Hong Kong: Where Nature Meets the Concrete Jungle

I spent a week in Hong Kong for a visa run so that I could get a visa sorted out to go to mainland China and I will explain the visa process soon in an article about how to travel to China. Hong Kong is definitely a place I had been wanting to travel to for a while. The Hong Kong you see on TV is all about skyscraper buildings, high prices and busy people. I'm here to say that Hong Kong is more than that and it is never a dull moment in such a fantastic city.

When I first arrived I spent an hour trying to find a way to get to my hostel in Aberdeen. The great thing about Hong Kong is that it's actually quite easy and economical to get around if you use the MTR and simply walk around. What can be said about Hong Kong is that the British influence can be noted like the names of streets, the trams and the fact that English so well spoken among the locals.

One of the things I had to do in Hong Kong of course was to see Victoria Peak and the Avenue of the Stars. It was possible to get a tram up the hill of Victoria Peak, however it was being restored during the time I was there so I had to get an Uber to get to the observation deck. The view is one of the most iconic spots in Hong Kong, however on the side of the river on Hong Kong Island you can can see the statue of Bruce Lee along and at night the symphony of lights is a spectacle not to be missed.

Later that day I met my local friend in Hong Kong who took me to Temple Street market where I was able to try some of the local street food. What's great about Hong Kong food is that it's straightforward and is similar to Chinese food you would find in your local takeaway back home. Temple street market is where you can find countless stalls of imitation markets and they even still sell Ferrari jackets as I can remember at age 8 my dad came back from a trip to Hong Kong and gave me it and it lasted me a good 4 years.

An unusual thing you can do in Hong Kong is that under a bridge in Wanchai neighbourhood you can find a group of old women who only speak Cantonese and you write a name of someone you dislike on a piece of paper and they will beat it with a shoe. In this tradition it is believed that bad luck will be brought to the person whose name you write and this is known as "villain beating."

One of the tourist sites you must visit is the Buddha on Lantau Island, It's worth the cable car where you can see views of the nature fused within high rise apartment buildings. It's a great place to buy some souvenirs and there are even dogs randomly wandering about. 

 While you're in Hong Kong you shouldn't just spend your time in the urban areas, if you want a break from all that and the weather is good enough you should head over to Repulse Bay. Repulse Bay is a beach where the locals and tourists alike hang out and on a good day it's simply a charming place to relax. With the tropical atmosphere it made me feel like I was in Phuket again and is generally a good place to hang out with public wifi access. 

A cool traditional place to check out back in the city is Nan Lian garden, this place looks like that Japanese map from Overwatch and was interesting to visit during the weekend of the enlightenment celebrations. If you're into shopping for clothes and have the budget (which I didn't.) Then Hong Kong might be a great place for you to check out, there's shops for every brand you can name and there's even a place called Sneakers Street which is dedicated to shops for selling trainers and hypebeast brands such as Nike, Adidas and even places you can buy real Supreme.

Of course one of the things you need to try out in Hong Kong is Happy Valley, every Wednesday you can come here for a day at the races, the British tradition of the races along with the Chinese culture of gambling makes this a fascinating experience but for me it was just an experience of the races for the first time.

Of course, in Hong Kong one of the coolest spots in the city is Lan Kwai Fong right in the centre, this place is unreal. It is Hong Kong's nightlife district and it makes for a fun night out. You can have a drink at 7-11 and then go off to the club to enjoy some good tunes. Something very different in comparison to Scottish drinking culture.

So, what I have to say about Hong Kong is that it's an absolutely vibrant place where you'll struggle to get bored. It is said that it's expensive but it's only really expensive if you live as a local. If you stay in a hostel outside the centre, use the MTR and assertively haggle your prices at markets you will   be fine as much as a budget in somewhere like Australia as it's no Vietnam. The only thing I don't like about this place is that it's constant moving about and extremely hard to find a place for sitting down and relaxing especially in the centre. Don't let this put you off going, if you go you will have a tremendous time!

Regarding my vlog I'd admit the editing was a little bit botched as I used a copyrighted song, my blogs are nothing serious and it's just practice to make my vlogs perfect.