Pottinger Street / Central (Hong Kong) -- Even though this wasn't my first trip to Hong Kong, I…read moremust've conveniently forgotten how steep the hills can get to elevation-challenged tourists like myself, especially the steep inclines to be found in the Central district on Hong Kong Island. That's why there are helpful automatic walkways and escalators under long canopies over certain roadways. That was definitely a smart urban renewal move built back in the '90's, but Pottinger Street has been left intact. This atmospheric walkway consists of a series of steps and inclines on terra firma and retains its vintage Hong Kong charm with seemingly random stone slabs that connect Connaught Road Central up to Hollywood Road. Souvenir kiosks line the street on both sides, and they apparently change depending on the holiday season. Jamie W and I were here too early to see Christmas trinkets and decorations, but we saw stall after stall of local tchotchkes and T-shirts. It's worth the stroll in either direction. RELATED - Exploring Hong Kong? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3AGgadg

A touristy three or four block sloping street made up of granite slabs that aren't quite stairs…read more Its official name is Pottinger Street, named in 1858 after Henry Pottinger, the first Governor of Hong Kong, serving from 1843 to 1844. Fun fact was that in the early days in HK, Chinese and European residents used to live separately in different neighborhoods. Pottinger street once acts as a rough boundary between the two groups. The Chinese used to mainly live west of the street and westerners to the east. Today there are various vendors selling trinkets and services such as caricature painting on the street. Many blockbuster HK movies have had iconic scenes filmed here including "Lust Caution", "October Besieged City", "Infernal Affairs III", and "Dragon and Phoenix Fight".

I've crossed this bridge a ton of times in the last four days and I'm amazed by it. Commenced in…read more2004, it has only been opened to traffic since 2009, having been completed a few months before its opening. Not surprisingly, it was awarded a prize in 2010, called the Supreme Award. The design was picked by the Highways Department of Hong Kong through a competition but it was further developed by Arup, a British company. Its architecture is unique in Hong Kong and if it looks awesome from afar, it's even greater when you're driving on it, as you realize just how huge it is. There are three lanes in each direction and it's about 1,6 Km. long (second longest cable-suspended bridge in the world!). There are two main towers made of concrete and composite through which the cables run and this is the distinctive feature of the bridge. As with every other construction in Hong Kong, during the design, a lot of though was put into the winds impact on it and this issue took a lot of time in the planning of the bridge. It's become a landmark in Hong Kong, not only for its features but also because of its functionality, as it connects West Kowloon and Hong Kong International Airport. For me that was a great discovery, because I could not only arrive to the airport in a shorter time than I had planned, but also because it's great to drive along such a great piece of engineering.

While wandering around Wan Chai, I came across the Blue House and the Hong Kong House of Stories…read more The Hong Kong House of Stories (香港故事館) is a tiny museum that is packed with nostalgic old items from Hong Kong's past, giving you a quick glimpse into the city's history and how much it has changed over the years. The space is small, so it doesn't take long to explore, but it was fun to poke around the exhibits and appreciate the effort that went into curating them. I also liked that there were some handmade souvenirs that I could pick up! It was a charming and worthwhile stop, especially if you're in the area already.

This is an old restored building with a little shop in the bottom floor. The shop keeper tells the…read morestory of the history of the building, which was cool to hear, as well as sells different handmade items from the shop (technically they are for donation). The shop also has other strange and curious things to browse through.

Temple Street Market is a must-visit in Hong Kong. The vendors are incredibly friendly and clearly…read morelove to bargain, which makes the experience fun and engaging. There's an endless variety of merchandise to browse, along with plenty of food stalls offering tempting local eats. The area felt safe, lively, and was very easy to get to with a quick Grab ride. A great spot to soak in the energy of the city.

