We arrive in Hong Kong on a Sunday afternoon around 2pm.  By 4 pm we are at our apartment in the Tsim Sha Tsui neighborhood, a major commercial area right in the heart of the Kowloon Peninsula.  We are looking forward to the cooler winter temperatures here than we have been experiencing in SE Asia, 70s versus 90s for daytime highs.

We land on what we think is fog, however, we are now thinking it is smog.  The smog is apparently caused by all the nearby coal-fired energy plants.  Wow, if you want to see the effects of burning coal on the environment, stop by Hong Kong!  Apparently property has just been devalued because of the worsening conditions. 

Hong Kong has a population of just over 7 million and is the fourth most densely populated region of the world just behind Singapore which we just left. We have a full five days and six nights to explore Hong Kong.   

We travel to our place one hour from the airport via a bus, about $8 for the both of us. Not bad.  Our place is just a few steps from the bus stop.  It is a studio we found on Airbnb that keeps us within our “living around the world” budget.  This is not easy to do as Hong Kong is the fifth most expensive country in the world, just two spots behind NYC. The apartment is tiny, maybe 200 square feet.  I lived in two different studios in Chicago in the 1980s that were each easily twice the size of this place!  But it will do as we will spend most of our time exploring Hong Kong over the next week outside of this closet.

We get settled in, take a walk, and find a grocery store nearby.  Eating breakfast in helps with both the budget as well as the calories! After a brief rest we head out for dinner.  The lights of Hong Kong are awesome and we are not even in the heavily drenched, neon sign-lined streets yet.

For dinner we have some incredible dim sum at Din Tai Fung. They are known for their xiao long bao, steamed savory soup-filled dumplings! Anthony Bourdain calls these “pillows of happiness”.  I agree! They even come with instructions to make sure you get to enjoy the “soup” inside these “pillows”. 

Din Tai Fung originated in Taiwan in the 1980s where a cooking oil salesman, Yang Bingyi, started to cook these in his shop.  When the xiao long bao started to outsell the oil, he converted the shop to a full-fledged restaurant. Now the Michelin-star rated restaurant is in at least ten countries, including LA (we also ate at the one in Singapore).

We also sample the pork and shrimp wonton soup, pork and shrimp fried rice and a sliced cucumber seasoned with red chili and garlic. Total for dinner, about $45.  We are liking the prices here better than Singapore so far!

Monday

It is Superbowl time in the US, kickoff here in Hong Kong is around 7:30 am on Monday.  There are several pubs with breakfast and Bloody Mary’s to watch.  We just have breakfast in and then head out to the Free Walking Tour, skipping the Superbowl.  I do get the updates on my phone and we later learn that Tom Brady and the Patriots make the biggest comeback in Superbowl history to win the game. Guess I will watch the highlights…lol.

The walking tour is guided by Jamie from the U.K. The tour starts tat he railway clock tower near the Star Ferry with a view over to Hong Kong Island.  It is lined with skyscrapers with the Victoria Peak at 1,800 plus feet above sea level in the background.  The Peak remains a very upmarket residential area.  In 2015 a 2.8 acre vacant lot sold for $657.8 million!

We walk though several areas and neighborhoods on the Kowloon side of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is a mixture of new and old, all scattered amongst one another.  

We pass through markets where locals are selling their goods.  And, of course, we walk by many shopping areas, a mecca for professional shoppers.

We enjoy these “free” walking tours often offered in major cities around the world.  We like to do them early in our stays to give us good overviews, ideas and history of the area.  Our guide did a nice job.  Although he was born in the UK, his sister and parents lived in Hong Kong for many years.

Tonight we take our break from SE Asian/ Chinese food and head to Gaylord’s Indian Restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui area.  It is one of the oldest Indian restaurants in Hong Kong, opening in 1972! It is Monday, so not very crowded.  Dinner included a piano player…haven’t seen that often in an Indian restaurant.  It was all good!

Tuesday 

This morning we spend some time catching up with a few more administrative tasks. 

We take the subway over to Hong Kong Island.  Our thought is to let the clouds and/or fog, and/or smog, fade a bit while we have lunch. We aim for another famous Dim Sum place, Tim Ho Wan.  Reviews say to expect a 30 minute wait as folks start lining up before it even opens for lunch.  We spend quite a bit of time looking for it as we wind our way through a few business towers and eventually to Hong Kong Station where the restaurant is located.  We pass by many “business suites” and both acknowledge we are glad we are not still in the daily grind.

We arrive at the restaurant and it is in fact lined with a wait.  I think we get in before 30 minutes and the whole time we wait we are occupied with making our dim sum selections. The time goes quickly as you work from an order form, while salivating to make your selections.

Their famous pork buns are terrific, as well as, the shrimp steamed dumplings and glutinous rice.  We are seated at the same long table with about a dozen or so of our new Asian friends.  Some are gnawing on the chicken feet, but I have had my fill of those over the years, some good, some not so good. 

We finish the meal along with a couple of cups of tea.  The check is $137 HKD or about $11 USD.  Still not bad as we continue to test Hong Kong’s “expensive” reputation!

We wind our way back out of the buildings to pick up a rather unique mode of transportation in Hong Kong, the Central–Mid-Levels escalator and walkway system.  The system is the longest outdoor covered escalator in the world. It was conceived in 1987 and put into operations in the 1993. It was intended to counter the rapidly increasing vehicular traffic in this part of the city which has very steep, hilly terrain. 

