Hong Kong - 3 full days, 4 nights
Feb 17th, 2011, 10:14 AM
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Hong Kong - 3 full days, 4 nights
We will arrive at about 5 p.m. from Kuala Lumpur, so we will have that evening, plus the following three days and nights before we return to the USA. Although we appreciate nature/parks/views, and don't want to miss the best of those, we are primarily urban people*, and we have never been to Asia before, let alone Hong Kong. This will be at the end of 2-1/2 weeks in Hanoi-Hue-HoiAn-Saigon-Siem Reap.
* We like to wander, we love markets, and poking around small shops, although we don't actually buy much, like to eat in local places, even local "joints", not the "hottest restaurant in town". Our idea of a lovely day in London for example - start at Spitalfield's or Camdentown, then lunch (Giraffe for example), Portobello Road, stroll through Kensington Gardens and up Embassy Row, stop for a cup of tea and a snack, rest, dinner/theater).
We're not really museum people, although we like living museums (Willamsburg) and historical museums (Tenement Museum). Our favorite thing in the Louvre is the Code of Hammurabi and our favorite thing in the British Museum is the Rosetta Stone.
We are staying at the Salisbury Y.
So, Star Ferry, Victoria Peak, what else must a first-timer see and do? (oh, and I am deathly afraid of birds, but only when they're actually flapping their wings -- are the birds at the bird market in cages? I would never ever visit an aviary LOL)
* We like to wander, we love markets, and poking around small shops, although we don't actually buy much, like to eat in local places, even local "joints", not the "hottest restaurant in town". Our idea of a lovely day in London for example - start at Spitalfield's or Camdentown, then lunch (Giraffe for example), Portobello Road, stroll through Kensington Gardens and up Embassy Row, stop for a cup of tea and a snack, rest, dinner/theater).
We're not really museum people, although we like living museums (Willamsburg) and historical museums (Tenement Museum). Our favorite thing in the Louvre is the Code of Hammurabi and our favorite thing in the British Museum is the Rosetta Stone.
We are staying at the Salisbury Y.
So, Star Ferry, Victoria Peak, what else must a first-timer see and do? (oh, and I am deathly afraid of birds, but only when they're actually flapping their wings -- are the birds at the bird market in cages? I would never ever visit an aviary LOL)
Feb 17th, 2011, 11:56 AM
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Hi
we just moved back from living in Hong Kong. It's absolutely beautiful this time of the year. Victoria Peak is a must, please take the Peak Tram( lines can be long, but well worth the experience). Then Lama Island, visiting Big Budha( take the cable cars)
Go to Ladies Market( you dont have to buy anything, but the atmosphere is great, try your shopping skills, whatever they say the price is, you can get it at least 80 % cheaper, bargain, bargain, bargain). Also the Antiques, in Central on HK side
Never been to the Bird market though. Star ferry as you said.
Try to go to Stanley-its a 40 min by bus, or taxi from Central, its a great small village by the sea. great food ...
Lama Island has the best sea food for sure, so take a boat ride from the pier 1.there is nothing else to do there but take a short walk and sample amazing sea food at the local restaurant. Also if you want to see crystal clear tourquize water rarely seen in Asia, go to Sui Kun, its unbelievable( it may be too cold to swim). I forgot to mention transportation in Hk is extremely cheap( trams equivalent 10 US cents, busses couple bucks, and taxis couple bucks-transportation very organized , clean and sheap
I hope I helped have fun, you will love it
we just moved back from living in Hong Kong. It's absolutely beautiful this time of the year. Victoria Peak is a must, please take the Peak Tram( lines can be long, but well worth the experience). Then Lama Island, visiting Big Budha( take the cable cars)
Go to Ladies Market( you dont have to buy anything, but the atmosphere is great, try your shopping skills, whatever they say the price is, you can get it at least 80 % cheaper, bargain, bargain, bargain). Also the Antiques, in Central on HK side
Never been to the Bird market though. Star ferry as you said.
Try to go to Stanley-its a 40 min by bus, or taxi from Central, its a great small village by the sea. great food ...
Lama Island has the best sea food for sure, so take a boat ride from the pier 1.there is nothing else to do there but take a short walk and sample amazing sea food at the local restaurant. Also if you want to see crystal clear tourquize water rarely seen in Asia, go to Sui Kun, its unbelievable( it may be too cold to swim). I forgot to mention transportation in Hk is extremely cheap( trams equivalent 10 US cents, busses couple bucks, and taxis couple bucks-transportation very organized , clean and sheap
I hope I helped have fun, you will love it
Feb 17th, 2011, 01:41 PM
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You'll love Hong Kong, as it's a great place to wander, and not that many "must see" sights. Just go to different areas and discover the place for yourself.
