YAY…I’VE MADE IT TO HONG KONG.
A 5 hour flight from Japan’s Narita airport to Hong Kong’s international airport and I’m finally in Hong Kong.
I had 4 days in Hong Kong and a lot of areas to explore and to be honest nowhere near enough time. But the 4 days I did have definitely made me realise that I want to go back.
Here are some of the things I got up and a little bit of feedback and my thoughts on them. They aren’t in any particular order.
- Light show
The Hong Kong Symphony of lights show is said to be the World’s Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show in the Guinness World records. It takes place daily at 8pm and lasts around 12-13 minutes and is located at the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront outside the Hong Kong cultural centre.
When I searched for things to do and see in Hong Kong online, this was highly recommended. I went along and parked my bum and got ready for the show. I have to say I was slightly disappointed. I’m not sure if I got overly excited about it and then felt it was a bit of a let down. If you have some time on your hands its worth a watch but I wouldn’t go out of your way to go see it. It is however free and if you want to take the weight off your feet and chill out, it’s a good place to go.
2. Big Buddha
The Big Buddha also known as the Tan Tian Buddha is 34 metres tall and located on the Lantau island in Hong Kong. The statue and the surrounding area are beautiful and I could not stop taking pictures of it, be warned I have inserted a fair few in this post. But I will have another post dedicated to this beautiful place. If I didn’t get to visit the Big Buddha I would have been so upset, so glad I made it. It was quite a tight squeeze as we left this trip to the last day when we were flying out from Hong Kong to Thailand.
3. The Garden of Stars
The Garden of Stars is located close to the Tsim Sha Tsui station. When I was visiting everything had been moved to a temporary location due to some work being carried out. I have to say the one and only statue I was looking forward to seeing was Bruce Lee. I grew up watching a lot of his movies with my Dad when I was younger.
4. Visit Tai Cheong Bakery
If you have a sweet tooth, you must go and check out Tai Cheong Bakery and try their egg tarts. After doing a little reading about Hong Kong, this place was recommended by many people and I was not disappointed. They have to be the tastiest egg tart I have ever had.
5. Eat in the best dessert shop in Hong Kong, Nun
If you have been following my blog for even a little while, you may realise that i have a real sweet tooth and love to enjoy a dessert after dinner, particularly when I’m on holiday. I randomly came across a dessert shop called Nun and it was the plastic dessert models in the window that caught my eye. Every night I was in Hong Kong i would end up in Nun for my sweet fix.
6. Best view of Hong Kong from Victoria Peak (be warned…needs to be a clear day)
Hong Kong was warm and humid and this resulted in me having an afro most of the time haha. There was nothing I could do to my hair to control it, so I went with it and let it do its thing. I was really looking forward to hiking to the top of Victoria peak and experiencing a bird’s eye view of Hong Kong but sadly due to the humid, cloudy weather it wasn’t worth while going up. This is something I’ll definitely be doing when i go back.
7. Shop till you drop (not literally I hope)
There are various areas to shop from shopping centres to markets. I would suggest visiting Mong Kok and roaming lanes of the ladies market and haggling with the locals. Haggling seems strange to begin with for people from the UK where haggling is not part of our day-to-day routine, but you’ll be surprised how easy it becomes. Another market I would suggest is Temple Street night market located in Kowloon. At both you can grab great souvenirs and bits and bobs. Be careful its easy to get carried away and come away with bags of stuff you don’t know why you purchased.
If you’re looking for higher end brands and shops, they are available too. Head over to The Landmark or Pacific Place on Hong Kong island, Harbour City at Tsim Sha Tsui or IFC Mall..options are endless.
8. Take the Star Ferry
Catch the Star Ferry across the Victoria Harbour between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. Try and catch a sailing just before 8 p.m. These boats stop mid-harbor for a few moments so that tourists can take pictures of the Symphony of Lights show.
I still have so much I want to explore in Hong Kong and I really look forward to visiting again.
So long Hong Kong…time to hit the heat of Thailand!!
