Trip to Hong Kong... Trip one - 2006, Oct 10 & 11
Tuesday October 10, 2006
Pretty quiet day… Up for breakfast with everyone, then have a bath and putter around getting ready. Head into Hong Kong in search of the tea shop I saw yesterday (found it on the first try). There are several choices for jasmine tea (and since it is still at my house as I type this, still not certain I got the right one!).
Next, get directions for where the reflexology place I saw advertised is… I know I’m close, but with the neon turned off during the day, can’t quite place it. Get directions to under the Bunni sign and off I go… Up a couple flights of stairs, knock on the door – dim and air-conditioned. Have a choice of reflexology or full massage – my feet need it most! There aren’t a lot of gwai-lo around in Wan Chai during the day… Took a couple tries to figure out we were all on the same page (I’m the only gwai-lo in the joint, the owner speaks a tiny bit of english, and the other women all work here). Hurt like hell for the first while, but at the end my feet were much happier.
Tempting to head home when done, but go back into Central, have a coffee, and wend my way over to the Peak. It’s a train tram (almost like a funicular, but the floor is not sloped into platforms) up the mountain. Here’s the official website http://www.thepeak.com.hk/full/en/index.php there’s a good video clip in here.
These (below) are all various links within one other site – so if you surf around, just open the 1st one… http://www.12hk.com/PkTramInStatn.html http://www.12hk.com/PeakViewDown.html http://www.12hk.com/PkTram.html http://www.12hk.com/PeakTramStanDeck.html
more pics from later trip
From the Peak, took the bus back down (a bit of an adventure!), the drivers drive like bats out of hell, and by the time we got down, was a bit queasy. Around mid mountain there were kites (the birds) circling around and playing in the air currents. http://www.pbase.com/andrew57/black_kites&page=all (photos below from this site)
Next stop, home for dinner, then off to the electronics night market (started in the street market, ended up in the shopping arcade) http://www.12hk.com/area/ShamShuiPo/ApLiuStreet.html http://www.12hk.com/GoldenShoppingArcade.html – I had been fueled by hopes of possible bargain cameras, but in the end the prices aren’t a whole lot cheaper than Vancouver, and then I would be restricted to one which took standard batteries. With the whole, halfway around the world thing, pass on the camera idea (many thanks to Ian for bearing with me on this adventure!). Did end up with a new memory card for my MP3 player, and a card reader.
Taxi home, and off to bed!
Wednesday October 11, 2006
Today Shawn has a day off and has kindly agreed to be my tour guide. So… Up early (a weird thing when on vacation – since never up until the last minute at home!). Breakfast, check e-mail, get organized, call Shawn (have waited until almost 10 – I know how much I love being woken up on day off!). Agree to meet up in Wan Chai around 11:30 at the reflexology place. Off to the train to head into HK…
Part way there, realize, not a hope in hell will be done on time – move the meet-up to noonish (works well for both of us, slow moving day apparently). Arrive at the reflexology place – not open yet, but one of the girls indicates they will be soon, so I should stay. Five minutes later, seated, have my water, feet being squished! This is a bargain – HKD75 for 45 minutes! Finish up and head downstairs to meet Shawn – this takes a couple phone calls to establish where exactly I am… I’ve been standing in front of a restaurant, so this seems like a pretty good place for lunch (it was, the veggie dumplings were excellent!).
Back into Central, grab a Starbucks (I’ve been to this one a few times now too), and off to catch a bus to Stanley. http://www.12hk.com/sgt_stan.html We get a seat at the front, and have a good view all the way – we don’t actually stop in Repulse Bay, but we do see it from the bus. http://www.12hk.com/sgt_rpls.html. We arrive and hit the market – this is THE place for souvenirs – although, the choices rapidly become a bit overwhelming. So, a break for another snack… Then back to the stalls. Pick up some limited edition prints (like I need more artwork!) http://www.luimingstudio.com/ from a stall run by the artist’s son.
http://www.luimingstudio.com/Pictures/shop_hk1.JPG
Stock up on most of the kitsch I will collect this trip, and head back into town after several hours. Shawn grabs a bit of a nap on the bus back, and we head home for dinner…
After dinner, change, and off to go meet Ian (he’s been working late) to go to the Lobster Bar at the Island Shangri-La http://www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/island/en/index.aspx http://www.shangri-la.com/hongkong/island/restaurants/en/index.aspx?ID=1395 (there is a virtual tour on that link). We are here with a purpose – the niece (Gillian Margot from Toronto) of a co-worker is singing jazz here for a couple months. Ian has dinner, we have snacks and some wine, listen to some nice jazz, have a bit of a chat, then on to the next adventure.
Christie has decided that since we are downtown already, I need to see Lan Kwai Fong http://www.lankwaifong.com/index.php?page=home – it wasn’t nearly as busy as in the pictures on this site!
This is bar-hopping central! First stop, Balalaika – where you get a faux fur coat, and go into a giant walk-in freezer with windows and a bar at one end, order a vodka shot (Arctic Chili Chocolate – yummy!), and head on (especially since Christie is shivering pretty much uncontrollably after a few minutes – picture the little girl in Frosty the Snowman). http://www.lankwaifong.com/index.php?page=show_search_detail&attach_id=NXDX2T1-QNMLTA6-ZGF7O73-BOPJA1I
Next we stroll through the area, past Baby Buddha (apparently a nice place to hang out, but too quiet – if I don’t keep moving, sleep will win!). After scoping out the area, we decide that Stormies has the best music for now (as it turns out, there is a Vancouver connection here with the ownership – who also owned the restaurant I had lunch in Stanley – The Boathouse).
http://www.lankwaifong.com/index.php?page=show_search_detail&attach_id=E86RHRQ-XCQDEM8-GONHRPB-WQYOJ9H
After a drink at Stormies, Christie gets a glint in her eye and we are off to Feather Boa – an ex-pat bar pretty much without an address… Up the stairs, down the street, onto the SoHo escalators, down another street… Pretty certain we have the right door. Looks closed – who knows on Wednesday night! Try the door – very much open (and CROWDED!)… Squeeze through the very friendly crowd (complete with drink tastes), and pass Christie $$ to get our drinks – large strawberry daiquiris in glasses with cocoa powder rims (this is a very good idea!).
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2006/the.scene/mobile/week22/city_guide.html http://www.worldsbestbars.com/city/hong-kong/feather-boa-hong-kong.htm Find ourselves a spot against the wall, end up chatting with some Australians (from Sydney and from Singapore) who are in for meetings tomorrow in Shenzhen, stay for a chocolate martini (with frozen malteasers floating in it – also yummy!) – then lose our new friends to an early morning. Finish our drinks and head back to Lan Kwai Fong. Stop number three - The Cavern http://www.lankwaifong.com/index.php?page=show_search_detail&attach_id=C73YORT-R4T6NYU-I0WBVXD-1LXGXXJ where we dance a bit to the band, and head off to (from what I can figure out from the LKF website) Al’s Diner – the de rigueur stop here – dancing on the table with the bar around the ceiling… So, up we go (I didn’t buy Christie’s ‘you go first’ routine – I’ve met the girl before!).
http://www.lankwaifong.com/index.php?page=show_search_detail&attach_id=94LJUQX-5RY3RNV-13NYCNV-9ZTXCSY
It’s about 2am – home to bed!
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