Night time view of the Hong Kong skyline. I took this photo while taking the the Star Ferry across the harbor. Fun little ride for less than a dollar.

I enjoyed Hong Kong. It’s a very international city – you’ll walk around hearing languages from all over the world. The weather was really warm … high 80’s with high humidity. You can’t stop sweating even wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Geographically not as big as I had expected, and surprisingly convenient to get around from place to place.

Public transportation is cheap and convenient. We took the train which took 30 minutes from inside the airport to a 10 minute ride to the hotel. A 10 minute taxi in Hong Kong will run a few dollars to $5 USD. You can get from the heart of downtown Hong Kong to the airport 40-60 km away and at your gate within an hour if you hustle.

Walking around Hong Kong, you can tell it is the financial center of China. The streets are full of banks, skyscrapers, designer stores, and lots and lots of high-end wrist-watch stores. Only seeing a fraction of Hong Kong, I ran across several large Louis Vuitton stores and maybe a dozen Rolex dealers.

Hong Kong can be expensive. Most hotels in our district cost $200-$500 per night, although we got a good deal. Nightlife is pricey. Beers run $8-$10 USD, and mixed drinks cost $13-$20 USD.

Aerial photo of Hong Kong in our landing approach. Small islands connected by well developed infrastructure.

Daytime photo of water surrounding Hong Kong.

Typical street in Hong Kong. Lots of skyscrapers, buses, and taxis.

View from my hotel room in Hong Kong from the 23rd floor. I stayed at the Island Pacific Hotel. For $65 USD per night, it was decent –  the best deal I could find. Most other hotels within this location were at least $150 USD per night. Thirty minute train ride to the airport, and within a 10 minute cab ride anywhere else.

This is a street view in Kowloon, Hong Kong. Lots of money in the area. The famous Peninsula Hotel is located down the street from here. We had a drink at the rooftop bar called Felix at the Peninsula Hotel. Nice and fancy, but a little boring. We headed to Lan Kwai Fong afterwards, the nightlife district very close to our hotel and had a blast.