OT: cool things to do in Hong Kong

[Acotts]

I will be in Hong Kong for 10 days in December. Never been to Asia. Will not have bike.

Any Recs?

[shinomaster]

Eat a BBQ roasted duck.

[Kevan]

since I've been there.

Take the tram up to the top of the peak (pretty typical stuff).

Go to the Kowloon side and walk down bird cage ally. Use the Star ferry.

Peking duck

There's an old meat market in the center of the city with sights you won't typically see anywhere.

There some dubious bars you might try to avoid, if they're still there. One was featured in the Bond film "Golden Gun", but a particularly unsavoury one was called "Red Lips".

One evening I ate at a seafood restaurant stuck in the center of a fish market not too far from where the old airport was located (Kowloon). The dinner was incredible and the walk around the market stalls was like visiting an exotic aquarium. One platter came out during our meal with baby abalone, the size of scallops. Very illegal here in the States. I would imagine there are other such markets elsewhere.

Walk the parks and streets during the evening and listen to the tiles of mahjong being played.

Maybe some other ideas will drift from my memory. I was lucky...I knew a couple people who showed me the place. I was working for HSBC at the time.

[Acotts]

Illegal fish! Sweet!

[nicrump]

hong kong proper is just big office buildings. take the ferry to kowloon and walk. get a 20 min tailored suit, eat street food, buy some antiques, pick a fight with a triad… no, wait. get a massage

[Fixed]

bro stay away from Suzy Wong imho
cheers

[timto]

Be sure to get an 'octopus' card! That's the metro pass there that also works on vending machines and some stores. You can use it on the ferry, or metro (the 'MTR') and is super convenient.

One thing I loved about hk was sitting in Victoria Park and just hanging out watching people. You'll see kids playing basket ball, and older people practicing traditional fan dancing, sword moves, tai-chi, stretching...

I love that place.

[Blue Jays]

The well-tailored garments from the finest fabrics are something else. They'll keep your measurements and a snapshot on file in case you wish to order more clothes after your return home.

[jerk]

list of things to do in hong kong; wait list of things my pal and i did in hong kong.

1. get a suit.

2. buy a welcome matt that says "GO AWAY"

3. buy a nintendo cartridge that claims to have every nintendo game ever produced on it.

4. get a knock-off ralph lauren teddy bear with a picture of a cute teddy bear in a waffen ss uniform. (i kid you not, ralph lauren did a series of t-shirts with cute teddy bears dressed up in ww2 american military uniforms. the hong kong factory making the shi'ite took it one step further. the stuff was everywhere in hong kong, jakarta and singapore for a few months.)

5. eat some "rat on a stick"

5. get rip'shi'ite drunk on san miguel beer; which while containing formeldyhyde should not be viewed as toxic. formeldyhyde is not toxic, merely a carcinogin

6. smoke a 555 cigarette. because that's what chairman mao smoked...and they're 37 cents a pack.

7. punch an off duty red chinese policeman in the face after he drunkenly knocks you on your *** in a disco and tell his on duty buddies your name is chris patton and you did it because he deserved it.

8. find out later that what you were calling "rat on a stick" was actually "dog on a stick."

9. catch the flight for jakarta the next morning with the world's biggest hangover.

jerk

[saab2000]

I am going to apply at Cathay Pacific. They fly to Hong Kong.

[markie]

Avoid formaldehyde:

http://www.jtbaker.com/msds/englishhtml/F5522.htm

[slowgoing]

Do some exercises right before you get off the plane so your core temperature rises enough to be detected on the infrared temperature scanner when you enter the terminal. Then see what happens. That should take up a few days.

[Blue Jays]

If you haven't yet secured your tickets, I can't say enough positive things about Singapore Airlines (http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/flights_usa.jsp) for flying to that region of the world.
Absolutely wonderful customer service and satisfaction. Recommended without hesitation. :)

[milhouse]

The restaurant with the best view of the HK skyline & good food is Hutong imo. Look it up here (Hutong, 28th Floor, 1 Peking Rd.)
http://www.aqua.com.hk/
Make a reservation during the light show at 8pm for the full snazzy effect. Get the Star Ferry over & walk. Last time I was there, 3 courses + couple of beers was about 600HKD p/p = 80USD. Pricey, but worth it. The cocktail bar upstairs is pretty good as well. Another bar option is Felix in the Peninsula Hotel - not as good as aqua, but worth it to p*ss in the see-through urinal looking over the city.

