Beaches and Backpacks: Hong Kong - ending our trip in style!

Having traveled for 187 days and through 10 countries we had finally reached the last destination of our trip...Hong Kong!

HK!

It was a strange feeling of "this is it" as we headed over Lok Ma Chao border to Futian Checkpoint from mainland China and saw the signs saying "Welcome to Hong Kong".

How 6 months fly we were saying to each other...but we decided to put our thoughts of reflection aside for now and make the most of our last three days. There would be plenty of time for pensive moments later.

Taking in the iconic view

We walked straight through immigration into Hong Kong with a 90 day visa exemption (not that we needed more than 4 days) at around 6pm. It was a really well set up overland border, smooth and simple with the MRT station all connected taking us straight all the way down to Kowloon. We made a couple of swift connections and were soon checking into our hotel, the Island Pacific on Hong Kong Island.

As it was the end of our trip we decided to book a little more luxury and chose a hotel with a pool! Entering into the air-conditioned, bright, modern hotel lobby helped us to put our sad feelings aside and get excited for the three full days we had here to explore this great city. Our room was cosy, had a partial harbour view and came with a free mobile phone to use whilst in the city - a great little addition that we found really useful during our stay.

Room with a view!

Having not eaten any food since our pot noodle lunch at Guilin railway station we dropped our bags and headed straight out down the metro line to Central. One of our favourite areas of HK. The streets were buzzing and lined with restaurants and bars galore. We stumbled across a restaurant on Wellington Street - Tsui Wah and enjoyed tucking into a Malaysian Beef Curry and Pork Chops grilled with tomatoes and cheese. The portions were huge and well needed by the time we actually sat down and ate.

Julia had spent some time looking into the best cocktail bars of HK so we ended our evening (and kick started the final leg of our trip) in style at the Honi Honi Bar.

Drink time

With the sun shining we rose from our comfy slightly more luxurious bed and headed out for a full day's exploration. We discovered a fab little local bakery just opposite our hotel which had almost too much choice of pastries to try (and quickly became our place of choice for breakfast!) today's was a pork bun and pineapple bun - yum yum.

A great way to travel around HK island we found was the old traditional trams that run along the main streets - cheap and a great way to see the streets and the different areas. We jumped on and traveled as close as possible to the bottom of Peak Tram to travel up to Victoria Peak for the spectacular views.

Heading up the peak tram

Not a bad view on the way up

The ride up the tram was good fun. There was a bit of a queue, but times worked well so we had the pick of the seats giving us views back over the city as we traveled up (sit on the right). After the short, but pleasant journey, we walked around the top, taking in the expanse of the city and other areas of the island below.

Wow what a view.

After taking in all the difference view points we decided to head back down but this time enjoy the winding path down by foot through the forests and mid-levels. It was a hot day and even walking downhill left us sticky with the heat - we bumped into a couple we'd seen on the Longji terraces who were heading up the hill (and we were glad we had got the tram up and walked down!)

Buddha on wheels

Having had the chance to see some of the iconic buildings from afar, we decided next to get up close to the HSBC and Bank of China buildings (Chris' favourite). The architecture of these were totally unique and later we would experience just how they made up a key part of HK's iconic skyline - at the light show!

The Bank of China

Central

As the home of 'Dim Sum' we had to try out the 'world's best' BBQ Pork Buns at the infamous Tim Ho Wan restaurant - the world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant! As with most things in HK we were not surprised to find it in a metro station! After all that walking it was a welcomed break and a great chance to really savour some of the HK delicacies. Got to love Dim Sum!

Pork buns! (Chris took a bite before I could take the photo!)

We walked off our 'buns' with a stroll through the HK park walking through the aviary - a great place to wander - and stumbled across the Teaware Museum - which Julia loved! It was great to learn about all the different ways to pour and serve tea and see some of unique teapots.

Having hit late afternoon we headed back to our hotel for a quick swim in the pool, freshen up and headed out for THE largest light show in the world. The backdrop is spectacular with the whole of the HK Island skyline being lit up in time to music.

