hong kong — Blog — Hannah Gates

Hong Kong - Home & Away

I took a taxi out of Hanoi to the airport and hopped on my hour long flight to Hong Kong. Waiting at the other side was Astrid, holding a sign, no more like banner, with my name on. Christmas was here! I met her at cheer at university, and hadn’t seen her since we graduated. She lives in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island, which is the largest of the 263 islands that make up Hong Kong. It’s an international hub of Expats and is so much like being at home it’s strange. This does, however mean I can get Richmond Sausages and Cheddar Cheese!

travelHannah GatesJanuary 10, 2017hong kong, kowloon, lantau island, china, mainland, islands, language, cantonese, hanoi, vietnam, DB, Discovery Bay, Home comfortsComment

North Vietnam

Coming from Laos, there are two options to get to Hanoi, the hub of North Vietnam. The bus, which takes over 24 hours and costs around £15, and a flight, which costs around £90 and takes an hour. Now as much as I’d have loved to have saved some money, I was still hung over from Vang Vieng and 24 hours sharing a small bed with a random person was making my stomach churn. Off the the airport it was!

Landing in Hanoi, I had pre-booked a taxi via my hostel, as the shuttle bus to the city doesn’t run at night (I landed at 9:30pm), so it was an easy journey into old quarter, which is where many of the backpacker hostels are.