Hong Kong Holiday: Day Seven

This was our earliest morning we had had so far, getting out of the hotel by 9:30 and heading to the train, to Tung Chung (the end of the line). The train was very busy but the stop before ours was the interchange for the train to Disneyland and many people got off there so that was reassuring. We were headed to the Nyong Ping 360, a cable car up to a tourist village at the top of a hill on Lantau Island (we had changed islands while on the train to Tung Chung).

However, we were sorely disappointed. We had even booked our tickets online to try to make it a faster progress on to the cable car proper. But when we got there, the line was MASSIVE! I was so glad to have my Kindle, as I read a lot of my book and listened to a podcast while we lined up to collect our tickets and then lined up for the cable car itself. All up, we arrived at 10:30 to the queue, and we got on a cable car at 1pm. It was 2.5 hours!!!

The cable car itself was pretty cool though - it’s a 25 minute journey and we had booked the “Crystal Cabin”, which meant the cabin had a glass floor so we could look down as well as out. It was a very cool ride, although I couldn’t look down for long! At the top, there is a whole village of food and touristy places, so we started with lunch given the time. We ended up at Subway purely because it had the shortest queue. We were patiently waiting for someone to serve us when this chubby Chinese kid pushed in front of us, said ‘excuse me’ loudly and repeatedly and then ordered while we stood there, dumbfounded and shocked. We tried to say something, but they didn’t appear to speak English (or were pretending not to), which was frustrating and rude!

After our lunch, we decided to check out the fishing village nearby, as it was a bus to get there which finished running earlier than the cable car. So we waited about 10 minutes for the bus then stood as it swayed and bumped its way down to Tai O. It was gorgeous there, warmer and sunny. People ran shops out of their front rooms selling every kind of dried fish you can imagine as well as trinkets and treats. We got a voucher with our cable car ticket to a boat ride, which took us through the streets (well, canals) of water in between the houses. Almost all the houses in the building are on stilts in the water and we got to really admire them as we went through the village. Then the boat went out into the ocean, in the hopes that we would see a pink dolphin! However, it was about 2pm by then and bright and sunny, so we did not have any luck spotting anything other than seabirds. Then we wandered more through the village, got some delicious donuts to eat as we walked, and generally explored, before heading back to the bus back up to Nyong Ping.

Once back in Nyong Ping, we went to the monastery, which was beautiful. They apparently have a fantastic vegetarian restaurant there, but it was closed, so we just wandered through the temples admiring the buildings. Then we headed right up to the very top of the mountain, to what is probably the main attraction, a giant Buddha statue right on the top of the hill. It was so big and so welcoming, even though it was also closed by then. We were able to walk around though and admire his calm stillness. Despite not being spiritual, I really enjoyed the Buddha. By that time, it was about 6pm and we decided we’d better head back to the cable car to go home for dinner. However, many other people obviously had the same idea because the line was huge! Again, we waited in line while I read my book, and shivered in the cold breeze as the sun went down. I was only wearing a tshirt and shorts, and it was cold and windy. Not a very pleasant time!

This time it was only 90 minutes we were in the queue... Before we headed back to Tung Chung, and Central from there.We stopped at a place there called Tsui Wah (a kind of Chinese fast food place, a restaurant with a very extensive menu including Western food). We both picked noodle dishes, which were so yummy and after so much walking we were both very hungry! We were also tired though, because we then went straight back to the hotel and into our bed.

Hong Kong Holiday: Day Eight

I had one more day in Hong Kong - I flew out on Thursday evening (actually my flight got delayed and it ended up being very early Friday morning instead), late enough that I actually had time to spend doing things! I had another terrible sleep due to the bad bed and pillows, so gave myself some time to relax a little. I was also sore from lots of walking over the past week. So I wandered around Central for a little while before meeting Richard at his work for lunch. I got to request what I wanted for my last lunch - dim sum, obviously! So we went to a little place where we got some of our usuals (bbq pork buns, shrimp dumplings) and some new ones (pork and quail egg dumplings, which were quite delish!). Richard then had to go back to work, so I headed back over to Mong Kok to make good on some shopping I had been hoping to do a few days ago but hadn’t been brave enough to do. First I picked up a skirt from a store, which was a lovely layered grey skirt with silver stars on it. I saw lots of these styles of skirts in HK and luckily they have elastic waists, so will definitely fit me even though I’m not the same body type as most Asian women.

