HONG KONG IN 24 HOURS

It was a long flight from Bahrain and my energy is quite drained because I was already awake at 5 in the morning nonetheless, I was trying to keep myself energized because of my trip to Hong Kong will be quite exhausting. This will be a tiring trip for me because I will only spend a day in Hong Kong and perhaps the shortest trip I ever did.

I did not want to stay long, as a matter of fact, this is only a stopover, I took a Cathay Pacific flight to the Philippines and it has a stopover in Hong Kong for four hours but I decided to make it one day since I want to go out of the airport and explore a little bit of the island.

I didn't do much of a plan on where to go and what to see since I am only spending a day, however, I did a little research on where to spend my day. I made sure that I will not waste any time there figuring out where to go, at least I have an idea of what to see as soon as I arrive there.

I arrived at Chek Lap Kok around 5 in the morning, I was starting to feel sleepy since I am awake for 24 hours now and I didn't get enough sleep during my 9 hours flight from Bahrain because 90 percent of the passengers are Chinese and they are very noisy.

As soon as I am cleared at the immigration, I went to the airport hotel to check if there is a room available. I did not make any hotel reservation prior to my arrival, I was hoping to get a room quickly at the airport hotel because I don't wanna go further or go to the main island to get a room because I was bringing two large suitcases and one trolley, it will be difficult for me to carry all those things especially the airport is quite far from the main island. Even there is a metro still I don't want to feel the hassle of carrying all my things and transferring them.

Unfortunately, no available room at the airport hotel so I have no choice but to find another hotel so I quickly check at booking.com to find a room. Gladly I was able to make a reservation at Harbour Bay Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

With two large suitcases and one trolley with me, I took the morning bus from the airport to Kowloon, so imagine the hassle I took that I was trying to avoid but anyway it was an experience haha.

So there I arrived finally at the hotel, it was in Minden Avenue in Tsim Sha Tsui, I was told that if ever I will book a room I should choose this area as it is very close to Victoria harbor and some nearby landmarks.

Since I arrived too early for my check in, I decided to leave my things first and go out. I only have a whole day to see Hong Kong and I don't want to waste any time.

My energy is quite decreasing due to lack of sleep, but still, it didn't stop me to check the nearby area. I took a quick breakfast at a nearby 7-11 store before heading to the street, I want to make sure that I have ample energy before roaming around.

I went to Victoria Harbor, it is just a walking distance from my hotel, I checked the nearby area before going to Lantau Island. I want to see the other island of Hong Kong rather than spending the whole day at Kowloon. So after a few hours at the harbor, I immediately took the train to Lantau.

I think I made the right decision to spend half of the day at Lantau, I was trying to avoid the crowded streets of Kowloon anyway. I took the cable car going to Ngong Ping Village to see the Po Lin  Monastery where the great Buddha is located.

The remote Po Lin Monastery, hidden away by lush mountains is a perfect spot to spend the day.  Climbing the 268 steps to have a closer look at this massive statue is quite a relief as the top will give you a breath-taking view of the mountains.

Opposite the statue is the Po Lin Monastery, it is one of Hong Kong's most important Buddhist sanctums.  Home to many devout monks, the monastery is rich with colorful manifestations of Buddhist iconography.

It was past 2 in the afternoon when I left Lantau, I headed back to Kowloon to make my check in at the hotel and to rest a little bit since my eyes are dropping out. I took a quick shower and nap before I went back to the streets again.  For a short hour, I was able to regain my energy and went out again making sure not a single second will be wasted. 

I walked around the crowded street of Nathan Road until I reached Kowloon Park. It is nice to see a beautiful park in the middle of the crowded place. I took a moment to explore the area, it is so refreshing to see a piece of the jungle behind the dominating skyscrapers.

I walked a little further until I reached the Victoria dock and from there I stayed a while and waited for the light show. Afterward, I kept walking along Nathan Road and from time to time I was being tempted to do shopping haha, to escape the temptation, I decided to call it a day and went back to my hotel. I had so much already the whole day and I think it is time for me to rest as I was feeling exhausted already. 

Hong Kong didn't disappoint me, even just for 1 day I was able to appreciate the city and what it has to offer. Its welcoming iconic skyline and lush protected nature, Hong Kong is not only a shopping mecca, but a dynamic cultural landscape where it's Chinese roots, colonial connections and the contributions of its's home-grown talent become intertwined.