Hong Kong 2014 Day 1 – Arrival, Eat and Shop

The day started at 4am for our Cathay flight to Hong Kong. As expected the drive to the airport was seamless but upon arrival, there was already a slow moving queue to check in. Had some hot drinks over at Wang’s, one of the few shops opened in the early morning.

The boarding was fast, although it was for a big airplane and soon we were in the air en-route to Hong Kong, dozing off just as quickly.

We were awaken for some omelette breakfast which was pretty filling, and then back to sleep. Before we knew it, we are landing in Hong Kong!

There wasn’t any immigration card on the flight and only got it from the stewardess upon landing. Proceeded to a very crowded immigrations, there were 7 rows of people waiting to get through. We had 15mins of perpetual walking in the lines before clearing immigrations, which was about 5mins, not too bad.

Immediately on the outside of the immigrations, there was a counter selling Airport Express train ticket. A lady at the front of the queue informed that we should get the Kowloon tickets since we were alighting at Jordan. As we proceeded to the belt, our luggage was already in sight and we quickly retrieved it before exiting. The train station was just another 20m away and we boarded the quite empty train that came in in a short 7mins – to Kowloon we went.

Just steps away from Arrival.
Just steps away from Arrival.
Single trip tickets to Kowloon Station.
Single trip tickets to Kowloon Station.
Not many customers.
Not many customers.

Once onboard, we noticed that it would be better to take to Hong Kong station and do a direct transfer to MTR that goes to Jordan. Oh well, already paid for the tickets. 24 mins and many views of super tall dense buildings later, we reached Kowloon.

After alighting the train, we entered a really spacious building where we got a drink from 7-11. Moving on to the 2nd floor, the signs pointed us to a free bus transfer for all airport express customers to major hotels. Checked with the staff and she advised us the bus number and the stop to get us. Boarded an almost empty mini bus and we were on the way to the hotel, city sights along the way. It was here that every advice along the way seemed to make sense. Getting off at Kowloon station is the right advice.

Shuttle bus timing
Shuttle bus timing
Waiting area for the bus
Waiting area for the bus
Airport Express shuttle bus
Airport Express shuttle bus

Checked in was pretty straight forward at Novotel. Situated along a small street off Nathan Road, it wasn’t easy looking for it. Luckily Google map is working without the data requirement and we easily navigated there from Eaton Hotel, one of the bus stop.

Check in at level 2 was quick and we were given 10th floor. The superior room was expected small, but the view was bad, blocked by the parallel buildings packing the sense streets of Hong Kong. What we saw were roofs filled with rubbish. Never mind, we were here for the shopping and the food anyways. If not for the better price offered from my company’s contract with then, I might have chosen another hotel.

Bedroom
Bedroom modern design
Bathroom with shower
Bathroom with shower

We walked the 5mins walk to Jordan MTR station and bought single trip ticket to Admiralty and changed to the blue line going towards Wan Chai for our first stop – Wing Wah noodle shop. Easily accessible near the main road on the opposite side to the station, but not really recognizable if you don’t read Mandarin.

MTR single trip ticket
MTR single trip ticket

Entering the shop, we were called to the end of the shop where there were 2 seats from a table of 4 where the other 2 seats were already taken. Guessed this would be the way to eat around Hong Kong. The menu on the table had both English and Mandarin so it was easy. Ordered the original Wanton and one with Pig knuckles.

The noodles were really springy though the dumplings were just ok. I liked the pig trotters particularly, chewy but not tough, good taste and not fatty. Only problem was there were only two of them.

Menu on the table
Menu on the table
Wanton Noodles
Wanton Noodles
Pork knuckles noodles.
Pig knuckles noodles.
Wing Wah noodle shop
Wing Wah noodle shop

Everything was fast moving, ordered ate and paid in 20mins at most.

Left for our next destination, Ho Hung Kee at Hysan Place. Getting off at 1 station away at Causeway Bay, Hysan Place was immediately connected to it. The restaurant was located at the 12th level, but the elevator took years to arrive. We had to travel to basement first before getting to the 10th storey. From there, by elevator to the 12th floor.