The birds at the bird market are caged. Maybe some parrots and macaws that are chained, though I can't remember. You go to there to see 3 things - 1. birds for sale, 2. birds that are brought by older men (yes, mostly male) to the market in the morning, and 3. those men who go there to chat and sit around. It's a way of life for many local, older people.
The birds at the bird market are caged. Maybe some parrots and macaws that are chained, though I can't remember. You go to there to see 3 things - 1. birds for sale, 2. birds that are brought by older men (yes, mostly male) to the market in the morning, and 3. those men who go there to chat and sit around. It's a way of life for many local, older people.
Feb 17th, 2011, 01:43 PM
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re <i>It's absolutely beautiful this time of the year.</i>: Pls see rkkwan's photos from a day or two ago.
re sf555-1212: There are only 11,000 posts for what a first-timer should do. You might mine those first (perhaps a bit rude to ask people like Cicerone to retype everything).
Specific questions such as the bird market, now that's more appropriate. You may actually be referring to the Bird Garden in Mongkok. This place is more a social phenomenon than anything else -- for the most part, it's men (mostly of a certain age) who bring their pet birds down to the garden, and the men then more or less socialize with each other while the birds get to enjoy the outdoors. Most of the birds are in their cgaes, but if I recall, there may be some birds who are allowed to sit, tethered, on a perch. Those birds might well flap their wings, but they won't be going anywhere.
re sf555-1212: There are only 11,000 posts for what a first-timer should do. You might mine those first (perhaps a bit rude to ask people like Cicerone to retype everything).
Specific questions such as the bird market, now that's more appropriate. You may actually be referring to the Bird Garden in Mongkok. This place is more a social phenomenon than anything else -- for the most part, it's men (mostly of a certain age) who bring their pet birds down to the garden, and the men then more or less socialize with each other while the birds get to enjoy the outdoors. Most of the birds are in their cgaes, but if I recall, there may be some birds who are allowed to sit, tethered, on a perch. Those birds might well flap their wings, but they won't be going anywhere.
Feb 17th, 2011, 08:57 PM
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I think that the Hong Kong Museum of History might be one of the museums that you would enjoy. I know that I did, and I do not consider my self a particularly avid goer of museums.
Two hours would give you a good overview, and you could then continue a walk through Kowloon...
http://hk.history.museum/en/ex_galleries.php
http://hk.history.museum/en/ex_permanent.php
Agree that this subject has been covered in dozens, if not hundreds, of threads here...
Two hours would give you a good overview, and you could then continue a walk through Kowloon...
http://hk.history.museum/en/ex_galleries.php
http://hk.history.museum/en/ex_permanent.php
Agree that this subject has been covered in dozens, if not hundreds, of threads here...
Feb 17th, 2011, 10:57 PM
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In fairness to sf3707, she has been looking at other posts on Hong Kong activities, but decided to make a post of her own. I am sitting by the beach in lovely Vizag, India today and am happy to do some retyping of suggestions of mine which have appeared in other posts.
I believe your trip is in March, which unfortunately is not the greatest month weather-wise. It tends toward the foggy, damp and overcast, and is quite humid without being warm. As long as you bear this in mind and can be a little flexible in your schedule (like being able to run up to the Peak if you get a clear few hours), it should not make a huge difference. The local markets and general street life can be seen whatever the weather, and the food is just as good. If you are here in early April, that is a little better, as temperatures are warmer and the chance of sun a bit better. April 5 is the Ching Ming grave sweeping festival; if you will be here then I can make some suggestions for activities.
March 8-18 is the Hong Kong literary festival, and they have a number of interesting authors appearing, including Jeffery Archer, Peter Hessler and Amitav Ghosh. See http://www.festival.org.hk/ for details and if you want to attend any of the seminars. Both Peter Hessler and Amitav Ghosh are also doing lectures for the Asia Society as well, see http://asiasociety.org/centers/hong-kong (the link I used in monincas56’s post is not correct) tickets for the Asia Society lecture may be easier to get. The Amitav Ghosh lecture is Saturday March 12 at 1:30 PM at the Hong Kong Racing Museum; although it does not yet appear on their website yet for some reason. I will be going if I am in town, and if you want to go, I would be happy to meet you there.
