Exploring Hong Kong: Part 2

During my second day in Hong Kong I decided to indulge my inner history nerd and make a visit to the Hong Kong Museum of History.  This is a HUGE museum and covers the entire history of Hong Kong from how the land itself was formed up to the present day.  I honestly didn't know much about Hong Kong's history at all, so I learned a lot during this visit.

After I finished at the museum, I grabbed a quick bite, then made my way to Victoria's Peak. The Peak gives an amazing view of the city, and my original plan was to get to the top around sunset.  Of course, when I arrived at the tram station, there was yet another HUGE line.  I had to wait at least an hour to buy my ticket to get on the tram.

At the top of Victoria's Peak there were TONS of people, but the view was beautiful.  Although it was a bit hazy, I still got a pretty good view of Hong Kong's lights.

To get to the top of the Peak I had to go to the top of this building that had tons of shops and restaurants, so after I finished taking in the view I stopped for dinner before getting in yet another super long line to take the tram back down.  I waited about an hour again to go back down, but this time I was standing next to an Italian guy who had just finished living in Shanghai, so at least I had some interesting conversation to keep me entertained while I waited.

Right by my hotel was a night market, so I decided to check it out on my way back before calling it a night.

The next morning I woke up and checked out of my hotel.  Luckily, my hotel held my back for me for the day, so I was free to do a bit more exploring.

There wasn't much I still wanted to do in the city, so I decided to check out Wong Tai Sin Temple.  This temple is located in the heart of the city and is surrounded by tons of huge buildings.  It was also packed with people, many of whom were burning incense and praying.

I'm guessing that these bows were decorations for the approaching Lunar New Year

After I finished looking around the temple, I decided to head back to the harbor to get a glimpse of the skyline during the day. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy so the view wasn't as great as it would have otherwise been, but it was still nice to hang out by the water for a bit.

 Next I decided to make my way to the Lady's Market, one of the famous markets in Hong Kong.  However, as soon as I got off the subway there were so many people everywhere that everything was moving VERY slowly.  I thought Seoul had crazy population density, but Hong Kong is in an entirely different category.  I didn't stay long at the market because I was going crazy being in such a huge crowd.

In the subway...see that huge crowd of people just ahead?

SO MANY PEOPLE!

At the market

I walked around for a little while longer, hoping to find a cafe to sit at for a while.  I have to say, I've never missed Korea's millions of coffee shops so much as I did when I was in Hong Kong.  There was a Starbucks, but it was super crowded, and besides that I didn't see any other coffee shops anywhere.

By this point in the day I was exhausted, tired of being around so many people, and had a huge headache.  Since I had already checked out of my room and I couldn't find any place to just chill out for a while, I decided to go back to my hotel and get my bag and head to the airport, even though my flight wasn't until much later.

Originally I had planned to take a red eye flight back to Korea because I was supposed to be hanging out with my friend.  However, she never made it back to Hong Kong in time, so I ended up being by myself for this part of the trip as well.  Although I'm glad I saw Hong Kong, I think I was never quite able to shake the disappointment of not being able to see Jackie.  Laos and Cambodia were great places to solo travel, but I hadn't planned on being by myself in Hong Kong, so my experience there was just not at all what I had expected it to be.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I saw Hong Kong, but I was very happy to finally get to the airport, where I finally found a nice cafe to sit at and relax.  When I was trying to describe Hong Kong to my friends, I said it's the "citiest" city I've been too.  Everywhere you go, there are tons of people, SUPER tall buildings, and huge signs reaching out into the streets.  There's obviously a lot I didn't see there, but being in a city that busy made me exhausted.  However, I should say, the city is extremely modern, easy to navigate, and the people there speak really good English.  Hong Kong is a great city, I'm just not much of a city person.

It was crazy to be back at the airport, knowing I was only one flight away from the trip being officially over.  In three weeks I went to three different countries, met people from around the world, and saw places many people only dream of.  Those three weeks were some of the best of my life, but it certainly did feel good to know that I would soon be back in Jeomchon, reuniting with my friends and sleeping in my own bed.

Exploring Hong Kong: Part 1

After enjoying a very restful night's sleep during my first night in Hong Kong, I took my time in the morning before making my way to see the famous Tian Tan Buddha.

This Buddha is located on the outskirts of the city, which meant that I had to take the subway to get to another station to take a cable car to the island that the Buddha is located on.  I was really impressed with how simple it was to use Hong Kong's subway.  Not only was it easy to navigate, but it was also fast and clean--all around a good way to travel around the city.

Once I got to the station for the cable car, I was shocked to see how long the line was.  I stood in line for nearly two hours just to buy my ticket.  Luckily, there was WiFi, so I was able to talk to friends while I waited, which definitely made it go by much quicker.

Once I finally got to buy my ticket, I was able to get on a cable car for the approximately 20 minute ride to the island.  Although cable cars are always slightly scary to me (I seriously don't understand how they work), the view was absolutely beautiful.  The water around Hong Kong is a beautiful light blue color, and there are lots of mountains all around.

