Hong Kong is not exactly the place that sits on top of my travel bucket list but I am curious about how the TVB drama scene comes to life. Growing up watching TVB dramas (I watched till the end of my adolescent years because I could not take any of the melodrama anymore, and I switched to American dramas), it is interesting to visit the places and to experience the culture I had seen on screen.
This fast-paced and overpopulated city which comes with a high-cost of living isn’t an ideal place for me to live. Hence, visiting Hong Kong itself is enough to experience and explore what this bustling city has to offer.
Before jumping into the itinerary, it is important to
highlight the regions of Hong Kong we will be visiting. We have allocated 3
days in Hong Kong and 2 days in Macau. On the first day we touched down in HK,
we covered most of Hong Kong Island area. On the second day, we explored most
of Kowloon district for the most authentic HK experience. The third day in HK
was dedicated to Disneyland, thus we only have 2 days to cover most of the main
attractions. It was a little rush and it was impossible to cover everything in
HK but we made the most and best out of this trip. We only have a day to
visit Macau because we were set to depart back to Malaysia the next day.
People
Hong Kongers have a reputation of not having friendly bone
towards tourists. On the contrary, we met quite a handful of good Samaritans
who were helpful and nice to us. Some of them even complimented us on being pretty! (wahhh, nei dei hou leng oh!)
Currency
Hong Kong Dollar. Current conversion rate (as of October
2018): 100HKD = ~53 MYR. HKD is widely used in Macau. As for the exchange rate,
Macanese Patacas are equivalent to HKD.
Transport
In HK, we used the MTR for our daily commode from one place
to another. Many places are easily accessible by MTR and of course, some
required us to walk at a certain distance. You may purchase your Octopus card
at MTR station for the payment method. We purchased a travel pass from Klook
which includes 72 hours of unlimited MTR rides and airport pass at RM 128. It
was amazing deal for us as we were in HK for 72 hours.
In Macau, you may take the free shuttle bus from casino
hotels (if your destination is located nearby the hotels) or the public buses. Many
tourist attraction area (places nearby ruins of St Paul, Senado Square) are
within walking distance.
Accommodation
HK: Jordan Comfort Inn
It has the smallest bathroom space I had ever seen. You
literally can’t put your legs in front when you sit on the commode. You
literally have to do your business sideways.
I guess it is pretty common for a budget hotel in HK as property prices in HK
are costly. Located in Jordan Road, it was very convenient for us to go to many
points of interests. Overall, it was a decent stay for a budget hotel. We
survived three nights there (achievement unlocked!)
Price: ~RM90/night
Macau: 5Footway Inn
After 3 nights living in a tight space, it was a blessing to
stay in a relatively more spacious and comfy room in Macau, even just for one
night. The bathroom was more luxurious as compared to the one in HK. Accommodation
in Macau was generally more expensive compared to HK.
Price: ~RM 130/night
Food
I had high expectations towards HK food as it was
highly-raved among Malaysian Chinese food connoisseurs. However, it did not
satisfy my taste buds well enough. I love their milk tea regardless! Each dish
range from HKD 30-HKD60 on average. Certain shops required a minimum spending
per individual. The servings came in large portion, which was proportional to
the price. I will write a separate blog post regarding the food we had in HK
and Macau. Do stay tuned!
Language
Cantonese. HK accent are pretty similar to Malaysian
Cantonese accent; only the slangs are used differently in HK and Malaysia.
Malaysian Cantonese accent and HK accent do not have a vast difference as
compared to Malaysian English vs British English. If you speak in Mandarin
Chinese, you will be under the assumption of being originated from mainland
China or Taiwan (I guess Malaysian Mandarin accent is close to Taiwanese). If
you speak English even with a local Manglish accent, they will assume you are from
Singapore. You might as well just admit you're Singaporean for better treatment. #doneclaim
Wifi services
We bought a tourist sim card package at the airport. The sim
card package offers 5gb of wifi for 8 days with unlimited calls at a price of
HKD 118. The sim card can be used in HK and Macau.
