Two Weeks in Hong Kong

May 17, 2007 5:15 AM

My partner has a consulting gig in Hong Kong...

...and, momentarily, we're leaving from the US to spend 2 weeks there. I've looked at most of these posts, but I'm hoping mefites can make some specific and up-to-date suggestions. I'll be going to Macau several times for research (I write about the culture of Las Vegas), and we're particularly interested in food (I looked at this short and year-old but still useful thread), theatre and performance, visual arts, food, human rights, memorial culture, and food.

posted by Mngo to travel & transportation (9 comments total)

What kind of food do you like best? The complexion of your food-eating activities will change greatly depending on how much you like Cantonese food.
posted by rxrfrx at 6:00 AM on May 17, 2007

I strongly recommend stopping by one of the Hong Kong Tourism Board's offices...they have tons of useful literature and organize a lot of quality, free events. By far the most helpful government tourism office I've encountered.

When I was there I ended up on an architecture walk with a small group of folks, led by an actual architect involved in Hong Kong urban planning.
posted by mr frosted at 6:06 AM on May 17, 2007

I visited HK a few years ago with my gf (she's from HK, speaks Cantonese, etc, I am caucasian, from US). It was great having my own tour guide.

Anyways, the things I remember:
Tian Tan Buddha statue & nearby monastery
Saw a Shaolin monk kung fu display here that was incredible. The location & statue were interesting to see.

Ocean Park is a cross between an amusement park and a zoo. Fun time, unique attraction.

Map of some shopping areas
Shows some of the areas to shop. It's worth it to just walk through some of the street markets just to experience it. I found that electronics were not worth buying. Prices were not competitive in most respects, and there would probably be problems with any warranty issues if you bring it back to uS. Textiles seem to be much cheaper, and there are a LOT of knock-offs available (purses, clothes, watches). Try and buy something though, just so you can try your hand at haggling with an HK street vendor. :)
OH - if I went back - I would definitely get some custom tailored clothes (dress shirts, maybe a suit or two). The better tailors in the area are top-notch, and you'll get great quality clothes for a fraction of what they'd cost here.

Food - sorry I can't provide specifics here, but there is just so much to choose from. We went to a seafood restaurant that brought us about 15+ dishes of seafood that I can't begin to describe. Definitely plan on having dim sum, and a seafood dinner. Here's a link with some info
Lots of really unique foods & desserts are to be found at street vendor stands. Plan some time to walk through some of the busier streets, visit some of the huge malls.

If you are going to cover the gambling in Macau, take note of the superstitions/ying yang/luck beliefs of the people in the area. My girlfriend tells me a new one every day. Numbers with good luck, numbers with bad luck, bad etiquette that brings certain death (or so some people would have you think!).

I hope that rambling helps you out somehow; I probably forgot some important things. I have fond memories of our trip, and we plan to go back during Chinese New Year in the future (probably 2010).
posted by bxg at 6:29 AM on May 17, 2007

One thing many people do not realize is that there is some nice walking/hiking trails in Hong Kong. You can (perhaps I should say, 12 years ago you could) hike from Central (the business district) up to the peak for spectacular views. Turns out there is a web site, but I am not sure I ever did the hikes they discuss.
posted by shothotbot at 6:30 AM on May 17, 2007

Get out to some of the smaller islands for a change of pace and the rural atmosphere - you'll feel like you're in a different world.
posted by xanthippe at 6:30 AM on May 17, 2007

With two weeks to spend in the Hong Kong area, definitely take the time to visit the islands. There are some really beautiful hikes to be done. The weather tends to be clearer the farther out you go, which is nice considering the smog of HK is pretty bad this time of year. The Nong Ping 360 skyride sounds cheesey but is actually really a great way to visit the Big Buddha. Consider taking it one way and then leaving via the island ferry. You'll get to see more of Lantau, and the village near the ferry is a very relaxing, chill atmosphere.

Macau has great Portuguese food, but I'd hesitate to make specific recommendations, things change too quickly and I haven't been back for almost 2 years. There is a lot of competition and the 4 or 5 randomly chosen Macanese/Portuguese places I've been to were good to very, very good.
posted by bluejayk at 8:12 AM on May 17, 2007

Look for a Portuguese menu if you want good Portuguese food in Macau. Sounds obvious, I know... Fernando's, on Hac Sa Beach, is turning into an institution. It's pretty good. Actually, everywhere I've eaten with a Portuguese menu has been good--the restaurant owners are pretty much the only Portuguese-speakers left in Macau.

If you want to see the gambling culture in Macau, do what the HKpeople do: go there Saturday morning, stay the night, come back Sunday evening. Make sure to see both the local casinos operated by STDM, the Stanley Ho ex-monopoly, and the relatively new and successful western operations. If you want to see the sights or pay less than half for the hotel room, go any other time.

Hong Kong is full of everything: people, smog, scenery, temples, skyscrapers, feng shui appropriate graveyards... See the skyline (preferably on a rare clear day, by day and night, from the Peak, Ave. of Stars, Star Ferry, right next to them walking along Des Voeux Rd). The tourism board is great and can fill you in on almost everything. The islands are nice. Depending on how momentarily you're leaving, catch the bun festival on Cheung Chau on the 24th.

The HK Museum of History is excellent, but it'll take you at least a full afternoon to get through. For that matter, the Macau Museum is pretty well-done too.

Eat: Asian cuisines are very well represented, but you can find anything in Soho with the appropriate cash. Don't miss the cheap Indian food in Tsim Sha Tsui, or the teahouses in Sheung Wan.

Arts: Pick up an HK Magazine from any expat-type hangout (Pacific Coffee) for English listings of the week's arts and nightlife, or try aziacity.com.

Human rights: Hong Kong has great freedom of speech because the government doesn't really care what you think. There's been a bit of a flap lately over party leaders' denying that the "6-4" [June 4, 1989] Tian'anmen incident was a "massacre." Universal suffrage is being postponed indefinitely in HK.
posted by deeaytch at 9:41 AM on May 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ugh, wrong tourism board link. discoverhongkong.com not org.
posted by deeaytch at 9:46 AM on May 17, 2007

Seconding fernando's - I didn't know if it was still there.
posted by shothotbot at 11:54 AM on May 17, 2007