Chungking Mansions

[chillingonthestars]

a lot of people in hong kong tends to stay away from the chung king mansions. a few cases of rape and murder and bound to put people off.

[DeadlyDreamerX]

6:20 Shwarmaa!

[lcheesmanl]

It was even more exciting in the 1990s :)

[Opossumzogga]

I am sitting right now in one of these guesthouses and using the free wifi :) It's a great place here and a must see. Everybody who visits HonKong should stay here for a few nights. Greetings from HongKong.

[monkeetime]

@Opossumzogga It was a great day today, I went to Lantau and climbed Lantau Peak. Hope you made the most of it! Dont buy a fake Rolex.

[fjollornaz]

two questions, do you guys smoke weed? kinda get that stoner vibe. and second would you recommend spending a few nights in the building if you were to go to hong kong? looks like a great place :)

nice vid too btw, great job!

[monkeetime]

@fjollornaz I dont smoke weed, Derek can answer that question if you send him a message... And yes, I definitely recommend staying at the Mansions if you are in HK. It's part of the adventure. Aaaaand it's cheap, which doesn't hurt.

[czeester]

Great video!! But I have quite standard question that many youtubers may ask, what song is at 5:40 ?? :)

[soundchaseruk]

I stayed here on my 1st ever night in HK and alone. At 53 y o I was gobsmacked by the inside, as it didn't feel like I was in HK at all. I had booked a room in a guesthouse, allegidly run by a retired English pilot !!! More like oyur local india and NO they have no room for me. Well i did get a pokey room which was disgusting. never saw all these other places as you show in the film, but perversly I am pleased I stayed there, and survived. The Mirador nearby is similar but better I think

[jgairsoftnet]

a bed rent should be 500-1000 HKD per month

[damek666]

you really suck, dickhead.

[MilwaukeeFtw]

What's the Hong Kong exchange rate like at the moment?

Like what's 1,000,000 HKD worth when converted to British pounds £ or American dollars?

Keep up the videos mate :) I hope to travel to the Far East one day :D

[maxflyingcowboy]

what's the song starting at 3:00 please? thanks

[maxflyingcowboy]

it must be an experience for sure, but god.. what a shit hole!!!

[kaattiiex]

this is a great place to stay for only 150 hkd, try capital guesthouse or fortunate guesthouse in block A, i found them to be the nicest and most friendly, but cosmic guesthouse over the road is a little more maybe but its much much nicer, maybe only 30 khd more a nite

[9810blacksheep]

Very nice video ! btw you live in the building? i always walk pass the building and I just think that it's a bit scary cause there are all these indians around ( not being a racist tho ). you enjoy it?

[monkeetime]

@9810blacksheep I live in New Territories, but visit the Chungking Mansions very often. LOOOOOVE the Indian restaurants there, best deal in town. Don't be afraid, pop in for a treat!

[BobbyC321]

Great video guys! Really enjoyed it. I lived in Star Mansion for six months which is the building behind Chungking and it was awful! Convenient though!

[ruideng111]

i stayed here for a while when i was travelling. stayed in a bathroom converted into a bedroom. had no windows. was an experience though

[spacemanspiff33]

Honestly...in the long run, for the price, I would rather hop on an airasia flight from HKG to Thailand where guesthouses can be found for half that price....but probably still wouldn't mind a night or two here just for the heck of it :) Great vid!

[Cathalon]

Do you have stairs in your house? 2:16 :)

[galileo021728]

Great video! I was just about to book something there. Maybe I should start looking somewhere else! Haha, just kidding. Will be a great experience i hope!

If you have one particular place to recommend, an advice will be welcomed. And what's an average price for a double bed room; like yours, per person? Thanks!

[DogyKane]

far less cool than the 'kowloon walled city', too bad it no longer exist

[twentyoaks]

just came back from visiting hong kong and stayed at chungking mansions for 4 nights, I definitely would visit the mansion again, appreciate the indian food and shops but would not spend the night there. The mansions are undertaking a million dollar renovation to install LED rainbow lights on the outside, so the whole building is covered with green tarp and scaffolding. Which makes it more creepier to stay in and probably a bigger fire hazard!

