Big lights, big city. Hong Kong.Three days in Hong Kong and I realized this city is switched ON. Visiting Hong Kong is like entering a video game — bright, colorful lights, fast-moving objects, and you are always on the move. The streets are lined with neon lights and gigantic billboards. The sidewalks are crowded with people scurrying from point A to point B. Double-decker buses barrel down the road like hulking monsters. Even the crosswalks beep at you, with the cadence increasing as the timer is about to expire.
But beyond the frenetic pace, there are things to enjoy at a slower speed — taking a ferry ride across the harbor; riding a gondola up the green, mountainous hillside; strolling through the Jade Market; savoring a few dumplings at dim sum; taking in the incredible skyline; or contemplating the meaning of life from beneath the giant Buddha statue.
Like most big cities, there are plenty of things to see and do in Hong Kong. To get to these attractions, you may choose from many modes of public transportation. We traveled by train, subway, tram, bus, taxi, gondola, ferry and theMid-Levels Escalator, the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. I was very impressed with how clean and smooth everything sped along. It was fairly easy for us to figure out (or ask someone) where we needed to go, how to get there, and where to buy tickets. Of course in a crowded city we often had to wait in long lines at the busier attractions. And you have to keep in mind that in many Asian cultures, there is no personal space. People will stand in line with their arm touching your arm, long hair brushing your shoulder, or a huge leather purse jabbing your stomach. It is also very common for people to bump into you as they walk by and not even acknowledge it; they just keep walking. Children were especially pushy when they wanted to see what they wanted to see. I learned very quickly to just take a deep breath and try to get out of the way!
We enjoyed our adventures in Hong Kong, but after a few days I was glad to exit the game.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
2 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
3 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
5 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.