Wan Chai District’s skyscrapers rose into view as I parted the drapes inside our room. We quickly prepared coffee and tea, then sat at the bay window for a few minutes—taking in the view, looking forward to our first full day in Hong Kong. It was a marvelous sight. I quickly whipped out my phone after finishing my coffee, snapped a photo, and connected to the hotel’s complimentary Wi-Fi Internet. Instagram time.

WALKING TO COSMO HOTEL AT WAN CHAI AREA. A TIP, BRING A BACKPACK INSTEAD.

From the relative quiet of Hum Hong area in Kowloon, we transferred to Wan Chai to switch hotels. Though we were very much satisfied with our stay at Hotel Sav Hong Kong, We wanted a much more happening place. And Wan Chai area, part of the larger Wan Chai District, fits the bill perfectly.

► CHECK OUT: HONG KONG TRAM TOUR

We were almost lost. There were signs all around, lighted and glittering against the cold Hong Kong evening, but they were in a language foreign to us. They were all in Chinese, but we weren’t all that worried, we chose this path—we wanted to get lost. We chose to forget about Disneyland and Ocean Park, this is indeed what we wanted, to be greeted by the raw Hong Kong streets, congested, crazy, incomprehensible.

QUICK WALK ALONG HUM HONG’S RESIDENTIAL AREA

Our day started off by getting on a bus from Hotel Sav in Hum Hong, an area on the Kowloon District. We crossed Victoria Harbour below ground, alighted at the chaos that is Wan Chai and dropped our bags at Cosmo Hotel. From there, free of our luggage, we walked with no particular destination in mind.