What’s Hong Kong like in front of my 35mm lens? Check it out below in Journey to Hong Kong (2017).

A view of Kowloon from Lion Rock Hill in Hong Kong. I’m a novice hiker and wanted to quit maybe at the start of the steps but I powered through it…
“China?? Didn’t you just come back from Japan??”
Haha… yeah, a month after coming back from Japan I was talking with John Zhang aka 1013mm and he had planned a car meet on Feb 18 in Kowloon. I immediately checked my calendar and saw no bookings for that week so of course I browsed for flights and lodging. Flights weren’t too bad 2 weeks out and for lodging I decided to stay at a hostel in Causeway Bay.
“What was the cost of your Hong Kong trip like?”
My flight was $626 USD. This is actually an average price and can range from $450 to $900+ USD. It wasn’t a direct flight which was ok because I don’t think I could’ve sat for 20 hrs in a row. The hostel stay was $18 USD per day. Since this was a vacation / semi work travel, I had to be thrifty or cheap. One week before leaving Houston, I decided to add Taipei to the trip as well… it would be my first time in there. The flight from Hong Kong to Taipei was $150 USD which is normal pricing all day.
“What did you pack for 4 days in Hong Kong?”
After the most recent trip to Japan, I had to travel lighter and smarter. I opted to just have 1 backpack and 1 rolling 45L carryon rolling case. In the backpack, I had my Macbook Pro, accessories, Nikon D750, 35mm lens, battery charger, mobile wifi, and moist disposable towels. In the rolling case, I packed clothes for 4 days, towel, toiletry bag, etc. Details can be seen in the itinerary below.

My itinerary for Journey to Hong Kong and Taipei trip… it’s a little incomplete but that should be most of it. Click on the photo if you’re interested in checking it out…

I chose to fly United Airlines internationally. Not as nice as EVA or Delta to be honest but it wasn’t too bad…
2.5 hrs flight to Chicago, 1 hr layover, 16 hrs to Hong Kong, and then a 30 minute bus ride to Causeway Bay, I finally arrive to my hostel. After checking in I walked and explored a bit. Not pictured but I did stop by Ichiran HK for late night ramen meal…

The next morning in Causeway Bay. This cross section is actually 1 minute walking distance from the hostel I was staying at…

Yeah… not sure exactly what they sell here but I’m guessing street fashion? Which makes sense if you’re homeless…

If you’re interested in hiking to Lion Rock Hill, visit this site as she points out step by step where to go…

I think this is an entrance to a temple near the Temple Mall North from the previous photo… probably a tourist spot since a bunch of people were taking photos in front of it…

One of the check points from the online guide to Lion Rock Hill… I was already fighting for oxygen at this point and the slope was just getting steeper….

After about 15 minutes into the entrance of the start of the damn Lion Rock Hill climb, you kinda get a glimpse of what the view is like…

I want to say there were 30% smooth paths and 70% steps. No bueno if you have bad knees but I powered through somehow…

After a long 2 hrs hike up, you’ll feel like you’ve conquered a huge mountain, but then realize it’s only 1600 ft and want more…

I want to say it’s doable for anyone if you have the support, physically and mentally. I saw 90 yr old men and women hiking the damn hill -___-

My legs haven’t had a good workout like that in a while so I took refuge in a small market in Kowloon City…

Mong Kok shows really how crowded it can get in Hong Kong with tourists and locals…

Definitely busier since it was a Saturday morning…

Street cell phone accessories…

The next day I went to a day trip to Macau. For Macau, I’d recommend staying for at least 1 full day as boat tickets are somewhat expensive. Take advantage of the boat/speedjet.

Not a boat but a jet…

I think our main day trip to Macau goal was to find a decent place to have Portuguese egg tarts…

Hypebeast/1013mm in Macau 2017…

Senado Square was really busy on a Sunday…

You can definitely see the European/Portuguese influence in the building architecture…

I really like the back alley’s of Hong Kong / Macao / China…

After…

Before…

Free samples are awesome…

In front of us was a bridal shoot and then behind us looked like a K-drama filming. I guess there’s always something going on near the Ruins of St. Paul…

Ruins of St. Paul 2017…

Museu de Macau…

Kinda weird because you can see the poverty line in Macau from the Fort…

Free to visit for everyone and really peaceful place if you’re a local…

Probably a 500 yrs old tree…

Had to choose this place – Kam Wai Beef…

After waiting about 20 minutes we had our ‘Curry Beef Offal’.
Finished our day trip to Macau around 5 PM and got back to my hostel at 6 PM. Just took it easy and packed for my Taiwan trip the next day.
Hong Kong is always a great place to visit because of the different types of cuisines and history around. With the housing market prices increasing, I’m not sure how people make enough to survive. Maybe next trip, I’ll try living in Hong Kong like a local for a couple of months.
As always thanks for reading this really long post! If you have any comments or questions, you can contact me via email or social media!
http://www.dtphan.com
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Gear:
Nikon D750
Sigma 35mm f1.4
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