HONG KONG Day 2: HK Island - Central, Escalator & The Peak

We woke up early, hopped onto our hotel's shuttle bus and got ourselves to TST. The plan for the day was to have dimsum, then to take the Star Ferry over to Central and explore the city. Then we were to take Escalators up to see the Midlevels (it's a super long escalator going uphill crossing several streets). Then walk through the Botanical Gardens to the Lower Peak Tram Staion.

Things were going as planned for the first half of the day. We had a sumptious brunch at Tao Heong 88, at the corner of Haiphong and Canton Road. The prices were good (averaging HKD78 for both of us) and the dimsum was delicious.

The fluffiest char siew bao (BBQ Pork Buns).


Big har gows (prawn dumplings) and fun kors (vege dumplings).


Juicy siew mais (pork and prawn dumplings).


Crispy bean curd rolls and yummy cheong fun with prawns (flat rice rolls).


Fragrant Fried Radish Cake.


If we could stomach more we would've. We shared a table with some chatty old ladies, so we got to experience what a true HK yumcha session is like.

We needed our daily dose of caffeine, so we made out way to the nearest Starbucks at the corner of Hankow Road. But before we could get there, we saw it. And Esprit Outlet. It was right next to Starbucks. Thinking we should have a quick look before we got our coffee, we went in. Our motto was, "not really looking for mass produced clothes, but lets check it out anyway."

We got out about 2 hours later. With 2 big bags.
This Esprit Outlet is a must go. Lots of stuff from Esprit's previous seasons and collections. All at a third or half their original prices. I bought 2 polo Ts, a shirt, 2 tops and some Red Earth make up (see, I trying to be more girly). ST bought alot more.

When we got out, we really needed the coffee to ponder over our shopping. And surprise, surprise. Blueberry cheesecakes in Starbucks were made with real fruit. Fresh blueberries sitting prettily on sour cream icing. I couldn't have it though (not after all that dimsum).

After we caffeinated ourselves, we realised we could have lunch after all. And found this roast meat shop on Ashley Road (parallel to Hankow) that was absolutely amazing. It served the best siew yoke (roast pork) I've ever had. And a mean roast goose.


The pork was juicy, tender, and crispy at the same time.


The goose was delicious.


Hmm. Maybe we were hungry after all.

After lunch, we went to the Star Ferry Pier. And onto the wrong ferry. For some weird reason I kept thinking we were supposed to go to Wan Chai. But no matter, we got into a red cab (yay, a HK cab ride) to Central, and found our way to the Escalator.

We went up and up and up. Through and over 5 streets. We got to see the Mid Levels of Hong Kong. Lots of shops and restaurants on boths side of the Escalator. Then it was towering apartments. When we finally reached the top, it was suddenly a quiet suburban area.

We then made our way to the Lower Peak Tram via the Botanical Gardens. People were walking their dogs and jogging. It was really a nice area to be in, away from the hustle and bustle. We soon found the tram station and stood in line to get on it. A couple behind us tried to push, elbow and shove their way through us when the doors opened. But I stubbornly stood my ground and not let them through. Even when in the tram, they pushed us aside to get the seats that they wanted. Such uncivilised behaviour. Wide-eyed, they looked like they were just released from some remote hole in the ground. They had a brood of teenage children with them. I hope they're learning their manners from someone else.

The Peak was a lovely place. By the time we got up, it was about 7pm. There was a nice breeze blowing. And we took a steep hike up for a closer look at the luxury homes up the hill. Then back to the Peak Tower for the light and sound show from this vantage point. We obviously couldn't hear anything from up there. But the lights were pretty. And we got to see more of the harbour too. It started to get cold, so I sipped my coffee gratefully. We hung out there to chit-chat and enjoyed the cool night air for awhile before we made our way down again.

Once out of the tram station, we walked towards the direction of Lan Kwai Fong. Past the snooty FCC club (members only) and The Fringe Club. Alot of shops were closed in the area, so there wasn't much to look at. Just lots of pubs and restaurants. We didn't go in for a drink because a) we looked a mess - wind-swept hair and fatigued after a very long day and b)with all the bags we're carrying and the moolah we spent, we decided to save our drinks for our last night in Hong Kong.

We didn't feel like a heavy dinner, so we found simple chiu-chow style porridge place opposite the famous Yung Kee restaurant for a humble meal. I had oyster porridge (lots of juicy oysters in a watery rice soup) and ST had minced pork one. And we washed it down with some beer (HKD20 for a bowl of porridge, and another HKD20 a big bottle of Carlsberg. Not bad at all!).

After dinner we walked to the Central Station nearby and got out at the station near our hotel. We walked back, all shopped and pooped out. Only to begin all over again the next day.

<< PREVIOUS
>> NEXT: HK Island - Sheung Wan, Causeway Bay, Stanley & Lamma Island.