Ashley in Asia: Getting to Hong Kong

Taking Off

Doesn’t he look so excited?!?

Our first day was really a day of travel.  We started off bright and early on a flight out of Knoxville to Chicago a took a nice long 6 hour plane-break (a.k.a. layover).  While waiting for our Chicago to Hong Kong flight I started the first of three books I had brought with me on the trip.  I do not sleep on airplanes, so I always travel with at least one novel.  For the ride out I read Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky.  We finally boarded the second leg of our flight and sat in an airplane for 16 hours and 25 minutes.  Yes, it takes that long to get from Chicago to Hong Kong.  Nothing exceptional happened on the flight, besides the fact that I finished Fire in the Blood, started City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau and watched a couple of movies that were so boring I can’t even remember what they were!

Tip: I make sure I select a vegetarian meal for my food preference.  If you have a food allergy or know you you prefer a certain type of food, it might be available as an option on your next international flight.

Mmm… Airplane food! I always request a vegetarian meal.

The Arrival

We finally made it to Hong Kong.

We finally arrived in Hong Kong on the evening of our second day traveling to the other side of the world.  The first stop was to the Hong Kong Tourist Center.  There are few locations inside of the Hong Kong Airport, and they are all helpful.  I already knew I wanted to grab the Hong Kong Walks brochure, as it included walks to all the sites in Hong Kong that I wanted to see.  Hong Kong was also offering a “Summer Temptations” program.  There were multiple brochures covering this program, one which included coupons for stores and attractions (even one for Buy One, Get One Free Ice Lollies at Disneyland!).  All of the “Summer Temptations” brochures included a little ticket that had you collect stickers at popular attractions.  Once you collected three stickers, you could redeem the ticket for a little cookie and tea bag gift tin.  Conveniently, there were redemption locations in the airport, so we waiting to redeem them on the way home.

Tip: When traveling to a new city, always check out the local Tourist Information Center for free maps and discounts on places you are planning on visiting anyway!

Tip: On your way out of the airport, if you are going to be taking the metro(MTR) into the city, make sure you stop and purchase tickets as soon as you get through Customs. If two people are traveling together you can purchase a special ticket that is cheaper than buying two tickets into the city.

Safety first!  MTR always reminds you to hold the escalator rail.

The Accommodations

Arriving so late meant that we headed straight to the guest house to check in and get some sleep.  We chose to stay at the Alisan Guest House at Causeway Bay.  It was simple, yet adequate, close to food and the metro, and inexpensive.  That makes it the perfect place for us to stay.  I am all about budget traveling.  The cheaper you can travel, the more places you can go and the longer you can stay.  The only exception I make is when Disney is involved.  I have such a passion for Disney, that I let that be the big splurge of a trip.  Every now and then I will also put a little extra money out for food, but most of the time I will not participate in fine dining (one meal for the price of three and you have to pack extra clothes and shoes).

The shower in the bathroom and the heater (turn it on 10 minutes before you shower!)

The Alisan Guest House is on the 4th and 5th floor of a busy Hong Kong side street.  The ladies working check-in in the evening are polite and quick to get you checked-in and settled into your room.  The rooms are sparse, with the shower sharing the same space as the toilet and only room to walk next to one side of the bed.  There is a television and (most importantly) an air conditioner.  That is one luxury I can not give up in the summer heat.  Pack your own toiletries, but Alisan will supply the sheets and towels along with a communal refrigerator that includes complementary water.  If it is available, ask for a room away from the street.  We slept in a room on the street side of the building and had neon lights flooding our room throughout all hours of the night.  But even with that nuisance, I would still return to the Alisan Guest House during a future trip to Hong Kong.  It was safe and clean with friendly staff, which is what I always need in a place to lay my head!

Tip: When I was researching accommodations for Hong Kong, I noticed that many smaller places do not book their rooms more than 60 – 90 days in advance.  Don’t be surprised if you run into this trend, you can still get a good room at a reasonable price.

The lovely bed at Alisan Guest House with our luggage on top.

Coming up: Ashley in Asia: Hong Kong’s Temples and Parks

Want more? See all the photos on Flickr

Hong Kong (including the Olympics) – 361 photos

Hong Kong Disneyland – 353 photos

Bangkok – 16 photos

Japan (Tokyo & Yokohama) – 292 photos

Tokyo Disneyland – 323 photos

Tokyo DisneySea – 147 photos

Which reminds me… I have about 2 months worth of my 365 Days photos to still upload.  I had moved some over to an external hard drive so I had room on my laptop for the trip.  Now I have to go back and find them and get another 60 photos uploaded!  Crazy, huh?