[AboriginalinCHINA]

LOL!! So many memories I have. I have stayed in that hotel complex I don't know how many times... the Indian rest is one of my favorites... I had lunch there about 4 months ago.... great food!

[maxthemadman]

strange question to ask on a video thats nearly three years old.....but! what video editor dyou use?

[monkeetime]

@maxthemadman a disgustingly buggy Premiere Elements 4 on a disgustingly crappy Acer laptop. If you think you should use either, i reccomend sleeping in your garage with the car running... horrible, horrible software and hardware combo...

[darknessb930]

Hong Kong is a really fun place to visit... you should go some times..

[Prisonmate]

Excellent Video. Horrible Music.

[monkeetime]

@Prisonmate  WTF is wrong with the music??

[coolspot18]

I've been to Hong Kong several times but I would NEVER stay at Chungking Mansions. This is building is one of the armpits of HK...There are much much nicer places to visit / stay. Why subject yourself to this place?!

[monkeetime]

@coolspot18 People are interested in this place for the same reason they are interested in India, Burj Dubai, and the Gobi Desert - because it is different. You will not find a "hotel accomodation" like this in the west, which makes it rare to us.

[coolspot18]

@monkeetime I understand perhaps visiting the place (I'm fascinated by HK's old-wall city), but I don't know about living there. I'm probably not adventurous enough :)

[coolspot18]

@monkeetime No, but even Hong Konger won't stay in this place - it's built to lure foreigners.

[grahamw56]

@coolspot18 I lived there for more than a year. It's an experience. I was working, and saving up my money. Horses for courses. If you're just a tourist or someone with a limited outlook on life, sure go and be pampered in your safe and uninspiring little existence. Later I moved into a beautiful beach-side apartment on Lantau Island.

[TheJoshsam]

Great job with this vid!!! I love the place...so much to dicover on one building alone!

I also want to ask how the song is called at 6:30

[poleag]

@TheJoshsam Cutty Ranks - Limb by Limb

[TheJoshsam]

@poleag Thanks!!!!

[Pixiedust1807]

Did you guys need some sort of special permission to access the rooftop?

[monkeetime]

@Pixiedust1807 Nopes, it was wide open and up for grabs...

[bobbydazzler714]

Great little film well done

[exkonos32]

good weed!

[erikyiuchung]

lol all the text is from wikipedia

[Sechari]

aah, this brought back so many memories, thanks for filming/posting this. Though when I was there the main shopping area wasn't marbled out yet, was still concrete back then, hehe. Chungking mansion is both one of the most aweful and amazing places I've ever stayed at, I can't wait to visit HongKong again!

[TaeKwonDohBoy]

For Americans, the room prices in USD range from $19.33 to $25.78 (as of this posting).

I, for one, will still hold off from visting until the wiring problems are fully resolved. And I expect that to be a series of very long waits.

[TheSupaFlex]

The food there looks so good

[moneyindabank]

I like that song at 6:15. Anyone know what it's called?

[lobelia2]

this is the scariest and most ghetto place in all of hk.

[elektroindi]

Have you been there? I am fascinated by Kowloon Walled City and they say that this is the closest thing to it.

[ginrun]

good job monkeetime, luv your vid:)

[JSPRFRDKS]

What's the name of the song starting at 6:15 ??

[chromelemon]

Dude, I now had a serious nostalgia trip after watching this video. I miss the Chungking mansion. I hated it at first, but it was such a great experiance to stay there.

[mikecacho]

Is it safe here to stay?

[monkeetime]

@mikecacho yeah it's fine

[Graddee]

Wow, so that's what it's like inside. I think I'll stick with the plaza athenee hotel :P

[metalguyn]

I stayed here with my girlfriend for 2 nights and it was INSANE!! the guys out front kept mobbing us trying to sell us a hotel room. Totally cool experience though :)

[photojimsf]

Total flashback, I stayed a block away at the Mirador Mansions, very similar. I hung out at the Chung King a bit, especially for currency changing. Thanks your video really captures it well.

