Wander Lusting: Hong Kong

We've been sooooo lazy this week. Got back from the whirlwind China trip on Sunday around midnight and have not updated the blog until Friday. Sorry.

To get things rolling....how about Hong Kong? Sound good? I thought so.

If you are visiting multiple cities in China, I would recommend starting with Hong Kong. Its kind of like an exotic NYC. There were many times when I felt like we were in Manhattan. There is plenty of English to get around quite easily but when you get off the beaten path, you will find very cool Chinese culture (which is hopefully the reason you are traveling).

If you are on a budget you should stay in Chungking Mansions. Although getting to your room will be an adventure and you get travel through 'little Pakistan' to get there, there will probably not be a more centrally located, cheaper place to stay. Our room was VERY small but clean and around $40 USD per night. For location, it took us 5 minutes walk to Victoria Harbor and Star Ferry. If you are not on a budget, your choices are endless.
The first thing you should do in HK is climb "The Peak" via the Peak Tram. You will find good food, shopping, and amazing views of the city. Hopefully, on the day you go, the 'mist' a.k.a. pollution blowing in from mainland China, will not be too bad. There is a short hiking path around the peak which provides a very nice break from sidewalks and more cool views.
The public transportation is very easy to figure out. You can take ferries, the MTR, buses, or cabs, and all are quite inexpensive.
For food, you should definitely wander and decide where to eat judging by the smell. There are endless choices for food, ranging from all forms of Chinese to Italian to Indian to Middle Eastern to American diner. The best meal we had was a hole in the wall Chinese place around the Mong Kok markets. They spoke not a word of English and were fairly surprised to see 3 Westerners wander into their establishment, but served us some amazing roast duck and pork that was so tasty and tender that chewing was practically optional. It was also about $5 USD per meal.
Shopping in Hong Kong has a well deserved reputation for being amazing. While we only made it to the Mong Kok market (one of the more touristy ones), there are many more to check out. Haggling is fully expected and accepted and quite fun. Probably start at around 1/4 or less of the asking price and go from there. We found some sales people in the markets to be a little temperamental about bargaining, but don't worry about it, there are many more that aren't. The copy watches and copy bags only seem to come out at night. Ask to be taken to the showroom if they have one.
Sights in Hong Kong include the well known like Victoria Peak which must be done, several museums, and of course Disney Land. Lesser known are the many temples. We visited Man Mo temple in Central and Po Lin on Lantau (one of the outlying islands). Man Mo is easy to get to and worth it. Po Lin is a bit more difficult to reach, but very, very worth it. You need to take a ferry and 2 buses, both of which are well-marked, and your reward is pictured below. A giant Buddha, a very nice monastery, and the option to have a nice monk-prepared lunch. Come on now, who's had a monk cook them lunch before?

Bottom line, Hong Kong is a sweet SAR, Special Administrative Region, meaning it is part of China but gets to keep its free market economy and social and legal systems. Check the history books, this is a travel, not history blog. You have about 7 million people, most of which are crowded into about 8 miles or so of the total land mass, including Kowloon and Hong Kong island. Stay in that area and you find the great, vibrant feel of one of the great cities of the world. However, travel to the rest of HK and you find parks, monasteries, hiking, and culture. Hong Kong has a very cool feel to it that is hard to put into words until you go. Check it out for yourself and enjoy.