Traveling Day:
In preparation for the trip, I packed a variety of non-perishables: tons of breakfast bars, crackers, canned corn, tuna, wafers, cereal as well as some shelf-stable meals. In order to get to JFK, we rented a car from AVIS. One way cost from suburban NY was ~ $45.
Check-in and flight was non-eventful. KSML was given on both legs, entertainment was adequate.
Day 1: Arriving in Hong Kong
We arrived at HKG at about 9:30 AM. Upon landing, we quickly cleared passport control and claimed our baggage. Our first order of business was withdrawing money and then obtaining an Octopus card.
For anyone not familiar with Hong Kong’s transit system, the Octopus card is a transit card that can be used on all buses and trains, including the Airport Express, which takes you from the airport to downtown in 20-25 minutes. Additionally, it can be used on the Star Ferry, and even to pay admission to museums and at convenience stores. Needless to say, this card is quite useful when staying in Hong Kong.
However, the process for obtaining and refunding a card could be a little confusing. When you first obtain the card, you must hand over 150 HKD (1 USD ~ 7.75 HKD). 100 of those 150 HKD are eligible to be used on trains, buses, ferries, convenience stores, museums etc. and 50 is refunded to you if you elect to return the card. You can go negative against your $50 HKD deposit, but any additional expenditures into the $50 reserve will not be returned to you when you return the card. If you have value left on the card above the $50 deposit, it will be returned to you. In the case of any refund when returning the car, a $9 HKD refund fee will be assessed.
As we were staying at the Sheraton in Kowloon that night, we elected to take the A21 bus to Nathan Rd and Middle Rd. The decision for taking the bus vs the train was threefold:
a) The bus afforded a more scenic and relaxed view of Hong Kong’s Territories.
b) The bus was cheaper ($33 HKD vs $90 HKD)
c) The bus was direct, whereas the train required a transfer.
As an SPG Platinum member, we were upgraded to the Harbor View Suite at the Sheraton. The category 5 hotel is quite nice, with a solid lounge and well-appointed rooms overlooking Victoria Harbor. Additionally, the hotel provided a Smartphone that could be used for unlimited local calls and 3G data, which we found quite helpful as were traveling without a SIM.
After settling in, we headed over to the Hong Kong Museum of History, about a 10-15 minute walk from the Sheraton. The museum is excellent, containing 8 different sections on Hong Kong’s history, ranging from ancient life in Hong Kong to the emergence of culture in Hong Kong, its takeover by the British following the Opium Wars, and its return to China in the late 1990s. We spent 4 hours at the museum (A word of caution though: we are history buffs). Entrance to the museum was $10 HKD, payable by Octopus. We also purchased audio guides for $10 but the museum is well-documented, so I would advise against spending the extra money on the audio guide.
We then returned to the hotel, availed ourselves of the evening cocktail in the Sheraton Club Lounge and then headed back to our room to catch the 8:00 Symphony of Lights show. Essentially, this is a light show where lasers emanate from the tops of various famous buildings both on Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. The show lasts about 13 minutes. While the hotel offered a great view, I found the show underwhelming, but I suppose it is an iconic thing to do while in Hong Kong.
Having about two hours until we had to start working, we then went over to the Temple Street Night Market, about a 20 minute trip either by walking the entire length or taking the Metro for one stop to cover part of the journey. The market offered a range of goods, some more interesting than others. It hardly was the best market we visited on the trip, but it was cool to see such a lively night market.