Honging The Kong

8 hours, 4 cities, 2 flights and 1 ferry ride later, I’ve escaped from sleepy Kuching and injected myself right into the thick of action at the cosmopolitan city of Hong Kong.
`
The journey was a hellish 4-hour plane ride from KL to Macau in one of those planes with seats that could not recline. I had intended to recharge myself on the plane so that I could be ready for a full day of sightseeing and shopping today, but I had as much sleep as a $2 prostitute I can tell you that.

Lucky I did not bring my mom along with me. This was supposed to be a mother-son trip. I even booked the tix for her already. But alas, things cropped up, mom had to forfeit her ticket and this turned into a solo backpacking holiday instead.

At least without mom along, I can be naughty and try my luck (or lack thereof) at the famous casinos of Macau.

Even Bruce Lee endorses the casinos of Macau

Bad move. 2 hours in East Asia’s sin city and I’ve ended up RM150 poorer playing Baccarat. And I don’t even know how to play Baccarat.

Macau is an interesting little city that’s part Las Vegas, part China, part Portugal. Away from the glitzy casinos, the former Portugese colony exudes a unique European charm with it’s quaint churches and Mediterranean architecture.

Malaca? That sounds familiar

In fact, if it weren’t for the Asian people around, it’s difficult to believe I’m not actually in Europe. Most signages here are written in Portugese in addition to Chinese and maybe English. Strange really, considering most local Macanese can’t even speak or read Portugese.

Perils of falling asleep next to a blogger: photos of you setting up a trousers tent might get uploaded onto the Internet

Weather here is hot and humid, just like in Malaysia. It’s in the middle of summer after all.
The journey from Macau to Hong Kong is a much pleasant 1-hour TurboJet ferry ride (HK$154/RM75), but still with seats that cannot recline. 🙁 By this time I was already very exhausted as I hadn’t had a proper sleep for 36 hours.

I hadn’t really had time to walk around Hong Kong yet. First impression of it is that it reminded me a lot of Melbourne – big, noisy and messy.
This is the big city after all. Surprisingly, the people here are very friendly. I have some trouble understanding the locals here because my Cantonese totally cannot make it and their Mandarin is half bucket full.

Girls here in general are prettier too. Sure, it’s good eye candy for us, but the sad bit in that fact is that Hong Kong girls are under a lot of pressure to look good. If you think weight loss ads back home are ridiculous enough, it’s nothing compared to over here. The number of weight loss ads and beauty services targetted towards female are so aggressive it’s obscene.

Well, I’m finally in the room of my hostel now as I’m typing this. Hotels in Hong Kong are very expensive – a basic 3-star hotel will set me back around RM400 a night.
Since I’m travelling alone I find no need to indulge in unnecessary luxuries. The name of my accomodation is Dragon Hostel, and it’s on the 7th floor of a typical residential flat right in the middle of Mongkok. It costs me on average HK$220/RM110 a night. Can’t complain for the price I pay.
Here is a picture of my room.

Here is a picture of my toilet cum bathroom.

I wish I could show you more pictures of my room, but sorry, that’s all. It’s so small in here it’s not funny.
Anyway I’m going to log off now and do some shopping now.

See that bag? That’s my luggage before I left Malaysia.
When I come back it’s gonna be full. And then some. 😉


Prepaid SIM cards are so cheap these days. A starter pack in Malaysia costs less than RM8. Singtel in Singapore sells their starter pack for S$8 with S$10 credit. Just now, I bought a Hong Kong SIM card for HK$48/RM24. With rates like these, there’s no reason to go on roaming at all.
My number here is +852 96137014. Any kennysia.com readers in Hong Kong? 🙂

229 Replies to “Honging The Kong”

  1. wow… you travel light! Hope to see more pictures of HK yummy food!
    BTW, does that mean that you have to share the room with a total stranger?
    Enjoy and Good Trip!

  2. Second time retyping my comments. You do travel light dude. Anyway that’s great when you have to hop on so many cities.
    Hope to see more of HK yummy food. (i.e. makan sutra )hehe
    You hostel room has two beds. Do you have to share room with a total stranger?
    Good trip.