The sound and light show

We got a spot along the edge and settled ready for the countdown to begin... a symphony of lights is broadcast every night from the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. The show comprises five themes which take its spectators on a unique journey celebrating the energy, spirit and diversity of Hong Kong. We're not sure what the five themes really were but it was certainly impressive!

With the evening having been set off with a bang, we started as we meant to go on...heading on to savour two more cocktail bars back on HK Island.

Cocktail anyone?

The first of these in Central, was Feather Boa - Chris had come here many years before with his family, so we returned to have one of their famous 'Strawberry Chocolate Daiquiri' and 'Chocolate Martini's - they were just as he'd remembered them and just as delicious! Hidden by velvet curtains, we didn't know if it was even open, but trying the door, entered us into the small and intimate bar decked with opulent furnishings, ostrich feathers and chaise lounges - it felt like something from the movie Moulin Rouge!

... more than just a drink!

We finished the night at Quinary Bar; another of the top cocktail bars in HK - but this one was fabulous (reminded us of the cocktail bars of New York). We sat at the bar and enjoyed watching the mixologists at work. Sipping away the most spectacular cocktail on their menu - the Earl Grey Caviar Martini. A great end to a great day!

For our second day in HK, we decided to take on our own walking tour, passing many of the local districts and trading areas - including some local delicacies as well........

Walking the streets

There is some weird stuff on sale

However only 30 minutes into our walk the heavens opened pouring heavily in an instant (no drizzle here!) and we got caught under a shop entrance way for an hour trying to keep as dry as possible to let the buckets in the sky run dry - knowing that even an umbrella wouldn't keep us dry in that rain! With no sign of it relenting Chris braved it and ran round the corner to find a small cafe where we both sheltered and warmed up with a hot chocolate.

Relaxing on the trams

In true British style, after a cuppa everything was well again, the rain subsided we had dried off and the sun came out! We continued up through the streets taking in small temples and shrines along the way. We ended up at the Botanical Gardens which had a surprising number of birds and animals so well worth popping by!

Another temple!

We jumped back on the tram and headed further along the island to Wan Chai to wander through some of the markets and look at the different architecture, checked out causeway bay and then headed to mid-levels, where we bumped into Kelly and Ben, the docs we met on the bus back from the Great Wall - such a small world!

Star Ferry!

As time was on our side, we thought we would jump on the star ferry to travel over to Kowloon to check the area out. In summary, we much preferred HK island (so glad we stayed there!), but we continued with our theme of cocktails and headed into the peninsula to have a tipple and watch the lights from up high. The Peninsula is one of the poshest hotels in the world, and it was easy to see why!

Yep we are in HK!

After a quick bite to eat, we decided to walk over to check out another bar, this time at the top of the tallest building in HK - the catchy named ICC or International Commerce Centre. After getting a little lost, walking through some car parks and asking a few people for directions, we found our way to the hotel lobby and headed up... to the 118 floor to the OZONE bar in the Ritz-Calton. To our surprise it was open air, but the view came with stupidly priced drinks, so after checking out the view, we decided to call it a night and try to find our way back to an MTR station. To be honest there are much better bars which are much easier to get to in HK - but still it was good fun.

Having a drink in the Peninsula

... and in OZONE 118 floors up!

We woke and packed for the last time. It was day 189, and time to head home. But luckily for us the flight was in the evening so after dropping our bags off at reception, we looked up and the sun was shining - so only one thing to do - head to the beach!

Final day at the beach

There are a surprising number of good beaches in HK and after an hour or so on the bus we found our way to Shek O. We had also wanted to go for a walk, but with the temperature climbing and the beach/sea looking so nice, we chilled out with a few beers, reflecting on our previous 6 months.

Soon it was time to go, but there was still time to quickly jump on the star ferry over to Kowloon for one last view and a final meal.

One final trip

Close up to the lights

The journey to the airport was simple enough, we caught the bus (cheapest option) and a little over an hour later we wee there, bags checked in and waiting in HK airport for our flight back to the UK.

The last 6 months have been amazing, and even though it has taken us another 6 months to finish writing it up, it has been exciting to think back at all the adventures.