Hong Kong V

Our last day in Hong Kong started with a quick breakfast of Chee Cheong Fun down Hennessy Road.

With our flight scheduled at 2.20pm , at 11am all 5 of us jumped into a cab and headed for the airport.

After checking in, we then stopped over for a last Dim Sum meal at the airport restaurant before going through immigration and home.
Dim Sum at Hong Kong Airport

BTW the Dim Sum was excellent and we also packed a roast goose back for mum.

Hong Kong III

Day 3 in Hong Kong began at 9am with a quick breakfast at a noodle shop next to the hotel.
Then after consulting the receptionist at the hotel, we decided to take the No. 40 minibus from Times Square to Stanley Bay, where the famous Stanley Market is. So off we went and made our first discovery of the day, which is that the buses in Hong Kong do not give you any change! So still whinging for paying HK$15 extra for our bus trip, be settled into the bus for an eye opening bus ride to Stanley. I describe the bus ride as an eye opener because so far, Hong Kong has been a jungle of high rises set closely together; however having crossed the tunnel under the mountains, we were greeted by a lovely spectacle of nestling high-rises by sand fringed bays; rather like Batu Feringgi in Penang. After a 30 minute ride we were in Stanley.

View of Stanley Bay

The Lead-in to Stanley Market

Stanley Market turned out to be what I imagine a "pasar-malam" would be like, if it was run by an ang-more. Sited in a warren of padestrian streets by a nice water front. If you grew tired of the market, you could go round the corner and enjoy a nice pint or coffee at one of the nice eateries by the promenade.

The Promanade at Stanley

Hong Kong II

Day 2 of our Hong Kong trip began with "Yum Cha " of course. At 10 in the morning, we asked the hotel receptionist advice for the best place for Tim Sum and she directed us down to a place down Hennesy Road which was rather convenient, as it was on the way to the Peak Tram where we wanted to go to after Brunch anyway. So off we went, and found a restaurant after a 10 minute walk. (Not sure if it was the place we were directed to, however the food was fairly decent)

The good thing about Hong Kong in December is that the weather is really wonderful, about 20 -23 degrees through the day. Great temperature to walk in. So, after Brunch we decided to walk to the Peak Tram station, which took us about 20 minutes; where we had the dramatic architectural change from china town Wan Chai to CBD Central with views of some iconic buildings including the Bank of China Building and the IFC ( International Financial Center) Building.

The Bank of China Building from Street Level

Upon reaching the "Peak Tram" Terminal we bought our tickets and waited for the tram for the Peak. The journey to the Peak was an insight to the topography of Hong Kong, as it was a steep climb with some wonderful views of the CBD thrown in.

The Peak

At the peak, we decided to have a drink at Peak Lookout and was absolutely dumbfounded that it cost HK$45 for a coffee. Ah well... it had a good view.

The Tram...The Tram

So after breathing in the view and drinking our coffees, we decided to move on to the next tourist must do of the Star Ferry, walking pass the IFC before crossing over to Kowloon.

The Star Ferry

Kowloon and Nathan Road

Upon arriving in Kowloon, we proceeded up towards Nathan Road via Salisbury Road past the Peninsular Hotel, where we could not resist taking some snaps standing in front of the hotel. Then it was up exploring the shops at Nathan Road. Being a retarded shopper, this part of the holiday was rather lost on me.

May and Tom

Next on agenda was dinner with my cousin May and her husband Tom, which I fixed up whilst I was still in Malacca. We had agreed to meet up at Times Square MTR station at 7, which we reached at 6.45. As my feet was aching from all that walking and I wasn't wearing my orthopedic insoles, I decided to dash back to the hotel to change shoes as well as pick up the whisky we had bought for Tom. Unfortunately, the hotel was not actually on Morrison Hill Road as published in their literature but is actually on Tin Lok Lane which runs into Morrison Hill Road, the 10 minute dash turned out to be a 40 minute treasure hunt and Tom and Sonny had a rather long wait at the MTR station.

Anyway dinner was at the Hong Kong Football Club, which is part of the Happy Valley Sports Grounds. The buffet dinner was bloody good especially the roast pork, which I certainly did justice to.

On the Left, the Tangs, Jennifer, Peter, May and Tom
On the Right, the Tays: Yee Ling, Hin Siang, Sharon, Sonny and Me!!!
An interesting note is the bright lights in the background is the Happy Valley Race Course.

Thanks May and Tom for a brilliant evening. With a full belly, I slept well in my cell.

Hong Kong I

Following the debacle with our intended Thai trip with Air Asia, we (my eldest sister, Sharon, her husband Sonny and their kids Yee Ling and Hin Siang) decided to travel to Hong Kong on MAS instead.

That must be one of the best decisions of the year, as the holiday was great.

So we left KLIA at 6.25 pm and landed in Hong Kong at 10.30 pm. By the time we got to the Hotel Bonaparte in Wan Chai, Hong Kong it was past midnight. We were attended to by a very pleasant and efficient receptionist who checked us in without any delay. Having got to our rooms, we discovered why the hotel cost only HK$665 a night which is about half the cost compared to other 3 star hotels in Hong Kong. The room was small! "Cosy" does not do justice to the diminutive size of the room. It was a 6'x12' cell, however the rooms were well appointed and was recently refurbished in April this year.

With it's excellent location, helpful staff and affordable rates, you shall certainly not be hearing any complaints from me.