The escalator system covers one half mile or 800 meters and ascends over 400 feet.  The system cost approximately $30 million USD to build and costs around a million to maintain every year.  The system is surrounded by businesses, residences, bars, and cafes.  It has been suggested to stop at each bar along the way for one drink…sort of what we call a “safari” on a rainy day in Florida. Anyway, with the number of bars along the way I don’t think many could meet this challenge!

At the start of the escalators at the “bottom”, there is a good display of “graffiti art”. Hong Kong has been hosting, HKwalls – a street art festival in its 4th year invites local and international street artists to beautify many of the walls in parts of Hong Kong.

It looks like this has grown into quite an event. It occurs in March every year.

We even pass more artwork as we ascend up the escalator!

Ultimately we end up at the Peak Tram terminal that will take us up to Peak Victoria, or, the Peak as locals call it.  It is quite a line to catch the tram which grinds its way for about ten minutes up the very steep hill to the peak. 

We pay the three or so dollars each to go to the sky terrace to get the famous Hong Kong view.  It is very windy today and cloudy so the views are not outstanding, but with this backdrop it is still an amazing sight.  This is the coldest weather we have experienced in quite a while, low 60s but very strong winds, producing the chill!

Sunset is approaching so we want to catch the city lights at dusk and as the evening grows.  There are shops and restaurants at this touristy complex. We eat at a place called Wildfire to warm up and try pizza.  The thin crust truffle pizza here is quite good.

We capture the evening sky, again a little hazy but the lights are still beautiful.  We head back across the harbor, one of the deepest in the world, to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong where we are staying.  We catch the ferry, which could be a mistake in this cool, windy weather, but perhaps the city lights and views will be worth it.  Each night there is a Hong Kong light show at 8 pm among these incredible skyscrapers. The lights are spectacular!

Thursday

Wednesday was a travel planning and admin day.  Today Tracey takes a break for a day of relaxation and I hike the Dragon’s Back Trail in the southeastern part of Hong Kong.  The trail has been named the number one urban trail in Asia.  It is a section of the much longer Hong Kong Trail which actually begins at the famous Peak Victoria and traverses Hong Kong Island.

What is amazing about this trail and hike is that I am so near the skyscrapers of Hong Kong yet in such beautiful lush mountains.  The hike has urban views of Hong Kong off in the distance at a few places along Dragon Back Trail.  These views of the skyscrapers from the mountains and rolling hills actually makes the hike seem a bit surreal.

It takes about 75 minutes to get to the start of the trail from Kowloon via the MTR to the Shau Kei Wan station.  At the station take the #9 bus to the To Tei Wan stop, where the trail starts.  There are about a half-dozen other folks that exit the bus here with me and begin the beautiful climb.

The weather is good for hiking, in the fifties with some sun and clouds.  The hike starts with an incline but also immediately there are some awesome views.  The views to the west of Tai Tam Bay and Harbor are beautiful lush green and include the mountains, a dam and reservoir, residences, and boats…small boats, yachts, restaurants, and even enormous cargo ships.

The hike continues up and across the “dragon’s back”. As I approach Shek O Peak there are amazing views east and west.  The views to the east include Big Wave Bay and Beach, Shek Bay and beach and a spectacular looking golf course and homes.  

I eventually work my way down to Big Wave Beach where I rest a bit enjoying the views.  Conveniently there is a minibus I catch for less than 1$ USD that returns me to Shau Kei Wan station to catch the MTR back to the Kowloon side of Hong Kong.

The hike is supposed to be 8.5 km but I log a total of 11 km. But that includes some additional walking around Shek O Peak and some walking to catch transport. 

I think this is a hike certainly worth doing if in Hong Kong.  I was concerned after reading some reviews that this trail was overcrowded but not today! A bit longer hike is the MacLehose Trail 2 in Sai Kung. It was highly recommended to us, but you need to make sure you get an earlier start as it is a bit longer. Hiking would likely not be the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions Hong Kong, however, the hikes offered and the terrain make the hiking spectacular.

For dinner we started our prep for our upcoming three months of living in Japan by eating at Japanese restaurant, Doraya.  The food here is excellent! We share chirasi meals with a couple of varieties of tuna, salmon, salmon roe, and shrimp tempura! 

Friday

Our last full day in Hong Kong…A bit more planning with good Internet connectivity at the local Hong Kong library. And, of course, a few more culinary delights.

For lunch we eat more Japanese at a floating sushi bar where you make your selections by picking the sushi off of a conveyor belt.  We have about eight different types of sushi and tea for about $27.  I am actually liking these Hong Kong prices.

I have been wanting to try the Peking Duck, so for dinner we go to the Empire City Roasted Duck.  I have the “half duck”, which is served with a number of condiments including spring onions, thin cantaloupe slices, BBQ sauce and sugar.  Ultra-thin pancakes are served to roll this feast up.  We also order and enjoy their xiao long bao (steamed savory soup-filled dumplings).  We actually like these more than the ones we had earlier in the week at Din Tai Fung.  The crispy bean curd with black truffles is also a hit.

On the way back to our apartment we walk to our nearby train station to check the balance of our Octopus transport cards for our ride to the airport in the morning.  As we approach our station, all of the roads and station entrances are blocked.

Apparently someone ignited a “petrol bomb” on a subway train, injuring more than a dozen and causing a fire.  There are dozens of fire trucks, police and ambulances on the scene.  Here is a news report we found later via the internet. 

Saturday Morning – Bon Voyage HK

We tidy up the apartment and finish packing.  By 10 am we are on our way to the Hong Kong International Airport ending our fantastic week in Hong Kong!  Off to Fukuoka, Japan via Taiwan!

And a few more Hong Kong pics!