Trip Report - - First Time to Hong Kong and HKDL!!

Nice recap of your days.

And I'm with your wife. I could definitely shop more in the Causeway Bay/Times Square area.

I love the BBQ you had.
 
Love reading your trip report. I will be going to HK next week for 1 week. Staying at the Sheraton in Tsim Sha Tsui. Going to see relatives and hopefully make it out to Disneyland.
 
Nice recap of your days.

And I'm with your wife. I could definitely shop more in the Causeway Bay/Times Square area.

I love the BBQ you had.

I think it's the way Hong Kong is set up. Since everything is so tight, they put everything into the buildings such as shops & restaurants. It's not uncommon to see the ground floors up to floor 8 as shops while floor 9 to 15 are restaurants.

Love reading your trip report. I will be going to HK next week for 1 week. Staying at the Sheraton in Tsim Sha Tsui. Going to see relatives and hopefully make it out to Disneyland.

Have fun! I hope the Christmas lights are still up looking from Tsim Sha Tsui into Aberdeen. That was one of the sights I missed out on.
 
12/26/2012 to 12/27/2012 - More Food & Shopping!

As we're counting down the days before we head back to NYC my wife wanted to shop around the local area for gifts to bring back to friends. I'm just tagging along to hold her bags lol

We checked out the street markets. It's not unusual for then to hang meats outside without any refrigeration.
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We decided to head over to this other mall called Hysan Place across from Times Square. It's got a lot of higher end shops but none that we can afford (Prada, LV, etc)
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We decided to walk over to Jardine Bazaar which is like a few blocks away for the cheap stuff. This is an example of cheap....see anything wrong with this? "PITTSURGN PIRTES?"
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We headed over to G.O.D. (Goods of Desire). This became my favorite store! It's very different and unique. Think of America's Urban Outfitter but more classy.

Would have loved this boxer briefs but that was the largest size they come in and this one doesn't fit me :( Oh, I had my wife translate those characters to me and "Very Long"....lol :rotfl2:
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I think my wife told me this was translated to "Banana Rises Up in Morning"
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My wife's favorite dessert place in Causeway Bay. I don't know the name of it but we've been here several times already. This place reeks of durian too

My mango dessert
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My wife's durian dessert
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Times Square has a lot of propagandas regarding a cultist group called the Falun Gong and Falun Dafa
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Apartment buildings converted to shops
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Dinner time! We're headed to this place that's popular for their suckling pigs. I've seen photos of celebrities being here too. The name is in Chinese but I think I saw some English on saying it's called Red Seasons.

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Pork butt ;)
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They stuff fried rice inside and cook it some more so now all the fat drippings are soaked up by the rice.
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We ordered 2 (suckling pigs have to be reserved days ahead) and I think I ate half by myself! :woohoo:
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More food..
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These pots are some type of lamb casserole. The lamb is too gamey for my taste but the tofu and veggies were pretty good though
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So we said good bye to my wife's relatives parted ways since we're heading back to NYC in a day. It's been fun seeing everyone. We'll miss Hong Kong too!

12/27/2012 - Packing!

Today is our last day in Hong Kong! Time to pack and stuff!

We grabbed lunch at this dumpling place. Prices are cheap and dumplings are good!
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Kimchi Dumplings
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Chives Dumplings
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Boiled pork dumplings
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That's it for today as we pack for tomorrow morning's early flight! We'll miss Hong Kong so much!
 


12/28/2012 - Leaving Hong Kong :(

We left the apartment around 5:30am. Our flight isn't until 9:00am but we wanted to grab some breakfast at the airport. We did get to the airport in 20 minutes. That was fast! I think it was also because the cab driver was speeding going at least 140Kph!

Airport security check was two-parts. One was going into the terminal and second was at the gate. Make sure you finish your coffee before going through the security check at the gate. They check everything!

Waiting area was a bit quiet
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We're on board! But many people didn't listen to the crew member about boarding for their rows so the major holdup is people standing in the aisles putting their bags overhead. Why won't people listen? It's not like the plane will leave without them :confused3

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And we're off!
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We're in the last seats of the plane
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Meals are so small. I'm glad I ate breakfast!
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We see snow!
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And Hellooooo New York! It looks so cold!
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And that's it! We're back in New York City! We definitely miss Hong Kong and having Hong Kong withdrawal. We are definitely going back! I wonder if I can do a company transfer or something ;)

Here's a few things I learned when visiting Hong Kong:
- Cantonese is their first language. Most can speak and understand English there.
- Bring a pack of tissues or napkins when you go out. Most restaurants do not supply you with napkins
- Bring a reusable shopping bag. They charge you for plastic shopping bags.
- Buy an Octopus card at either a MTR station or 7 Eleven. You can put certain amounts of money here and most places do take it as payment.
- Download the MTR map all from iTunes or the Android store. It'll help getting around easier.
- Having an unlocked phone helps. You can get a prepaid SIM card in Hong Kong for really cheap and you can use the data for internet. There's data service even on the MTR!
- I recommend spending 2 days at Hong Kong Disneyland. Even though its a small park, you can see much more without rushing.
- Ocean Park is iffy. On the bus tour days it can be pretty hectic. For those who been to WDW in Orlando with the tour crowds, Ocean Park is just like that. Crazy amounts of tour buses from mainland China!
- Be sure to clean your cups and utensils at the restaurant. They usually give you a large empty bowl and a pot of tea or hot water. That pot is used for cleaning.
- When shopping for clothes, they at least 1 or 2 sizes smaller that what it says...for example if you wear a large, a XXL will fit you there.
- Don't litter. Civil servants are everywhere and they will fine you.
- Don't jaywalk or cross the street when you're not permitted to because you will get stopped by the authorities. Also cars will run you over regardless because they have the right of way.

I think that's it off the top of my head. If anyone has questions regarding Hong Kong, HKDL, Macau or Guangzhou, feel free to ask me!
 


Awww...Your Trip Report is finished. So sad!


I might hesitate to point out that those underwear and the boxer shorts didn't fit you.....but it is a shame they didn't have them in your size. ;)


Thanks for sharing. You've made me wish I had another holiday planned for Hong Kong.
 
I've really enjoyed your TR - thanks for sharing :goodvibes It has definitely made me more excited about my upcoming stopover!
 
Awww...Your Trip Report is finished. So sad!


I might hesitate to point out that those underwear and the boxer shorts didn't fit you.....but it is a shame they didn't have them in your size. ;)


Thanks for sharing. You've made me wish I had another holiday planned for Hong Kong.

LOL I asked if they had anything larger but XL was the largest :sad2:

I've really enjoyed your TR - thanks for sharing :goodvibes It has definitely made me more excited about my upcoming stopover!

Thanks!

I will be uploading more videos from this trip. They'll be listed on the first post so it's easier to find.
 
Billy, This was an amazing trip report. Not only did I enjoy it but the info will be most helpful when I get down to the nitty gritty (day-to-day itinerary etc) of planning my families' trip.

For a lot (most?) of us, a trip to HKDL coincides with a holiday in HK in general (as opposed to going to Orlando/Anaheim solely for the DisParks) so all of the detail on local culture and the fantastic pics of food and scenery have even more impact. Will definitely revisit this thread (and maybe ask some questions) as I get closer in planning.

Thanks again for taking all the time to share.
 

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