a whirlwind weekend in hong kong
We went to Hong Kong last week for 4 full days, plus two travel days, to eat lots of traditional Chinese food, scour the markets for some cheap clothes, take copious photos of the staggering apartment complexes, sweat through our clothes, beat off the crowds, and slog through the unforeseen rain in dreadfully wet shoes and socks.
It was my first trip to Hong Kong, so I really wanted to see and do everything. Unfortunately, four days in a city as vibrant as Hong Kong is just not enough. I have a whole list of things I wanted to see that we didn’t get to, so another trip is in order soon.
We did manage to pack in quite a bit though, in addition to spending a lot of time with our relatives who live in Hong Kong (more on that in another post soon). Our itinerary gave me a great taste of the unique mix of old, new, traditional, colonial, rich, and poor that make up the vibrant city of Hong Kong.
Here are some of the highlights from our whirlwind weekend:
Wong Tai Sin Temple
This Taoist temple claims to bring good fortune and to make wishes come true. There are several different buildings here, each honoring different Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist deities. For example, one building is dedicated to Confucius, and is the place to go if you want to pray for good luck in school.
Although Hong Kong has listed Wong Tai Sin as a historic building, the temple is actually relatively modern (built in 1921). The buildings are beautifully decorated in rich, vibrant, primary colors,and the layout incorporates many natural elements (such as a flower water fountain) that offer a pleasing contrast to the surrouding area’s ramshackle towers of window bars, scaffolding, and air conditioner units.
We went to Wong Tai Sin on our first full day in Hong Kong. It was incredibly crowded, particularly with small clusters of older Chinese women and a large tour group in bright pink matching shirts. But I didn’t mind the crowds. In fact, there was something touching about the sheer number of people who chose to flock to this temple with hopes and prayers for the future.
Throughout the grounds, there are places to buy bouquets of incense to burn as offerings. Due to the increase in the number of visitors in recent years, the temple has cut down on the amount of incense you can burn, and has put in donation boxes to collect offerings in lieu of incense purchases.
There’s also a cool tradition where you kneel and pray/ask a question about the future while shaking a cup full of numbered sticks. You keep shaking until one stick falls out (in my case, with your uncle standing over you laughing at you for not shaking hard enough). You can then take that stick to consult a book and, based on the number on the stick, you find out your fortune. Of course, each step in this process costs money. I paid to shake the stick, but didn’t pay to consult the book and get my fortune. I wonder what that says about me?
Although it is a tourist-rich environment, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this temple both for the beautiful architecture and for the general sense of happiness and optimism in the future that pervades the grounds.
Mong Kok
This shopping area is not for the faint of heart! Mong Kok is a jungle of narrow streets brimming with clothing and shoe stores, stalls selling cheap knick knacks and souveniers, and stands of all sorts of Hong Kong junk food.
There are a few distinct areas within Mong Kok, each with their own unique appeal. Ladies’ Market is an impressive display of large, tall stalls selling, mainly, cheap, repetitive kitsch. It’s worth a walk through for the experience, but don’t expect to find anything particularly special or unique here. Fa Yuen Street (or Sneakers Street) is sneaker-shopping paradise. Adidas, Nike, Pumas, Reebok, and more, usually for slightly cheaper than you can get them in Tokyo or in the U.S. There’s also a street with lots of stores selling Korean clothes for women.
Some other streets in Mong Kok are a bit more eclectic. Like Tung Choi Street North, a street filled with pet fish in plastic bags and all sorts of aquarium accoutrements.
The ever-present Mong Kok street food is a great way to break up an afternoon of scouring the shops. We tried the “eggettes” or “egg waffles,” a sheet of delightfully light little puffs in a paper cone that were great to break off and share as we walked around. We also stopped at our favorite Hong Kong dessert chain, Hui Lau Shan, for a mango sago drink. They’re a must-try in Hong Kong for anyone who enjoys mango-flavored treats.
What I liked about shopping in Mong Kok was not just the hectic assortment of wares being hawked in the shops and stalls. It was also the experience of looking up at the neon signs sticking out into the streets, and above that, the old apartment complexes with their distinctive crusty and rickety exteriors. It’s a street scene aesthetic that is famously associated in pop culture with Hong Kong, and I tried to soak it up in real life as much as possible.
Victoria Peak
On our second day in Hong Kong, we took the ferry to the Central Business District. In this area, the architecture changed from rambling, rickety-looking apartment blocks to glimmering larger-than-life skyscrapers. The scale was breathtaking, and it was interesting to see the new, modern style juxtaposed to the old style I had been surrounded by in Mong Kok and Kowloon.
From Central, we rode the tram up to Victoria Peak. Victoria Peak is the tallest mountain on Hong Kong island, and a fantastic location for photographers looking to get some really breathtaking views of the island or exercise buffs looking for a really beautiful place to jog.
The tram itself was a bit of an experience, as it goes up very steeply and quickly. But it was over an hour wait in line, so on the way down we just took the local double decker bus and, honestly, the views were just as cool (if not cooler) without the long wait.
Once up at the Peak, there is a mall (Hong Kong is full of malls) with a Madame Tussaud’s wax museum. We skipped all of that, though, and went straight outside to take in the views. There’s a long path that goes around the mountain with tons of foliage and lots of good vistas for taking in the view and shooting a photo or two. The walk was pretty long, and unfortunately our view that day was very foggy. But it was refreshing to take a small nature hike in the midst of the Hong Kong urban maze.
Cat Street Market and Lan Kwai Fong
In Central, there’s an area called Cat Street Market that’s filled with lots of antiques shops and stalls. It’s not huge, but it’s a nice little place to look for some gifts and souvenirs that seem a bit more authentic and respectable than the stuff at the Ladies’ Market. And sometimes you just find something fun, like the watches I found that had a picture of Mao waving, complete with a moveable arm.
The area around Cat Street Market is called Lan Kwai Fong. It caters to foreign expats and specializes in bars. Lots and lots of bars. We just walked through without getting a drink, and didn’t go late at night (which, I assume, is when this place really comes alive). But even just walking through, I enjoyed this area because it was fun taking a look at all the bars and their different decor. Bars and coffeeshops always have the coolest aesthetics, and this was a veritable gallery of bar design.
Causeway Bay
On our final day in Hong Kong, we went to Causeway Bay, another shopping area. This one is more upscale and luxurious than Mong Kok, offering a variety of designer brands mixed in with the usual Hong Kong hole-in-the-wall restaurants and ubiquitous street food dessert shops.
Unfortunately, it was raining for most of our time in Causeway Bay, so we spent most of the time trying to duck into shops just to avoid the drizzle. But this was a good place to get some shopping done, especially if you’re looking for some recognized Western brands mixed in with authentic Hong Kong food breaks. We passed about 4 Swatch stores in this area, and there was a Nike Labs store offering a limited edition sneaker (with a line of customers snaking around 3 blocks).
And thus my first trip to Hong Kong concluded. After four days in this bustling city, I left a little poorer, a little fatter, and a little dirtier than when I arrived, but definitely a lot happier for having had this experience.
Have you been to Hong Kong? What was your favorite thing to do in this city?
