Hong Kong is such an amazing international and multicultural Island city of lights, boats, languages, culture and food! Despite the mega sky scrapers, It has an old town feel which can be traced back to its Chinese roots, as well as an international and colonial vibe (300 years of British occupation). It has amazingly user-friendly public transportation: busses, railways, subways, ferries and trams. I found is incredibly easy to get around. They have it all! At times I found myself happy just wandering around for hours observing the beautiful people.
What I love most about Hong Kong is it’s unique and inexplainable “vibe”. It is the ungraspable, unquantifiable “thing” that makes you fall in love with a place even if you can’t entirely put your finger on it. Is it the people? Fashion? Music scene? Language? Skyline? I may not be able to explain it in words, but that’s the beauty of travel. Hong Kong makes me feel energized and I feel like I am missing out on life when I am NOT out walking the streets day and night.
Hong Kong has one of the most beautiful skylines in the world if you like that sort of thing. I don’t typically like cities all that much, but a few days in Hong Kong is electrifying! There is a Symphony of lights show every night at 8pm. Buildings on both Hong Kong Island as well as Kowloon showcase a vibrant and glamorous multimedia extravaganza. It’s touristy as hell, but still stunningly beautiful and I definitely recommend checking it out to anyone going there.
So why is this post called “48 Hours in Hong Kong”? When people found out I was traveling to Hong Kong, I would be bombarded with recommendations for “must see” and “must eat”. Due to a series of work and travel circumstances I only had 48 hours to explore the island so I crammed as many exciting things as I could in that small window while hardly sleeping. These were my top takeaways!
Dim Sum – Who doesn’t love bight sized portions of food served in mall steamer baskets? Dim Sum is the authentic experience of traditional carts loaded with delicately flavored steam buns. I heard one person refer to Hong Kong Dim Sum as “tea brunch”. Sweet sits alongside savory in these bite-sized dishes that are washed down with plenty of Jazmine tea
I violated every rule of dim sum there is. I threw back whole pieces in one gulp and over did in on the condiments. I was later told that the flavors are intended to be enjoyed and consumed slowly.
I also am known to violate every rule there is about chopsticks. I like to play with them, stick them like daggers into my rice, tap them on my teeth poke my food and poke the people sitting near me. Dim sum reminded me of the Chinese version of tapas or North American pub food. Small plates of nearly endless variety that can be re-ordered when you run out.
Hot Pot – Imagine a huge pot of the most delicious soup of which you are given all the tastiest things you can dip, boil, steep or eat al dente. Even though I previously spent 3 months in China and have traveled extensively throughout Asia, Hong Kong was my first introduction to hot pot. I thought of it (perhaps insensitively) as Chinese fondue. So there’s a simmering pot of soup stock in front of you and everyone sitting at the table can order an array of sliced meat, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, wontons, egg dumplings, tofu and seafood. It’s like a DIY choose your own adventure soup restaurant!
Egg Tarts – Velvet egg custard nestled in buttery shells. Yup, I am embarrassed to say, but these things are life-changing! I was told that Tai Cheong Bakery and The Expresso café in the Excelsior Hotel (Causeway Bay) serve the best egg tarts in the city. I decided to flex my usual vegan-inspired raw plant-based diet and give them a shot. In a weak moment of cultural curiosity and utter enjoyment I ate six in one sitting.
When I travel I try to experience and enjoy a multitude of foods that I wouldn’t usually eat. To quote Cesar Chavez, “If you really want to make a friend, go to someone’s house and eat with them…the people who give you their food give you their heart”. This being said, I commend all human beings who are treating their body like a temple, nourishing it with the highest quality ingredients for health and longevity….but if you go to Hong Kong I encourage you to try an egg tart (or 6!).
Victoria Harbor – Since 1898 Star Ferry has carried 63,000 passengers a day across the Victoria Harbor. If you catch it around 8pm you can see 44 skyscrapers from both Hong Kong and Kowloon side lit up in the symphony of lights show. Anytime of the day, it’s just a pretty awesome cheap boat ride with a great view! I took this boat ride 4 times, just for sheer enjoyment.
