I am long overdue for a post about Hong Kong, given the fact that I returned a month ago. Spending Lunar New Year in Hong Kong was a great idea, as it was nice to get out of Korea AND the excitement of the locals was contagious. Everyone was so kind, spoke excellent British English, and the sights were beautiful.

Without further ado, a list of my top eight favorite things from my trip, in no particular order.

1. Our hostel, An Shan Hostel. Though it was a bit difficult to find initially (cross the sidewalk from KFC and it is directly in front of the 7-11), it was in the perfect location for us. The place was clean, the elevator worked perfectly and the staff was kind. Late nights were filled with endless bargaining at the Ladies Market (across the street).

2. Breakfast. Maybe it’s greasy noodles, stinky tofu, Peking duck, or eggs and toast. No matter what, breakfast in Hong Kong was better than any I’ve had in Korea.

3. Chungking Mansions. Our friends stayed in a hostel within this massive 17 stories tall, five blocks long monstrosity. Crawling with cockroaches and feral cats, this place smelled of piss. Outside are a number of questionable looking gentlemen offering to sell you plenty of illegal items. Entertaining place to visit, but I wouldn’t prefer spending the night there.

4. The Avenue of Stars along the Victoria Harbour waterfront in Tsim Sha Tsui. Much like the Hollywood Walk of Fame, there are movie stars’ hand prints and signatures in concrete. The Bruce Lee statue is worth finding. The skyline at the waterfront is beautiful. Though, the light show (A Symphony of Lights) at night leaves much to be desired.

5. Chillin’ at Stanley Beach… or Repulse Beach. I was confused about what the beach near Stanley Market was called, but it was fantastic. The prices of food lets you know that you’re in a tourist trap, but I don’t care because the view and weather (60 degrees F) were wonderful. Also, the bus ride to the place was unmatched.

6. Ferry to and hike around Lamma Island. We hiked from one end to the other. We saw a giant oar fish in a temple that was so tremendous we weren’t allowed to take photos of it. But apparently looking at it gave us good luck. Waiting for that luck to kick in!

7. The Peak at night. We greeted the Year of the Rabbit with a spectacular night of fireworks from The Peak. It took my breath away to view the backdrop of city lights, harbor and surrounding mountains. I climbed up on top of a garbage bin to take in the view!

8. The ease of getting around. Transportation was a breeze. Took a taxi ride once, from our friends’ hostel to our own, which was a reasonable price. The bus to and from the airport was cheap, easy and quick. The subway was clean and the easiest I’ve used.

I loved Hong Kong, the place, the food, and its people. Someday I’ll return to explore it some more.