Hey friends,
It's been quite some time since I wrote any blogs...The simple reason being want of time.Today I will take you all to Hongkong which is not only home to the world's Fortune 500 companies but also a wonderful holiday destination. It also has a wonderful climate all round the year, has wonderful island's close by and Macau is within a 1.5 hour cruise ride from here. In this blog, I will provide you with exclusive insights as an Indian whose stayed in HongKong for a brief period of time
Buy an Octopus card as soon as you land in HongKong, You can recharge it at every MTR station, Nine-Eleven stores and many other places.
Places to go :- Ocean Park, Disney Land, The Peak, Avenue of stars, Ladies market, Temple street market, Lan Kwai Fong, Big Buddha and Po Lin monastery, symphony of lights, Ritz Carlton etc.
Do not forget to go to the Sky-100 an obsevration deck on the 100th floor in one of the tallest buildings in Hongkong
HongKong is a series of islands connected by series of underwater tunnels - for roads as well as the MTR. It's a city built with a great amount of planning. Borrowing my colleague's adage which states, " It's basically two cities - one on top of the other". Obviously he was referring to the amazing MTR network which seamlessly helps you cover more than 100 km in less than 30 minutes. While travelling in MTR, be careful to not jump the queue. HongKong natives are extremely polite and I have seen old people give up their seats for the more deserving ones like pregnant woman, disabled etc.
Vegetarians may have a tough time in HongKong, as white meat is considered as vegetarian here. Walk in to a Mc' Donalds outlet and they would serve you Fish / Egg burgers if you ask for a vegetarian meal. If you are Indian vegetarians, it is preferable to stay somewhere close to Tsim Tsa Tsui. Here you will find a wide variety of Indian foods - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Additionally, there are a lot of Indian stores here as well- selling ready to cook meals, SIM cards, currency exchange etc.
While most Indians spend considerable amount of time shopping cheap stuff at the ladies market and Temple street market, it is important to be cautious with your valuables. The lanes are narrow with heavy crowds in the evening. It is possible that your wallets / phones may get flicked if you are not careful enough. While bargaining is allowed at these places, do not bargain too much or get into arguments. Just walk away if the atmosphere does not look favorable for you.On the plus side, you will find some very good leather stuff, electronics etc owing to HongKong's proximity with Shenzhen which connects HongKong to mainland China. There will be people selling you Iphones at a very cheap cost. These people are basically trying to rip you by selling you an Iphone look-alike Android powered phone. Do not fall into their trap.
You can also head to Macau which is at a 1.5 hour journey from HongKong. Head to Central - ferry terminal and catch the Turbo Jet from there. Macau is beautiful and has eye -popping casinos, cathedrals, museums which can keep you completely occupied. You may also do bungee jumping, sky walking etc. from the Macau tower.
So that's my 50 cents for you and hope that you have a great trip. Please share your comments/ queries in the comments section and I will try my best to resolve them
Buy an Octopus card as soon as you land in HongKong, You can recharge it at every MTR station, Nine-Eleven stores and many other places.
Places to go :- Ocean Park, Disney Land, The Peak, Avenue of stars, Ladies market, Temple street market, Lan Kwai Fong, Big Buddha and Po Lin monastery, symphony of lights, Ritz Carlton etc.
Do not forget to go to the Sky-100 an obsevration deck on the 100th floor in one of the tallest buildings in Hongkong
HongKong is a series of islands connected by series of underwater tunnels - for roads as well as the MTR. It's a city built with a great amount of planning. Borrowing my colleague's adage which states, " It's basically two cities - one on top of the other". Obviously he was referring to the amazing MTR network which seamlessly helps you cover more than 100 km in less than 30 minutes. While travelling in MTR, be careful to not jump the queue. HongKong natives are extremely polite and I have seen old people give up their seats for the more deserving ones like pregnant woman, disabled etc.
Vegetarians may have a tough time in HongKong, as white meat is considered as vegetarian here. Walk in to a Mc' Donalds outlet and they would serve you Fish / Egg burgers if you ask for a vegetarian meal. If you are Indian vegetarians, it is preferable to stay somewhere close to Tsim Tsa Tsui. Here you will find a wide variety of Indian foods - both vegetarian and non-vegetarian. Additionally, there are a lot of Indian stores here as well- selling ready to cook meals, SIM cards, currency exchange etc.
While most Indians spend considerable amount of time shopping cheap stuff at the ladies market and Temple street market, it is important to be cautious with your valuables. The lanes are narrow with heavy crowds in the evening. It is possible that your wallets / phones may get flicked if you are not careful enough. While bargaining is allowed at these places, do not bargain too much or get into arguments. Just walk away if the atmosphere does not look favorable for you.On the plus side, you will find some very good leather stuff, electronics etc owing to HongKong's proximity with Shenzhen which connects HongKong to mainland China. There will be people selling you Iphones at a very cheap cost. These people are basically trying to rip you by selling you an Iphone look-alike Android powered phone. Do not fall into their trap.
You can also head to Macau which is at a 1.5 hour journey from HongKong. Head to Central - ferry terminal and catch the Turbo Jet from there. Macau is beautiful and has eye -popping casinos, cathedrals, museums which can keep you completely occupied. You may also do bungee jumping, sky walking etc. from the Macau tower.
So that's my 50 cents for you and hope that you have a great trip. Please share your comments/ queries in the comments section and I will try my best to resolve them
