Hong Kong

Hong Kong – A Short Stop Full of Impressions 🧳🌆

✨ Arriving in Another World

Our journey took us to Hong Kong for a few days – a city that feels like a world of its own. Although our stay was short, it was all the more intense. Hong Kong greeted us with a rush of lights, smells, people, history, and modernity – a fascinating contrast to the relaxed islands we had visited before.

Even the arrival was an experience: the skyline, rising like a steel painting against the sky, left us speechless for a moment. Between misty hills and glittering skyscrapers, we immediately felt – life pulses here at a different rhythm.

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🚖 Luggage Acrobatics Upon Arrival

Right after landing, we were met with an unforgettable moment: our taxi driver at the airport actually managed to fit all our luggage into the trunk – or at least he tried. 😄

Four large suitcases, two carry-ons, a stroller, and four backpacks – we weren’t sure it was possible. But with patience, physical effort, and a good dose of Asian calmness, he managed to stack everything in. The trunk lid stayed open, secured only with a rope – but it held!

So we drove across Hong Kong towards Disneyland – with the trunk flapping in the wind and lots of wide-eyed wonder. Our arrival at the hotel felt like a little movie moment. 🎬✨

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🏰 Magic for Young and Old: Disneyland

A true highlight for all of us was our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland. Even the journey there, on the charmingly designed Disney MTR 🚇, was a little adventure. And then: diving into a world full of magic, fairy tales, and sparkling eyes – not just the kids’.

For us as parents, it was like a time travel back to our own childhoods. The characters we grew up with – Mickey 🐭, Goofy, Ariel 🧜‍♀️, and many more – were suddenly standing right in front of us. It was heartwarming to see how our childhood memories blended with our children’s new experiences.

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🛏️ Sleeping in a Fairytale Castle

The icing on the cake was staying right at the Disneyland Hotel – a place that felt like a fairytale castle itself. With attention to detail, friendly staff in Disney costumes, and a breakfast where Mickey Mouse might suddenly pass by your table. A universe of its own – and an unforgettable part of our journey.

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🛰️ Fully Digital: Welcome to the Future

What also amazed us – and made us smile a bit – was the technology everywhere.

In many public restrooms, sensors monitor which stalls are occupied or free. Outside the restroom, there’s a big screen showing exactly where to go in real-time. Pretty efficient – and kind of dystopian too. 😅

Even the taxis are fully equipped: surveillance cameras record both video and audio 🎥🎙️. It made us very aware that privacy has a different meaning here. Still – everything ran smoothly, safely, and politely.

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🍜 Culinary... an Acquired Taste

Our sense of adventure was tested once again when it came to food. Hong Kong cuisine is undoubtedly diverse and authentic – but sometimes quite unusual for European taste buds.

Dried fish skin, fermented beans, chicken feet, or soups with ingredients we still haven’t fully identified 😅 – definitely interesting, but not exactly what thrilled our kids.

On top of that were the prices – incredibly high. Even simple meals at average restaurants sometimes cost more than a fine dining experience elsewhere. Hong Kong is not only colorful and loud but also one of the most expensive cities we’ve ever been to.

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🏮 Tradition Meets Metropolis

Of course, we also caught a glimpse of the "real" Hong Kong: narrow alleys full of street food stalls, tea shops 🍵, and tiny temples 🛕 – the air filled with incense, soy sauce, and city noise.

And then, high above: taking the old Peak Tram 🚋 up to Victoria Peak, where the colorful chaos stretched out beneath our feet and we looked at Hong Kong like a miniature world.

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🚽 The Smallest Toilet in the World

And then there was this one scene we’ll never forget: our middle child urgently had to use the bathroom – right in the middle of downtown. We frantically searched for a solution and spotted a McDonald’s 🍔 – our savior!

Inside, however, we encountered the smallest and narrowest restroom in the world – it felt like just one square meter 🚪 – and it served the entire restaurant.

Of course, he had to go number two, and while I waited outside, the cleaning lady 🧹 came. She didn’t understand why I was just standing there and not “finally” opening the door. She thought I hadn’t figured out how it worked – that you just squeeze yourself in.

I tried to explain that my son was using the toilet – but she could hardly believe it. Her skeptical looks said it all. Later, we cried laughing 😂 about this scene – yet another reminder that travel writes the best stories.

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❤️ Goodbye, with a Hope to Return

Hong Kong felt like a little electric shock – full of energy ⚡, diversity, and contradictions. Even though we were only there for a few days, the city, with its unique blend of East and West, left a deep impression on our traveling hearts.

We’re leaving with lots of pictures 📸, stories 📖, and smells 🌸 – and maybe a quiet promise to come back one day. ✈️