[PlzDuntBanMe]

This is the most sketchiest place on earth. I've been there once.

[robertschelly]

There is a Moslem restaurant of some sort on about the Sixth Floor. They are not terribly friendly, but if you are male and neatly dressed, you might get in. Once in, the food is excellent and very cheap. It was the best meal I had in a week in HK and Kowloon.

[BGainey100]

do you live thear or wear you just visiting

[xraycortina]

Lots of good memories about this place. Thanks for posting.

[fiftyplusandgay]

What a wonderful trip down memory lane for me watching your video. Very informative and entertaining too. I stayed a few doors away at the Mirador Mansions, but was @ the Chung King shopping and changing currency and people watching there every day.

[sorshachen]

Great video! I passed the Chungking Mansions many times, but never had the courage to go inside.

[outraged4U]

WIKIPEDIA SAYS: known to be a centre of drugs, and a refuge for petty criminals, scammers,illegal immigrants. a Police swoop in 1995, 1,750 people were questioned, 45 men and seven women from various Asian and African countries were arrested including failing to produce proof of identity, overstaying, using forged travel documents, for , and possessing dangerous drugs.[In "Operation Sahara" , 52 men and seven women from 14 countries were arrested ...''

[kozya27]

thanks a lot for the video! i want to be back there again! an amazing place)

[homerbear46]

you will be offered "hashish" here...I'd avoid it as I believe it has some opium...and god knows whatever else ...in it.

it also comes in quarter-ounce cling-film-wrapped "bullets" which are inserted into the Nepalese/Pakistani's anus before their flight from Katmandu.

[madad24601]

cool thanks, i'll be staying here in feb so good to have a look round before i go!

[elektroindi]

You can´t beat the old Kowloon Walled City. The place was amazing.

[nbryant33]

Thanks for this, loved it! I spent 5 nights in Chungking in May. At first it was awful, but the place really grows on you. Lots of great bargains and the best Indian food almost anywhere. Real cultural melting pot, a building that's a living, breathing thing.

[Blitz4000]

Fuck you Hong Kong, Your a shithole. Burn in Hell!

[GgreatWwhite]

Thankyou so much, I enjoyed every second of that!

It looks like the type of place I would enjoy living in. I like things to be basic and simple!

[mukatuna]

The place looks like something from Call of Duty, Modern Warfare.

[fireworksholland]

stayed there in 1988 when the fire happened, but wasn't in at the time. wouldn't dare go back in again; stayed in another hotel which turned out to be a brothel - paradise compared to this though!

[Xavium808]

lol I paid 80HKD/night for a 1 person "room". It was much smaller than you're room. This place was a hell hole.

[mukatuna]

A hell hole indeed, that's what I was thinking.

It sure would be an interesting building for some Airsoft, Paintball or even Laserquest. A group could have some real fun here playing at urban-guerillas.

[legamas]

Travelling to HK  next month. Very informative helpful vid. Thanx guyz!

[JBondski]

It'd be nice if you credited Wikipedia, where the intro comes from verbatim.

[nonchessguy]

Thanks! Now I've seen something cool today.

[HellfireRE]

Wow what an amzing place, hope I can go there sometime. Thanks very much for the documentary!

[seblor]

Nice documentary! I just stayed there for 60 HK on 16th floor in a room with 12 bunkbeds. There was an old guy living in one of them. He had all of his stuff hanging around the bed and bottles in the window it was quite a cool experience, but didn't feel completely safe :S

[GNARRRRKILL]

place looks awesome !

judging from the vid it seems to have sort of a cyberpunk-feeling to it, but maybe that's just me..

i just hope it's still going to be there when i finally have the $ for a trip to HK - let's pray that it won't be replaced by some sterile, brand-new skyscraper anytime soon :D

thx for the great video, loved every second of it

P.S. : does anyone know the name of the song starting at 2:50 ? it's not part of one of the two other aforementioned songs..

