A typical street in Mong Kok, Kowloon, Hong Kong
I’m back after a great holiday, though still suffering a little from jet-lag.
Having made the decision to keep an eye on my spending, ie not ‘shop til I drop’ this holiday, I would say that I did pretty well, although I did come back with a suitcase bursting full of stuff – I’ll explain later!
Most of my spending went on eating/drinking and travelling – in the case of the latter, I opted for the cheaper buses and underground (and walking) as opposed to the more convenient taxis.
For the first time in years, it pretty much rained most days while I was out there, although the temperature averaged 26C, so it was very hot and humid. It felt as if the whole country was under a perpetual cloud and my family accused me of dragging Manchester weather over with me!
Under a cloud – view from my sister’s apartment
I spent a lot of quality time with my family and friends – we enjoyed a fun (but rainy) weekend in Macau with all the kids. I taught the kids how to play ‘Battleships’ using pen and paper which they loved – there’s hope for the ‘iPad generation’ yet!
When I did venture into shopping centres, I was quite happy just browsing and as I was under no ‘pressure’ to shop, it was very relaxing.
From my shopping list, all I managed to buy were my green tea teabags and I bought lots of them. I also stocked up on instant ramen noodles – not very healthy but like fast food, nice to eat once in a while. What filled the rest of my suitcase coming back were ‘donations’ made by various members of my family – well, I don’t believe you’re ever too old for hand-me-downs! So, I got t-shirts, a couple of jackets, a pair of boots and a designer handbag which I would NEVER have bought myself due to its ridiculous price. My friends will no doubt think it’s a fake I’ve picked up from the market!
Anyway, aside from a small amount which I owe my sister (I ran out of HK dollars and she paid my share of a meal we had), which I will be able to pay back by the end of the month, it’s been a successful and fairly frugal trip and I can continue to be on track with my savings.
Hi Weenie,
It's good to hear that you had a nice holiday with your family, and you managed to keep frugal while doing so. You said it was going to be an interesting challenge for you, and it's great to see that you stayed strong with spending!
I don't think I've ever tried Ramen noodles, I'll have to try them if I get an opportunity. Are they available in the UK?
Good luck with getting back to UK time!
Cheers
Huw
Cheers Huw. You can get instant Ramen noodles in most supermarkets, eg I know Tesco sell them. On their own, they're not much but if you fancy something with more zing than plain beans on toast but don't fancy cooking a full meal, then the noodles along with a few finely chopped mushrooms/tomatoes/spring onions make do the trick! The ones I've got from HK are the spicy ones that aren't always available.