I also went back to the Ladies Market, where I had my heart set on a Michael Kors handbag. I have wanted one for a long time but couldn’t justify the cost when I already have nice handbags at home. However, I went in and looked at a bag before asking the price. I was quoted $380 (about 38 pounds), but here you haggle, and I had a price limit of $300. So I offered that, and the lady at the stall countered with $350. So I looked at it again, before saying it was too expensive and turning to walk away. But before I had taken a single step the lady grabbed me on the arm, saying ‘okay, okay’ and accepted my price. I was so pleased! I did have to go back, as she took out the long strap by mistake. I was worried that this was a ploy to get more money out of me, just for the strap, but it wasn’t and I got it with no trouble.

After all that tiring bargain shopping, I headed back to the hotel to chill, pack and shower. Richard and I had a quick dinner in the hotel before I headed to the airport. With my flight delayed, there was a lot of passing time, but after reading most of my book we eventually took off and I was on my way to Sydney!

Hong Kong Holiday: Day Six

This morning we were headed to the Jade market to check it out, so when we left the hotel we headed for Central and from there to Jordan which was the closest stop. However, it being CNY, the Jade market was completely closed. While that means it won’t be open until Friday after I leave, Richard will try and get a chance to visit later in his time in HK. So we wandered around that area, working our way back towards the Ladies’ Market. We stopped for fresh juice, I bought a second band for my Apple Watch, and I picked up a cute skirt at a cheap store (for the equivalent of about 8 pounds), before deciding some time around 3pm we should eat some lunch. We found a local dim sum which was very cheap and delicious to stop for lunch in that area.

After that we headed back to Central and the hotel to make a quick change of shoes to proper walking shoes. Then we continued up hill, to the Peak. We had intended to take the Peak Tram, but it was crazy busy so we just walked. It took about 45 minutes, but it was super super up hill. It was sweaty hiking! At the top is a viewing platform inside a shopping centre, but they closed it due to crowding and so we went to a balcony instead. It was quite hazy but we could see a lot and it was really pretty. The sun set while we were there which we pretty much missed due to the weather, but it was a really pleasant walk back down in the dark.

For dinner we decided we wanted a small geographical change, so we went for sushi to a sushi train called Genki Sushi. But it is not a sushi train like you would expect! There were three rails in front of us, different levels, and the train came out to deliver our dishes, stopped in front of us, then returned to its depot at the kitchens. It was super cool! And I have to admit, Japanese made a nice change to all the Chinese food we’ve been having. Now we’re back in the hotel for a relatively early night before heading earlier than usual out to Lantau Island tomorrow for the day. Just tomorrow together left, then I have Thursday to myself before heading to Australia.

Hong Kong Holiday: Day Five

Today Richard worked again (it is Monday, and for HK natives, the day before Chinese New Year), so again I had the day to myself. I therefore had a reasonably relaxed morning (sensing a theme? We’ve been staying out late and it’s taking its toll...) and left around 11 to head out to something I was a bit nervous about. My plan for the day included going to the jade market, however after reading some reviews it didn’t sound particularly pleasant for me (lots of stories of being corralled to stalls, you have to haggle, they put things on you to try and coerce you into buying things), so I decided to only go if I could go with Richard on another day. We shall see...

So I headed on the train from Central to Sham Shui Po, an area that is known for it’s fabric shops, haberdashery and craft stores. However, I did pick a not very good day to go, as I couldn’t seem to find the fabric stores. That was because none of the ones I found were open (I had a map made by a crafty person that was supposed to be reasonably up to date, but of course that didn’t take this into account which is fair). I did find a street with about 5 open stores, most of which were craft stores. I picked up some gorgeous appliques (a floral motif in turquoise and 9 butterflies) in one of them. There was also the loveliest ribbon shop which had every kind of ribbon you could imagine and more! Plus about 100 different styles of tiny bows (like for ladies underwear). I actually went in there first and picked up some plain black ribbon and some black velvet ribbon to hand-sew onto a dress I need to finish soon, then I returned because I couldn’t get the amazing range out of my head! On my return trip I picked up some navy ribbon for trims, some black and gold elastic for an elastic waist skirt, and some silver piping to use for trimming a future project. All for very reasonable prices!

After that I headed back to Central, intending to go straight to my next destination - however, I remembered that I hadn’t eaten, it was 2:30pm and I got suddenly hungry! So I went to Tim Ho Wan, a train station branch of a Michelin starred restaurant serving dim sum. They do incredible shrimp dumplings, and the most phenomenal baked bbq pork buns. I got nearly the last order of them for the day (they closed at 3:30 for CNY) and they were so delicious!!!

Then I headed back out to Causeway Bay to go to a book shop. I have decided that I am going to try and buy a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone in the language of the countries I visit. I have Icelandic and Spanish from last year, and picked it up in Traditional Chinese today. It was just a little complicated finding a bookshop that had Chinese books in Central, as they all had mostly in English.

