Hong Kong revisited: Day 1
I *heart* Hong Kong.
I really, really do.
This time round, it was a company trip over four days (more like 3 days actually... got there Thursday, back on Sunday). It was pretty free and easy, despite the compulsory meal at Jumbo Kingdom (which offered pretty bleh food meant for less discerning tourists), followed by a long bus ride to Repulse Bay (pictured below) where the ridiculously rich live, overlooking the South China Sea (rental for one of the nicer apartments here = HK$125,000 per month). The beach was abit too 'manicured' for my taste and apparently they're building a little mall in front of it right too. Geez.
Next was a visit to the jewellery 'factory' where they tried to hawk us some gems. Because Hong Kong's a tax-free port, jewellery's supposedly cheaper here. They even offered an additional 40% off our purchases. One quick look at the prices in the showroom of bling told me they marked up the prices. Even with 40% off, it's really no big deal. Not that I'm a jewellery kinda girl, but I do like looking at pretty pieces in window displays, and it was more than obvious that we were brought into a tourist trap.
We finally checked into Royal Plaza in Mongkok. YL and I got a really huge room to ourselves. Really spacious, and probably meant for the physically disabled. We dumped our bags, rested awhile and started our walk down from Mongkok to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) with TL and DK. It was a fun 4-hour walk cos we stopped alot along the way to nibble and scout for bargains at Fa Yuen St (Shoe Street), Tung Choi St (Ladies St), Goldfish and Pets St, Temple St Market in Yau Ma Tei, walked through Jordan, and Nathan Rd before finally reaching the beef noodle place at Haiphong Rd in TST. And we had a lot to 'nibble' on.
From porridge and char leung at Bute St...
...to a mango platter at Hui Lau Shan nearby. I love the mango pudding here (one evening I went there alone while the others were resting before dinner and ate one whole mango pudding by myself )
...to cow offal and bacon by the roadside.
To the infamous chow dao fu or stinky beancurd. It was foul, but curiousity got the better of me (and that's DK recoiling in disgust at the smell).
...to creamy Steamed Milk with Double Skin (can you see the skin?) and steamed egg custard at Yee Shun Milk Company (which got DK giggling with happiness).
After the beef noodles at Gold Lake (a hole in the wall) in Haiphong Rd, we hopped over to the Starbucks behind The Peninsula so DK could eat a vegetarian quiche. Yes, she's a vegetarian. By choice too!
We then found a cool jazz bar called Ned Kelly's Last Stand on Ashley Rd, apparently the oldest jazz bar in Asia. There was a house band led by Colin Aitchison, a trombonist. In the band there's a trumpeteer who doubled as a crooner, a saxophonist, a keyboardist cum banjo player, a bassist and a drummer.
The music's old school big band style, and it would've been been more enjoyable if not for the bunch of drunk Irish guys making a total nuisance of themselves. Anyhow, we caught one set and finished a huge pitcher of Strongbow cider before we went back to the hotel by MTR. What a night!
Hong Kong revisited: Day 2 >>
I really, really do.
This time round, it was a company trip over four days (more like 3 days actually... got there Thursday, back on Sunday). It was pretty free and easy, despite the compulsory meal at Jumbo Kingdom (which offered pretty bleh food meant for less discerning tourists), followed by a long bus ride to Repulse Bay (pictured below) where the ridiculously rich live, overlooking the South China Sea (rental for one of the nicer apartments here = HK$125,000 per month). The beach was abit too 'manicured' for my taste and apparently they're building a little mall in front of it right too. Geez.
Next was a visit to the jewellery 'factory' where they tried to hawk us some gems. Because Hong Kong's a tax-free port, jewellery's supposedly cheaper here. They even offered an additional 40% off our purchases. One quick look at the prices in the showroom of bling told me they marked up the prices. Even with 40% off, it's really no big deal. Not that I'm a jewellery kinda girl, but I do like looking at pretty pieces in window displays, and it was more than obvious that we were brought into a tourist trap.
We finally checked into Royal Plaza in Mongkok. YL and I got a really huge room to ourselves. Really spacious, and probably meant for the physically disabled. We dumped our bags, rested awhile and started our walk down from Mongkok to Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) with TL and DK. It was a fun 4-hour walk cos we stopped alot along the way to nibble and scout for bargains at Fa Yuen St (Shoe Street), Tung Choi St (Ladies St), Goldfish and Pets St, Temple St Market in Yau Ma Tei, walked through Jordan, and Nathan Rd before finally reaching the beef noodle place at Haiphong Rd in TST. And we had a lot to 'nibble' on.
From porridge and char leung at Bute St...
...to a mango platter at Hui Lau Shan nearby. I love the mango pudding here (one evening I went there alone while the others were resting before dinner and ate one whole mango pudding by myself )
...to cow offal and bacon by the roadside.
To the infamous chow dao fu or stinky beancurd. It was foul, but curiousity got the better of me (and that's DK recoiling in disgust at the smell).
...to creamy Steamed Milk with Double Skin (can you see the skin?) and steamed egg custard at Yee Shun Milk Company (which got DK giggling with happiness).
After the beef noodles at Gold Lake (a hole in the wall) in Haiphong Rd, we hopped over to the Starbucks behind The Peninsula so DK could eat a vegetarian quiche. Yes, she's a vegetarian. By choice too!
We then found a cool jazz bar called Ned Kelly's Last Stand on Ashley Rd, apparently the oldest jazz bar in Asia. There was a house band led by Colin Aitchison, a trombonist. In the band there's a trumpeteer who doubled as a crooner, a saxophonist, a keyboardist cum banjo player, a bassist and a drummer.
The music's old school big band style, and it would've been been more enjoyable if not for the bunch of drunk Irish guys making a total nuisance of themselves. Anyhow, we caught one set and finished a huge pitcher of Strongbow cider before we went back to the hotel by MTR. What a night!
Hong Kong revisited: Day 2 >>
says Wandernut on Sunday, September 30, 2007
1 wandered by:
hou yee see talk about food that looks SO GOOD somemore never tah pau????
Post a Comment
<< Home