March 16 is the Hong Kong Art Walk, which is a fun evening of wandering the art galleries in various parts of town with food and wine provided by local restaurants. And your ticket proceeds go to a local charity. See http://www.hongkongartwalk.com/
If you like living museums, you might include one of the "walled village" museums. They are not like Williamsburg as there are no docents dressed in period costumes demonstrating life at the time, but they can give you a bit of a picture of what life was like for early Chinese settlers here. Some rooms are set up with furniture and cooking/farming implements. The Sam Tung Uk Museum in Tsuen Wan, is the best of them, IMO, as it is an entire preserved walled village, and its juxtaposition against the surrounding modern skyscrapers makes the contrast between old and new even greater. Tsuen Wan is a “new town” of 600,000 people or so living in skyscraper apartments set in the hills along the western coast, and is virtually untouristed, other than by tourists from the PRC; lots of little places for a bowl of noodles and local street markets. It is easily reached by the MTR, and the museum is about 2 blocks from the subway stop. Take a look at http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/cultu...tageMuseum.htm
for all heritage museums, and http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng...samtunguk.aspx for Sam Tung Uk in particular. The sites have ideas for heritage walks as well, some of which I have done and which can be interesting. It would also be possible to get to Sham Tseng from Tseun Wan to have the famous roasted pigeon and excellent chicken’s feet, see http://www.yuekee.com.hk/en/p2.htm for a good restaurant.
I have already mentioned the Peter Spurrier book on monica56‘s post, so you might get that book for ideas for wandering.
For some other suggestions, the Fodors guide book to Hong Kong is quite good. Frommers.com also has a website with similar info to this site, and their guidebook is pretty good. I think that the National Geographic guide provides good ideas for more off-the-beaten-track ideas. You can get the 6-page fold-out paper Luxe Guide, see http://www.luxecityguides.com/; there is very little sightseeing advice in it, but is has some good ideas for shopping and restaurants. Also check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/ for other ideas, as well as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/home.php to see all events and museums offered by the government. Even if you don’t like museums, you can see all that is on offer and something may interest you.
Please search this board for my list of personal reccos called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)” at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm . This will give you some ideas for what to do, including a list of walks and some sources for more walks. This is a few years old now (and I keep promising myself to update it) but generally the info is still accurate.
I have posted previously on walks/hikes, from your post above they don’t appear above to be your interest; and the one issue with March is that the weather is not conducive to hiking (which is one of the reasons I don’t like March, the other is that my shoes get moldy as do my leather car seats). However, if you are interested in walkds/hikes in country areas, let me know and I can post something. One thing I will say is that a ramble around the residential areas of the Peak in a thick fog is really wonderful in weird way: all dripping trees and perfect silence even though 7 million people are below you somewhere in the fog. It’s just that you hopefully will also get to see the view from the Peak on a<i> clear</i> day too.
I believe your trip is in March, which unfortunately is not the greatest month weather-wise. It tends toward the foggy, damp and overcast, and is quite humid without being warm. As long as you bear this in mind and can be a little flexible in your schedule (like being able to run up to the Peak if you get a clear few hours), it should not make a huge difference. The local markets and general street life can be seen whatever the weather, and the food is just as good. If you are here in early April, that is a little better, as temperatures are warmer and the chance of sun a bit better. April 5 is the Ching Ming grave sweeping festival; if you will be here then I can make some suggestions for activities.
March 8-18 is the Hong Kong literary festival, and they have a number of interesting authors appearing, including Jeffery Archer, Peter Hessler and Amitav Ghosh. See http://www.festival.org.hk/ for details and if you want to attend any of the seminars. Both Peter Hessler and Amitav Ghosh are also doing lectures for the Asia Society as well, see http://asiasociety.org/centers/hong-kong (the link I used in monincas56’s post is not correct) tickets for the Asia Society lecture may be easier to get. The Amitav Ghosh lecture is Saturday March 12 at 1:30 PM at the Hong Kong Racing Museum; although it does not yet appear on their website yet for some reason. I will be going if I am in town, and if you want to go, I would be happy to meet you there.