After that I felt like I needed a rest, so I headed back to the hotel to rest up until Richard finished work. He came up to the hotel when he finished and we discussed going to Wan Chai for the last night of the CNY night markets, but we were too tired to go out on the train, so we walked down towards Central until we found a good dinner place. We had roast again, and it was actually a little more expensive than we intended, but it was very tasty and I tried goose for the first tine which was yummy! Then back to the hotel to type up these blogs (written two tonight after our big night last night), and to bed before midnight for a change.

Hong Kong Holiday: Day Four

Richard was up early this morning to go on a bike ride with Rapha in the morning, so I was able to get a good sleep and do some knitting and such before he returned around half 11. He cycled around most of the island and reported that it was fantastic, if rather muggy. After he was ready, we headed into Central, caught the train out to Prince Edward station and then the no. 81 bus up to Kam Shan Country Park. This area is also known as Monkey Hill! A long time ago, people in the area had pet monkeys which they let go. Now... A hill full of wild monkeys! From the bus stop, there is an access road which also serves as the walking path. We took a detour off the path to the ‘family’ walking trail, which basically took us up a massive flight of stairs to the top of the hill. It was all quiet for a while, then you turn a corner and there are monkeys lying in the path! Mostly they were hanging out in pairs, picking off bugs, or just chilling around and in the path.

They have some rules when it comes to seeing these monkeys - firstly, do not bring plastic bags! The monkeys have been conditioned to recognise plastic bags and the sound they make and they associate this with food. So if they hear a plastic bag noise, they will run at you and try to get it away from you. We saw this happening to people up near the bus stop, and the monkeys were much more aggressive than I expected with those people. I actually had a little bit of food in a plastic bag, but I kept it tucked away inside my handbag and I didn’t have any troubles.

The monkeys are safest when they are relaxed, so another thing to avoid is staring at the monkeys. Of course, we were there to see them so that was hard, but there were certainly times where I just pointed the GoPro at the monkeys as I studiously avoided their gaze as I walked by. You could look at them, but at one point we stared a touch too long at a cute little one, only to have another monkey (presumbly its Mummy) start screaming at us, which made us jump and walk away very quickly! You can definitely look though. There were some splashing in the water, lots of grooming, babies playing in the trees, some of which seemed to have diseases, and even one old monkey who had lost an eye! It was so interesting to be so close although a little intimidating. But they’re clearly used to having humans around so there wasn’t much to worry about. 

After the family trail rejoined the main path, we turned back and headed back to the bus stop, the train and the hotel. We had just enough time to shower and change out of our sweaty things (it’s warming up now and quite humid during the days), before going back down to Central and catching the train down to Causeway Bay to meet up with my cousin Ben. He’s from Wagga Wagga in NSW but currently living in HK (and used to live in London too), and we catch up whenever we get a chance. He’s excellent to chat to and despite living overseas for years, has never lost his Aussie attitude. He picked an all you can eat hotpot place on the 29th floor, which also featured all you can drink! So we ate, and drank, and drank, and chatted, and went onto the terrace to drink and chat some more. It was so fantastic to catch up, and we were there until closing (6 hours all up!) before we headed home to flop into bed.

Hong Kong Holiday: Day Three

Over night I slept very badly, due to a combination of terrible pillows (classic 3 bears story - one was too soft, the other too hard), which resulted in me waking up at 3:30 and being awake for 2 hours. We had set alarms for 7:30, but before I'd even realised, Richard was poking me because we'd both just woken up and it was 10:40!! So we got ready to head to Macau anyway, as we figured it was the best day to do it, even with limited time.

We got onto the 1pm ferry with minutes to spare (and discounted tickets!) and headed over. We caught the ferry into Macau Taipa, which is closer to the old part of town, then a taxi closer to where we wanted to be. We started our exploring with one of the most famous sights, the ruins of St Paul's. There is only the front facade and some of the foundations left of this church, and it's remarkable, standing on the top of a hill surrounded by all this hustle and bustle. From there we went across to the next small hill where Mont Fort (mountain fort) stands. Again, only the edges are remaining, but it was a great spot to look over the city, and the Museum of Macau is in the centre of the fort.

Then we wandered more through the old part of town, where Richard sampled baked goods from stores, jerky which they seemed to be selling fresh at every shop, and bought some egg tarts (basically, Portuguese tarts, as Macau was originally a Portuguese settlement). I didn't partake as I spent most of the day not feeling well, I assume related to my lack of sleep. We walked all the way to the edge of the water on this side (Macau is split in half by water) where we arrived at the Wynn hotel and casino. We took a short walk through the casino before using their taxi rank to grab a taxi to the biggest casino in Macau - the Venetian.

