Before The Trip

To be honest, this trip was more of a backup destination to one that didn't make it (Shanghai) due to my girlfriend's (let's alias her as C from this blog onwards) sprained ankle back in September 😂.

Still, we saw that flight tickets to Hong Kong were reasonable and it fit the criteria of cooling weather so we impulsively booked the tickets and hotel within a night the month before.

From there, we planned the itinerary of the trip on and off as we're relatively chill travelers *cues chill guy music*. We mainly referenced XHS for travel guides.

Day 1

1st day of the trip was cut short as our plane got delayed by 1.5 hours (AirAsia as usual...).

We arrived around 7pm at Hong Kong International Airport. Immigration clearance and luggage collection took ~25mins. We then opted to take bus A21 (as it was cheaper at HKD34.6 compared to taking the MTR) to Tsim Sha Tsui where our accomodation was.

We missed our desired stop due to unfamiliarity with the bus system and had to get off 1 stop after, walking an extra 5mins to our hostel. Tsim Sha Tsui was still lively at night, with crowds of people strolling down the streets. The weather that night disappointed us though, we thought it would be way cooler but it was only 19°C that night.

For the moment, we relied on my SGD5 data roaming of 1GB for navigation. Thus, we entered a 7-11 on our way to the hostel to see if we could purchase our pre-paid SIM cards for data because they were sold out at the airport. Luckily, we managed to find them and got it at HKD33 (MySim) each, super cheap!

Here's the funny part, we didn't really do a background check on the location of our stay (Mirador Mansion) beforehand and it turned out to be one of those rather busier parts of town. Our hostel's name (168 YOUTH CO LIVING) was no where to be found so I resorted to searching up photos on Google review to find our hostel.

Turn's out our hostel was on the 13th floor but we entered the wrong lift because the lifts in the mansion served designated floors (odd and even floors). When we found the reception, we proceeded to check in and lay our belongings down before taking a quick breather.

We apparently got an "upgraded" room too, from 2 twin single beds to 1 double and 1 single. The room was bigger than we expected, hooray I guess. Aside from that, it was nothing special, you pay for what you get. There was a slight defect in our bathroom door where there's a small gap left open even when we fully shut the door. This tortured us for days because the cold air would seep in while we were showering. Minus 1 ⭐ for that.

Originally the plan was to hike Tai Ping Shan that night for the night view of the city skyline from the top but we rescheduled it to Day 4 when we explored south of Hong Kong. So, we ventured out to find food after a long day.

One good thing about our hostel was it's location. It's smack right in the heart of Tsim Sha Shui, accesible to many restaurants and MTR exits. We found a few food options that were still open at that point in time (11pm) and decided to settle for 肥仔記麵食 because noodles always hit at night.

We were introduced to the 拼 system of eating noodles in HK where you could pick x sides and noodle type when ordering. My noodles were okay but C said her noodles were tasteless. The wanton and dumplings made up for it with the generous portions of meat and prawn in them. The total came up to HKD72. I give it ⭐⭐⭐.

After that, we crashed in for the night.

Day 2

The 2nd day was targeted around the north-central region of Hong Kong.

We started the day off with breakfast at 红茶冰室 - a spot recommened by a close friend. It was delicious and filling, would recommend as well! I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Then we travelled to Mong Kok to visit:

• 女人街 (通菜街): It got the name as it was famous for selling women's items.
• 金鱼街: A street famous for selling gold fishes and other aquatic pets.
• 波鞋街 (花園街): A street famous for selling shoes.

We actually visited a bit too early and thought that we went to the wrong spot as there weren't any stalls being setup as shown on Google. Luckily, we decided to stick around and by 1pm they finally begin to start work. The goods sold there were mainly targeted at tourists like travel bags, jewellery and clothings. So if you're not the kind to shop, you can give them a pass.

We stopped by a famous dessert place, HeSheEat to get a snack consisting of ice cream in a croissant. It was pretty good, I give it ⭐⭐⭐ and a half. The slight downside was that we got the dessert only so we couldn't enter and get a seat.

After which, we went to Jordan to get another dessert (as we've skipped lunch for the day) at 佳佳甜品. They sell local tong sui and I recommend it.

Next, we routed back to Tsim Sha Tsui to explore:

• 重庆大厦 (which was actually right beside our hostel's building): Just to tick it off the list and take some photos, nothing special.
• 海港城: A mall by the harbour which primarily sells luxury goods like Gucci, Dior, LV and etc. The Gentle Monster store was dope though. Also, there were some nice Christmas trees along with the view of the Victoria Harbour, perfect for pictures but it was very crowded.
• K11 Musea along with 星光大道: One of the most beautiful night views I've seen. The entire Hong Kong city line in full display, a must visit in HK. There are some light shows as well so grab a beer and enjoy. C took some photos with Bruce Lee also for her dad.

