Lost in Hong Kong: A Primer

Okay, first things first. The kind of tour I did is not for the faint-hearted, nor is it for those who don't like walking that much. Because most often when I go somewhere, I do not have a set itinerary. I just make a list of places to go. Then, I simply walk around a district I randomly choose and enjoy its sights. With that, I always see something interesting to do. Then I move on to the next random point afterwards. For mobility, I only pick one mode of transportation depending on the place. Not sure how others think about this type of tour but this works for me. That sense of the unknown, the randomness of it all are very appealing despite an apparent inconvenience to the traveller. The only other person I know who enjoys these random tours is my friend F, with whom I've gone on many spontaneous trips already. This time, though, I am all by myself, which makes it even more exciting and scary at the same time. A silly smile actually pasted itself on my face every now and then throughout my Hong Kong trip. Yes, I was that excited as it was my very first time to visit the place.

Taken from the super high-speed Airport Express!

1. Where to go, what to do?

My knowledge of Hong Kong is pretty basic at its best. It was once a British colony that was transitioned back to China in 1997 after more than a hundred years of occupation; that it is a shopper's paradise, and it is a place chock-full of historical and modern sights. Not only that, it houses the Disneyland nearest to the Philippines. How exciting is that, huh? I love being like a kid every now and then. But I only had a day to fill, so my choices fall to just two categories: sightseeing and shopping.

For those who know me well, the fact that Hong Kong is full of history is more enticing to me than it is a playground for shoppers. Mainly because I am a nerd to the core and shopping is always at the bottom of my priorities. The thing is, I did not know where to start sightseeing! And I only researched for specific places to go the night before I left. Wrong move!

Travel tip no. 1: Plan ahead! Do not research for things to do and places to go a few measly hours before you leave for your destination. You will have a hard time planning your itinerary if you do so. In my defense, I just randomly chose a destination then booked my ticket a few days before my intended day of travel. And the days that followed were so busy I just went home to sleep and then woke up to go to work again. Three straight days of duties that stretched up to fifteen hours at most did not provide an opportunity to research. So there. :P But yes, plan, plan, plan ahead. 

Apartments

On a friend's suggestion, I headed straight to the tourism booth upon arriving at the airport to grab a map and ask for assistance in plotting a sane day trip itinerary. Because apparently, my destinations of choice are quite far from each other so I have to carefully plot my course that I do not go around aimlessly. The kind of assistance I received at the tourism desk was just an introduction on how Hong Kong's system for tourists is efficient through and through.

First, the guy at the tourism booth. He was a great help despite the fact that I was so wishy-washy about the places I planned to visit. He was patient as well with my questions and answered each one clearly. He also gave good advice as to how I could go about my day trip, which I followed to the letter and as a result, had the best day trip ever outside of the Philippines in a long time.

When I asked the guy how to go to Kat Hing Wai, an ancient walled village in the New Territories, he searched for the directions painstakingly on his tablet and then told me to take a photo of the directions. Couldn't help but notice that he didn't tell me to just write it down. Haha. He also showed me how to navigate the MTR, which quickly became my best friend in getting around Hong Kong. Kudos to you, tourism desk guy! I'm just sorry I didn't get your name, but thank you!

Travel tip no. 2: Do not be afraid to ask questions, silly as they may sound. The people are friendly and willing enough to help. I mostly went straight to the customer service desks in every station I got off when I was not sure of something. Outside, I tried to ask locals for information. Most of them have pretty fair command of English and those who don't, their hand gestures and broken English sufficed. Not once did I have a problem except that I was too shy to ask for help from the locals most times. Ha.

2. I get around (round, round, I get around)

Getting around Hong Kong is easy-peasy when you get to know how to go about its transportation systems. Hong Kong has a highly efficient transport system, from its trains, to the buses, to the taxis. The trains have specific schedules as to when they will arrive at a station. The same thing goes for the buses. They are numbered and coloured accordingly to their routes and they stop only at their designated bus stops. There's definitely no competition for the drivers to get passengers! As for the taxis, they have designated stands where you can get on. I'm not sure if I could flag down a taxi just anywhere, so I did not try it (well, I did not ask too. So again, ask if you want to try! Haha.).

Among the three available modes of transportation, I picked the MTR. I figured I should master one mode first before trying the others, after all, I'm only in Hong Kong for the day. Although the bus and taxi might have shortened my walking to about twenty-five percent. It's all right with me though since I still got to my destinations pretty quickly from the moment I stepped on the Airport Express to jumpstart my trip up to the time I stepped back into the airport at the end of the day. Indeed it was my best friend. Add to that the Octopus card, we were a formidable trio!

