5 Places to Visit When in Hong Kong
Listening to “Hong Kong” by Gorillaz, I am deep in a trance as I get onto the plane going to Hong Kong. What will it be like? My past adventures in Cambodia and Laos have led me to envision other parts of Asia as third-world countries. However, Hong Kong was neither like Cambodia or Laos. It was its own city with a mixture of the rich and the poor; tall buildings and rich with branded stores that surround them but there were also places where local people are in harmony with their culture, whether it’s business at a local food store, the night market that shapes their daily lives or the family business of selling jade stones and chinese insence to tourists that pass by. There were many things to see and feel that were immensely different from what I would experience in Japan.
1. Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens
The hotel I stayed at happened to be right in front of the botanical garden. The park was humid and had a tropical vibe to it. There were flamingos, monkeys, and large turtles cooped up in cages surrounded by large trees. There was also a park attached to the gardens where it was equipped with exercise equipment which gave the whole place a residential and eco-friendly atmosphere.
2. The Hong Kong Observation Wheel
By the pier near Central station, this Ferris wheel stands right in front of a body of water where you can see the other side of Hong Kong towards Kowloon city.
3. Temple Street Night Market
This is probably my favorite place in Hong Kong! The temple street night market is a night market full of local businesses that sell cheap items such as clothes, little gadgets, note books and fake branded purses, you name it! Everything was extremely cheap! The jade market was not far from the night market where middle-aged ladies would pull you into their stands full of jade items and fervently attempt to bargain with you. Right next to the markets, the food businesses are filled with scents of different types of food, pulling in any customers that walk by to take a peak. We ate at a food store called the “Spicy Crab” and drank China’s famous beer, Yanjin beer!
4. Victoria Peak
This peak is high up in the mountains and allows you to see all of Hong Kong. It was a truly amazing view with a huge mall inside the tower. You can see all the fog that surrounds Hong Kong and many of the buildings that make up the city.
5. Ngong Ping (Tian Tan Big Buddha)
Ngong Ping is a small tourist village located up in the mountains. In order for us to get there, we had to get on a cable car that lasted about 20 minutes in the air. The view was amazing of course, with forests and nature trails that were underneath us and also of a clear view of the Big Buddha that lie ahead. The village had small stores that sold many Chinese items for tourists to bring home, but we were more excited to see the huge Buddha that waits at the very top of the mountain. The Big Buddha in the middle is 112 feet tall with 6 other small Buddha surrounding it and giving offerings to the main Big Buddha in the middle. The sight was breathtaking and the mountains surrounding the Buddha made the area historically beautiful.
I hope that these pictures and decriptions gave you an image of what Hong Kong is like and maybe in the future, you might a book a flight there and explore the unique aspects of the country.