  3. ceh… rupa rupanya is the comment mode. on.. no wonder.. was thinking it’s quite impossible.. and it is.. anyhow.. hong kong is FUN!! and never knew macau is so portugese-like

  4. i wanna go! las time i went was in 03, my cousin’s going in a few days.. both of us got to go for free, so syok n i was completely broke when i got back, din stop shopping even at the airport haha hav fun! will u go Disneyland?! wanna see pictures =)

  5. am i the first again? hehe….my sis works there and she’s a kennysia reader too but unfortunately she’s flying back to M’sia tmr for 1 week.missed!

  6. I’m the 1st! Wishing you an enjoyable stay in
    Hongkong & do post photos of youself with some charming HK girls when you get back! Thankx!

  7. Kenny,please don’t moderate readers’ comments as we like to see our spontaneous reactions, whether good or bad, posted immediately.You can delete any malicious comments later. Also, including some malicious comments in your blog will indicate that you’re a broad-minded,easy-going & fun-type of guy! Thanks!

  8. Cool… am i the first 1???? wow… i always wish to go shopping but i dun hav time… grrr grrr… how nice to hav a trip… shopping would be best….

  9. hey kenny,
    checkout the Luk Fu tea house in Central. Im not trying to sell you anything like the Indians at the end of Nathan rd. Its a traditional tea house and excellent value. They cant knock it down because its almost heritage.
    how long are you in hk for? cheap hotels in wanchai at the moment, and you can always stay in a double room with rusty water in chunking mansions for 180HK a night 😉
    ahh man, i love hk & macau… have a great adventure!!! 🙂

  10. and Malacca is the greek swear word for everything 😉
    *its back of hand against palm of hand above the head*

  11. Have a walk thru Temple St flea nite market near Mongkok. All sorts of apparels, naughty gadgets , antiques, etc. Have nice desserts (tong sui) at the shops along there. Go thru the fish/pet St, flower St, shoe St, Ladies St nite market. If u have time, go to the Big Buddha statue at Lantau Island by train. The other islands of HK are worth a relaxing trek & the seafood.

  12. This is first the time i leave commment in blog…. and u took my “first time”.. why u? haha…if i were not wrong i have been reading your blog since MAY’06 … and it seems very difficult to be the first person who leave the comment in ur blog…but i make it now! Anyway… i like your blog! Cheers!

  13. never enough of pretty girls eh?
    why are there people sleeping around on the floor?
    you’re so observant..
    have fun in macau 🙂

  14. I’ve been to HK before and the food is great. Be sure you catch their afternoon tea-time offers. It’s pretty cheap after lunch/before dinner time. If you’re at Mongkok too, try out their yaw char koey and porridge for breakfast. Food is good. Shopping too. Have fun! 😉

  15. hmm.. Malacca street?? sounds familiar too..
    anyway.. nice shot – trousers tent
    and those hot chicks..
    u shud bet all in and i’m sure dat u’ll win dem all!! gud luck kenny..
    anyway u need more luck den skill?!?

  16. pimped..
    i wana go to hong kong -_-
    my mando or canto might not be sufficient enuf but…the cheap electronics and massive good food…
    it’s rather dashing xD

  17. y aren’t there any comments yet?
    i thought ppl sit down, sip coffee and stare at the com all day long, pressing the refresh button every 3 secs, ready to comment once kenny posts?
    or everyone else has been eaten by this huge invisible monster and i’m the only one left in the whole universe?!

  18. Yeah, it´s freaking hot in summer now!!!
    average 39 degrees celcius in Cologne, Germany now.
    thought i wanna comment since i should be the 1st :p

  19. Wah that hotel room looks small. Reminded me of my friend’s apartment that I stayed at on my last trip there. The guest room was so small (and fulamak, dare to put built-in-cabinet overhead some more!) that when I woke up in the morning, I almost banged my head on the cabinets above. That room made me interpret claustrophobia in a whole new light…

  20. if u want bargain too the max….
    just go to Ladies Street ( Loi Yan Kai )…
    that’s where i bought all my tees and bling2 for only RM25-RM80 …
    haha
    enjoy ur stay there ahh

  21. first!!!yeah!!!wat happen to every1 else????
    Btw, how come u so free??
    Always travelling……so nice….

