Visiting Hong Kong, a Great City for Your First Time to Asia

If you're looking for a friendly Asian city for your first trip to Asia, Hong Kong is your best bet. Many western travelers are somewhat hesitant to visit Asia because there are so many start differences in our cultures. Hong Kong makes a great starter city because it has a great blend of western and Asian cultures due to its British heritage.

Hong Kong: A Chinese city with a strong Western feel

Hong Kong was a very strong western feel because it was a British colony from 1898 to 1999. Control has been transferred to China but instead of making major changes China has turned Hong Kong into a Special Administrative region. Doing yhis has kept Hong Kong's culture and feel intact. English is spoken everywhere in Hong Kong and most signs are also in English. The MTR in Hong Kong is very similar to the tube in London.

Of course Hong Kong has not forgotten its Chinese roots. In fact in some ways Hong Kong is more traditional that mainland China. While China has standardized its alphabet and even started using pinyin (Chinese sounds with English alphabet), Hong Kong continues to use the traditional alphabet. Of course it's important to know that Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong while Mandarin is the official language or China

How to get to Hong Kong

The Hong Kong airport is one of the main gateways into Asia. Getting to Hong Kong by air is relatively easy but may not always be the cheapest. You can also arrive by train from several cities within the China mainland as well.

If you arrive by air you have several different options to get into town. These options include cabs, the MTR (rail/subway), and shuttle busses.

The easiest way from the Hong Kong airport is by cab. Cabs are relatively cheap in Hong Kong as well as the rest of China. A cab from Kowloon to the airport only cost me about $35 (US). However be prepared for a white knuckle ride, Hong Kong cab rides can be a little wild.

You can also take the MTR which is Hong Kong's rail system which is very similar to London's tube system and you can get just about anywhere in Hong Kong. The main drawback is that the train cars tend to be very crowded which can makes things difficult with luggage. You may also have to change trains one or more times

In general the MTR is the best way to get around Hong Kong. If you're familiar with London's tube, then you'll do just fine. You may have to change trains a couple of times but you can usually get within blocks of anywhere you may be going in Hong Kong.

If you arrive by rail from China you will arrive at the Hung Hom station where you can transfer easily to the MTR or find a cab.

Shopping In Hong Kong

Very few cities off as wide a variety of shopping choices as Hong Kong. On the high end you will find all of the high end premium and luxury brands. You'll also find traditional street markets such as the Ladies Street Market and Temple Street, also known as Men's Street.

One interesting difference in Hong Kong is the MTR shops. These are like shopping malls that are collocated with some MTR stations. They have a combination of major brands and local stores. One thing that men will love is the way the cluster similar stores. All stores of the same type will be in the same area which makes comparison shopping very easy. For example if your looking for cameras you will find all of the stores right next to each other and you can be done shopping rather quickly.

Speaking of camera shopping in Hong Kong, you won't find the deals that used to be famous in Hong Kong. When it comes to digital cameras and lenses you will be able to find better deals on Amazon at home.

Another thing that is popular in Hong Kong is fake designer items and you will find plenty of these in the markets. The quality is fair but be sure to haggle, usually you can expect to pay half to a third of whatever price is quoted first.

For the best shopping deals hop on the MTR and head up to Shenzhen. Of course you'll need a Visa for this because it is mainland China. Right outside the MTR stop is a major shopping center. You'll find prices much lower than in Hong Kong but be sure to know everything here is fake. If you want the really good fakes you'll need to find the more private stores, usually tour guides can help. The private stores are usually just apartments that are filled with bags, suitcases, watches, etc. The fakes you will find there are much better quality both in terms of the actual merchandise and the quality of the fake. They even go as far as having real tags with valid UPC bar codes.

Seeing the sights in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is full of tourist sights but one of the best is the city itself. If you love people watching and busy streets filled with lighted signs head to the Central District.

For a breathtaking view of Hong Kong, take the tram up to Victoria Peak. The tram is over a hundred years old but still quickly takes you to the top where you get a great view of the skyline and the bay. You can also grab a bite to eat at one of the restaurants.

If temples and Buddha's are your thing you can see the largest outdoor seated Buddha statue at the Po Lin Monastery. You can climb the 298 steps to the base of the 34 meter high statue.

Don't forget Hong Kong Disneyland. Like most things you can reach it via the MTR. The Hong Kong Disneyland is the fifth smallest Disneyland park and has done a good job of incorporating Chinese style into it's design.