Life in Hong Kong Lately – unplanned day trips, hiking & moving

One of the things I did not expect when I moved to Hong Kong was to move 3 times in the first 3 months. While I really do love my nomad life, I was also excited about being in one place for a year. I thought life in Hong Kong was going to be more ‘stable’ than the past 2 years but my life in Hong Kong has been different than expected.

The first move was obviously to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, I only stayed in my first place for 2 weeks. It was terrible. I tried to find some positive but it was awful, especially for the price. Just 8 days after arriving, I started looking for a new place. And 3 days later, I was relieved to find someplace that was clean, mold-free and no weird smells. I really loved my second flat. Compared to my first place, it was very clean, quiet and comfortable. Compared to my newest place, it was also very spacious. However, it was expensive and while some might like living in Times Square, I did not. And so one more move.

While my new place is teeny tiny, it is also clean, quiet and comfortable. And the rent is reasonable for Hong Kong. (That means $1730 CAD for 13 square meters so reasonable is a relative term.) But I really love my new neighborhood and for me, expensive and tiny is a welcome trade for all of the experiences that I am having. So 3 moves in 3 months. And while I do love getting to know a new neighborhood I will stay here until end of April.

There are a lot of things that I want to see and do while living in Hong Kong. I have a ‘Ta Da’ list actually, which is so much more fun than a ‘to do’ list. But I am also leaving room for random unexpected days. I have Tuesdays off and I promised myself that at least once a month, on a Tuesday, I will go somewhere random. That is how I discovered Repulse Bay and Kennedy Town. (To be clear, I did not discover either of them and in fact, I had heard of both, but I didn’t have plans to go to either.)

Repulse Bay

I have offered to sub every second Tuesday and a few Tuesdays ago, I was booked, dressed and ready to go, but they cancelled. So, I walked down to the Canal Street underpass – there are a lot of buses that stop there – and decided to take the first bus that came along. And that is how I spent a half day at Repulse Bay, located on the southern part of Hong Kong Island.

Repulse Bay has a gorgeous beach, part of which was extended artificially. It also has a massive shopping mall (which I did not visit), an interesting temple (which I did), and several cute and expensive cafes along the promenade. Repulse Bay is also one of the most expensive residential areas in the world. One of the stories I read states that it is called Repulse Bay because the bay was used as a base by pirates in the 1800s. Then in 1841 the pirates were repulsed by the Royal Navy in order to protect trade with China. It is unclear if this story is true but it is true that I had a wonderful morning exploring Repulse Bay. While I will never stay in that area, it was lovely to visit and I may go back with my swimsuit one day.

Kennedy Town

One other unplanned adventure involved a taking a tram to Kennedy Town. Hong Kong’s metro system is called the MTR, by the way, and the ‘lines’ are all identified by colors. The Blue Line, which services Hong Kong Island, goes from Kennedy Town to Wan Chai. I take the Blue Line to work but not to the end. One Sunday, I decided to see where it ends. However, because it was a Sunday and I had time, I took a tram. Ferries are my favorite way to get around Hong Kong but trams are my second. They are not terribly efficient truthfully and are often late. They are also not air-conditioned but I love the clickety-clack of a tram. The Hong Kong Tramway dates back to 1904. They are double decker, open air and are called Ding Dings by the locals.

Back to Kennedy Town… since it was a Sunday and I had time, I took a tram to Kennedy Town. Sitting up top on a tram or a bus is such a great way to see this vast city. Travelling this way, I always get ideas of more neighborhoods to explore. Kennedy Town is a residential district on the western end of Hong Kong Island, and part of Central and Western District administratively. Locals call it K Town and it developed much slower than other areas on the island.

I love it as it seems to be more “sunshine-y” than other areas of Hong Kong Island. A combination of being on the west end of the island but more than that, there are less skyscrapers blocking the sun in K Town. They have a lovely promenade and view of Kowloon. Plus most of the cafes along the main road are open to the street. I have gone twice now. First, a nice promenade stroll and then a lovely coffee with a view. There are always lots of people walking their dogs. Some like to people-watch but I like to dog-watch 😉 Anyway, if you are visiting Hong Kong, it’s a lovely neighborhood to visit. There isn’t much ‘to do’ but it has a laid back vibe that I appreciate. And if you love good old-fashioned (super crispy and almost too much grease) fish and chips, I highly recommend Fish & Chick.

Hiking – Twin Peaks

Another thing that is unexpected about my life in Hong Kong is the hiking. It is simply not something that you think of, when you think Hong Kong. But Hong Kong is incredibly diverse, in terms of ‘the old and the new.’ I really love the old neighborhoods and modern, crowded streets. And the mix of back alley markets and towering skyscrapers never gets usual to me. It is wonderful and colorful and vibrant and makes you feel very alive. And then some days the city is too much and I feel a little overwhelmed. And that is when I plan a hike. There are so many different hiking trails available. I am deeply grateful to be able to have both urban and nature at my fingertips. Plus a good hike is always like a tiny vacation that is both free and excellent exercise.