In the midst of it, we also stopped by 锦绣唐朝 for souvenirs which I also think is worth a visit if you're looking to get some souvenirs home.

After that, we visited 2 food spots:

• 十八座狗仔粉: I don't exactly know how to describe it but it was an interesting flavour, I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
• McDonald's: Wanted to try some HK specialties but turns out it would be more worth it to get them at local restaurants instead. The hand wash station was cool though. I give it ⭐⭐⭐.

We headed back after to prepare for day 3, one of 2 big days in the trip.

Day 3

Our entire day 3 only had 1 spot to visit - Hong Kong Disneyland.

We left to grab a McDonald's breakfast and also grabbed lunch to go as meals in Disneyland were EXPENSIVE. We then took the MTR to head over to Disneyland around 9:15am in the morning.

We reached around 10:15am and it was already quite crowded. We immediately head over to the entrance to queue and lucky enough we got through in less than 15mins.

From there, we followed a XHS post to strategically pick the best rides to minimise queuing time. The fun ones were:

• Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half.
• Hyperspace Mountain: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half.
• RC Racer: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
• Mystic Manor: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
• Frozen Ever After: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

For food, we only got some snacks:

• Sausage Platter: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.
• Popcorn: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half.

Albeit a little pricier than usual, they were delicious.

At 6:15pm, we gathered near the park entrance for the Christmas tree light show, a limited edition event for Christmas which involved a drone show. It was great.

Finally at 9:30pm, we gathered once again in the center of the theme park for the closing ceremony with the fireworks at the castle. It was a truly spectacular experience and I feel very lucky to be able to finally see it for myself.

We headed back after queuing multiple rounds for the train due to the crowd. It was an exhausting day.

Day 4

Day 4 was focused on exploring the south-central part of Hong Kong.

We kickstarted the day slightly late around 10am with some polo bun from 红茶冰室 and they were SO DELICIOUS and cheap. Straight ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

We then travel to the University of Hong Kong (HKU) where C's highschool friend gave us a quick tour. The campus was built upon a mountainous area and there were 2 main buildings. The campus had an old school design with English / Portuguse influence which made it seem to have a rich history.

After which, we headed over to Kennedy Town which was just 1 stop by MTR from HKU. We wanted to grab Dim Sum at a popular local store I found via Reddit - Sun Hing Dim Sum but it was close for maintenance 😭. So we had to go with plan B - another Dim Sum place just a few blocks down (very surprising), Sheung Hei Dim Sum. The food was decent but I honestly preferred Malaysia's version with the sauces. I give it ⭐⭐⭐.

We stopped by a photo taking spot for some shots after then left for the east side of the island at North Point to visit 怪兽大厦 - a slums area made into a tourist spot by influencers due to its suitable background for photos.

Next, we took the tram which costs only HKD3/ride to Wan Chai to visit a nostalgic place for C - 喜帖街 (利東街). It was also the name of one of her favourite Cantonese songs. Again, we stopped by for some photos.

When the sky started to turn dark around 5pm, we navigated to Central to take the minibus up to Tai Ping Shan. It was cheaper at HKD11.80/ride. The journey took +-15mins and it was quite amusing to see the driver navigate the windy roads. Fun fact - the speed of the minibus is displayed to the passengers so it keeps the driver accountable to avoid speeding.

At the top, it was cold as the winds were constantly obliterating us, especially C in her tennis skirt and ankle socks 🤣. We had to hike around 20mins from The Peak along Lugard Road to get to the sightseeing spots for the night view of the city skyline. It was truly a view to behold. We also saw some brave sightseers crawling over the safety rails to get to a dangerous rock spot for photos where your legs were hanging in mid-air. Too dangerous for us though.

20mins later, we hiked down and took the same minibus back down to Central for food. C found this cheap spot - 筷子记 that served 车仔面 and it was well worth it's price. I give it ⭐⭐⭐ and a half. To get some cardio in after dinner, we walked to nearby attractions like:

• Central Market: Not much as most stalls were closed when we arrived, I'd imagine it to be like Pasar Seni's one during the day.
• Lan Kwai Fong: HK's nightlife area with bars and clubs. It was lively at 11pm like the night was still young. We took some photos and left.

We took the Star Ferry from Central back to Tsim Sha Tsui. It was a nice chill ride before calling it a day.

Day 5

On day 5, we went on a day trip to Macau - the asian city of gambling.

At 7:30am, we left for breakfast near Central. This day was SO COLD (11°C), we were really freezing. We got some hearty porridge along with 炸两 (youtiao wrapped in rice noodle) at 忠记粥. It was cheap yet so good. I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half.

