Hong Kong hits different. Like, the density of people, the absolute chaos of the pace of life, the wild contrast of affluence and poverty, eastern traditions with a western footprint — it’s giving inspiring and shocking at the same time. No cap.
First task of the day was getting online and sorting a local SIM. Not gonna lie, it was lowkey a whole thing. Physical SIMs are literally dirt cheap at supermarkets and corner shops like 7-Eleven — we found one for HKD33 with 30 days and “unlimited” data (the quotes are doing a lot of heavy lifting there). But then you have to register the thing, which is where it gets sus. You install the SIM, fill out a short form, then scan your passport. Third time lucky on the scan — no cap, the earlier attempts were straight up rejected. Pro tip: make sure your scan is actually readable, including the photo. Eventually I got a text confirming the registration went through and we were finally in our era. No more desperately hopping between Wi-Fi spots just to navigate or text. Slay.
Then it was full send on shopping — local markets AND the bougie malls, we did not discriminate. The day ended with an absolute feast at a restaurant in Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong. We ate, we slayed, we left full.
The real MVP of all of this? The Octopus card. Bestie, if you don’t have one, what are you even doing. You can grab one at stations or corner shops and it makes getting around by train, bus and minibus so much less of a vibe-kill. I even paid for a haircut with mine today — the versatility is unmatched. My card cost HKD50 to get, I loaded another HKD150 on it, and that should honestly carry me for the next week or so. It’s giving efficiency. It’s giving ease. We love to see it. So get riding Hong Kong on an Octopus.