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…
Another cross section walking around early in the morning in Causeway Bay…
Waiting for the bus while the morning light shines through the tall condo/business buildings…
Forgot where this bridge view was at but should be on the way to Lion Rock Hill…
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…
If you’re going in this direction, you’re going the wrong way…
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…
So I definitely need to do more hiking trips before I’m past my limit…
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 -___-
The infamous Lion Rock Hill from the East…
My legs haven’t had a good workout like that in a while so I took refuge in a small market in Kowloon City…
Food court in the small 3 story market…
An hour later, I went to the busy streets of Mong Kok…
Mong Kok shows really how crowded it can get in Hong Kong with tourists and locals…
The next morning behind the hostel…
Saw this dog pretty often…
A bit busier later in the morning around 10 AM in Causeway Bay….
Definitely busier since it was a Saturday morning…
Street Handpan Player. Follow him on Instagram guys…
My same reaction when see that sweater…
Street cell phone accessories…
Lots of Tesla Model S in Hong Kong…
One of the famous high rise buildings in Quarry Bay – Yick Cheong Building in Quarry Bay
It was that popular a few years ago when I visited but now it’s filled with visitors and tourists….
Almost wish I had a wide angle lens for this, but #35mmlife…
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.
Sleeping while dabbing or dabbing while sleeping…
Really wanted to use this at one point since the “TurboJet” was going 150mph…
Not a boat but a jet…
We be tourists…
Legit taxi drivers drive like they’re in F1 Macau race…
I think our main day trip to Macau goal was to find a decent place to have Portuguese egg tarts…
Looking for portuguese egg tarts…
We got tired of looking so we just went to a random one…
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…
Pro-tip: Sight see or day trip on a weekday…
Then in the back alleys, you see China influence…
You can tell who’s a local versus who’s a visitor…
I really like the back alley’s of Hong Kong / Macao / China…
These were popular in Macau – sheets of beef. Almost like beef jerky…
Popular portuguese egg tart baker I guess…
After…
Before…
Free samples are awesome…
Bunch of people and stores on the way to Ruins of St. Paul in Macao…
More people and stores. Very skeptical to buy brand names from these stores because China…
I think I’m in their vlog somewhere online…
We trampled through the crowds and reached the Ruins of St. Paul…
Bridal portraits going on…
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…
Kids on a leash were a common thing. Could be a China thing…
There were so many people, you can’t really get a clean shot of Macau from the Ruins…
View from going up to Macau museum…
Ruins of St. Paul 2017…
View from Below Monte Fort…
Museu de Macau…
This fool here…
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…
We weren’t supposed to stand on top but the security guard left…
This side of Macau or China looks so gloomy…
Can’t wait for the 1013mm vlog to drop…
Probably a 500 yrs old tree…
Nicole always getting in my shots… hmph.
More back alley suburban shots…
We made our way to a back alley full of food stands…
Had to choose this place – Kam Wai Beef…
“Ancient Secret Recipe”? Hell yea.
JZ and Nicole ordered while I walked around…
Really good variety of stands/stores around…
Fresh mango juice??
After waiting about 20 minutes we had our ‘Curry Beef Offal’.
It wasn’t too spicy but after awhile it did kick in… worth it.
The aftermath.
“COMEBUY”. Pretty catchy name…
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!
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Gear:
Nikon D750
Sigma 35mm f1.4