Temple Street Night Market / Kowloon (Hong Kong) -- By the time Jamie W and I made it here on our…read morevacation, we visited two legendary night markets in relatively quick succession, Raohe Street in Taipei (review: https://yelp.to/iQFcRkmz6h) and Jalan Alor in Kuala Lumpur (review: https://yelp.to/5ShCfX6Vhg). Both were bustling cultural microcosms full of a wide and diverse variety of culinary delights. My expectations were set high. This is my roundabout way of saying I found this market to be on the meh side. Even though Temple Street might be the most organized of night markets, it came down to a lack of enthusiastic energy on the part of the thirty-plus hawkers and purveyors here. They didn't help motivate us as much to try anything that looked appetizing beyond one grilled octopus skewer (photo: https://yelp.to/ZmGraLPefh). It was pretty good for what it was. The food stalls took up just the first block of Temple Street. The rest of the market consisted of tents and stalls where they sold gadgets, toys, electronics, cheap souvenirs, and T-shirts of which Jamie bought a couple from an enterprising senior (photo: https://yelp.to/caewEJ9-pR). I've read that lingering COVID restrictions may have caused a change in the dynamics of the market. If true, the impact apparently snuffed out much of the unique character it might have had. RELATED - Exploring Hong Kong? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3AGgadg

I love the ancient temples, it speaks with volumn without saying anything since it's right there in…read morethe walls, the structures, the gates, the set up, the statues, the burning incense, the folks that comes over the years, decades...it's such a peaceful, tranquility and calmest being there.

A must visit treasure in HK. Pretty easy to get to if you take the MTR. Walk from Sheung Wan stop…read morefor about 15 minutes. Lots of local markets to visit. Plenty of coffee shops around.

I am not Catholic, but when we walked by the very popular St. John's Episcopalian church down the…read morehill from the Peak Tram, we asked where there might be a Catholic Church. My friend who was visiting from the US is Catholic and likes to visit a church or two in the different cities of the world she travels to. The lady in the gift shop at St. Joseph's said that the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was one of the most beautiful churches in all of Hong Kong. Although tucked behind other buildings and some construction, so not visable from street level of Caine Street itself at all, when we found the walk way to the church, simply magnificent! Being a secular humanist at best, I cannot speak to any custom, traditions or history of this space or the Catholic church, but it really is a lovely church. Based on what I read, it is about 120 years old. It is really large. We also discovered that they do not have gift shop on sight and when we inquired, they referred us to the Grand Building, 3/F on Connaught Road for the gift shop (we did not go there, but in their limited English, this is what the nice staff wrote down and told us).

One of the most beautiful catholic cathedral I have visited. It is a bit difficult to find and…read moregoogle maps will take you to the other hidden side. This church is locates next to hongkong free zoo. And it is on the hill. English mass is at 9 am Sunday.

In most hongkongers' eyes they don't need to get a car, "we are living in a tiny city and is too…read moreconvenient to take MTR or buses." True, be honest, I spent quite a lot to take care a car, especially the parking fee is so heavy in Hong Kong, and I don't drive every day. However, once you find a place where your car can bring you easily, everything is worth. There is a cool place in Tsing Yi you can have a perfect view to two of the most stunning bridges in our city, where is hard to go without your own car. Drive yourself and park in Lantau Link visitor center, the carpark is always empty and nobody pay the parking fee. Follow the instruction to walk to visitor centre, then you can see the entrance of viewing platform is just few meters away from the door. This platform is a free public area in the top of Tsing Yi, and after you walk upstairs around ten minutes you can have almost 180 degree to view the whole Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge. You can easily spot Ma Wan and Lantau Isalnd following Tsing Ma Bridge, and can take a look to Ting Kau and Sham Tseng from Ting Kau Bridge. The platform is a beautiful place to relax and capture sunset pictures, and of course, to view the fireworks (if there is any) at night. You can stay there as long as you wish, enjoy the beautiful lookout to the bridges, harbor and the islands. I've been here several times and there is always no one, feel like my private rooftop and that's probably a main reason why I love going so much.

Though it is relatively a "touristic" spot since it is promoted by Hong Kong Tourism Board, not too…read moremany people really did try to hike here before guess because of its steepness vs Dragon Back (a real touristic spot. Now it is as crowded as mongkok after being promoted. So pretty sad to me) So, I think Ng Tung Chai still kept its original nature, and really recommend you to go if you love HK natural side! Another reason I recommend you a go is that it is really hard to believe how gorgeous the waterfall is until you reach there! I browsed web photos and thought it is small, but when I reach there, I was totally amazed! Tips: Go earlier around 8/9am so that you will not meet crowd just in case :) Tips 2: Definitely it cannot be compared with waterfall in other countries LOL but if to compare within HK, it is the tallest, longest and would say best!