Hong Kong – Part 1

Round the World – Official Start

Bruce Lee
Typical Tourist.

After a 12 hour flight and some slightly cramped British airways plane seats we arrived in Hong Kong feeling less that fresh but ready to jump into the Hong Kong life.  This was the official start to our round the world adventure.  To ease ourselves in to the trip we opted for some hotel accommodation on Kowloon Island.  The only problem was that we had to find it.  We knew the address was  Nathan Road and accessed the tourist information desk how to get there.  A few minutes later we were on the bus and heading for the extremely busy streets of the Nathan Road.  Unsure of exactly where to get off the bus we

Bank of China Tower
Bank of China Tower

decided to take pot luck and jump off at one of the stops.  Luckily enough we weren’t far wrong because after about a 5 minute walk we stumbled upon the Casa Hotel.  By the time we got settled in it was 6pm and we decided to go and get our first “Chinese” meal and head to bed early.  Both of us woke up at 2am as a result of jet lag and struggled to get back to sleep for a few hours.

1st full day in Hong Kong + Donnas Birthday

On the first day we took a walk down towards the harbour and stumbled upon the Avenue of Stars,  a walk of fame of big name Chinese movie stars.   The Avenue of Stars offered some amazing views across the Harbour to the Main Hong Kong Island and financial district.  After taking a few typical touristy shots of the Avenue of Stars and Hong Kong Skyline we cause the ferry across to Hong Kong Island but not before Donna posed for pictures with the Chinese Tourists.  This was a trend that continued throughout the Hong Kong leg of the trip.

Once on the busy streets and towering skyscraper we took a walk around and checked out the sights then went took a trip up to the 43rd floor of the Bank of China Tower building to check out the views from above.  Next stop was the more peaceful climbs of the Botanical and Zoological Gardens.  Upon leaving the gardens we conveniently stumbled across the Lan Kwai Fong District.  The is the trendy drinking area where Business people go to unwind and party after striking some big deals in their high rises.  We decided to go in for a couple of Buy One Get One Free Cocktails in a British pub. Why not, it was Donnas birthday after all.  Its not every day you turn a Quarter of a

First Drinks to Celebrate Donna's birthday.
First Drinks to Celebrate Donna's birthday.

Century in Hong Kong.  A few too many cocktails later we were feeling well oiled and decided to head back to the Hotel to get ready and have a few cheaper carry out drinks from the ever present 7 Eleven Store.  We then went back to the Lan Kwai Fong District to continue the celebrations.  The rest of the night is a bit hazy due to the copious amount of alcohol and jet lag.  I do know we went to a bar/club called Insomnia where there was a live chinese band belting out the Hits of Lady GaGa and Sean Kingston.  The Chinese love GaGa, Sean Kingston, Pitbull and the Black Eyed Peas and they were played on repeat in evey bar we went to.  After Insomnia we seemed to be suffering from Insomnia as we stumbled out of there in search of the next club.  Last we could figure out was that we made it home around 7 in the morning.

Part 2 of the Hong Kong adventure will follow soon…I forgot how much we got up to when we were there.  1 blog won’t do it justice.

Current location: Koh Chang, very warm and slightly hungover.  Even a slight hint of a tan.

4 thoughts on “Hong Kong – Part 1

  1. Kathy Owen says:

    you look like you are having a ball. You have having the time of your lives and i am very jealous.

  2. Jay says:

    Hi Gareth, I am heading to Hong Kong in April. I am looking for a fairly cheap reasonably clean place. I am looking to stay somewhere on Kowloon….I’m looking forward to hitting up the markets again. I was there with my wife last year in April, and stayed at the City View, but this year I am going solo, and want to go fairly on the cheap. How do you find the Casa Hotel? I am thinking of crashing in one of the Hostels, but want something where my luggage, camera and laptop will be safe so I don’t have to drag them around all the time. I hope you are having a great time, I love Hong Kong….it’s my favorite place, not that I am world traveled..lol, but of the places I have been, its my fav. If you have any suggestions on where to stay, I am looking forward to hearing them. Can’t wait to read more about your blog!
    Thanks, Jay

  3. Gareth says:

    Hi Jay,

    Hong Kong really is an incredible place. The Casa Hotel is really easy to find and quite inexpensive too. You can take the bus from the airport (ask at the information desk there) or an easier option is to use the MTR service. Take the airport express into the city then take the red line to Yau Ma Tei. From here take exit C (or possibly D, there is a sign for the Casa Hotel in the MTR station) and turn right. The Casa hotel is approx 50 meters away on the right hand side of the street.

    The bus is the cheaper option but the MTR is the easier option. Hope this helps.

    All the best,
    Gareth

  4. Jay says:

    Gareth, I can’t wait to be you! Yep, I love HK. I know the MTR, it is EASY!!!! Gonna get an Octopus card once I get there, can’t wait. Are you guys going to the Jockey Club and watch the ponies? I heard that is a lot of fun. I hope to hear about how, or if you went to the Big Buddha, and if you went to Macau, and all of your other adventures in HK. I am sure you are so busy!

    I also saw something else on your blog…..you are doing TEFL. I have a friend, both our wives are filipina, and we are also researching TEFL. We are pretty sure we are going to come to Shanghai next Feb. or whenever the school we want to take it through offers the class. We thought about taking it online, but we decided we are going to go and immerse ourselves in the culture…lol. Also he has friends in Shanghai. He has another friend right now about an hour out of HK, teaching with a TEFL certificate.

    I hope you and Donna are VERY successful in any jobs you hope to get in Cambodia or Thailand or wherever you try! That will bode well for us. We are americans wanting an experience in line with what you guys are doing. Our wives will stay here together in the US, while we try to gain experience in Asia teaching….neither of us have degrees, we are fairly close to Associate Arts degree, but we won’t have them when we get there. We both are tutoring foreign students at our local college to get some experience, and we will be doing that for a year before we head out. We are hoping to get a letter or something from the English Department when we leave, giving us a little bit of a reference for our time.

    Again, good luck, and I wish I were you. I will be in HK in April and it can’t get here soon enough. Eat a lot of great food for me….lol. Oh and if you find any hot spots to go dancing, I want to know, my wife doesn’t like to dance, so I am gonna party and dance while I am there….lol!

    Here’s to a great adventure for the two of you!
    Jay

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