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What to avoid in Hong Kong?

by Miriam Ernst
be travelled, travel, tips, besparkling, be-sparkling, travel, blog, travel blog, HK, Hong-Kong, Hong Kong, Causewaybay, what to avoid in Hong Kong
Hong Kong, China, what to avoid, travel, travel blog, travel blogger

What to avoid in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is a great city and as I have described in my last article, there are a lot of things you should definitely do and experience in Hong Kong, but there are also things to avoid in Hong Kong:

  1. Sleeping in the cheapest hostel you can find

    Well I understand that the prices of some hostels seem very attractive, but for 90% of the people it is a good idea to think twice about it. Hong Kong is a huge city, at the sea and packed with too many people. It is easy to imagine that with the growth of the city also the dirt and with this the number of animals grow.

    So make sure to read very close all the information about the hostel that you can find in the internet. Trip advisor is for me still a really good and mostly reliable source.

    And if you still are sure to want to go with the cheapest of the cheapest be sure to not ruin your holidays if you will find ‘bettwanzen’ in your bed, cockroaches walking up and down the walls or a rat in the community kitchen. Not speaking of sound level, unfriendly or strange people in your shared bed room or just not the most comfortable bed.

    Also don’t forget that in Hong Kong an air condition might be essential during summer and will save your day after a walk through the city.

  2. The walk of fame

    I know, a lot of people hear ‘walk of fame’ and think of Hollywood. You should know that this walk in Hong Kong has nothing to do with what you know or think to know of Los Angeles.

    In Hong Kong it is just a walk next to the sea showing some statues no one knows.

    So this is something to avoid in Hong Kong mostly because a lot of pocket picking can be found here as this is a fully touristic space and because there is not too much interesting to see I decided to add it to the ‘to avoid’ list of Hong Kong.

  3. Soho at night

    Are you 18 years old, can’t wait to drink 10 shots in under 3 seconds and love to see drunk or drugged girl all over the street? Well in this case don’t brother my list here, I think you will be perfectly happy in this street and any other place I am mentioning here.

    But for every normal person, this is definitely an area to avoid in Hong Kong. While being out drinking in a new city could be a fun experience, it could also lead to dire consequences. I have seen so many people being arrested for drunk activities, false drug charges, and more. The worst part is, it stays on your record forever. There’s a photo of your mugshot from a Hong Kong police station floating around the internet all the time. Although there are mugshot removal services that might be able to help you if you were in the US or Europe, I’m not sure they’d be able to help everywhere. As such, the best thing to do is not go out partying with a bunch of teenagers. The street is dirty, filled with 18-year-old kids drinking the hell out of this world and taking drugs till the ambulance comes by. I have seen so many unhappy scenes here for young girls so I really would recommend you to avoid this place.

    be travelled, travel, tips, besparkling, be-sparkling, travel, blog, travel blog;HK, Hong-Kong, Hong Kong, Party, Soho, Shots, Drunk

  4. Bringing a pepper spray

    This I am telling you from my own experience. Having a mother that is always worried about me travelling and walking alone in the streets I received a nice pepper spray from her.

    Not thinking far enough I decided to bring it to my holidays in Asia as I was travelling partly alone and just wanted to make sure to be safe in case.

    On the trip to Hong Kong I at least thought far enough to leave it out of my canine luggage. On my trip from Hong Kong to bali I didn’t.

    So I learned at the airport in Hong Kong that these pepper sprays are illegal in Hong Kong and could bring you quite into a uncomfortable situation.

    Luckily everything went well, but I can assure you, this situation is definitely to avoid!

  5. Going during Monsoon or air pollution times

    Hong Kong has a particular climate and going during monsoon season is a big NO. Traveling to Hong Kong during pollution times might also not be the best idea. However, in case you are going to Hong Kong during the pollution times, and if you are bringing your kids or baby with you, it is advisable that you carry a kzd-6 protective enclosure (or similar anti-pollution masks for babies) to protect them from pollutants.

    Surfing my last day I was as lucky to get into a monsoon and had one day rain as strong as I have never seen before. It started from one second to the next, while we were in the metro. Luckily there was this woman with her plastic Poncho and we bought them downstairs in the shop for 5 HKD it saved our life that day hahahaha

  6. Needing a taxi at night for a short ride

    Well this is something normal when you are on holiday, you go out at night and at a certain moment you will need a cap to get home. It never occurred to me, that taxis would tell you no. It happened to us a Friday night while we were out dancing in Hong Kong. On the way back at 5 am we just wanted to hop into a cap and get home. But we asked one after the next one and no one wanted to take us. They said the distance of 3 km was too short. We even tried offering more money to the cap driver, but they locked the door from inside and drove off.

    Eventually we found a cap that drove us home, but it took us at least 30 cars.

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Well a lot of different things I would recommend you to avoid in Hong Kong, but there is also a lot I would advice you to not miss. To find it out, click here.

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10 comments

gobeyondbounds 14 May, 2017 - 4:44 PM

Agree as much as enjoying and exploring a new place is important so is safety. Will keep these points in mind for future visit.

Reply
travelerettenyc 14 May, 2017 - 7:27 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I’ve never been to Hong Kong but I’d love to go. I’m sure these tips will help keep me safe there.

Reply
quirkywanderer 15 May, 2017 - 8:10 AM

I d read about your pepper spray incident. While most posts glorify a destination it’s a welcome change to see must avoids too:) thanks for this. Extremely uselful pointers here and bookmarking this for my visit to HK:)

Reply
Sabine Krestel 15 May, 2017 - 9:19 AM

Ohh I quite liked the Walk of Fame, but just because you have a great view over the light shows in the evening, but it’s true you really have to watch your stuff…otherwise it is all so true..especially the taxi situation, it can make you want to cry…I often just walk, because I am fed up with them 😀 Really useful post for every first time visitor =)

Reply
Miriam Ernst 16 May, 2017 - 9:18 PM

Oh thanks for your lovely feedback ! 🙂 Do you live there?

Reply
Suruchi 15 May, 2017 - 9:54 AM

So many important points to take care of. Last post i read was on pepper spray and i found it too good and so are all of these. It is good to explore a place in every way but if one know’s about all these things before hand; he /she can avoid trouble. thanks for sharing.

Reply
Bhusha 15 May, 2017 - 1:52 PM

Oops! Thanks a ton for these very valuable tips. I remember your article on pepper spray! Indeed a painful experience. Thanks for the details on finding cheap hotels and the fear factor of Soho!

Reply
Shane Prather 15 May, 2017 - 7:37 PM

Thanks for this raw and real post. Usually we only talk about the highlights of travel. This will be helpful to keep people safe by taking proper precautions!

Reply
vishvarsha 16 May, 2017 - 6:54 AM

I have experienced the taxi issue back in Mumbai too…and I know this is an issue in Malaysia as well. But the most shocking one has to be the pepper spray thing. I really don’t get why it is not allowed. Anyways, thanks to your list many would be saved from unpleasant situations. 🙂

Reply
Ami Bhat 16 May, 2017 - 4:12 PM

Eeks, getting stranded without a Taxi can be scary in a strange town. I am so glad that you finally found a ride home. Loved all your practical travel tips on Hong Kong. I definitely think most travelers need to pay heed to these tips to ensure a safe travel.

Reply

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