The Octopus is a card with stored value. You can get it on loan for 150HK$ and use it in an extensive network, such as for transportation and even to buy stuff at 7-11. In my case, I used it chiefly for the MTR. 

All aboard the Airport Express!

What impressed me the most about the MTR is that not only is it extensive and efficient (oh no there's that word again but hey, it IS efficient), it is bullet-fast as well. Case in point: the Airport Express. It only took me 24 minutes from Hong Kong Station to the airport as the sign boasted. The other commuter trains are also fast. When the electric billboard by the platform signifies that a train will arrive in five minutes, it WILL arrive in five minutes. It also shows how many minutes more the passengers will have to wait for the train after that. The station platforms have glass walls and sliding doors to protect the commuters from falling on the tracks, and the trains themselves are not only equipped with maps both regular and electronic; they also have audio guides to assist visually impaired commuters.

Tsing Yi Station

So easy to follow

 Each station has visible signs as to where the exits, platforms, lifts (elevators), escalators and stairs are. Billboard maps of the area above the station and internet stations are readily available in each station and customer service desks are easy to locate. I also like the fact that the lifts and escalators are all operational. And the commuters? They line up properly by the sliding glass doors to let the passengers disembark without them getting blocked. At the escalators, they all stand on the right side so those who are in a hurry can easily pass through the left side. Fast, efficient (whoops) and orderly. I am so hooked.

3. My sneakers are made for walking/Don't forget the map!

Mong Kok

They say that the best way to get to know a place is to walk around. And walk around a lot I did. It's so easy to walk around Hong Kong since there is an abundance of street signs everywhere and the sidewalks are used to their real purpose: to be walked on. Littering and the stink that comes with it are practically nonexistent due to the many trash bins installed. There is also a festive and relaxed atmosphere in the air, probably because it was a Sunday so all the people who were out enjoyed the rest of their weekend.

As I've said before, I randomly choose a place to walk around and enjoy the sights. Throughout the day I walked for approximately seventy-five percent of the time, including the distance from one station to another (transfers). As a result, I got to absorb much of the local culture as much as I could. The maps provided at each station are clear and concise enough to follow. So are the street signs on the sidewalks, so I hardly ever got lost. I even have a map of Hong Kong which I brought out occasionally to check if I'm at the right MTR station. I know, why use the map mainly for the MTR system when it's available to see in all the stations and in the trains themselves? 

I saw the sign!

Truth be told, I'm too lazy to read maps and I'd rather rely on the street signs. I walked around too much that I often forgot to sit and take a breather. It was only when I felt my backpack dragging me to the ground that I realised I haven't rested for a time already. And to think my backpack only contained an extra T-shirt, underwear, sarong, a hardbound book, an umbrella and a bottle of water. Not too heavy on my back if you think about it.

Anyway, this went on until I arrived in Tsim Sha Tsui in the early afternoon. Incidentally, my last stop was also in Tsim Sha Tsui so if I was going to make the most of my day, I would have to read the map thoroughly. I did so after having a late lunch in McCafe (how sad, playing it safe).

Travel tip no. 3: Study the map as much as you can to save yourself time. This is a tip that I only follow when the situation really calls for it but on any ordinary day, nah. Just scan it, I'm done. Or I let someone else do the map interpretation for me. Hahaha!

I tried, I honestly tried to follow the directions, but there are still so many things to see, so many things to do that I unintentionally detoured all the time. When I was in Kowloon Park, I followed the signs to the Hong Kong Heritage Discovery Centre only to find myself at the footbridge going to China Hong Kong City. I was like, huwaaat? How did I get here? And then I realised, oh, I got so enamoured by the flamingoes in the lagoon that I did not check to see whether I was still following the right path. No problem, I still crossed the bridge under all that heat and took lots of pictures from the bridge and from the promenade at China Hong Kong City. Then I went back to the park and retraced my steps until I found myself in my intended destination for the hour, where I found myself having the best time ever.

But I'm saving that for a later post. For now, all I can say is that all those hours of walking I did was so worth it. I did not have to speak that much except when to ask for directions or information. I loved how I could go around a place which was a melting pot of cultures. I felt invisible, yet so out there at the same time. It was a great feeling.

Transferring from one station to another. Feels like a mall underground.

I loved walking around Hong Kong. I loved getting somewhat lost there.

Next post: Kat Hing Wai