We walked to the ferry terminal after to redeem our tickets, clear immigrations (manual human checks) and board the free ferry to Macau (a promotion by the Macau government).

The journey took approximately an hour and we slept the whole way because the seats on the ferry were comfortable. Once there, we cleared Macau immigrations in under 10 mins and took the free bus (发财车) to Grand Lisboa Palace Resort before transferring to a different one to Casino Grand Lisboa. That place was majestic but so crowded.

Following that, we walked to a few nearby attractions:

• 玫瑰圣母堂: A yellow church building perfect for photo taking.
• 大三巴街: A street leading up to St. Paul's Ruins, it was super crowded as well with loads of souvenirs shops giving free samples (yummy). Reminded me of 九份 in Taiwan.
• 大三巴牌坊: The iconic ruins of Macau - one of the landmarks. Took a great shot and left.

For lunch, we just checked out a random restaurant (大三巴美食) in 大三巴街. Food was average, I give it ⭐⭐ and a half. But fun fact - RMB : HKD : MOP is 1 : 1 : 1 here.

After that, we travelled down to south Macau to check out the casinos 🤑. We visited:

• 威尼斯人: Has a nice interior mall with a "river", reminds me of Genting's old indoor theme park. Casino was huge though, from what I saw, minimum bet was at least MOP1000 at tables in the ground floors.
• 巴黎人: Didn't really visit the mall inside, just took some tourist photos outside.
• 伦敦人: Took some photos outside again before heading inside to take a break as C's skin was hurting due to the cold and dry weather.
• 永利皇宫: Beautiful hotel that even had a CABLE CAR to enter it. It was free so we hopped on a ride around it. The fountain's light show outside was amazing as well, highly recommend stopping by.

For dinner, we got it at Chelsea's Garden in 伦敦人. Food and service were top notch and the price was reasonable for the setting. I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half.

To go home, we took the free bus to the land immigration followed by a HKD65 bus across the causeway back to HK and A21 again back to our hostel. Another tiring day.

Day 6

The idea for day 6 was just free and easy. We just visited whatever came to mind.

For breakfast, we had it at 华嫂冰室 (Tsim Sha Tsui's branch) and boy it wasn't a great experience. The food was average despite being expensive. I give it ⭐⭐ and a half.

After getting our stomachs filled. we went to 黄大仙庙 for some prayers. It was a fun place to visit. Not only praying but you could also get some "fortune telling". What's funny is that they totally went digital with QR codes for the outcomes. There's a nice garden behind the temple as well, pleasant spot for some scenic photo taking. Only downside was that you had to pay for toilets.

Next, we travelled to Sham Shui Po for 玩具街 (福荣街). This street had stalls and shops that sold toys and gifts. Perfect place for some gift/souvenir hunting. We stayed for 3 hours and got some delicious egg tarts.

We got a late lunch at 新香園. Their french toast (西多士) was amazing. I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

We then head over to west Kowloon for the Christmas festival with the seaside Christmas tree but the sunset STOLE THE SHOW. It was so breathtaking. I took my one of my favourite photos of the trip there. So mesmerizing.

For dinner, we travelled back to Yau Ma Tei for 庙街 to try their claypot rice at 港式煲仔飯興記菜館. It was just average in my opinion and you had to adjust the soy sauce yourself. Also, this was was our most expensive meal at HKD272. I give it ⭐⭐⭐. Not really worth the 1 hour queue and price.

Headed back to our hostel after that to wrap up this day.

Day 7

Our last day in HK. We checked out of our hostel and went over to 澳洲牛奶公司. Queued for 20mins and got in. Albeit the waiters were all a bit rude due to the packed restaurant, the food was delicious. I give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐. Would come back and try their milk dishes.

Just a random suggestion by my mom the night before, we decided to travel to 浅水湾 to see the beach. It was a 45min journey from Tsim Sha Tsui and if you're taking the bus, take the seats on the right side for the ocean view along the way.

The place felt like a secluded part of Hong Kong and it was laid back. Weather was pretty sunny though so we only took some photos at the beach and the temple beside it (镇海楼) before leaving.

For our last lunch, we had to go with 红茶冰室 again. So good and worth it. We left for the airport after via the same old A21 bus for our 6:15pm flight back to KL.

Expenses Breakdown

Category	Amount (MYR)
Flights	1,135
Accommodation	634
Transportation	198
Attractions	336
Food & Drinks	809
Shopping	165
Miscellaneous (SIM card, Travel Insurance)	80
Total	3,357

Afterthought

Hong Kong and Macau trip was a decent experience travel wise for the price but it was a great first trip with C.

Although it's more crowded and the people were more reckless than I would've like, I would say I love their public transportation! Overall, I give this trip a 7/10.

Would I revisit? Maybe not in the near future.