  22. Heya Kenny, hope ya enjoy your holiday in HongKong…. hey enjoy the food there lah. Waste out for recommendations by HK tourism board.

  23. lol, that tiny room for RM 110 ??????? woah that is about 55 sing which is outrageously expensive.
    even comparing with singapore. i think ? heh…
    dont they have a one-bed room?
    should be cheaper right ? haha

  24. dont complain kenny…you’re way better off than me in korea now…so pathetic that i can’t understand them and all the hands and legs languages are put to good use now..enjoy yr shopping spreee cuz i am ^_^ (i’m having fun only when i do shoppings)

  25. wahhh.. kenny.. those are reli sweet hk girls la.. but very slim lorr.. wish they are abit more fleshy.. nicer to hug mar.. have a nice trip ya

  26. have fun! ive been to hk, and its awesome. the life and the people are really a rush, compared to the ah longs in malaysia. the food. is great. they eat crab ejaculation there. so, have fun.

  27. HAHAH
    I’ll be f”cked if you can even get ur ass into that bathroom
    Of course, I mean it in a…….”good” way

  28. Hey I just went to Macau and Hong Kong during June of this year. Took the same route you did 🙂 airasia to Macau then Turbojet to Hong Kong. I even stayed within walking distance Mongkok during my time there. The apartment I stayed in was at Sham Shui Po and I have to say from the looks of it the apartment was the size of your hotel room.
    Anyway I’ve written 2 blog entries on my trip and took a lot of pictures if you’d care to read them on my blog =).

  29. Kenny,
    HK is nowhere like Melbourne.
    Melbourne is so “dead” compared to HK. Melbourne starts sleeping from 5p.m. and HK just never sleeps!
    Anyway, enjoy the shopping trip because there is simply nothing to see in HK in terms of sight-seeing apart from the Victoria Peak! 🙂

  30. I’m heading for Macau/HK in Sept and appreciate all the tips you can provide on your trip experience. Thanks & happy holidays, Kenny.

  31. my friend said HK people are always under pressure. seen the 巴士阿叔 vid on Youtube?
    🙂

  32. No one else in Hong Kong? Mmm, I am forced to come out of lurking then. Have fun here, I’m leaving on Tuesday though. Been here since 22 June.
    Went Macau the day before, hated it! Bad weather! Didn’t get the Portuguese either…neither did one of the taxi drivers. Haha.

  33. have fun have fun n enjoy ur trip… but er, staying in Mongkok? becareful woe, i guess sure there will be somebody knocking on ur door during the midnite..hehehehee

  34. HI THERE.ENJOY UR SELFB ALREADY?DO TELL US MORE OK.OH EXPECIALLY ABOUT UR ‘EXTRA-CURICULUM’ ACTIVITIES OK.

  35. WOoo!!! im first!!! (am i)
    hahah and have fun in hk yea!! =)
    i wan more picturesss!!! woo.. inspire me to go there! =D
    take caree~ kennysia. dun bring Aids back yea. hehehe

  36. i’ve never commented in your blog before but this is something that i feel very strongly about –> melbourne is not messy! =P
    *awaiting more pictures of hk*

  37. hey, how long’s ur stay in hk? any nice place to recommend? might consider goin there soon…..anyway air asia seats can recline…only the seats at the exit cant recline. probably u got those seats.

  38. Cool place in Hong Kong!!!
    Pretty gals indeed…
    Wishing I could be in Hong Kong now too.. but
    butterflys flying out of my pockets..
    You enjoy yrself Kenny!

  39. argh.. im suppose to b 1st.. lol but then it keeps on saying something like..
    “connection disconnected” -_-
    hahah anyway.. have fuun in hk!!
    DUN BRING BACK AIDS as SOUVENIR arhh..
    hehe =)

  40. Oh i stayed in that hostel before as well when I was in HK, not bad yeah, though the room is really so small that i simply wish to get out of my room all the time, at least the young boss is kind of friendly.
    Darren.

