Planes, Trains and Automobiles

So after our action packed 16 hour flight, we secured us some spending money from the ATM, we made our way to the Airport Express Train that would get us to downtown Hong Kong in less than 30 minutes.

We purchased a pair of one way tickets for HK$160 (about $21 USD) to capitalize on a special they were having for "groups." Normal prices for a single one way ticket is HK$100 and a single round trip ticket was HK$180. As my father said, "Another great reason to be married!"

So we walked through the corridor, swiped our ticket on the reader and walked right to the train platform, which was completely indoors. Luckily, my father remembered that we needed to keep our tickets (a semi-rigid plastic card) to exit the train at our final destination.

As the train approached, people started lining up. Unlike the chaos we're usually used to on the NYC subways, the Hong Kong system was very orderly and even had places noted on the floor where the passengers should stand to board the train. Before we knew it, the train arrived and we took our seats.

The express train only makes a few stops. One in Tsing Yi, then another in Kowloon and the final stop in Hong Kong Central Station. Before we knew it, we had arrived in Central Station and got off the train. We swiped our ticket to exit the area and walked over to the taxi stand areas that were organized into four separate indoor lines.


The pace of taxi cabs pulling up, loading their passengers and taking off was amazingly efficient. We hopped into the spacious back seat of the red and black Hong Kong taxi and we were on our way to the Grand Hyatt, a close 5 minute drive from Central Station.

You might have thought we could walk, but the roads in Hong Kong aren't really suited for pedestrians they way Manhattan is. Most of the roads are semi-highways with narrow sidewalks and guard rails. Plus, it was 10:30PM at night and drizzling rain, so probably worth the $4 USD to splurge on a taxi.