I just had a wonderful trip to Hong Kong a week ago. It was a very eventful 4 days. I got to experience a slice of life in HK. It was more than 5 years ago since I last visited the place and back then it was my first trip abroad so everything was wondrous to me. Now I’m older and well-traveled so I get to appreciate my travel experiences better. Here are my top raves and rants on Hong Kong:

I’m raving on…

…the transportation system of HK. You can survive without a car in HK. Their MTR system and bus are well-organized, very accessible and very easy to locate. We did the MTR the whole time we were there and I just loved it that we were able to go to far places – one island to another without the hassle of getting lost.

…their patriotism. HK people patronize their tourist spots. Majority of people who visited the Disneyland and Ocean Park weren’t foreign tourists but HK residents. Seriously how many times do they have to visit these places?!

…safety and cleanliness of the place. We were able to go to MongKok area and central HK. We weren’t afraid at all walking on the street at 11pm. We were toting around cameras and bags and our worry that someone may pickpocket us has been unfounded. The Mong Kok area which is famous for the Ladies Market is maintained clean despite lots of stalls, people and shops.

…amusement park is a family affair. I was blown away when we went to Ocean Park and saw grandmas and grandpas trying the Raging Riverride with their grandchildren! For the roller coaster ride, grandparents stepped back and the dad and moms were the ones who accompanied their kids. It was really amazing.

…SHOPPING!!! I super HEART shopping in HK. I would love to go back here if only to shop. They have really cool things for really reasonable price.

I’m ranting on…

…the discourteous and rude behavior of the Hong Kong people. Back then I was able to experience rudeness from them. They don’t apologize or say “excuse me” when they bump you while walking or while hurrying. It hasn’t changed at all! They don’t even say “thank you” after a favor or after eating from a restaurant.

…their failure to fall in line properly. My visit in Hong Kong comprises majorly of falling in line. Waited in line for a long time at Disneyland, at Ocean Park, at The Peak, at bus stops, at picture spots, etc. It was really tiring waiting in line for a long time and what made the experience more irritating was that the HK people don’t fall in line properly. They don’t respect people in front of the line. When we were boarding the Peak tram, we were in front of the door when suddenly someone on the side shoved our group away from the door so that she can board first. It was really blood-boiling! But we observed that only the tourists were the ones who are annoyed by this habit. The HK people didn’t mind being shoved or taken advantage in lines.

…People rushing to empty seats inside the MTR trains. I thought before that they think of other people first before they sit themselves but now people are rushing to get those seats! And yes there is shoving involved. What’s lacking is the hair pulling.

…Underage employees. I saw a lot of kids working in Disneyland and Ocean Park. I was really wondering why they weren’t in school. In Ocean Park, we saw acrobat performances by kids. It was fun to watch them because of their enthusiasm but shouldn’t they be in school?

Anyway this is just putting my two cents in. What’s your HK experience?

Related posts:

  1. Going to Hong Kong
  2. Tales from Hong Kong
  3. I’m off to Hongkong again!