Flying into Hong Kong International Airport but heading straight to Macau? You don’t necessarily need to enter Hong Kong first. There is a direct transfer coach from HKIA’s SkyPier Terminal to Macau—and eligible international visitors can currently get the journey free under Macau’s “Fly you to Macao” promotion. Updated: September 2026 There’s one instruction worth remembering before anything else: If you’re using the direct HKIA-to-Macau SkyPier transfer service, do NOT pass through...
We woke up in Mong Kok (旺角), Kowloon (九龍), Hong Kong. Our hotel was in Hong Kong. Our plan for the day? GO TO SHENZHEN. 😂 Not by plane. Not by long-distance coach. Not even by high-speed rail. We were simply going to take Hong Kong’s MTR (港鐵) toward the border… and walk across. For an international traveler looking at Hong Kong and Shenzhen on a map, that can sound slightly unbelievable....
There are two ways to experience Hong Kong (香港). You can wake up, leave your hotel and travel across the city before your sightseeing begins. Or you can wake up… walk downstairs… and discover that Hong Kong (香港) has already started around you. That was one of Dad’s favorite things about staying with Elaine in Mong Kok (旺角). We stayed at iclub Mong Kok Hotel (旺角薈賢居), in a mature Kowloon (九龍) neighborhood...
Dad didn’t choose Mong Kok (旺角) simply because we needed another hotel. He chose Mong Kok (旺角) because Dad wanted Elaine to experience another Hong Kong. We had already stayed in Sheung Wan (上環) on Hong Kong Island (香港島), where Dad deliberately chose a base that allowed us to walk west toward Sai Ying Pun (西營盤), east toward Central (中環) and uphill into older streets and neighborhoods. We Stayed in Sheung Wan...
Where We Stayed in Hong Kong: Dad & Elaine stayed at ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan — good value, a relatively spacious room by Hong Kong standards, convenient airport and MTR connections, and everyday local Hong Kong just outside the door. Some hotels become favorites because they’re luxurious. Others become favorites because everything just works. For Dad, ibis Hong Kong Central & Sheung Wan is firmly in the second group. Good value. A surprisingly spacious room....
You’re already in Hong Kong. Then you look across the Pearl River Delta and think: Macau is right there. Should we go? For many first-time visitors, Macau (澳门, Àomén) is one of the most tempting additions to a Hong Kong trip. And yes — a DIY day trip is very doable. But Macau isn’t simply another Hong Kong neighborhood. You’ll cross between two Special Administrative Regions, pass through immigration, use different local...
You finish dinner in China. It’s getting late. You expect the streets to start quieting down. Instead… people are walking. Children are still outside. Restaurants are busy. Someone is buying fruit. People are exercising in the park. And somewhere nearby, somebody is looking for supper. 😂 “Wait… doesn’t everyone go home after dinner?” 🥟 The Quick Bite In many Chinese cities, evening is an important part of everyday public life. People may...
You find a public toilet in China. Good. You find an empty stall. Even better. Then you look beside the toilet. No toilet paper. 😳 Now what? 🥟 The Quick Bite Don’t assume every public toilet in China will provide toilet paper inside the stall. Many modern toilets do. Some have a shared toilet-paper dispenser outside the stalls. And some may have none available at all. So one of the simplest China...
You sit down at a restaurant in China. You wait for the menu. Instead, someone points at a little square on the table. A QR code. And you think: “Wait… is THAT the menu? 😂” 🥟 The Quick Bite Quite often, yes. Many restaurants in China use table QR codes that open a digital menu, often through a mini program (小程序, xiǎochéngxù) inside an app such as WeChat. You scan. Choose your...
A Step-by-Step Arrival Guide for First-Time Travelers You planned the trip. You installed the apps. You set up Alipay. You saved your hotel address. Then the aircraft door opens. And suddenly you’re standing in a huge Chinese airport thinking: What do I do now? Don’t worry. Arriving in mainland China is usually much more straightforward than first-time travelers imagine. The airport may be enormous, the signs may look unfamiliar, and your phone...
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