March 16 is the Hong Kong Art Walk, which is a fun evening of wandering the art galleries in various parts of town with food and wine provided by local restaurants. And your ticket proceeds go to a local charity. See http://www.hongkongartwalk.com/
If you like living museums, you might include one of the "walled village" museums. They are not like Williamsburg as there are no docents dressed in period costumes demonstrating life at the time, but they can give you a bit of a picture of what life was like for early Chinese settlers here. Some rooms are set up with furniture and cooking/farming implements. The Sam Tung Uk Museum in Tsuen Wan, is the best of them, IMO, as it is an entire preserved walled village, and its juxtaposition against the surrounding modern skyscrapers makes the contrast between old and new even greater. Tsuen Wan is a “new town” of 600,000 people or so living in skyscraper apartments set in the hills along the western coast, and is virtually untouristed, other than by tourists from the PRC; lots of little places for a bowl of noodles and local street markets. It is easily reached by the MTR, and the museum is about 2 blocks from the subway stop. Take a look at http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/cultu...tageMuseum.htm
for all heritage museums, and http://www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk/eng...samtunguk.aspx for Sam Tung Uk in particular. The sites have ideas for heritage walks as well, some of which I have done and which can be interesting. It would also be possible to get to Sham Tseng from Tseun Wan to have the famous roasted pigeon and excellent chicken’s feet, see http://www.yuekee.com.hk/en/p2.htm for a good restaurant.
I have already mentioned the Peter Spurrier book on monica56‘s post, so you might get that book for ideas for wandering.
For some other suggestions, the Fodors guide book to Hong Kong is quite good. Frommers.com also has a website with similar info to this site, and their guidebook is pretty good. I think that the National Geographic guide provides good ideas for more off-the-beaten-track ideas. You can get the 6-page fold-out paper Luxe Guide, see http://www.luxecityguides.com/; there is very little sightseeing advice in it, but is has some good ideas for shopping and restaurants. Also check the Hong Kong Tourism Board website at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/ for other ideas, as well as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department website at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/home.php to see all events and museums offered by the government. Even if you don’t like museums, you can see all that is on offer and something may interest you.
Please search this board for my list of personal reccos called “Cicerone’s Reccos for What the Locals Do for Fun in Hong Kong (Hint: We DON’T Go to those Awful Night Markets....)” at http://www.fodors.com/community/asia...l-night-ma.cfm . This will give you some ideas for what to do, including a list of walks and some sources for more walks. This is a few years old now (and I keep promising myself to update it) but generally the info is still accurate.
I have posted previously on walks/hikes, from your post above they don’t appear above to be your interest; and the one issue with March is that the weather is not conducive to hiking (which is one of the reasons I don’t like March, the other is that my shoes get moldy as do my leather car seats). However, if you are interested in walkds/hikes in country areas, let me know and I can post something. One thing I will say is that a ramble around the residential areas of the Peak in a thick fog is really wonderful in weird way: all dripping trees and perfect silence even though 7 million people are below you somewhere in the fog. It’s just that you hopefully will also get to see the view from the Peak on a<i> clear</i> day too.
Mar 28th, 2011, 01:51 AM
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I don´t know if you already had your trip or you are still planning, but I was recently in Hong Kong too and I discovered something interesting which helped me in many ways there. Since I had little leisure time, I was looking for a way to get to see the best of the city in short time. After some research I found Ask Ting Ting. It‘s kind of a city guide that comes already installed on a smartphone. It contains a whole bunch of things like sights and places for food, shopping, sports and even some entertainment venues. Enough to keep you busy for a while 
The top attractions even have videos presented by Ting Ting, a charming Chinese lady, introducing all aspects of the respective places. It also comes with free local calls which was nice, but even better are the 60 minutes of free IDD calls so I could call my people back home...And it always works as your navigation system too. So to make long story short: It combines travel guide, phone, internet and navigationsystem. And I am a fan of these all in one solutions 
About getting it, I booked it directly on their website then they brought it to my hotel and picked it up afterwards, very easy though. Maybe this can be helpful for you too, to make your stay the way you described it.
The top attractions even have videos presented by Ting Ting, a charming Chinese lady, introducing all aspects of the respective places. It also comes with free local calls which was nice, but even better are the 60 minutes of free IDD calls so I could call my people back home...And it always works as your navigation system too. So to make long story short: It combines travel guide, phone, internet and navigationsystem. And I am a fan of these all in one solutions About getting it, I booked it directly on their website then they brought it to my hotel and picked it up afterwards, very easy though. Maybe this can be helpful for you too, to make your stay the way you described it.
but I hope you had a great time!! And thanks for letting me know 