Live music at the Excelsior Hotel – Being an international hub of arts and culture, Hong Kong has nearly every style of live music you can think of going on all of the time. I was lucky to stumble upon the roof top bar of the Excelsior Hotel in Causeway Bay where they have live bands that play every Friday and Saturday night. The music was so unbelievable that I returned the second night. Since writing this the Excelsior Hotel has closed and is no longer there. Bummer!
The Tram up to the Point – The view from Victoria peak is worth the climb or taking the enjoyable retro-tram ride. Some things people suggest you do when you’re traveling and after you do it, you think, “I could have just saw it on google Images”. Other things you are sincerely glad you made the effort. Victoria Peak is beautiful and a must! One option to get there is to climb. Since my goal was to accomplish as many things as possible in a 48 hour period I took the vintage tram. The cool thing about the tram is that it is a restored version of the original tram built a long-ass time ago. It’s a little wild and rickety, but fun to get to the top of the world!
Causeway Bay – This district was described to me as the “Times Square” of Hong Kong. It is a brightly colored and vibrant shopping district that has maximized it’s sign usage and has left no usable space un-decorated by the eclectic glow of commerce. I am not much of a shopper, but I found this area stimulating. Whether it be food, fashion or just the electric glow of unapologetic commerce, Causeway Bay is worth a visit.
Aberdeen Market and : Here you can see local fisherman, junk boats and the old Chinese neighborhood of Aberdeen framed by condominium sky scrapers. It’s a strange juxtaposition, but it speaks to the beautiful and mixed nature of the city island country that is Hong Kong.
Stanley Street Market: Stanley Market is a street market in Stanley on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong. The street is a typical example of a traditional old open-air market in Hong Kong and has since become a major tourist attraction, well known for its bargains, delicious food and beautiful view of the bay.
Temple Street Night Market: Temple Street Night Market is a popular street bazaar and an incredible example of the theater and festivity of a Chinese night market. Tea-ware, electronics, clothing, jade and antiques are scrutinized and haggled over. When you are exhausted from the spectacle of it all, there is claypot rice, seafood, noodles and other treats to consume as you relax and observe the circus. THIS is what I love about international travel, but specifically Hong Kong.
Sham Shiu Po: This unique and historically working- class neighborhood is host to a menagerie of intriguing markets, stalls, shops, eateries and memorable dumpling and noodle joints. Sham Sui Po is the center of the city’s fabric trade as well as the area that you can find a variety of electronics like pirated software, DVDs, video games and tech accessories. A MUST for an entertaining walking tour and a great area to fill your tummy! This is where I enjoyed the best Hong Kong dumplings!
Wanton Noodles: A popular Hong Kong staple simply made of egg and flour and simmering in a broth of either prawn, chicken or pork and topped with spring onions. It is more common nowadays to find vegetarian versions made from mushrooms or black fungus with green leafy vegetables such as kai-lan, also called Chinese Kale. Wanton noodles are simple, delicious and abundant! Many international food blogs will post “Top 10” best places for wanton noodles in Hong Kong and other areas of the world.
Hong Kong Milk Tea: A friend in Hong Kong told me that this was a “must sample” if you’re going to visit Hong Kong. Simple and unique, it is merely black tea brewed with milk and popularly served during the lunch hour. I sampled it in it’s simple form as well as the yuenyeung or kopi cham style which is, measured very specifically, 3 parts strong black coffee to 7 parts Hong Kong milk tea. It woke me up and it was pretty damn tasty!
Hong Kong Dumplings: I first fell in love with dumplings while traveling through China. They were served to me at the Kung Fu training academy I was enrolled in for Chinese new year and they forever changed me. Hong Kong is known for their Cantonese dim sum style dumplings which can be enjoyed pan-fried, steamed or floating in delicious soup. Traditionally dumplings are made with pork, but there are a handful of restaurants that sell vegetarian and vegan friendly dumplings made from green cabbage, shitake mushrooms, pak choi, carrot and Chinese vermicelli. My suggestions for vegetarian dumplings in Hong Kong are Nom Nom Dumpling, Shanghai Bao Jiao Dian and Hometown Dumplings. Of course each of these dumpling outlets also has meat varieties for you omnivore foodies looking for a traditional favorite.
HONG KONG FUN FACTS:
*115 countries have consulates in Hong Kong which is more than any other city in the world.
*40% of Hong Kong’s Territory is protected by country parks.