The Venetian is also famous for having gondolas you can get rides on surrounded by a shopping mall. Richard had tried to find this on Google maps but confusingly hadn't been able to. We worked out pretty quickly why... It's all inside! All the blue sky in the photos is painted on. So it's a massive indoor shopping mall designed to look like Venice with gondolas you can go for a ride on, with many designer brands (a recurring theme after getting used to HK a bit). We walked around and did a bit of window shopping, but didn't actually buy anything except postcards. We walked all the way through the shopping centre to a different casino, the Parisian (they're all connected on this side of the road so you don't have to go outside to go to a different bit, convenient for the rainy season). 

The Parisian, as the name might suggest, has something in common with the real Paris - the Eiffel Tower. There is a half size one at the hotel/casino! We bought tickets to go to both the accessible floors, 7 and 37. Floor 7 at the base of the Tower had an ice skating rink for the winter, a cafe, and the lift. Floor 37 was the top viewing deck with the most amazing view over the rest of the casinos. They even had holes in the floor so you could look down at the lights on the Tower from above (I didn't like that much, but it did make for cool photos!) After going back down to 7, we sat on the terrace having an alcoholic drink and watching the lights, before deciding to find some dinner.

We actually ended up eating in the food court of the Parisian (japanese though, just for a change), before heading down into the casino for a spot of gambling.

The casino at the Parisian was bigger than I expected, and had lots of different games. There was a lot of slot machines and digital games, as well as traditional games like roulette, poker, and baccarat (which I have no idea about). We didn't play on any of the tables because they were all priced out of our range (the cheapest buy in was $300), so we picked a digital roulette game and put in $200 to play with. We just played until we were out of money (we did win a bit, but then kept going) before heading back to a taxi rank to get the get Water Jet back to HK.

We didn't get back until 11pm, so it was a late one, but it was also a late start, so that's okay. I enjoyed the casino time more than the old town, but I think that's just the kind of fancy lady I like to pretend to be!

Hong Kong Holiday: Day Two

For Day 2, Richard was working, so I had a lazy morning in, sleeping in, chilling in the hotel, and putting in some laundry of Richard’s for him. Richard and I were having lunch with Frankie at a dim sum restaurant of her recommendation, and it had an app with a digital queue. We were number 30, but the numbers went up quickly. It got to 20 about 12:15, so I headed down towards their work, however they had to run over to the restaurant (if you’re not physically there when they call your number you miss out) so I met them there instead. I think I’m getting the hang of these walkways!

Lunch was super delicious (food quality is clearly high in HK) - we had prawn dumplings, crab roe dumplings, bbq pork buns (love them!), spring rolls with prawn, and there was even more. Green tea to accompany, of course. Definitely worth the rushing.

After lunch Richard and Frankie had to return to work, so I decided to walk slowly back to the hotel and explore along the way. Frankie suggested Hong Kong Park, so I headed through the Paradise Place shopping centre to the Park. It is beautiful with lots of lovely lanscaping and fountains. I wandered through all of it, including the bird enclosures. Unfortunately the Aviary was closed, but it is due to reopen soon so I might try and go back later in the week. Then I wandered to its nearest neighbour, which is just across the road from out hotel... the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Park. It is bigger than HK Park but not quite as nice, although it does have quite a few kinds of monkeys and some meerkats you can visit!

On the way back to the hotel I found a supermarket, where I picked up some Pocky to snack on and a drink, then back to the hotel to chill for an hour or so until Richard finished work.

I met Richard back at his work just before 7, and we headed into one of the shopping malls to get me my belated birthday present - an Apple watch! So exciting, although I couldn't open it for hours while we went out afterwards. Then we caught the ferry across the harbour to Kowloon to watch the light show. Unfortunately we were too late to get access to the upstairs area where most of the speakers were, and there were lots of people talking downstairs so we couldn't hear the music very well at all, but the lights were very pretty regardless.

We wandered around the waterfront area for a while looking for somewhere to eat, but couldn't find anywhere that wasn't too fancy and/or too expensive, so we decided to head back into HK central and Richard suggested we go to a burger place he found when he had first arrived. When we arrived, Richard was greeted by the owner/chef, who remembered Richard from earlier in the week and seemed really pleased to see him again. The burgers were incredible (I had Frying Nemo, a catfish burger), and I also had garlic fries which came with truffle mayo and were so delicious! The owner and his wife were so chatty and friendly, they offered us recommendations for our time here, gave us a free drink, and even wanted our pictures for their Instagram! It was so lovely to chat to them and they looked after us so well.

Then it was time to head back to the hotel and set up my shiny new watch before going to bed. Up early to head to Macau for the day tomorrow!