This neighborhood is much less ritzy and exclusive than the central part of Hong Kong, but there are still tons of restaurants and shops and just as many people. Shopping and eating actually seem to be the primary things to do in the area. At night they close one of the main streets to cars so it’s only open to pedestrian traffic. That doesn’t make it any less crowded... in fact maybe even more so. I wandered around after grabbing some food since I hadn’t eaten since breakfast on the plane. I first tried what I thought were vegetable won tons (but turned out to also include pork) with noodles at a dive place across the street from my hostel. The dish only cost 10 HKD ($1.28) and there was a good reason for that. It’s wasn’t very good. Feeling quite unsatisfied, I ended up going to the 7/11 next door to buy a yogurt drink and chips. After dinner I popped into a few shops, but with no desire (or luggage space) to buy anything I eventually got fed up with the crowds and headed home for the night.On Friday I had a bit of a lazy day, getting up late and then trying to get some things sorted for the next few legs of my trip. In the early afternoon I went to a coffee shop in Mong Kok for a late “breakfast” before taking the subway to the Central station over on Hong Kong Island. I came up above ground by a nice little park near an old British-era legislative building and sat down to read for a bit before heading towards the harbor. I checked out the view for a bit (which was somewhat marred by a bunch of construction going on down by the water) then walked east along the island among all the skyscrapers, banks, office buildings and designer clothing shops. Once the sun started to set and all the lights went on it was pretty cool to see the whole skyline transform. I grabbed a sandwich for dinner then walked back to the harbor where I had a happy hour glass of wine before calling it a night.
The next day I decided to pamper myself a bit and get a one-hour Chinese reflexology foot massage. A new place had just opened that was advertising a special deal for first-time customers. After all the walking I’ve doing and my ongoing plantar fasciitis issues, I thought it might help to ease some of the discomfort in my feet. Once I got there I decided to add on a 15-minute shoulder massage to help with my backpack-induced aches and pains. All in all it ended up being just about $30, including tip. It was a bit of a splurge, but I guess you need that every now and then when you’re on the road for so long.
After the massage I walked south down one of the main streets in Kowloon, as the peninsula across from Hong Kong Island is known, from Mong Kok to Tsim Sha Tsui right on Victoria Harbor. Along the way I stopped at a bookstore in search of English books, a local temple built for worshiping a seafaring god and the massive Kowloon Park of which I only skimmed the outskirts. The path along the water is known as the Avenue of the Stars, which, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honors the pioneers of Hong Kong cinema. As I watched the sun set and the lights turn on across the way, I felt a bit lonely for the first time since I started my trip. It seemed a bit sad to be surrounded by millions of people and yet have no one to talk to or share a cup of tea with.
Resigned to eating alone, I took the subway back up north and stopped at a restaurant where I had the most brilliant dinner dish ever-Ramen noodles topped with a fried egg. I know it sounds pretty gross, but it was actually super delicious and something I’m totally going to make on my own when I finally get back home. Once I returned to the hostel, I talked on Skype for over an hour with my friend Angie, little baby Emma (once she finally woke up) and a shirtless Jay (he finally did cover up.) That cured my loneliness blues for the time being and I went to sleep content.Today I had plans to meet up with college students Eric and Carena whom I met two weeks at my hostel in Beijing. There was a bit of confusion about the meeting place (mostly my fault) so between all the back and forth I ended up being 45 minutes late to see Eric. Eeekkk! We had lunch at a traditional Cantonese restaurant in the neighborhood and then took the subway to Central where we took a ride up the Peak Tram. The tram goes up a steep 45˚ angle to the top of a hill overlooking the city. Carena, who had plans in the morning, came to meet us once we arrived at the top. At first it was a bit overcast and cloudy, but later in the afternoon the sun finally did come out. The view of the city and harbor was pretty, but I think I actually preferred the more natural sights of the South China Sea on the other side. We had fun walking around the little shopping area and watching a group of young breakdancers before heading back down the hill. Carena took the bus and Eric and I rode the tram so we said our goodbyes at the top.
Once we got back to the bottom, Eric and I hopped on another tram that goes west to east across the island (and costs 5% as much.) We rode for a while, taking in the city sights, until Eric had to get off to go meet his family for dinner. After saying goodbye, I got on the tram going the opposite direction and then took the ferry back across the harbor to Kowloon. It was great to see Eric and Carena again and it was so sweet of them to spend all day showing me around their city.
On the way back to my hostel I stopped for panfried kimchi and boiled leek dumplings, which of course contained pork despite only having vegetables in their names. I also had milk tea, a delicious concoction made with condensed instead of liquid milk that Eric had introduced me to at lunch. It reminds me a bit of Thai iced tea, which I love, except hot instead of cold, though I think you can order it prepared both ways.
Tomorrow I plan to go to a temple with a big huge Buddha on Lantau Island, which is the largest island in Hong Kong. I also hope to go to afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel if I can make it there on time. It’s my last day in Hong Kong so I have to make the most of it. And now I’m finally up-to-date.
No comments:
Post a Comment