  41. that room looks like a ‘pau fong’ to me. u can c a lot of yellow signs around mongkok ‘red light district’. hk 220, wow! can hardly find 1. u can take nice pics from tsimshatsui side(near peninsula hotel and harbour city) facing towards h.k island especially night time. u can get cheap electronic stuffs at sham sui pou, branded names-tsim sha shui. mayb u should take a trip 2 victoria’s peak, nice view. n also ocean park, much fun than disneyland. try d dessert shop’hui lau san’, u can find it almost everywhere in h.k. have u been 2 ‘san ma lou’ in macau? u should, when u r on d way back 2 macau. d ruin of st paul’s church is near there. actually a day or 2 is already in macau, it only takes a couple of hours just walking from 1 end to the other end. sands casino, currently d nicest casino around macau, n there r a few more big ones coming up by the end of this year. mayb a week would b just nice in macau n h.k. have a nice trip

  42. rua de malaca, malaca was also explored by portuguese also, then only discovered macau later, thats y they use it as a street name

  43. h.k very few pretty girls 1. its just that they r good at dressing n make up. somemore its not comfortable travelling in h.k compare 2 macau, h.k ppl walk very fast, every minute also money, very hectic n a lot of pressure somemore very lansi. u will look like a turtle compare 2 them.

  44. It’s darn hot in HK rite now yea? Even hotter than in Kch. Btw, I’m the one who sms you. haha.. Hope you’re having fun rite now~~
    Oh yea you’re a bit outdated yea.. That movie is actually so popular in HK and TW now.. with all those good looking blokes in there. Or may be if there’re sexy ladies, only you’ll notice. Hope you can find it. Then, I can lend it to you for writing comments la.

  45. Don’t forget to try Peking Duck and good old traditional Dim Sum in hong kong… Word of warning.. If the waiter pours tea for you remember to tap the table with your index, middle and third finger. Its a sign of saying ‘thanks’. My mother and a friend had an earful for not doing that. Cheerio!

  46. Mongkok and Sham Shui Po.. you can find lotsa hookers there. (it’s where you stay)
    Lotsa motels in Kowloon Tong.
    Shopping at Tsim Sai Tsui, Mongkok, Causeway Bay and Chong Huan.
    Some hongkees told me so.. Good luck!

  47. hei…GUNDAM there is super cheap..can get some back for me ar????? although u dont know me..but i know u help rite….hahahahaha

  48. Why is everybody so excited about being the first to leave comments in your blog? Kenny, do you give away prizes for the first comments left? Simply cannot understand.
    Well, I have been to HK twice. First time was for holiday and second time was to watch a concert. HK is very fast-pace and people kept pushing me from the back while I was walking on the streets 🙁 But the shopping was fun, though I did not spend a lot of money on eating.
    Enjoy your trip and post more pictures on your discovery 🙂

  49. Kenny, u are so wrong.
    Who says local Macanese can’t even speak or read Portugese?
    This is a fact: Local Macanese (esp those from Malacca) here speak purer Portugese than Portugal people. The Portugese that the local Macanese speak now is like 古文 to the Portugal folks.

  50. In Macau? You should go visit the dog races!!!
    Hungry packs of starved looking gaunt dogs chasing after a motorised bunny is good entertainment. Stakes are small and if you are lucky, you can recoup your losses. =-)

  51. i used to go mongkok when ever i went to HK
    it is very conviniece to stay around there,coz can go alot of interesting places,just abit danger sometimes in mongkok
    miss HK food so much
    people there will be friendly as they think you are tourist,but if they think you are mainland chinese,they will be rude and look down.
    i was a few times misunderstood by them as a mainland girl,coz my poor cantonese.and when i speak japanese with my husband in HK,their attitude totally change,sudden so polite

