn’t enough. I recall the three of us got out of their spending only $21 USD total for THREE!
Happy and smiling from our amazing lunch find, we headed over to the Kowloon side of “town” on the Star Ferry. Seeing the city from the water vantage point is something to not be missed plus the ferry tickets are included when you purchase the ultimate open bus and Peak Tram ticket. It’s a great way to experience Hong Kong if you only have 1 or 2 days to spend.
Arriving onto the Kowloon side one notices immediately the difference between the two fraternal twin sides of the city. The Kowloon side being the “real” Hong Kong for lack of a better term which forms the true core urban area of Hong Kong. It is noticeably more densely populated on a less high brow level than her twin sister across the harbor.
Back to the hotel for a wonderful penthouse dinner on the top floor of our hotel where were able to fully enjoy the Symphony of Lights that happens every night at 8pm. One can enjoy this spectacle from either the water or perched in the sky as we were.
Although we didn’t run the full gamut of sightseeing, we felt satisfied with our one day of touring. For those who have more time can easily explore further in depth Lamma Island, Lantau Island, Disneyland or even venture as far as Macau.