Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR

A brief guide to visiting Hong Kong's Kowloon

Description: Kowloon grows off of one major street running down to the water. There are lights, old grotty buildings, and sparkling new hotels. Mid-range hotels are mainly along the street while budget options are found in a couple "mansions". These mansions are apartment buildings harboring a handful of unregulated hotels along with several dozen or so restaurants (mostly indian, pakistani, and african).

Weather: Hong Kong is marginally part of South East asia. The winters still taste a bit like winter but like the rest of southern China, it's quite mild. The summers can be hot and humid. Regardless, there is a great deal of abundant moisture due to the ocean that surrounds the islands.

Food: You can find most any kind of food in Hong Kong. A long stay by the British has left Hong Kong with a taste for western food, along with plenty of english menus. The previously mentioned Indian, Pakistani, and African restaurants are the result of a large number of foreigners living in Kowloon for money or political refuge. Deep fried dough sticks similar to a long western doughnut are a popular and eaten along with a bowl of soy milk.

Feel: Kowloon has not benefitted from the sleek remodeling that Hong Kong has undergone. It still has hulking apartment buildings that loom over the street like they're from a science fiction film. The area down by the dock is quite nice though. There are parks with old oaks hanging over the sidewalks and hoards of touts from around the world scanning the streets for customers.