Korean Job Discussion Forums

[camel96]

Yee-ha.
I managed to get tickets and I'm out of this dump for Chuseok.
I'll be in Hong Kong for 3 nights. I know a bunch of people from here (Bucheon Bum etc) have been there so if anyone has any advice on things to do, places to stay etc I'd appreciate it.
I'll also head off and check the LP forum and see what's in there.
Thanks.

[Scott in HK]

You should called the YMCA on Hong Kong Island and stay there if you want a cheap harbourview hotel room. The are lots of cheap places to stay but if you want to have the view for one night it is worth it. On the Hong Kong forum, a poster named Roger has mentioned a guesthouse that is quite good. Chungking mansions is really cheap but look for guesthouses first on the net.

Things to do....

i would recommend going out to one of the outlying islands...Cheung Chau is a great trip and you can get some good seafood on the island. Lamma island is also fairly interesting.

tourist things...the peak, stanley market....the night market in TST is pretty good...racing on wed and sat...star ferry at night across victoria harbour...if you are canadian you can buy a globe and mail on the hk side...

I am not sure what else to do here, and i live here...lots of shopping...but there are quite a few good stores with western food...olivers (princess building in central)....citysuper (times square)...the great store (bottom of pacific place shopping centre)....you could pick up some sauces,spices...and things to make your cooking a little easier in korea....

[camel96]

[FierceInvalid]

I stayed here:

www.wangfathostel.com.hk

It was cheap and clean, and the people are really nice and helpful, and it's right next to the subway. I definitely recommend it. My friend stayed in Chungking but said it was horrible and left after the first night.

As for things to do, I took a day trip out to Macau - well worth it I think, though I stayed overnight and regretted it. A day is enough unless you want to hit the casinos. Back in HK, markets in Kowloon are cool. There aren't that many sights per se, for me the best part about Hongkers (and many other places) is just walking around and getting lost. I was a bit disappointed in Lan Kwai Fong nightlife (investment bankers drinking after work-wow), but I also had no idea where to go and I know lots of other people say it kicks. You could also check out beaches and stuff on the south side of the island, supposed to be pretty good but I wouldn't know since I went in winter.

[waterbaby]

If you end up in Lan Kwai Fong, don't buy your drinks from the establishments. Buy them from the guy in the little booth/corner shop - he sells cigs, cold drinks etc. Will cost you a quarter of what the bars charge... and you can drink in the street - everyone does.

[captain kirk]

there's a jade market there. if you're into it. like they have in taiwan. i almost made it out to the hong kong jade market. it has to be big, because china produces most of the stuff that makes it to taiwan. the jade market in taipei has 300 tables each with a vendor. the tourist info phamplets have the jade market directions.
have you been there before? twice i've been up the mountain tram/train to the harbour overlook. within which is a ripley's and a madame tussaud's wax museum. the wax museum is AWESOME, and ripley's is worth a laugh as well.
there's also a zoo/marine park which has pandas.
walking along the seafront promenade at night with the reflections of the brightly/colourfully lit business towers across the bay is great. but if a guy in a white robe and turban introduces himself as a fortune teller give him a scoot.
head into the grocery store. there is a huge variety of imported beer, along with cheese and foods to take back to a 'hostel picnic'.

[William Beckerson]

While in Hong Kong, I'd reccommend that you punch Jackie Chan in the head for making The Tuxedo

[bucheon bum]

3 days is plenty of time to check it out. The YMCA is definitly the best bargin in hong kong, as scott said.

Chungking Mansions is a dump, don't even consider it. If you want a hostel-type place, there are others on Nathan Rd. that are nicer. The first time I stayed in HKG, it was right outside the Jordan St. subway statiion.

Lamma Island was ok. The seafood was good, but the beaches that I hiked to sucked. Thailand they ain't.

Go to the Peak. Maybe take a bus to stanley too. Its kind of cool going over the mountain and seeing the other side of the island. You go by some pretty upscale areas. I forgot what upper class neighborhoods looked like.

Stanley market blows, just a tourist market selling crappy things. But like I said, the ride there is nice, especially when the sun is going down.

What else? I just ate food, checked out the views and chilled out. It was a great break from Korea. The dim sum in City Hall (3rd floor I think) was pretty good too. Has a really nice view of the harbor. You want to get there before noon though, because everyone shows up then.

Soho is a good place to find a restaurant as is Lan Kwai Fong. I got a super cheap burrito in soho right by the mid-level escalators. Was the best i've had in asia. Then again, i've only had 2 in asia . Lan Kwai Fong is a bit pricey.

I checked out the Temple St. night market. Its ok, didn't think it was anything special. Wanchai is all right.

And if you think you've seen it all in 2 days (which is entirely possible) go to Macau. I've never been there but only heard good things about it.

Hong Kong is a great city, I love that place. I think it kicks Singapore's butt personally.

[camel96]

Thanks BB. I knew you'd come through with the goods. I'm happy to be getting out of here. I'd checked 4 travel agencies over the past week and they all basically laughed at me when I asked about tickets to anywhere. Went into Top travel. The woman was super helpful and got me a ticket for 360,000 won on Cathay Pacific. As far as places to stay I may just turn up and see if there are any deals at the airport hotel desk. I'm not going to be on a budget and don't want to spend all night fighting off the bedbugs in Mirador or Chungking.
On another topic I can't even get into the Job Discussion forum to check out the Hong Kong site. It tells me I'm banned before I even enter any details in spite of the fact I've never posted over there.

[bucheon bum]

Yeah, that reminds me. If you want to stay at a hotel, either reserve it at the airport or do it via asiahotels.com. I did the former my first time there, and paid around 60 USD for a 3-star hotel on Nathan Rd. near Jordan St. The published rates were around 100 USD I believe. asiahotels.com offers some good deals as well. If anything, it has customer reviews and gives you an idea of what prices you're looking at. You can write down the prices they offer, and then compare them to what the airport reservation desk is asking for.

[camel96]

Do you need to actually book and pay for the asiahotels deal online...? I know some of them you book and then pay the hotel when you check out. It's just kind of a booking service but many of the others you book online and pay with a credit card. Just curious that's all.
Thanks again BB for the info.

[Tiger Beer]

Sounds like a good trip.

I stayed in Chungking Mansions myself once. However, I don't recall there being any air conditioning, but I liked the very social environment of the place. It is a dump however. I specifically recall walking down the stairwell and looking at the walls which looked like it had an accumulation of dried spit and whatever else that hadn't been touched in 50 years.

The beauty of Chungking Mansions however is that is unbelievably centrally located in the heart of nearly everything you might want to go.

[bucheon bum]

[The Lemon]

[Alias]

Roughly how much is a round trip ticket from Seoul to Hong Kong?

Also, how is the weather there in mid-January?


I'm thinking about going there during Chinese New Year.

-thanks