In Love (At First Sight) With Hong Kong

Day 1 (Arrival)

January 30, Wednesday

I never liked travelling with an arranged itinerary – it seems to me as if I’m laying down the entire blueprint of a holiday that hasn’t happened yet – so when my friends and I made one for our Hong Kong trip, I was prepared to smash it.

Inside the Airport Express

The moment I came out of the train station at Causeway Bay, I already knew Hong Kong was the place for me. Street lights, neon signs, and illumination from shops; people coming home from work, dressed in their best clothes, maybe on the way to some bar for a chill; vendors in their magazine stalls; taxis rushing past, the drivers equipped with iPhones or iPads: I took everything in and I just let the first wave of Hong Kong culture wash over me. When a gust of cold wind blew and I had to put on a scarf, I thought, “Fuck yeah, I’m in Hong Kong!”

first scene that greeted me upon exiting Causeway Bay station

After checking in at Hong Kong Hostel in Paterson Street, we unpacked, grabbed a quick dinner and went straight to Lan Kwai Fong – Hong Kong’s party central. We had plans to go to Disneyland early the next morning, but fuck Mickey Mouse, WE WANT TO PARTY! We took a cab to LKF and within minutes were surrounded by hot people from different parts of the world, all in that same place to have fun. It was like Manila’s Eastwood City except that it was a hundred times better. Cafes, bistros, pizza places, salsa bars, Mediterranean restaurants, Asian food, beer pubs – you name it, they have it.

We picked a place called Zinc, where we had a few beers. Booze was ridiculously expensive – one bottle of Stella Artois cost $60 (priced the same as San Miguel Beer or one shot of bourbon). Later on I would learn the best way to party and get drunk in HK (will tell you about it on my next blogs) – but on that first night, I let go of any thoughts or restrictions that would prevent me from having a good time.

So we drank, danced, and met new people – two locals, one Egyptian chef – and learned what a night in HK was like. And from that experience, we knew we would be having even more awesome nights to come.

at Lan Kwai Fong

~*~
Where to stay in Hong Kong:
Hong Kong Hostel
47 Paterson Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Room options: Private, Shared, Dormitory-type
Amenities included: air-conditioning, bathroom heater, free wifi, luggage storage
Check out the room rates and/or book here: Hong Kong Hostels

Helpful tip:
Purchase an Octopus Card immediately upon arriving in Hong Kong. This is your ticket to all modes of transportation in Hong Kong (MTR/train, bus) and works like our MRT Stored Value Ticket, except that it can be reloaded and reused.

facebook

twitter

google+

fb share

About Pepe Samson

This is a short description in the author block about the author. You edit it by entering text in the "Biographical Info" field in the user admin panel.