Two places that have long been on my travel wish list are Hong Kong and Taiwan. Perfect for a 4 week trip along with a last minute addition of the Okinawa islands off of Japan due to their surprisingly close proximity to Taiwan. I was pretty sceptical of the £350 return flight I booked from London to Hong Kong via booking.com with China Eastern Airlines five days before travelling. Were they really as bad as some reviews suggest? As it turned out, no! They were excellent and everything had gone through – aisle seat and special meal all sorted out (it even included a vegan chocolate bar) and comfortable enough for the 11.5 hour flight to Shanghai followed by a short connection in Hong Kong. When we were an approaching Shanghai there was a muffled announcement over the audio system about scanning a QR code to fill out a landing card that EVERYONE must do. Cue all the westerners onboard asking each other what was all that about and a mad scramble to connect to the onboard WiFi which buckled under the pressure. The air stewards walked around causing total panic presenting a QR code that nobody could use. Of course it turned out totally unnecessary for those transiting i.e. ALL of us. It did break the ice so I had people to hang out with during the layover, although they were also panicking over where their luggage was headed. I took a punt on the flight price but didn’t trust it enough to check my bag in.

It has been almost 20 years since I’ve been to China and I had forgotten just how big the airport is and how many rules there are. I sat charging my phone next to the escalators listening to a relentlessly repetitive voice over warning of the dangers of letting an elderly person set foot on it.

Finally arriving at Hong Kong International Airport I was amazed how easy everything was. As soon as I passed through customs I reached the information desk who directed me to the buses and idiot proof signposting. Less than an hour and a £3.90 fare later I found my hostel. Accommodation in Hong Kong is both tiny and expensive and booking in advance would be recommended rather than the day before arriving. I stayed at the strangely named Pillows Co-Living which is a collection of tiny ensuite rooms at the top of a tall building in the East Tsim Sha Tsui area. I can’t imagine anyone could actually live there. The location made up for paying 400 HK dollars (around £37) a night for a box. Any thought of catching up on sleep went out the window (although for that price you don’t get a window) due to the building work taking over the entire building. The lift under renovation was the most worrying part as I was up on the 8th floor.

I love Asian big cities at night as they come to life. It’s safe and you can get food and walk around until late with all the other people who are out and about. Hong Kong is actually made up of over 250 islands, with Victoria Harbour dividing Hong Kong Island from Kowloon (where most budget accommodation is). Every night at 20.00 there is a free light show over the harbour where all the buildings across the water are lit up in time to the sound of the philharmonic orchestra which is well worth a visit and makes for an lovely evening walk.

With just one day before flying to Okinawa, after breakfast at the trendy N1 cafe in the same building – everything being so high rise and crammed in, it’s common that the place you’re looking for is several floors up or down and not visible from the outside – I walked just ten minutes to the wharf and found an extremely helpful tourist information. They even have an app to show you the current view at the various viewpoints so you can wait for a clear day.

My tips for a fairly relaxed 24 hours in Hong Long are as follows:

• Take the Star Ferry across the harbour: it runs every 10 mins or so and takes the same amount of time, costing about 35p.
• Ride the Mid Town Elevator all the way to the top. The longest reversible outdoor elevator in the world takes commuters up or down depending on time of day and gives a wonderful glimpse into each neighbourhood it passes through.
• Stop by the Man Mo Temple crammed in between buildings. It’s free to enter.
• Spend a couple of hours exploring Tai Kwun, the site of the old prison and join the free Architecture tour every hour.
• Have tea and snack at a tea room. Madame Fu-Grand inside Tai Kwun is on the pricier side but worth it for the atmosphere.
• Grab dinners in a shopping centre food hall for a cheap and quick meal with plenty of choice.
• Join the crowd to watch the light show for 15 mins or so on the harbour at 20.00.
• Indulge in the dessert culture, take a number and queue for a seat at one of the very popular tofu based dessert cafes open late.

My favourite parts … I really enjoyed the Mid Town escalator because it gave me a view of each neighbourhood and a glimpse into Hong Kong life, seeing people sitting at cafes or going to work or about their day. Take it all the way up to the residential area with mansion blocks and a lot more greenery. Just remember you’ll have to walk down.

The British effect is clear to see – M&S food departments and happy hour pubs are dotted around. I found Hong Kong to have a really interesting, cool sort of vibe with its mix of Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and British history amongst others and will have to visit some museums on my return trip.

Tai Kwun prison was a surprising highlight for me. This is the former Central Police Station Compound and includes three main sites: the old Central Police Station, the former Central Magistracy and the Victoria Prison. The government partnered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to turn it into a heritage site including art gallerys and cafes in 2018. The British influence is especially clear here as it’s in between Chancery Lane and Old Bailey Street.

I happened to arrive just as the free architectural tour was starting and the over enthusiastic guides did a good job of haranguing myself and two other women into joining. The women tried saying they might have to leave but it didn’t work. What followed was an hour’s architecture lesson, covering in EXCRUCIATING detail the five types of material used to construct the buildings (there are some key differences which we were quizzed on) – namely brick, granite, wood, iron and aluminium (I think).

The guide was excited he had someone from Britain in the group but disappointed I didn’t know the origin of the original highest quality bricks. It’s Leicester. To be fair it was actually really interesting and a good way to see some areas that are usually closed off. Plus if I ever need to tell if some bricks are hand or machine made or if a railing is wrought or cast iron, I’ll be all set.

I spent a few hours there in total as it’s worth looking inside the old cells as well. The guide asked me what I thought about the “overcrowded cells” and I stopped myself from pointing out it was the same size as my hotel room. I also failed the test of guessing the toilet system, i.e which bucket in the cell was for number one or number two, which he said would have got me killed.

Food wise, vegetarian food is everywhere but not always in English. Finding a tiny restaurant hidden away inside a office block, where locals are eating is great until you really don’t like what you’ve ordered (not knowing what it was) and have to try and sneak out without appearing rude and wasteful.

That concludes one full day in the city. I plan to return to Hong Kong in a few weeks to see a few more places, go up to The Peak and visit Macau. Next stop Okinawa…