Hotels Travel

Budget Challenge Accepted in Hong Kong, China

Listen to This Story

After Macau, a couple of my friends bet me that I won’t make it in Hong Kong because of how expensive it is.

Living in Hong Kong on a $100 US Dollars budget for a week is not a possibility, but I took on the challenge to explore Hong Kong on that budget.
I documented my days and spending habits on Instagram stories. Did I make it? We’ll find out at the end of this post. 😀

One Hundred US Dollar is equivalent to Seven hundred and Eighty-One dollars and Ninety Cents, which is not a lot at all!
$100 USD = $781.90 HKD

I got on the ferry from Macau to Hong Kong, which is only a few hours long.
(And as usual.. went to the wrong port for departure, I had to beg the security guard to let me get on any ferry leaving from that port, so I was taken to the security office, photocopied all my documents front to back, and they let me through! That’s what a puppy face from a girl with a pretty face can do! Lol

Besides, I literary didn’t have any more money to take another bus or Uber to get to the other port, which is on the other Island of Macau and pay for another ferry ride that would cost around $70USD, so I was desperate. I had to get on that ferry!)

402433FD-3B17-47C3-852F-8A52C63BF2C9

And Yes, I got only one $100 USD to last me a week in Hong Kong before my flight back to NYC. 😱😱😱

This was the first advertisement I’ve seen right when I landed in Hong Kong! I was terrified because one freaking cheap toy watch is half my entire budget!!
As always, I told myself one thing, “You don’t have to eat, do you?!” lol! 😱

No, It’s “Not to worry, you can do it” with Rosie the Riveter image in the back of my mind. This is what kept me going!
So first thing first.. Google! The lifesaver!
I used google maps to get to my hostel location, took the bus, and had to ask like four different locals to get to a 2 mins station, but it okay, it’s all a part of the journey isn’t it?!

I saw a lot of foreigners; it was somewhat weird because they weren’t tourists leaving the station. They lived there! They weren’t your traditional old expects image.. but yeah, you got the memo!

I met this amazing older man who took the bus with me from the station. He started talking about his time serving in world war 2, helping the United States; I didn’t want to do any fact-checking about his stories or argue with the details; I just wanted to listen to him. I missed having someone that would remind me of my family, especially my grandparent’s stories. Traveling very often makes you feel like that, homesick but not really, just nostalgic.