Short trip to Hong Kong

Came back from a trip to Hong Kong recently. I had a wonderful time, ate a lot of good food and walked a lot in order to counteract the daily intake.

Going into the trip I had desires to be able to explore the city more without fears of getting lost. I wasn't planning on getting data on my phone for this trip but it would be helpful to have some kind of mapping software since my phone's gps should still work. From the Android Play store I found an app called RMaps. This app allows you to download a number of maps, tile by tile onto your phone. Took me a couple hours of prep time and about 2gb of phone space but I eventually got enough of a map that would suit my needs. The app works with the phones gps but it can't do searches, since it just saved a bunch of picture tiles there's no tags on it. I haven't thoroughly check out all the features and functions, I just got it to a point where it suited my basic needs without spending more time downloading more details. The moment of truth came when I landed in Hong Kong and got onto a bus to where I would be staying. The phone was able to track me all the way without any hiccups. It was great the map showed me each of the subway stop exits so I had more confidence in where I was going. On prior trips I would be just making guesses and giving myself more exercises.

For those photogs thats planning on traveling to Hong Kong and going by way of Cathay Pacific. Something I've ran into a couple years back is that for their hand carry luggage, they have a 15lb limit on it. Given that the luggage of that size will weight at least 5lb already how on earth does one cart their gear out there on the cheap and not have to worry about damage or someone stealing your precious gear? My solution is get a photo/laptop backpack, for some reason they haven't checked the weight of my backpack. I rather sweat a little carrying onto the plane than sweat the flight hoping nothing happened to my gear in the cargo hold of the plane.

This trip marks nearly 8 years since my first trip to Hong Kong with my first Canon SLR. At the time I was shooting with a Rebel XT, kit lens, 50mm f1.4 and the 70-200mm f4. Happily or sadly only the 50mm followed me back on this trip. The Rebel XT was sold long ago and the 70-200mm stayed at home. My 50mm has been a trusty friend that always finds itself in my bag no matter I go. It provides a good perspective, great in low light and the weight makes it so nice to carry around whether I need it or not. One of my best investments so far, in terms of price and how much use I get out of it.