HONG KONG, HONG KONG, PART 2
2015-12-28, 22:49, JASON
This is our second time in Hong Kong, staying with our friends Josh and Max. I'll make this entry more in-depth so you can get a better idea of what we did.
We arrived in at 9:30am. It was freezing compared to what we were used to. We just came from a single-season country, and touched down into the harsh winter. Actually, it was more like 16, but still, coming from Singapore that's a torrential blizzard.
For some reason, we thought we would be able to get to Macau for a day trip, but by the time we had arrived to HK-Macau ferry terminal, we had to wait another 1.5 hours for the boat to leave to Macau since it was too crowded. Looking back, I'm definitely glad that we saved ourselves for that trip. Read the Macau post as to find out all the wonders the country has to offer. So, a bit deject, we pop into the Dim Sum place recommended to us by Josh last time, and quickly got over it. Ate for some good spare pocket change, and was on our way . We decided to hike Victoria Peak. On the side, we thought it shouldn't be too bad with our bags since it was cold. The hike was steep -- not sure how people handle it in the summer with the humidity, but once we reached the top we were glad we accomplished it. We went via Old Peak Road, through some estate/apartments situated on the hillside, and eventually up the trail. Going up the whole way reminded us of San Francisco. Perhaps that's why Chinatown San Francisco was such a popular destination.. it was pretty much Hong Kong, just on different land. They both are situated near a bay, and have skylines, cool weather, etc.
After Victoria and wandering around in some park nearby, we met up with Josh and he gave us keys back. We ate with Josh and Max, and decided that we'd go to Macau the next day. Further on, I will combine the rest of the trip into this post and label them by different days. Thorin's family came on 2015-12-21, so we eventually merged activities with them.
-- Go read the Macau trip --
Day 2, 2015-12-19: We planned to meet up with an old friend from my MSc program in London, who was living in HK. He took us to a local HK breakfast where we had macaroni soup with ham, scrambled eggs, and HK tea. The food was a mix of western food (macaroni pasta, sliced ham) alongside Chinese flavor (tomato broth, tomatoes). The tea was on the milkier side, but not sweetened at all at its base, so it tasted like a perfect blend of dark, red tea and milk.
After, we met up with my cousin who was living there and her boyfriend. He was nice enough to drive us to Sai Kung to get a completely different perspective of Hong Kong -- I'm not sure we would have reached it without that car since it was out the way. The landscape quickly transformed away from the city-bustle urban decay to smaller, low-rise suburbia with a developed, fishing town feel nearby the pier. It was super cool, seeing a different perspective of local youth culture as well as historic HK culture and a strong cultural identity in the outskirts. It almost reminded me of Monterey, but way more HK-style. There would be boats with people who caught various seafood for the day, and you could point at the ones you wanted for them to reel up to you. There were also small shops and alleys with great food. We stopped in a local Thai restaurant. B0$$
Day 3, 2015-12-20: Had brunch this morning with Josh and Max to say goodbye to them. Thorin's parent's were coming in for the night, so we decided to check out IFC mall, and, I think that's about it. We walked around again in the city, and, that's really it. Actually, it was what it felt like to be local for once! Thorin's parents got in, and we all said our hellos. Shortly crashed afterwards, into the most HK-style apartment: small space, anonymous living in a high rise.
Day 4, 2015-12-21: First day with the family. We took Star Ferry with them across to Kowloon side, and walked around the high end shops for a bit. Took the ferry back over, and then weaved around the streets close to Central / Wan Chai ish, and then just started having some early drinks. Loved how older Chinese culture bled through urban jungle: aunties selling veggies, and little souvenir stands just between these giant buildings. For dinner, we decided to go to Pizza Hut. Not our usual haunt, but, I have to say.. probably the best Pizza Hut restaurant we've been to. There was waiter service (it was practically 5-stars relative to the U.S. variety), and we ordered freaking fondue. Fondue at a Pizza Hut. You have to have an appetite and a sense of humor to have dined fancy at Pizza Hut!
Day 5, 2015-12-22: Prior to this trip, Thorin and I hiked up Lantau Island to go see the Ngong Ping Big Buddha. That was a very fun experience. This time, we decided to take the gondola up with the family. Stood in line for a good two hours, and then took a good 20 minute ride to the top. At the top, we walked around, saw big Buddha, saw some monks, then headed down. The visibility this time was really nice, so we were able to actually see the statues and get the view of the mountains from the top. After returning back down, we took a trip to Kowloon, and went to The One mall, 21st floor, Wooloomooloo. Got a good view of that gothic-apocalyptic Hong Kong Skyline. Overall, a relaxing day, but quite a bit of mileage on our feet.
Day 6, 2015-12-23: The end of our HK trip! To end it off, we did a dejá vú trip and hiked Victoria Peak again. This time, it was more difficult since it was just hotter. Everyone had a good experience sweating and climbing it. However, visibility this day was the shits and when you got the top, you could barely see down into the city. It's a different experience to see the skyline shrouded in cloud, but amazing all in its own. Thoughts on HK this time? Super fun. It was nice to not have to totally be a tourist since we've seen most of the tourist sites the last time we were here. Likewise, the times where we were just walking around gave us a chance to blend in. Would I come back? Yes! And, we'd do a totally different part of it again. There's never enough time to see everything.