Two Days in Hong Kong: First Stop on Our Asian Adventure

As standby travelers, we rely on empty seats to be able to get on airplanes. Flights had looked open for weeks. The night before our trip to Asia, we checked once last time.

Our odds of getting business class for the 14-hour flight to Hong Kong were dismal. Chances of even getting on the plane were iffy at best. 

During our seven-hour layover in San Francisco, we stressfully watched as our chances got worse and worse… then suddenly started getting better and better! 

A three-hour nap, airport floor yoga sesh (the one trip I don’t bring my mat!), and yummy lunch later, and we were on! In our own row! 

We settled in for the longest flight of my life (that is, until the 16-hour return trip from Singapore).

We arrived in Hong Kong fairly late.

With difficulty, we were able to locate City Plus Hostel. This tiny accommodation is on the ninth floor of a big mall-type skyscraper. These are very common in Hong Kong, but super foreign to us.

Every level was completely different– from a cell phone repair shop on the bottom, clothing stores in between, to our hostel near the middle.

Thankfully, the hostel had air conditioning, which I feel is a definite must-have in this hot and humid city.

Our room was teeny tiny. The bed took up 75% of the floor space. The bathroom was RV-style where the shower is right above the toilet.

Now that we were situated, we were itching to get out and explore, and very hungry.

Researching for the trip had led me to believe that everyone in Hong Kong would speak English. You can imagine my surprise when the restaurant we chose had an all-Mandarin menu. 

It was the first night of many in which I didn’t exactly know what I was eating. In addition, I had to learn real fast how to operate a pair of chopsticks, or I wasn’t going to eat in Asia. 

“I’m a splash zone!” I joked, dropping everything just millimeters before it reached my lips.

Those first few meals were long and frustrating, but I’m alive to tell the tale, so clearly I got at least some of the food into my mouth. 

After struggling to consume my dinner, Wyatt and I headed to the nearby night market. 

There were rows and rows of stalls selling cheap knockoff goods. I could’ve bought a “Vouis Luitton” purse for the bargain price of $20. Instead, I settled for a cute, touristy little mirror for my purse. 

Asian culture was a world I had never experienced before, and I was loving it.

Our only full day in Hong Kong began with an incredible dim sum breakfast. Tim Ho Wan is known as “the world’s most inexpensive Michelin-star restaurant.” Music to these Bottom Dollar Backpackers’ ears!

Dumplings, barbecue pork biscuits, and green tea filled our bellies. Completely satisfied, we made our way to the next stop on our whirlwind one-day tour of this enchanting city.

As we were walking, it started to rain, like A LOT. It was a torrential downpour unlike anything I’d ever seen. 

Before we could make it to cover, I was soaked to the bone. Wyatt had the genius foresight to bring a rain jacket, so the storm didn’t affect him as much as it did me. 

Yep, I forgot to bring a raincoat to Southeast Asia during the rainy season.

However, I’m not sure a jacket (waterproof or not) actually helps very much during tropical storms of the magnitude that we experienced in SE Asia. We promptly bought two umbrellas from a 7-Eleven in the subway station.

Shortly the rain passed, and we wandered through a peaceful garden surrounded on all sides by busy streets and skyscrapers. Hong Kong was proving to be a land of opposites, yin and yang.

Whenever Hong Kong’s hustle and bustle got overwhelming, we stumbled into a temple or park that felt worlds away from all of the chaos. My favorite such sanctuary was Nan Lian Garden.

The temple situated within housed the most beautiful piece of art I’ve ever seen—a huge golden sculpture of three happy, relaxed Buddhas.

It was breathtaking, and I was speechless. There was a tangible feeling of peace surrounding its beauty.

You can’t take pictures in this temple, and I kind of dig that. If you want to experience the wave of pure contentment I felt in that moment, you’ll just have to go and see for yourself!

Another of Hong Kong’s countless spiritual oases is perched high up on a hill above the frenzy of daily life. The long, steep footpath leading to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery is lined bottom to top with golden statues of monks and Buddhas, each one completely unique.

Some are humorous, others studious, and a few somber. There were even a couple riding on the backs of turtles! 

The monastery itself was beautiful, but the real gems were these statues. The one which welcomed us at the very top was not gold, but white as snow, and much taller than the rest.

She was a beautiful way to mark the end of an interesting and wonderful hike. We bowed our heads in respect then started on our way down, ready for the next adventure.

Did you know there is a great deal of hiking to do in Hong Kong? I certainly did not. 

As outdoor enthusiasts, Wyatt and I couldn’t wait to see what this country of millions had going for it in the wilderness department.

Our chosen trail was called “Dragon’s Back,” a nicely groomed hike up to Shek O Peak.

It was a fun and pretty walk, but the humid 100-degree-Fahrenheit weather was brutal. Neither of us had a shirt on by the time we reached the summit.

“Shirts are just sweat rags in Hong Kong,” Wyatt quipped.

Sweat poured from my face in buckets, and my nicely-done makeup was a distant memory.

I longed for some hint of breeze to stir up the sticky, heavy air as we made our way back down the mountain, but my wish was not granted. 

Luckily, our next stop was the beach. We were finally able to cool off (a bit).

Near the beach, we found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and had an amazing meal. Wyatt (always better at ordering than me) ate a decadent beef stir-fry topped with runny eggs.

The food in Hong Kong is really, really good. It’s not hard at all to find an affordable meal worth writing home about.

It was getting late. We thought by the time we got to our next stop (after an hour or so of public transportation), the setting sun would bring dropping temperatures. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

We waited in line for hours to buy a ticket for the tram that would bring us to the top of Victoria Peak. We were exhausted from a very long day of exploration and drained from the heat.

The thought of calling it a day and heading back to our rock-hard bed in the air-conditioned hostel crossed our minds several times.

But we stuck it out and made it to the peak. WOW, the view was worth it!

Hong Kong stretched out below us in a bright, panoramic show. Buildings danced with light features, and the harbor shimmered in the distance.

This sparkling, awe-inspiring view was the perfect way to top off our short trip to my first Asian country.

Hong Kong was just the jumping-off point for a whole Asian adventure. Next stop– Vietnam.

I had a feeling I was going to like this continent, squat toilets and all.