Hong Kong

Emily writes · Hong Kong · 6–18 March 2026

Bryson had talked about Hong Kong for months, mostly in terms of how many dumplings he could eat. Our room at the Ramada Hong Kong Harbour View gave him something else to stare at: boats crossing the harbour below the window.

We started at Hometown Dumplings with pan-fried dumplings, chive pockets and enough chilli oil to make Bryson very happy. The next morning a dim sum restaurant brought us a bowl of warm water. I assumed it was tea and took a drink. The waiter laughed, then showed us that it was for washing our plates. We pointed at several dishes we could not identify and hoped for the best. The siu mai alone justified the method.

We took the MTR to Tsim Sha Tsui, walked beside Victoria Harbour and bought warmer clothes because the evenings were cooler than we had packed for. Another day took us through the Cat Street antique stalls, where Bryson bought an old mooncake press. We still do not know what we are going to do with it.

The queue for the Peak Tram was enormous, so we changed plans and walked through Hong Kong Park instead. The lookout tower gave us a view over the aviary and the city at sunset, with no queue at all.

We visited Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland. Ocean Park’s cable car crossed high above the cliffs between the aquarium and the rides. Several rides were closed, and another stopped operating after Bryson pointed out that its hydraulics looked odd. We stuck to the Ferris wheel and the small penguin roller coaster after that.

At Disneyland, Bryson bought me glittery pink Mickey ears before we reached the first ride. He loved RC Racer. I kept returning to Big Grizzly Mountain and Mystic Manor. We named Bryson’s robot Albert after the monkey in Mystic Manor while waiting between rides. The quiet parts were just as good: sitting inside for dinner, riding Dumbo near sunset and staying for the fireworks and drone show.

The best day was with my friend Ruby, who I knew from my master’s programme in London. She took us for pineapple buns, siu mai and milk tea, then through markets and streets hung with lanterns. Beneath the Canal Road flyover, she showed us the folk practice commonly called Petty Person Beating. Practitioners struck paper figures with shoes and burned them as a way of dealing with bad luck or someone causing trouble. Ruby jokingly advised us not to give strangers too much personal information.

Ruby finished the day by taking us to Sushiro, where plates of sushi kept arriving on a conveyor belt. I had not seen her for more than six months, so the food had serious competition.

Later we hiked Dragon’s Back along the ridge above the coast. At the beach we found a restaurant beside a family with a talkative pet parrot. It was entertaining until the parrot flew at another family and started an argument. That was our cue to leave. After managing rocks and roots all day, I twisted my ankle stepping onto the bus and spent the next few days limping around feeling sorry for myself.

For our last trip away from the main city, we took the ferry to Cheung Chau. We ate seafood, ordered three mango mochi because one was clearly insufficient, wandered through the narrow streets and watched the sun go down by the harbour. Bryson was already discussing where to get dumplings the next day.

Open the camera roll (23 photographs)