For someone who didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even like<\/em> dim sum, I was shocked to hear myself say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s have dim sum for breakfast-lunch-dinner\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 yes, again!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d 2. Antique shopping in the morning<\/strong><\/p>\n At first glance, Hong Kong is all high-rises and neon: banks, offices, malls, apartment blocks. But then, suddenly, you’re wandering through alleyways filled with potted plants, secret stairways, and rows of vintage shops and antique stalls. I had promised<\/em> myself not to shop in Hong Kong\u00e2\u20ac\u201dha! Of course, I walked away with a few irresistible trinkets.<\/p>\n 3. The goldfish market<\/strong><\/p>\n At first, it was all excitement: thousands of goldfish bobbing in plastic bags along a buzzing street. Then came discomfort, watching the poor things bump their little heads against the plastic. And then… confusion. It’s part of the local culture. In Hong Kong, goldfish are considered good luck and important for feng shui. 4. Helpful, friendly, \u00c2\u00a0non-smiling locals<\/strong><\/p>\n Several times, locals paused their fast-paced stride to ask if we needed help (I admit, we looked pretty lost). But the moment we said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re fine, thanks,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d vanish back into the crowd\u00e2\u20ac\u201dno smile, no chit-chat, no \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bye.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I kind of loved it: kind, to the point and no bullsh*t.<\/p>\n 5. Egg waffles<\/strong><\/p>\n Best eaten warm and plain, the eggette is the most popular street food in Hong Kong<\/strong>. Because they are hollow, I thought it wouldn’t be of my liking. I can tell you this: I was already ordering seconds while my mouth was still full with the first bite. This egg waffle really hits the spot after a long day in the city! Simple flavour, light and not too sweet… More bubble waffles, please!<\/p>\n 6. Chinese tea traditions<\/strong><\/p>\n Okay, this one wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t exactly<\/em> a surprise\u00e2\u20ac\u201dI knew about the elegance of Chinese tea ceremonies. But watching it happen in front of me was something else entirely. The way a lady poured our Oolong tea was so refined, so mesmerizing, I kept pulling new teas off the shelf \u00e2\u20ac\u0153just to taste.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d You can do a full-on tea tasting tour, or just walk into a traditional tea shop and try a few brews for free – though, of course, they expect you to leave with a little something.<\/p>\n 7. Double dekker trams<\/strong><\/p>\n Imagine a lovechild between London\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s red buses and Lisbon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s vintage trams. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop marveling at the city from the upper deck, as we slowly rattled through buzzing streets and sleepy neighborhoods. You can hop on and off with an Octopus Card\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich I highly<\/em> recommend if you’re staying a few days. It works for metro, buses, trams… even convenience stores.<\/p>\n 8.\u00c2\u00a0Hygiene\u00c2\u00a0comes first<\/strong><\/p>\n This is definitely<\/em> not mainland China. The streets are tidy and orderly, with signs everywhere reminding you that certain areas are disinfected several times a day. In a city this dense, I could only applaud the effort. Free hand sanitizer in public places? Check. Clean public toilets? Check. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no Singapore\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut it would soothe any germaphobe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s soul.<\/p>\n 9. The main attractions are kinda lame<\/strong><\/p>\n At least, the ones I saw. Take the Avenue of Stars (hello Bruce Lee statue): packed with pushy tourists, and impossible to enjoy the skyline. Then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the free nightly light show\u00e2\u20ac\u201dSymphony of Lights<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich is advertised as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153spectacular.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The first 30 seconds? Sure, impressive. After that\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 meh. I kept walking. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m jaded\u00e2\u20ac\u201dHK expats said the same thing. Still worth a look, just keep your expectations in check.<\/p>\n 10. Lots of funny random stuff<\/strong><\/p>\n I expected more kitsch and Hello Kitty madness, but apparently that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more of a Mainland China thing (locals always refer to it as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the Mainland\u00e2\u20ac\u009d). Still, I had my fair share of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What am I looking at?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d moments. Not a full-blown culture shock, but just enough randomness to make me giggle and think, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why though?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n The post “10 ways Hong Kong surprised me<\/em><\/a>” first appeared on Travel Cake<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Even after spending hours browsing stunning pictures and reading up on all things Hong Kong, the city still managed to catch me off guard in the best (and weirdest) ways. Here are ten things that surprised me: 1. Dim sum heaven For someone who didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even like dim sum, I was shocked to hear myself […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,83,103],"tags":[5,12,136,27,44],"country":[],"class_list":["post-1630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-destinations","category-hong-kong","category-lists","tag-asia","tag-experiences","tag-hong-kong","tag-photo-essay","tag-top-things","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1630"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4567,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1630\/revisions\/4567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1630"},{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.travelcake.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=1630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI now say pretentious things like, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I only like the dim sum in Hong Kong.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The city is bursting with Michelin-starred dim sum spots at budget-friendly prices. Famous chefs and renowned publications have been handing out awards to their favorite dim sum stalls\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand honestly, I wanted to try them all<\/em>. Sadly, my stomach doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stretch that far.<\/p>\n![\"Michelin](\"https:\/\/travelcake.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/food3.jpg\")
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\nThis neighbourhood isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just about fish\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll also find frogs, turtles, birds, rabbits, hamsters\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 Basically, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a full-on pet district.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Which destination has surprised you? Is Hong Kong on your ‘wish list”?<\/strong><\/h4>\n