To get to the Buddha you first have to climb up tons of stairs.  At the top you can walk around the Buddha, which made of bronze and is quite large.  Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed by the Buddha itself because after a year and a half in Asia I've seen more than my share of Buddhas. Yes, this one was especially big, but I wasn't really blown away. However, what was really nice about this trip was the view of the mountains and water.  It was an absolutely beautiful day too--not too hot, but not cool either and a perfect blue sky.

There was also a beautiful temple that was located on the island, which in my opinion was more impressive than the Buddha.  One of the halls had 10,000 Buddhas, and the lighting inside was stunning.  Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Once I finished walking around, I got back on the cable car and made my way back down.  This time I had the pleasure of sharing a cable car with a teenage couple, who literally took selfies the ENTIRE way down the mountain.  Lucky me.

Once I got back to the city, I took a little break then figured out where to go to get a glimpse of Hong Kong's famous skyline, which turned out to be by the harbor at the TST Promenade and Avenue of Stars.

Hong Kong's skyline is consistently ranked among the best (and sometimes THE best) in the world.  As I walked towards the harbor and it came into view, it was easy to see why.  The lights seemed to go on and on, and they reflected beautifully into the water.  This skyline is just one of those things that is difficult to capture in pictures. Of course, I did take pictures, but take my word that it's far more impressive in person.

Even though I got to the harbor a little before the light show began at 8:00, there were already tons of people.  Naturally I ended up next to a group of Koreans, who had no idea I could understand bits and pieces of what they were saying (and some of it definitely wasn't nice).  I just couldn't seem to escape the Koreans throughout this trip--funny how that happens.

After the light show finished, I walked around for quite a while trying to find a place to eat.  Traveling solo in Hong Kong was really different from traveling in Laos in Cambodia, where places really cater to tourists.  When you're in Hong Kong there are definitely tourists around, but the city isn't necessarily catering to them--you're surrounded by way more locals than fellow tourists, which isn't really the case in the major tourist places in Cambodia and Laos.  The streets were so crowded and hectic, and without knowing where I was going or what any of the food was exactly, it was hard to make a decision about where to eat.  I finally found a place though, and after that it was definitely time to call it a night--I had had enough city for one day!

Godbye Cambodia, Hello Hong Kong!

My time in Cambodia and Laos seemed to fly by, and before I knew it it was time for the final stop on my trip: Hong Kong.

Hong Kong was never originally a place I planned on visiting, but after my good friend Jackie left Korea last year to return to her home in Hong Kong, instead of saying goodbye I said "See you in Hong Kong", and since then I had kept Hong Kong in my plans for my winter vacation.

My flight left Phnom Penh bright and early, and I had a short flight to Vietnam where I had a layover for a few hours.  I was slightly tormented by the fact that I was technically in Vietnam, but unable to actually see anything.  I've heard mixed things about Vietnam, which is why it hasn't been at the top of my list, but after traveling around many of the other Southeast Asian countries, it's definitely sitting at the top now. I've met so many people who loved their time there, but just as many who didn't care for it at all--now I'm dying to see it for myself to make up my own opinion.  Maybe someday soon.  

While I was at the airport in Vietnam I found the one cafe that had WiFi so I could get in touch with my friend in Hong Kong.  When I finally heard from her she told me it was bad news...she had a work emergency and she had to go to her company's office in mainland China.  She wasn't sure how long it would take to fix the problem, but she hoped it would it be dealt with quickly.

Obviously this was disappointing, but I had been traveling by myself for two and a half weeks by this point, so I knew I could handle a few more days by myself.  

Once I got to Hong Kong, I immediately knew I was in a totally different place.  Although I had been to the Hong Kong airport before, it now seemed bigger and more modern than ever after being in several very small airports over the past few weeks.

I easily found where I needed to go to catch the bus to my hotel (because unfortunately leaving SE Asia meant leaving behind the option of taking a tuk-tuk everywhere).  One unique thing about Hong Kong is that double-decker buses are everywhere.  Since Hong Kong was a UK colony for so long, there are lots of signs of British influence throughout the city, with the double-dekcer buses being one of the most noticeable.  When I got on the bus, naturally I went straight up to the top floor because let's get real, when's the next time I'm going to have the chance to do that again?  The bus was super comfortable and even had WiFi--Hong Kong was making a good first impression.

Once I checked in I walked around as I searched for something to eat, which was a bit of a shock to the system because of the number of people on the streets, the bright signs everywhere, and the super tall buildings, 

I decided to stay in a hotel during my time in Hong Kong because I figured after two and a half weeks in hostels I would be hosteled out by the end of my trip.  Plus, I thought I would be spending most of my time with Jackie, so I didn't think I needed to be worried about finding people to spend my time with.  I was right that it was really nice to have my own room, although it was easily the smallest hotel room I've ever stayed in, which I guess is to be expected in a city with so many people and so little space.

Easily the smallest bathroom I've ever been in.  The picture actually doesn't make it look so bad, but there's literally no space on the other side of the toilet, and the wall is right where the edge of the picture is.  

Even if my room was super tiny, my first night in Hong Kong was easily the best night's sleep I got during my trip.  I let myself sleep in late the next morning before it was time to get out there and explore the city!