Itinerary
Day 1
1pm: Touchdown in HK airport
2.30pm: Checked in hotel
3pm: Central
-Late lunch. First meal in HK @ Yat Lok Roast Goose
4.00pm: Victoria Peak
Trust me, it was freaking cold. Pro tip: Bring a jacket.
8pm: Causeway
Bay - Wing Kee Noodles (榮記粉麵) for Cart noodles (車仔麵)
- Happiness Boba Tea
Black Sugar Boba Milk. Best Boba drink ever- this is coming from someone who doesn't enjoy pearls!
10pm: Back to hotel
Day 2
8.30am: Breakfast @ Australian Dairy Co
11am: Sham Shui Po- Hike Garden Hill @Shek Kip Mei
Garden Hill-This view is definitely worth the hike
Garden Hill-This view is definitely worth the hike
-
Tim Ho Wan Dimsum for late lunch
-
公和荳品廠 Kung
Wo Dou Bun Chong for the tau fu fa as desserts
-
坤記糕品專家 Kwan
Kee Store for the Small bowl cakes (砵仔糕 - put
chai ko) as snacks
3.30pm: Choi Hung Estate – Instagram Worthy
shots. Popular photo site.
4.30pm: Tsim Sha Tsui- Lee
Keung Kee North Point Egg Puff for gai dan zai 雞蛋仔 aka
egg puff/eggette
-
Jenny
Bakery for the butter cookies.
- Lan
Fong Yuen milk tea
7.30pm: TST Promenade
to watch Symphony of Lights @8pm
8.30pm: Mongkok-
Kam Wah Cafe (金華冰廳) for pineapple bun but it was sold out! So we settled for French toast
-
Ladies’ Market
-
Fa Yuen Street
10.00pm: Nathan Road- Mak’s Noodles for
wonton noodles
11pm: Back to hotel
Day 3
8.30am: Breakfast @ Yee Shun Milk Company
9.30am: Kowloon Point: Tai Cheong egg tarts @ Star
Ferry Pier TST
10.00am: Hong Kong Disneyland
Disneyland is probably the last place I want to visit in Hong Kong. Not because I do not believe the power of magic, but I believe true magical experience comes from the origin of Disney- California. It is weird enough to call Mickey Mouse, 米奇老鼠. I must say that the shows and performances are excellent and definitely up to standard, and the rides are absolutely horrifying. My favourites are Mystic Manor, Iron Man Experience, and the Jungle Cruise at Adventureland.
10pm: Back to hotel
10pm: Back to hotel
Day 4
8 am: Breakfast @ Tsui Wah
10.00am: To Macau
1pm: Checked in hotel. Have brunch - Firma U Tac
Hong for tau fu fa
-Nam
Peng Café
3pm: Visited Ruins of St Paul, Travessa de Paixao, St Dominic’s
Church, Senado Square.
5pm: Margaret's Café e Nata for the Portuguese egg
tarts
6pm: Rua do Cunha- Koi Kei Bakery (鉅記手信) for almond cakes, egg rolls, crunchy peanut
candies and beef/pork jerky
- Mok Yi Kei (莫義記) for sawdust
pudding
-
Pork Chop bun ( we did not manage to try the famous
shops – Sei Kee & Tai Lok Lei Kee because it was closed )
Day 5
Back to Malaysia.
Expenses Summary
Air Tix (Return):
~RM540
Accomodation: ~RM
400
Transport:~ RM
220
Food: ~RM300
Tickets (Victoria
Peak, Disneyland…): ~RM330
Miscellaneous (wifi, travel insurance, souvenirs, shopping): ~RM430
Total: ~RM2220
All figures are in approximation
It was great to experience the fast-paced life in an
overpopulated urban city congested with people who are always rushing to
somewhere. It is not a good idea to experience it in a long term, as I am still
searching for inner peace in life. Hong Kong, I will come back again, say in 10
years’ time? Maybe for milk tea.
Hong Kong is so different from everything that it is almost a separate state that will be an incredible adventure in your life.
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