  52. I think the shopping centres in Central are mostly up-market, but as you go further west towards Sai Wan, things get cheaper. Of note is the Lui Yan (not sure of spelling – translated “woman”) Street for some touristy stuff. The place for roast goose (and Chinese waxed sausages etc around CNY) is Yung Kee Restaurant on 32-40 Wellington Street in Central. Sit downstairs (upstairs more expensive I think) and order the porridge (comes with hundred ear-old eggs; delicious even from someone who doesn’t normally take the egg). This place is relatively pricy; I spent about RM150 in Dec for 3 persons having porridge, a plate of veg and a goose leg. Parallel to Wellington St is Stanley St. Lots of camera shops there, and the guys there really know their stuff. There is restaurant there, Nam Kee noodles that is cheap and good. There is also a Nam Kee outlet in Causeway Bay near Times Square.
    As you go eastwards to Wanchai from Central, there are more upmarket shopping centres like Pacific Place etc. I had a typical HK dim sum lunch at a restaurant in Unity Centre in Dec. Lots of people, typical HK dim sum fare, not especially great, but OK by HK standards. Price also OK (affordable to most M’sians). Sorry, can’t remember name.
    What I like most at Wanchai is the big wet market. I find things cheapest there, even less than in Mongkok. This I believe is because it serves the locals there. Imagine two pairs of denim jeans (from China of course) selling for HK$70 (total). I like to buy tit bits from the stalls in the street market (around Spring Garden Lane). The red-light district is further north of the Causeway Bay MTR station towards the Convention Centre (worth a walk there to have a look if you have the time, or to take a Star Ferry to either Central or Hung Hum (Whampoa; There’s a great gourmet centre there). Don’t know much about the red-light area as I haven’t been there. Sorry. Next to the MTR station is Wanchai Computer Centre, 2 (or is it 3?) floors of cramped shopping for IT stuff. I find CR and SD cards etc cheaper there than KL. Alternatively, there is 238 Hennessey Street, also another 2 or 3 floors of cramped IT stalls; I just love these places – go without the missus. As stated earlier, I normally take the bus outside the market building on Queens Road East to the Peak; cheapest way to get there short of walking up Spring Garden lane all the way up (only if you are fit). You can walk along Johnston Street/Hennessey Street to Causeway Bay from here.
    If you decide to go up to the Peak, you can see most of HK and some other islands if not obscured by haze. Restaurants up there with the exception of MacD (and other fast food joints) are generally pricy. The Ripley’s museum is typical, not very different from that at Genting. The Madame Tassauds is OK, not as big as that in London. Worth going up for a look at the view. The tram ride between the Peak and Central is quite pricy, but you may wish to take that as an alternative to the bus or walking.
    Back at Wanchai, if you walk or take a tram (don’t take the one to Happy Valley) to Causeway Bay, you should find yourself near Mitsukoshi or Sogo. Large crowds. I like the Lo Por (wife) biscuit from the basement of Sogo. Supposed to be from the famous Yuen Long (a area in New Territories near the border with China) Lo Por biscuit shop. If you take the MTR, you can exit either at Sogo or Times Square. Shopping at Causeway Bay caters to both mid- and up markets. My favourite porridge shop is at 2 Sharp St East, Hor Hung Kee. Sharp Street East is at one corner of Times Square (you should be able to see Lee Theatre Plaza when standing at the outside of Times Square. Order the porridge, Yau Char Kwai and Chinese Broccoli. The Cantonese style fried hor fun (kuey teow) or fried with beef is also very nice, but I like the porridge best). Nearby, on Percival Street etc, are dessert shops. My children loved the steamed milk and steam egg (cold and hot tastes different) at Yee Shun Milk Company. There another dessert place that sells mango pudding etc nearby. Tastes great too.
    Hope this data is useful.
    banana

  53. at least you have the chance to go there…i haven’t been there before also..
    enjoy ur holidays then.
    should have bring me along since your mum is not going 😛

  54. What a coincidence…
    I went to HK, Macau, Shen Zhen and Zhu Hai last week too.
    Took Jetstarasia.
    The seats can recline one leh…
    haha….
    Macau is dirty leh…
    and very small and crowded.
    HK is expensive.
    Din really like the place.

