#bug buddha

Los Angeles is best experienced with your back to it and waving from your open top rental crawling along route 405 towards the Pacific Coast Highway Route 1. Nothing would take me back except perhaps a film role! The Pacific Coast is quite a spectacle. The ocean is a moving majesty. The rolling breakers curl into glistening foam as they find their temporary home on the shore. The route weaves in…

Top 10 Things to See and Do in Hong Kong

How to Get Around

The Mass Transit Rail system, known as the MTR, is the best way to get around.  It covers most major districts and is very easy to navigate.  I recommend downloading the MTR Mobile app as it helped me get to and from destinations with ease, and also offered a nice directory of places to go.

We used a refillable card, Octopus, to get around.  It is super convenient because you can use it to pay on the MTR, buses, mini buses, trams and ferries – even some stores accept it for payment.  

Where to Go!

Explore Central: Central reminds me so much of SoHo in New York City (there is even a portion of Central named SoHo).  Streets filled with shops and restaurants line the mountainous backdrop.  The streets are steep to walk up, so I recommend taking the world’s longest covered outdoor escalator to the top and explore by foot all the way down.

If you are a street art aficionado like we are, peek down some of the corridors and alleyways to find some cool installations.

Big Buddha: If there is one place you definitely want to go, it is to visit Big Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island.  I am afraid of heights but I put it all aside to take the cable car ride and am so glad that I did.  Climb aboard at Tung Chung for the most breathtaking views.

Once on the island, we journeyed up the very long flight of stairs to meet one of the world’s tallest outdoor bronze Buddhas. Lunch was ramen noodles from one of the restaurants in the village, followed by shopping (of course).  If you have time, walk the Wisdom Trail – it’s beautiful!

Star Ferry Ride: Take a round trip ride between Tsim Sha Tsui and Wanchai to get a different view of Victoria Harbor.

Laser Light Show (from Kowloon side): We stayed at the Sheraton in Kowloon and loved to watch the laser light show every evening at 8 p.m.  It’s amazing to watch the synchronized lights from buildings on either side of the harbor.

Victoria Peak: Victoria Peak on the Wanchai side of the harbor is the place to go to get a bird’s eye view of the surroundings.  My husband and I love to walk, so the Morning Trail was perfect.  All along the trail you can see different perspectives of the harbor, getting glimpses of the mansions lining the mountainside.

Macau: We set aside a day to visit Macau.  After arriving via the Macau TurboJet (get on at Shenung Wan), we took a bicycle  to visit the historic area to see the Ruins of St. Paul, Senado Square, and also searched out some street art.

Check out the video below of our bicycle tour through Macau!

Next stop was to check out the casinos such as The Venetian, the biggest casino in the world.

10,000 Buddhas Monastery: Located in Sha Tin, this was one of the many recommendations passed along by my friend Melinda of Curated Cool. The path up to the monastery is flanked on each side by golden life-size buddhas – all different in some form.

Hung Shing Temple: Built in the 1840’s, this temple on Queen’s Road in Wanchai was the first temple we visited while on the island.

Hung Shing Temple

Hung Shing Temple

Hung Shing Temple

Hong Kong Observation Wheel: Definitely do this at night to get yet another beautiful perspective of Central’s waterfront.  I think it was the most beautiful 20 minutes!

Amazing views of the Hong Kong harbor from the Eye.

A photo posted by @pelleriniproclaims on Apr 19, 2016 at 4:44pm PDT

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Shopping: No one can forget shopping! There are so many places to shop, whether in a local market such as the Jade, Night and Ladies’ markets, one of the many- and I mean MANY – malls (or arcades).

Temple Street Market at Night

You can even choose your dinner at some of the local restaurants!

My absolute favorite was Harbourside Mall.

If you have a few days in the city, I highly recommend visiting one of the many bespoke tailors to have a suit, or in my case, shirts made to your exact measurements.

But there’s more!

There are so many other things that you can do and see while in Hong Kong.  Amusement park aficionados can take the MTR over to Disneyland or Ocean City for a super fun filled day.   For the outdoor adventurer, there are numerous beautiful hiking trails to discover!

I hope this guide was helpful for you – I had an amazing time exploring Hong Kong and I think you will as well!