Holiday is always on my mind but Hongkong was planned literally 1 day in advance & we managed to land there at Chinese New Year, which has it’s own set of pro’s and con’s, more pro’s because we experienced a more lit up, vibrant & celebratory China.
I wanted a carefree holiday, stroll along the streets, shopping, relaxing, some thrill and too much of chill. My photography pro husband needed an easy getaway with starts, water & good photo spots.
Hong Kong, Macau were just that. Quick, Easy, even an affordable getaway for all Indians. Don’t need pre planning or visa formalities, Hongkong has been our #1 Hassle free vacation spot. Have a look at our Itinerary, It’s not perfect, we are lazy people who don’t wake up in the morning and probably have different priorities that yours, still I consider it worth sharing:
Day 1: Landed in Hongkong & just absorbed the city. Just getting the vibe of the place, people, their culture, there is energy attached to every place and it’s so peaceful out here.
Our Hotel was in Wan Chai, most of the shops/cafes were closed due to Chinese New Year so we headed to Central Hongkong for some local flavors & random quest along the way.
Day 2: Disney land park; “Happiest place on Earth” had to be visited first and the rest follows. Later at night we went to a very interesting neighborhood, Quarry Bay for a few shots.
Day 3: Started the day with Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple (Local thing to do on their New Year), a fortune telling temple where you shake a container with sticks, with a question in mind and the stick that falls off is related to a story that contains your answer. Neither of us had precise question in mind but we went ahead to fortune tellers with our sticks to know our fortune. It was a fun experience. Highly Recommended.
We then proceeded to Tsim Sha Tsui for Lunch & Shopping*. Rest of the day was spent roaming around the streets followed by Temple Street Night Market which is pretty cool for some souvenir shopping.
*From shopping I mean, a Man’s version of shopping which involves camera lense, filters, phone, smart watch etc etc… endless list that contains only gadgets.
Day 4: Day started with a FOMO realization that we have too much to cover & too less time, took a conscious decision to skip Lantau Island and headed straight to Victoria Peak (highest point in Hongkong) via Peak Tram, Brilliant panorama view to the city.
Since we had a long day ahead, we skipped the long tram queue while returning and took a cab to Man Mo Temple (#1 sight in Hong Kong as per Lonely Plant), also a declared monument.
The most expensive building in the world, HSBC Building caught our eyes after which we experienced something magical- Star Ferry: Victoria Harbor Tour. Beautiful view of stars above, city scape lighting and the calming sound of water. One of the best way to spend your evenings for sure.
We still had time & lot of energy up our sleeve, so left for Ladies Market(Tung Choi Street Market in Mong Kok) for some local shopping.
Day 5, 6 & 7: Took a ferry to Macau, an insane city, I will not be able to differentiate routine of 5/6 day, it’s all jumbled in my head.
Luxurious hotels, comfortable rooms & casinos to run all night, who keeps track of time or anything else in World’s biggest gambling den.
“The House of Dancing Water” show- A multipurpose theatre with huge stage pool and some marvelous acrobats and a love story. By far the best live show I have witnessed, I couldn’t take my eyes off stage. Highly Recommended.
Day 7: Ferry back to Hongkong & Flight till Delhi. As much as I hate a vacation getting over, work pressure builds up and you start being reminded to many things you have to do. Hongkong & Macau are good recharge systems before more of eventful life.
Lessons Learnt:
- We should have picked up electronics from Mangkok instead of Tsim Sa Tsui, We came across some pretty good deals there.
- The pen drives that we got from Temple market as souveniers didn’t work. Never pick up things without trying.
- If you sleep in ferry, there is a probability that none will wake you up when your station has reached and you will probably land where you started. Therefore, must take seats where people can see you. We were just saved.
- If you are a vegetarian, you may find hard time getting food. So plan accordingly.