[morfinictrauma]

nicely done! haha....looks like u guys had fun XDD

[sampsonbadman]

great vid. Will def, have to visit there!

[iamgreg007]

Great video! I was just there. First place cost 80 HKD for a double room but we had to flee from bedbugs at 2am. Then we found a better closet...err, I mean room, for $130 per night with AC, cable and free wifi. I can still smell the curry and garbage and hear the guys chasing after me asking to eat at their Indian resturant.

[theelman]

GREAT VIDEO!! I stayed in Chungking for a glouris few days that I was in HKK. Loved it. Your video brought back so many memories. I wish I'd known I could get on the roof! Looked superb!

[NEXPAR]

I stayed there with dad as a kid back in 1978 when we were in Hong Kong.

[kalakalachuchu]

thats not the cheapest and i live in hong kong since i was born.

I know a place where you only have to pay 150$ per day for double bed.

And it is reallyreally clean looking then this one.

Bad documentary

[monkeetime]

Yeah, totally awful documentary...

[richard1575]

@kalakalachuchu i stayed at the chongking mansions for 70 HKD a night and my room was perfect. it was clean and although the lobby was weird and sketchy, it was such a good deal. not every one has as much money of you asshole. keep your facist capitalist ass comments to yourself, go back to your mansion on victoria peak so i can hope a landslide brings it down

[valcaron]

I'm not a traveling type of person at all, but for some reason I feel an insatiable need to visit this place.

[jrl53]

@valcaron I hear ya

[jinn13]

$175 HKD = $22.50 USD a night. You paid way too much for that room. Should have been around $5 a night.

[TkyoSam]

Thanks for the movie dude, I am going to stay there starting tomorrow. Thanks for uploading teh vid bro ^^

[maxisms]

I stayed here for 3 nights.....well u cant stay in during the day because the rooms r roughly the size of a billiards table.......no jokes!!

Ideal for budget travellers as rooms are 150-200 hkd or 25-30$ US.

Not ment for people used to even 2 star accommodation.......But if you need to change money in HK this is the best place .you get 10% more than at the airport or any other money changer

[bombsiteweed]

I spent my first night in Hong Kong in Chungking Mansions on a boiling hot day in August 1988, Hungover and jetlagged. Freaked out a bit when I found that the place where I was supposed to meet up with my friends in Mirador Mansions had burnt down the day before!

[bananas1789]

Great video! I'm going to Hong Kong soon and was considering Chungking for a while, but after seeing this, I think I'll pay the extra cash to get a safer place.

Have any YOUNG FEMALE travelers stayed here on your own before?

[Maomaomoo]

I would HIGHLY not recommend staying there. ESPECIALLY if you're a female.

I used to go there with a friend for community service. But we had to quit in a month because just going there was so nerve wrecking. I know i'm going to sound paranoid but you can feel them eyeing you. It was just a really scary experience :(

They have amazing samosas and curry tho :]

I sometimes visit there from time to time. But i make sure i don't wear skirts and bring a guy friend with me :P

[deepeeeh]

Fascinating. Does a Japanese equivalent to this place exist does anybody know. (that's where I need to find a cheap place)

[goodchlochlo]

Chungking mansions is where all the asylum seekers live before they have the right to abode. thants why its so cheap and cultually diverse

[moewishaw]

BTW what does mess mean as in Waqas Mess 4.44, I noticed alot of the Indian/Pakistani restaurants have this in the title. For example, one was called Pakistan Mess.

[dbholland200]

It basically quite simply means restaurant/place to eat, etc. Just as in the military they have "Mess Halls" which is simply the dining facility.

[moewishaw]

thanx. it must be an americanism?

[dbholland200]

I wasn't sure of the origin so I googled it. It appears to be a very old term. Google "Mess food word origin" and read the Yahoo answers link. I can't post the link on youtube apparently.