  55. Connection so bad meh? Everyone claiming to be first 0_o Or is there in an injoke I missed?? :p
    Ooh, the JVC girl (left 1) is cute. I like pics 3 & 5. Can never get those kind of shots on my point & click, night-shot or not 🙁

  56. Hi kenny, just a few street down u will get some really goood quality stuff to fill your lonely nights. call me at 97311477 for HK quality “goods”

  57. well….there’s still reason to go roaming.. for those who travel very very often, say btwn singapore and malaysia, then it’s so troublesome to keep changing (and keeping and losing) the sim cards and top up the cards n whatever, as compared to simply charging everything to the roaming bill.

  58. hehe..you left moderation on for the 1st time isit?
    almost half of the entries here claimed they were the 1st to comment ;P

  59. Awesome blog. Absolute quality entertainment.I’m a big fan…no really, I am.
    But man…”Melbourne – big, noisy and messy”?
    Big…yeah…I guess (in comparison to Miri and Kuching).
    Noisy…erm…maybe around Crown Casino. Shops close at 5pm on everyday excluding Thursday and Friday.
    Messy…ok…you got me stumped man. Been to London, New York, KL or even Sydney? Melbourne is as organised as Disney Land in comparison.
    HK and Melbourne is like…yee sang and Beef Pie. Can’t compare them man.
    OK…Maybe I’m a little pedantic.
    Keep up the good work bro.

  60. Woo… Macau 🙂
    Yea, Portugese / Chinese is definitely a strange combination, and you’re right, I have yet to come across someone from Macau that can speak portugese :p

  61. Kenny, one of the reasons that your blog is popular(apart from pics of you with hot chicks) is that readers can post comments which appear rightaway in your blog. So don’t moderate the posts in future. Readers love “raw comments” and not “edited” or “approved” comments.

  62. i knew it
    everyone would think that they were the first to comment, including me
    is this one of your tricks? =.=

  63. Upgrade to an ipod with video.
    I bought my 30GB at Fortress (a chain electronics store that can be found anywhere) in November 2005, and it was damn cheap. Even the discounted prices at last month’s GSS couldn’t match what I paid LAST YEAR. If you’re adventurous, you can even haggle for a betetr price at the smaller electronics shops.
    Hong Kong: shopper’s haven and heaven.

  64. ive just been to HK n macau n shenzhen 2 weeks ago. the same flight AK50. or was it 51. well.. my chairs were reclineable.. i took the nite flight n there werent many passengers so 1 had 3 seats to sleep on. but alas.. i couldnt sleep.
    i stayed at a hostel at mirador mansion on tsim tsa tsui.. 4 of us in a room costs us about RM140 a nite, wit 2 queen sized beds n a bathroom smaller than urs. >.

  65. I like the scenery at the Museum of Costal Defence. It seems remarkably peaceful in HK. It’s at the entrance to Victoria Harbour guarding the Lee Yee Mun Channel. You can see the hills of Kowloon across and the Lee Yee Mun fishing village across. I think entrance is free on Tuesdays. HK10 other days, if I am not mistaken. Another musuem I like is the HK museum of history. Free guided tours in Cantonese and English. Entrance is also HK10. Wasn’t that impressed with the Cultural History Museum in (what’s the place with the racecourse in New Territories? Sorry).
    banana

  66. Walao eh Kenny! HK city is like gazillion times bigger and louder than Melbourne city man. Melb CBD is so small leh. And streets in HK are much messier also.
    If you really wanna have a more apple-to-apple comparison, you should be comparing Sydney to HK lah.
    You only know Perth well is it? ;p
    Anyway, nice babe photos leh hehe.

  67. A regular reader of your blog but seldom post comments. Woah! Such a coincidence that you went to hongkong the same time I was there! I nearly consider Dragon Hostel that time too but I would recommend King’s Hotel to you the next time you go(slightly abit more expensive but definately worth it!), also in Mongkok! Have a happening pub @ 4th floor where Jacky Cheung visited cos we saw his car parked just outside the hotel!

  68. hey, how much was ur flight tix to macau huh? or was it a free tix bought during the airasia promo? cos wanna do a bit of budgeting la…cos looking at these pix, just makes me wanna go over to HK again…!! see? its your fault! =P

  69. hey dude!! haha…so coincidence this is hostel i am gonna stay on 7/8/07….yea..ya rite…the 3star hotel room rates r really terrible..

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