Turbo Tourists: 48 Hours in Hong Kong

We arrived in Hong Kong after 15 hours in the air and 8,500 miles! Enough time for 2 meals, a quick nap and for Valentina to watch 6 movies! We did pretty well until the last 1 and 1/2 hours which was essentially a test of our endurance.

We managed to find our hotel via public transportation which is well organized, efficient and cheap. Our hotel was comfortable and a welcome respite from the hustle, bustle and noise of this beautiful city nestled amongst a labyrinth of skyscrapers and towering hills.

The best way to see and feel a city is to walk the streets and figure out the public transportation system. In the two days we were there we covered about 20 miles on foot and rode on ferries, trains, subways, double decker busses and electric trams. The people of Hong Kong are friendly and helpful and often asked if we needed help when we were studying the map.

Sights and Activities

The Victoria Peak Tram offers spectacular views of the city from an altitude of 1,811 feet. After a very steep 10- minute ride on the original funicular (1888), we arrived at the top. A 2-mile walk on Lugard Road brought us around the northern side of the peak through lush vegetation.

Hong Kong and Victoria Parks

These were lovely green spaces within the city that provide both natives and visitors respite from the city, and multiple venues to stay active and be social with neighbors and friends. A number of eldery people practice Tai Chi, and birder’s are armed with elaborate camera equipment to capture that rare spotting.

Symphony of Lights

This is a dazzling light show set to music that highlights the city scape at night. The buildings seem to come alive with lights and overhead laser beams to give it that “Vegas” feel. We took the ferry over to Kowloon, across from Hong Kong city, to watch it.

We spent a nice afternoon away from the “organized chaos” of the city in the seaside village of Stanley on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island. The highlight here was a Buddhist Temple that honored the Goddess of Heaven built in 1767 and said to be the oldest building in Hong Kong.

The outdoor food markets! We forget what other parts of the world eat and that is how I connect with a culture. It’s about food and how they prepare it. The people of Hong Kong are beautiful and especially helpful.

Valentina’s Fav’s

I really got a kick out of watching the locals playing Mah Jongg at the markets as I have played for years. They play the Chinese version of this tile game, while I play the American version, but I have have played that as well. They are really fast!

Overall, we really enjoyed our brief visit to Hong Kong. Though there are many things left to see and do, we are so happy to have experienced what we did! Getting our body clocks reset and adjusting to the high humidity has been a challenge unto it’s own but we are feeling good and ready to go to other countries! 

 A beautiful sunset in Hong Kong

 Enjoying the beauty of Lantau island

 Lantau island

           Hanging on to the back of a taxi                          

 Bank of China Tower, Queensway

                      

 Admiralty MTR Station

  Admiralty MTR Station