In October, I hiked Twin Peaks with my co-worker, Brandon and his partner. Twin Peaks is a tough hike. The stairs felt never-ending and the wind was fierce that day. But the views were incredible and totally worth it. It’s really amazing to be in this massive metropolis, but then you alight from a bus, climb for 15 minutes and are completely immersed in nature. There are some places where you feel like you are in a dense jungle. But then the trees thin out and you have these amazing views of skyscrapers and beaches. It was intense though and we ended up only doing one peak.

Between the 2 peaks, you can take a trail into Stanley, which we did. Stanley is one of the little cities on the south side of the island. It has a beautiful beach and the most fabulous market. Everyone says you have to visit the Stanley Market and even though I am not a shopper, they are right. I highly recommend. And if you like hiking and burning quads, I also recommend the Twin Peaks hike. The views from the first peak were so amazing that I think I will go back and do the second peak in the spring. Because why not?

Hiking – Red Incense Burner Summit

I have done 2 other ‘proper’ hikes. I hiked the Red Incense Burner Summit on a sunny Sunday morning. That was a beautiful one with the most gorgeous views of the main island and only a 30 minute bus ride from my old place. It was also one of those good life lesson situations because the first 20 minutes of the ‘hike’ were along a fairly busy road, past some kind of electrical station and also a water treatment plant. It was hot, dusty and not pretty at all. But I didn’t turn around and decided to just enjoy the walk for what it was. I was still outside and the sun was shining. I literally had the thought – “how lucky am I!?! Little Pamela from small town Saskatchewan is hiking in some random back country area in Hong Kong all by herself. Wild!!”

So I enjoyed the moment and I stuck with it. And then I got to some magical forest hiking and really incredible viewpoints. The really cool views were challenging to get to – lots of overgrown paths and rocks to climb. But the views are always sweeter when you work for them. This hike is obviously very popular with locals, and to be honest, the summit part was super crowded if that type of thing bothers you. I never mind crowds in those kinds of places truthfully. I am always happy to be part of a weird, random, ‘moment in time’ little community, all enjoying the same thing at the same time. It’s one of my favorite things about travel honestly.

Hiking – Kam Shan Park

And then 2 Sundays ago, I did one more proper hike at the Kam Shan County Park with a teacher that I met during training. Karla is another new friend that I would never have met in ‘regular life’ but am grateful to have met in my ‘irregular’ life. The hike was amazing as there are a lot of monkeys in the Kam Shan County Park. It was so wild to just stroll by monkeys hanging out on the trails. They are apparently very used to the hikers and hang out by the paths in the hopes of being fed. Being from Canada, I was overwhelmed to see so many up close and personal. Fun fact, monkeys do not smell the best up close and personal.

The hike was not terribly challenging in terms of elevation. What was challenging was the massive park and the ‘criss-crossy’ trails. There were a couple of times that we were not sure where we were. We definitely left the trail a few times, which was lovely and an adventure. Plus it was nice to explore with a new friend. It was a really great morning. However, as much as it was a kick to see the monkeys, it was the least ‘pretty’ of the hikes I have done so far.

My goal this year was to both have a ‘normal life’ (whatever that means) AND be a tourist. I am finding it – I don’t want to say difficult as it is not actually difficult – but I am finding it a challenge to navigate between working a lot (and not always enjoying the work) and trying to be a tourist. The tourist stuff is pretty easy and fun. The challenge is work – which now that I think about it, is “normal life,” I guess. I’ve been a nomad for a while now and have been trying to live a life of less stress; a not normal life if you will. So feeling work stress and ‘juggling’ a few of those balls seems not normal now. How lucky am I, now that I think about it.

And I am not sure if it is the long hours, not fully enjoying my workplace or maybe it’s just age and wisdom. But I cannot describe how much I relish my days off. Every moment from not waking to an alarm, to enjoying a second cup of coffee, to not feeling rushed at the gym is wonderful. And then the mini adventures that I have – well I really do savor every moment. I even enjoy my errands – especially when I am frustrated at language issues. It’s just novel to be frustrated at different things, I guess. I know some of us live in places that may not be ripe for exploring but I encourage everyone to really try to savor a day off from work. Even if you love your job, it is still wonderful to do something unexpected.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you do something unexpected on your next day off 😉 As always, feel free to subscribe, comment or share.

Anyone who likes hiking, I highly recommend the AllTrails app – I can personally attest that it is useful and reliable to have in North and South America, Spain and Hong Kong and it is likely useful in other places but these are places I have personally used it. (also this is not an affiliate link or anything – I am just a fan of this app ;))

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/hong-kong/southern/red-incense-burner-summit

Repulse Bay and Tin Hau Temple

3 months since my first HK blog post and it is still weird that I live here now 😉

Life in Hong Kong so far