Other than that, the usual tram to the Peak. If you're feeling like a walk, get on the Aberdeen trail & take a right down the hill & come back down thru the mid-levels. Soho has some nice restaurants & prob the most 'multinational' area in HK. If you're looking for bars in Central, Lang Kwai Fong has some mad cheesy places, but Wyndham St (top of LanKwaiFong, turn right) has some nice cocktail bars. Dragon-i is where all the models hang out, but is otherwise crappy & the door person is an ar$e. Also Lotus is good on Stone St. You can also ask where 'Feather Boa' is (near Stauton + Peel St. intersectin) for a funky small bar, also good on the cocktail front, but absolutely impossible to find as there's no sign outside & looks derelict. If you want full on cheesy/tacky bars, full of raging expats & a smattering of call girls, then Wan Chai is your bet....seriously worth a visit just to compare with back home, but wouldn't recommend hanging around too long! 'Mes Amis' tends to be a normal/respectable bar so start here...for more 'edgey' there is Fenwicks...for some love u long time, Banana Joe 's.

Food wise, there is an excellent Vietnamese place in Central that does massive Pho Bo's (noodles, herbs, chillis + rare beef) on Wellington St. just west of the escalator, just for 6USD. Called Nha Trang i think...There are also plenty of other local cheap noodle places to eat along here. In fact the town is full of rather cheap places to eat, so just try them.

...having spotted a slight alcohol related theme with the above - onto other pursuits. Shopping...central is full of armani & designer shops & no cheaper than any other major city. They love brands here. There are several wetmarkets worth a visit to see all the fish still flapping about, nice fruit etc. as well. One in central at the bottom of Peel st.. A big tourist thing is Stanley Market, but it's super tacky & full of tourists...hence best to avoid. There's a load more markets on the Kowloon side, e.g. Ladies Market + Bird Market. You'll have to look up where these are exactly tho as I only visit them when the relatives are over! Electronics shopping...can get some decent deals at the Wan Chai computer centre on Hennessey Rd (by the MTR stop). Mongkok has some good deals on tv's & such...be prepared to haggle like a madman tho.
Lots of decent hiking in HK...for a different view on the island, get a taxi to 'Park View'. From there you can hike over to the south side of the island & Stanley. It's pretty hilly & will take 4hrs or so. Lots of signs/maps to help you as well. Also, get the ferry from Central to Mui Wo on Lantau & then either bus or hike upto the Big Buddha. There used to be a cable car from the top of here to the MTR station at Tung Cheung (near the airport), but one fell off (serious-no one in it tho). Or get a ferry out to the other islands, Lamma etc.

Aside from the above, get an Octopus (do this at the airport before you get on the airport express). Also, there are taxis anywhere, anytime & for super cheap. They 99% of the time know places/directions well enough for you just to ask & they'll get there.

You should bring your bike tho...can join for a ride when you leave the bar at 5am. I have the only Serotta in HK as far as I know...:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/222/504498353_b435a28b6f_b.jpg
:banana:
more of my HK photos here (cycling/hiking etc.+bit of Malaysia +Phili):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiffy_cam_person/
bike club:
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/sircycling/

[victoryfactory]

1. Yo, Milhouse....
Where the heck do you ride in HK?
(This is coming from a guy who rides in NYC)

2. Acotts; If you have time for a day trip, take the ferry to Lantau Island
Check out the Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery.

3. Asia is great, HK is facinating. Walk as far up Nathan Road as you can.
Eat some Chinese food, walk back.

[yim]

If you are interest in rc model, action figure and airsoft gun or sport shoes and sport wear etc, remember to visit Mongkok (Kwong Wah Street).

Besides Lamma Island, Cheung Chau (Island) is also a good place to visit.

After visit the Big Buddha, you should take a bus or taxi to visit Tai O (a former fisherman's village and salt farm), there is a small museum managed by the villagers.

You may be interest in many kinds of traditional dehydrated sea food.

You can also hire a boat to take a short trip.
If you are lucky enough, you could see the white dolphins.

[milhouse]

1. Yo, Milhouse....
Where the heck do you ride in HK?
(This is coming from a guy who rides in NYC)
.....

Hi there,

Like this:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3887883

& general variations thereof. Most I've done on the island in one day was about 220km - was in pieces afterwards.

[victoryfactory]

9727 feet elevation gain
WOW!

VF