[adnmoh1]

omg, no sane person goes to chungking, unless you got no money you do not go to chung king. why didnt you go to the wampoa gardens???

[moewishaw]

WTF are you talking about. Seriously, have you yourself ever been. Most "sane" people know that the best exchange rates are found in the foreign exchanges as you enter Chungking masions. Secondly there is a great mix of cultures and businesses, which make it great if you fancy some Bollywood dvds, or an Indian meal for example.

[goody2shoes11]

I'm sane and I love this place. This place is a sensory delight! Sure if you are used to 2 stars and up Hotels, stay way. Gotta live and just see new things.

[zahnarsch]

Great vid and music! Thanks for all the infos!

Really awesome input!

[cesttoal]

hasheesh?

[chamanico73]

ohhhhh yeahhhh, black afgan!!!!!

[nigel106]

Looks like a real shit-hole. Thanks for the vid!

[imrickjamesbitch23]

thats hk for u. and i love it

[ConstantC4]

I wanna go to HK once , alot of interesting things there , but unless theres a practicl reason to it I hate to waste time and money on tourism (although who knows one time , as a backpacker might be awesome)

[animefreak2346]

Well done, seriously. That's a hell of a place I'd love to visit someday...As long as they don't decide to tear it down all of a sudden.

Awesome vid.

[jagga321]

No one hs presented Chung King Mans better than u hv, lots of familiar faces n lol at bollywood song hahah

5 Stars!

[LWDT45]

What's the name of the song starting at 4:45? Very catchy.

[monkeetime]

It's from Madlib The Beat Conducta (vol. 3 or 4), but I have no idea what the song name is.

[vegetablemagnetism]

God, I lived in various hostels there in '91-92, and next door Mirador Mansions. Doesn't look like it's changed at all. Never could get over how there's ZERO cheap hotel accomodation in Hongkong. Some good curry houses in Chungking, but wouldn't recommend it for living. Wonder if the corners of the stairwells are still borwn from guys spitting beetelnut juice.

[NewChicago]

I stayed at Mirador Mansions this past April. For that being my first time in Hong Kong and needing cheap accomodations, it wasn't that bad. Next time I hope to secure much better lodgings.

[kenmorgan1984]

Excellent, I actually explored the place a few months ago , in the middle of the night , things really do go bump in the night there.

[vanessaseed]

very authentic walkabout! hasnt changed in at least 20 years (when i was last there) however had only been in the arcade and a filipino restaurant on 2nd or 3rd floors - never ventured further up - it is a bit scary!

[DrMsIrKK]

imagen how KWC would have been, nice vid

[bobdallon]

I've always wanted to visit but my mum refused to go inside!I couldn't bear to watch that "pit" in 2:38. Imagine falling down there? Is that where they dump their rubbish?

[monkeetime]

It's highly illegal, but people do occasionally toss garbage down there.

[cyberflip9]

Great song, what is it?

[monkeetime]

The Hiphop bit is M.I.A. and Diplomacy, Cutty Ranks (album "Piracy Funds Terrorism" Vol.1).

[hostelwatcher]

Be sure to visit, but DON'T STAY THERE!

I've lost count of how many people have had their STUFF STOLEN there.

Also, constant POLICE RAIDS tend interrupt a good nights sleep.

Finally the noise of constant construction will drive you crazy!

[samonella]

that was BRILLIANT

[Jean2291]

Yeah very well captured. It seems even more instese than Bangkok. I did not know you could go on the rooftop.

[UBIX89]

what do you mean more instese than bangkok?? what is it like there??

[Tigerfly04]

So, they have an underwear expert and an African expert...do they have an African underwear expert? Could come quite in handy for those of us who like to buy the animal print variety.

Man, what I would give for a shawarma and a samosa. Mmmm.

[wubi2008]

strange place

[pingwu1974]

Well captured!

[yokoyang86]

Awesome! This i think is ur best video ever!