From Australia, we ventured to our first Asian city: Hong Kong. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the “Pearl of the Orient”—I had been there once before when I was 10, but only for one night, and dreary smog and intimidating buildings dominate my memories from that.

Yet Hong Kong ended up being my favorite city of the trip so far. Perhaps I was biased because we spent the week with college friends, or because we more than made up for the dearth of Asian food in South America.

But Hong Kong in its own right is still something special and worthy of my “favorite city” award (at least to-date). East meets west in the perfect combination here. The city is lively and vibrant—you could easily wind up at a street market, a cheap eats place, a Taoist temple, or a fancy shopping mall, all within a short walking distance. If you need an escape, hikes and beaches are a short ride away. And the world-class metro system makes it even easier to get around! (DC, take note please.)

So with Hong Kong being my favorite city, here are some of my favorite things we did there.

Climbing Victoria Peak

Victoria Peak hovering about the city is the classic picture of Hong Kong, but the real fun is climbing up to the peak and enjoying the views from the top.

The walk up to the peak is no easy stroll. Though paved, the path winds straight up—my calves definitely felt it the next day! But what a reward at the top: stunning, panoramic views of Hong Kong and the surrounding islands.

(And don’t worry, you can also take public transportation to and from the peak!)

We enjoyed the view over cheap beers from 7-11 and then walked around the top to appreciate fully the panoramas. Luckily for us, it was a quite clear day, and we finished our walk just in time for a huge rainstorm to descend on us!

Exploring the Many Markets

It’s not hard to find fun markets to explore in Hong Kong, though many are located near each other on the Kowloon side around Mong Kok. Mong Kok means “busy corner” in Cantonese, and it most certainly is—it’s one of the most densely populated places in the world!

The main Mong Kok markets runs down several blocks, and looking down it is like gazing through a canyon, albeit a canyon made of high-rises and stalls.

Walk down it and you’ll see tons of clothing, bags, souvenirs, jewelry, and much more for sale. And there are more markets nearby to explore—the flower market, the goldfish market, and a bird garden, where shop after shops sells each of those respective items.

On the other side of Hong Kong, we also had fun exploring the Wan Chai markets. Here the focus is more on food, from fresh fruits to fresh meat. (Though I’ve eaten pig tongue before, it was a bit shocking to see the raw meat tongue hanging right in the open in front of the stalls.)

Hiking the Dragon’s Back

Another great aspect of Hong Kong is that you can be in the middle of the bustling city, and then within an hour be on top of a mountain in the middle of the forest. We spent a full day on the southeastern side of the island doing the “Dragon’s Back” hike.

The name comes from how the hike follows the top-most ridge of the mountain range, so it’s as though you’re walking across the back of a dragon. From the top, we got great views of surrounding beaches and small towns.

Then you start to descend the mountain again, passing little waterfalls along the way. To help pass the time, our group serenaded each other with songs from the Sound of Music, Disney classics, and 90s favorites.

The hike ended at Big Wave Bay Beach, a tiny beach town where we enjoyed walking along the coast until a huge rainstorm drove us away. (As you can tell, there was a bit of a theme with the weather here!)

Eating All the Food

Ah, Hong Kong’s food. Pork buns, noodle soups, French toast, just so many delightful treats for the tummy!

So delightful in fact that I won’t talk much about the food here—but I will have more to say on this topic in the next blog post!

Travel Notes

• The metro system may be overwhelming at first but is so easy and convenient to use. Definitely get an Octopus card to make your transit easier. The cards cost $50 HKD upfront, but if you return it at the end of your stay, you get a $41 refund. You can also use these cards as debit cards at a lot of shops and restaurants.
• We rented an AirBnB in the Central district, which I would recommend because it’s close to tons of things and has easy public transportation to other popular spots in Hong Kong. And the zoo is in your backyard!
• The main language is Cantonese, though most people we met also spoke English.
• Hong Kong in April is incredibly humid and prone to rainstorms, so bring appropriate clothing!