I’ve written about beating jetlag before, and I’m still convinced it’s much easier to acclimate to one’s new environs by staying up as late as possible, to the point of exhaustion.
When I arrived in Hong Kong a few weeks ago, I checked into my hotel and immediately went out for a walk to get some fresh air after being cooped up on a plane for 16 hours and to tire myself out.
I was staying along the harbor front and knew that was where I wanted to go first. Unfortunately, the harbor promenade was closed for renovations, but I eventually got to an open part right on the tip of Tsim Sha Tsui. There was a Mid-Autumn Festival lantern exhibition, so I looked at that first.
I then made my way to the harbor front and suddenly all those hours on the plane and the time change paled in comparison to this:
When I turned around to walk back to the hotel, I saw more familiar sites: Mister Softee and a double-decker bus. I always love the feeling of being back in Hong Kong during those first few hours after landing there.
I stayed in an area not too far from here, about a 7 minute walk. On my way back to the hotel–which was in an entertainment area that had been seedy when I lived in Hong Kong in the 90s–I came across this alley lined with hookahs.
I got back to my hotel around 11:30pm, took a shower, and went to sleep. When I woke up at 6am, I was back on my regular schedule. Voila. No jetlag.
Hi, Susan,
We were Facebook friends before. I was Sheabody Butter. I have deleted my FB account and now only do email. I enjoyed your posts about Hong Kong and I know how passionate you are about all things Hong Kong! There is a chance I might be in in HK next spring. I was there in 1997 with my mother for a few days. Next March and/or April I will accompany my mother again to Vietnam and China. My mother has no plans to visit HK this time. I may go to HK for up to a week by myself as I have a few friends I would like to visit. Unlike London which I know very well, I am not familiar with HK territory and would very much like to talk to you about HK, how to get around, what to see, where to stay, etc. Would you be willing to advise on travel to HK? I cannot think of a more qualified tour guide! I still live in Ann Arbor area.
Thank you! That will be so great to go to Vietnam and China with your mother. IF you do have time to go to Hong Kong on your own, I would suggest seeing all the classic sites. The Peak at dusk, riding a tram up, taking the Star Ferry. The PMQ building is fun for shopping or browsing. It’s the old Police Married Quarters building and has been preserved and has shops run by local artists. One of my favorite museums is the Railway Museum in Tai Po. Lots of it is outdoors and it shows a nice slice of Hong Kong history. I also love the bus ride to Stanley and Repulse Bay. Stanley has lots of tourist trash, but it’s a pretty area and I just like walking around there. It’s also nice to visit small temples around Hong Kong. Man Mo in Sheung Wan is nice. There’s one in Wanchai, I think on Queens Road East, but am blanking on that. The parks are really peaceful. Kowloon Park, Hong Kong Park, and others around Kowloon. There’s really a ton to do, so you’ll never run out of things to see! I hope you can get there!
Thanks so much for the suggestions, Susan! I will print them out and bring with me to Hong Kong! One of my expat Brit friends lives in Kowloon. He will help me find affordable accommodations (guest house, reasonable hotel), presumably near his flat, so that I won’t have to take the ferry to see him. He will also show me around a bit. He is a historian (Nepal) and classicist, teacher of English and Latin. Ten or twenty years back, when we traveled abroad, we brought stacks of travelers’ checks. Now, with credit cards and ATMs, I imagine it would not be necessary to carry all currencies in traveler’s checks. What do you recommend? Do most stores and restaurants accept credit cards? Sounds strange to ask since HK is a major financial center, but, like Wall Street, not everybody lives like kings and queens. Are ATMs ubiquitous? I did not like carrying around bricks of Vietnamese currency. Now even businesses in Vietnam accept credit cards, and they love American dollars!
That’s amazing! I don’t know how you do it, I would be in the bed as soon as I land!
You’re so funny! I think it’s adrenaline. When Tom and I went to Paris in June, we arrived at noon and forced ourselves to walk around for five hours straight. It was such a great introduction to the city, no pressure to do anything but stay awake!