Hong Kong: "Never-ending city life"!

Helena Nijs
Jun 3
6 min read

Hi guys

Five days and eighty-eight kilometers in the legs later: wow Hong Kong, you surprised me! Never-ending city life! Wow! Personally I think this is the coolest city ever!

Sunday 29 October '23: starting the day with a nice coffee, always good! Hong Kong is (also) a specialist in that, mmmmm. While I enjoyed it, I planned my excursions for this upcoming stay. On a website I read about the possibility to explore Victoria Harbour on a traditional 'Chinese Junk boat' from Dukling . My lucky day because this was only possible on Sundays. But first I took the local bus to the West Kowloon Cultural District. A city trip includes a visit to a museum. Why did I choose the M+ ? This museum is one of the largest museums for modern and contemporary visual culture in the world. Wow, just walking into this monument was impressive, architecturally worthwhile and gigantic. Kusama could be considered visionary with her installations full of dots. It was fantastic to take happy photos in that space.

Walking the streets of Hong Kong can be confusing. Sometimes you suddenly have to take a pedestrian tunnel, you walk above the roads and it winds in the direction you doubt. There was not much time to eat because I had to go to Victoria Harbour to take the Dukling boat. This was not touristy, there were only ten of us. The Dukling arrived twenty minutes late so I had a view of Hong Kong when it was still light, at the moment of 'golden hour' and 'by night'. "Majestic", I can't describe it any other way. My eyes kept turning in all directions the entire boat trip. Oooo yes and afterwards, out of curiosity I joined the long queue for dessert at Chung Square. I ate sweet tofu, fresh mango with almond tea. Mmmmm, my taste buds were completely on the journey. What a nice first day in Hong Kong!

Monday 30 October: ready for another day in 'the big city'! Of course I started the day with a cappuccino. Then I headed to the Ten Thousand Buddha's Monastery. It was quiet a walk, because all those Buddhas were on a staircase to the top of the hill where the monastery is located. On the way back I visited the crematorium and the small village next to the metro station. Pai Tau Village had a completely different impressive village life in my opinion. The houses were minuscule. If I walked a bit further, some were literally in the slum district.

Taking a break in the beautiful garden of Nan Lian was a good thing. Peace, yes that didn't last long in Hong Kong. Some time later I was at Wong Tai Sin Temple. This Taoist temple is known for the many prayers that are answered: "What you ask is what you get". The beautiful colors and decorations that they use in their buildings, really come into their own here. At dusk I did the Mong Kok tour. In Bird Garden you will find stalls with funny colored, wooden birdhouses and all kinds of small birds. On the table of another market stall were plastic bags with lively grasshoppers and other insects in them. I had compassion for those creatures. Hanging out in Temple Street with all its stalls was pleasant. Here handbags, souvenirs, clothing and so much more are sold at bargain prices. I was exhausted from my day! Not knowing where I would eat that evening, I went to the same restaurant as the day before for convenience. Yes, you can't go wrong with Thai cuisine, right?! After a good shower I fell asleep shortly afterwards.

Tuesday October 31: a day full of plans. While I was drinking my coffee (as usual), I reserved a ticket for the tram to Victoria Peak and a ride in the cable car. Phew, that made me feel at ease for the rest of my stay. No way back with tickets in hand. Before I left, I quickly had a typical cha sieuw chaan bao. This is a sweet bun filled with bbq pork. And hop to that tram! This authentic tram took me to the roof of Hong Kong. From the Sky Terrace I could see Hong Kong from a height with its breathtaking views. Unbelievable, there I was again, enjoying the wind and a beautiful view. It reminded me a bit of New York, only Hong Kong is a beautiful green island area. This was of course the perfect place to try out that bun. Mmmmm, that tasted special but also delicious. After my Peak experience I strolled through the Soho of Hong Kong. This place offers many trendy restaurants, coffee bars and shops. I also took the longest escalator in the world that was built in the middle of a residential area. Cool, but not very special. Of course I found a trendy coffee bar where I drank another cappuccino. And of course I couldn't resist the hibiscus and pistachio ice cream that was made in the shape of a flower. Yum! Oh yeah, and Hong Kong didn't just let Halloween pass by. Coincidentally I passed a neighborhood that was completely cordoned off for the parade and the costumed people. Haha funny, how people get so into it. I just kept hanging around in the streets enjoying it! So nice to walk in that big city with its radiant light show in the evening. Hehe, after my shower I plopped back into my bed tired and satisfied.

Wednesday 1 November: another busy day. I got up early to avoid the crowds for my visit to the 'Big Buddha'. That day was a day with some bad luck here and there. Because I got off at the wrong stop with someone, I was too late at the Ngong Ping 360 cable car to avoid the traffic jam. Hehe, in the queue was a couple completely dressed up to take pictures with the Buddha. Scary, isn't it, when you can be yourself?! What a fantastically beautiful ride above green hills with a view of the bay of Lantau Island and Shek Lap Kok (island where the airport is located). Ooooh, sometimes I had a bit of a fear of heights. Once there, it was a matter of climbing stairs towards 'Tian Tian Buddha'. There it was, shining, that enormous Buddha magically illuminated by the sun. At the back I had a view of several green islands. Wow, wonderfully beautiful! Suddenly the afternoon was already over. I was doubting whether to go to Tai O. But I'm glad I did because it's actually impossible to miss. Again I was on the bus, this time we broke down. We all had to wait for the next bus. Luckily this didn't take that long, waiting in the heat wasn't that pleasant. Anyway, after three o'clock in the afternoon I arrived in Tai O. This non-metropolitan area is great. Tai O is an authentic small fishing village where the stilt houses are on top of the muddy grey-brown water. Crazy how life here contrasts with 'the big city life'. Curious, I sniffed around in the small streets. It was wonderfully quiet there. I set my route back to Wan Chai towards dusk. Again I have to write here that after my shower I didn't have the energy to blog or anything else. So goodnight!

Thursday November 2: Hehe my (so-called planned) quiet day. I slept a bit longer that morning. Soon I headed out to the Soho district. I was craving a toast avocado & poached egg. After my brunch I finally wanted to hang out on a terrace by the water. What had I done to myself again! Of course this was on the other side. When I visited M+, I had seen that you could have nice terraces there. Anyway I enjoyed walking in Hong Kong anyway. That way I came through streets and places that I had not yet explored. Hehe, two hours later I was sitting down on a terrace 😀. That day I dragged my laptop along to blog. The words didn't come, so bye bye blog day. Moreover, my view of the geometric and architectural spectacle of the iconic skyline of Hong Kong was insanely beautiful. How I enjoy such things. I stayed here until it was completely dark. Only I wasn't there. Chinese people come here to take pictures of their poodle(s) and some of them even had lights and all provided just for 'that one perfect picture'. On my way back I enjoyed a delicious hamburger on the terrace of a food truck, wow that tasted good. How could it be otherwise with such a view! Around eight o'clock I took my last boat trip to the other side. Along the water I enjoyed my last moments in Hong Kong.