Eye bags and hand bags. Ready to fly home!

Circa 2009. Dim Sum at Wanchai Hong Kong with Danli and Evan. I can’t remember what the restaurant was called, but i remember us going there twice in a week. It was affordable and tasted really good.

When entering Shen Zhen China, aliens please read.

There was just so much to see in Hong Kong it seems like I’ll never stop posting my Hong Kong entries. I could easily just delete the draft and move on but these posts on my blog are like little bookmarks in my life I want to remember. They all mark a certain point of my life journey, chapter-ed and indexed for my referral.

In the Southeastern part of Hong Kong Island, you will find Stanley and Repulse Bay.  You will find an interesting array of little shops selling silk garments, sportswear, art, Chinese costume jewelry and souvenirs. Bargain hunters will send time haggling, and the rest pretty much soaks in the chilled cafe amibence by the water front.

Stanley Market is situated in Stanley New Street near the Stanley food market. The market is open from 10:30am to 6:30pm.

After a shopping spree you can move on down to Repulse Bay. If you dare, strip down to your bikini for a quick tan and frolick in the waters. I say if you dare, because you will find a lot of oggling when that happens. I’m not sure if its because locals don’t usually bare that much, or if it’s just a plain “hamsup” beach.

Stanley Market & Murray House

1. MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D and take bus 6, 6A, 6X, 66 or 260 at Exchange Square Bus Terminus.
2. MTR Causeway Bay Station Exit B, walk to Tang Lung Street then take green minibus 40.
3. Bus 973 from Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui outside Silvercord Centre.

Everyone who visits Hong Kong would have visited The Peak at one point of another. It’s the best place to see the spectacular view of the surrounding city skyline. Hong Kong at ground level can be quite overwhelming with all the towering skyscrapers and busy traffic. Being up there at The Peak was a real breath of fresh air and gave me a new perspective and appreciation for Hong Kong’s natural landscape.

The Peak’s various vantage points allows you to see as far as the green jagged mountains of the New Territories, Victoria Harbour, Kowloon, and even Macau.

It was a beautiful, cool and sunny day when Bri, Di, Dru and I took the tram up. We spent the afternoon taking in the view, took some silly snaps, had a cuppa at Starbucks and people watched. Perfect.

3 Ways to get there:

1. Take the Peak Tram from the Lower Peak Tram Terminus on Garden Road (Bus 15C from the lay-by outside Central Pier 6 or walk from MTR Central Station Exit J2).
2. Bus 15 from Exchange Square Bus Terminus (MTR Hong Kong Station Exit D)
3. Green minibus 1 from MTR Hong Kong Station Public Transport Interchange.

I’d suggest the Peak Tram

Ticket Price:
HK$25 (Single) HK$36 (Return) – Adult
HK$9 (Single) HK$16 (Return) – Child (age 3 – 11), Senior (age 65 or above)

There are a lot of mixed reviews on the internet but to me it is arguably one of the best burger joints in Hong Kong. Was first introduced to Shake ‘em Buns by Dru at the beginning of 2009. And the next 3 times I went back to Hong Kong, I was back there at least once. It almost became a pilgrimage.

Don’t expect McDonalds prices here, prepare to fork out around HK$60 for a burger and HK$12 for fries.

My favourite burger is the “South of The Border” which is a beef burger with Guacamole, Sour Cream and Salsa. What sold me was the guacamole…mMMmm i love guacamole.

Shake em Buns
Address: Shop No. 6, , Wan Chai (Entrance at Ship Street)
Tel: (851) 2866 2060
Opening Hours:
Website: http://www.shakembuns.com/

It was our last few days in Hong Kong and one of the items to strike off the list was to have afternoon tea at The Pen.

The Peninsula (香港半島酒店) located at the junction of Nathan Road and Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui is also Hong Kong’s oldest surviving hotel.

Out of the 10 people I’ve asked, 7 said that The Peninsula has the best afternoon/high tea in country, so I guess The Pen it was. All 7 of them also mentioned that we should call to make a reservation a couple of days in advance, just so we wouldn’t have to wait in line for a table.

Afternoon tea was pleasant but slightly overrated. There were so many tables catering to demand, it felt over commercialized and almost canteen-like. But I guess everyone including us were there so we can claim we’ve had tea at The Pen.

Our tiered afternoon tea set comprised of snacks on silver platters accompanied with coffee or tea. For those of you who don’t know, top tier is usually scones, middle is the savoury and the last tier is the sweets. But nowadays no one really keeps to the tradition.

For ours, the bottom tier was raisin scones accompanied by whipped butter, fresh strawberry preserves and clotted cream. You must MUST have clotted cream, and none of that fake cream instant bottle crap. Second tier was finger sandwiches and assorted pastries, and the last tier the sweets: chocolate and cake.

To be honest, it was over-priced, but you pay for the colonial grandeur and ambience which is The Pen. There you are sitting beneath the arches of the lobby, listening to The Lobby String quartet, sipping tea like ladies of leisure. A tad bit chi-chi, and not exactly my cup of tea, so it won’t be a repeat visit. But at least I could tick it off the list.

The Peninsula
Address: Salisbury Road, Tsim Tsa Tsui, Hong Kong
Afternoon Tea is served daily from 2pm to 7pm
Dress code: Casual – smart casual

Some people find it very strange that I like birds as pets, the fascination started when I took part in a Children’s Art competition organised by the Jurong Bird Park. One of the prizes I received was a book on the different species of birds at the Park.

That’s when I learnt about Parrots. I still remember clearly the species that caught my attention: Blue Hyacinth Macaw, Scarlett Macaw, African Grey, Cockatoos, Cockatiels, and Parakeets/Budgerigars. On my birthday, I convinced my mum to buy me a Budgie and I aptly and boringly named it Tweety.

In Mong Kong, one of the themed streets was Hong Lok Street (Bird Street雀仔街) although correct me if I’m wrong but all the bird stores now sit in Yuen Po Street Garden, still in the same vicinity.

Yuen Po Street Bird Garden is where songbird owners gather to pageant their feathered friends in their intricately crafted cages. The garden encloses some 70 bird stalls selling cages, birds, bird feed, crickets, worms and toys.

Brian and I didn’t spend too much time here, because the smell of bird poo was making me a bit sick. But still glad I got some nice photos in. The only thing which made my heart sink is the number of birds they packed into a cage. I know it’s a shop, but I just think that regardless, they should be given a more humane living condition albeit temporary.

Yuen Po Street Garden (Bird Street)
Directions:
- Get off at the Prince Edward MTR stationTake exit B1 and walk East
- Turn left at Sai Yee Street, then turn at first right into Flower Market Road.
- After walking the length of Flower Market Rd, on the left you will see Yuen Po Street
Opening hours: 7 am – 8 pm daily