Store front of Ho Hung Kee at Hysan Place
Store front of Ho Hung Kee at Hysan Place
Inside Ho Hung Kee restaurant
Inside Ho Hung Kee restaurant
Michelin Star for 5 consecutive years.
Michelin Star for 5 consecutive years.
Fish ball congee.
Fish ball congee.
Tangerine peel congee with fish
Tangerine peel congee with fish
Wanton noodle.
Wanton noodle.

The restaurant had a modern decor but the sitting arrangements were similar to the previous ones, you share. We ordered congee, I had fish and tangerine peel congee and my wife had fish ball congee, thinking that this 1 star Michelin restaurant was popular for congee till we read it’s history on the paper on the table.

Congee was smooth. The fish ball was made of real fish meat, but tasted of ikan bilis. I liked the tangerine flavoured congee which was kinda different.

We ordered a small bowl of Wanton Mee to share. The noodles here were skinnier. I thought it was not as springy as the one I had just before. The dumpling was better here, though I thought there were more taste of fish.

Left satisfied in terms fullness but not in terms of expectations.

Causeway Bay had many various malls and a lot of people. I thought it was something like Orchard Road, people everywhere, lines everywhere. Spent some time at the huge Forever 21 before heading over to Times Square. Took a short break at the Agnes B cafe, shopped a bit more before going to Sheung Wan station and proceeding to Burd street for more congee, Sang Kee congee.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Inside Hysan Place
Inside Hysan Place
Batmobil on display outside Times Square
Batmobil on display outside Times Square
Hordes of people
Hordes of people
Multiple storey of luxury goods stores in Times Square
Multiple storey of luxury goods stores in Times Square
Having a drink at Agnes B cafe
Having a drink at Agnes B cafe

Sheung Wan was a place without the crowd. Googled map our way there and we were initially mistaken for another of their chain selling noodles. As we moved around the corner, we saw the little shop and entered the cosy little shop. Ordered fish ball congee and minced pork congee. It was really good, the porridge tasted soupy. The balls was tasty and bouncy with a good taste of the fish and pork. It was cheaper than the ones that we had before too. The only pity was that the more popular one with the fish stomach was already sold out. It must have been good.

Sang Kee Congee Specialty
Sang Kee Congee Specialty
Menu on the wall
Menu on the wall
Meatball congee
Meatball congee
Fish ball congee
Fish ball congee

Went back to our hotel tired and but feeling great. Surfed the web to find more food and I made one more attack on a popular steam egg pudding at Yee Shun Milk company. Daobao the original for HKD22 and back ate it back at the hotel. The store closes at midnight and it was still fairly busy at that time of the day.

The chilled pudding had taste of sweetened milk but the tofu softness of the end product made the chilly pudding a great desert to end the food trip for today. More research on the food trip tomorrow before going to bed. Some early waking up and queuing was anticipated.

Yee Shun Milk company
Yee Shun Milk company
Double steam milk desert
Double steam milk desert

Escape to Hong Kong in July 2014

A brief summary on the itinerary

Escape Plan to Hong Kong in July 2014:

Total duration 3D2N
Singapore is in the same time zone as Hong Kong.
Flight time is 4hrs direct flight on Cathay Pacific from Singapore to Hong Kong.
Morning flight on 12th July and arrival in Hong Kong at 11am on the same day.

Day 1 Arrival in Hong Kong, Eat and Shop
Day 2 Eat and Shop and the Highest Room in the World
Day 3 Eat and Shop and Home Sweet Home

This escape plan was to celebrate my wife’s birthday with a short getaway. With the ticket prices for Cathay Pacific quite value for money, about $360 all in, it was good chance to escape for this special occasion

Budget nature: Affordable travel and affordable Michelin star eats. We splurge on the stay though.

Moving around in the MTR is cheap with Octopus card. But the train is just as crowded as in Singapore if you are there during the summer holidays, such as this period. Michelin stars eatery are everywhere and they are affordable. We tried only 2 places this trip and both are not expensive.

We splurged on one night stay in the Highest Hotel in the World (As of 2014) for that special day to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Luxurious yet of impeccable service. Probably worth the experience once in a lifetime.

Complexity: Easy to get around

The main shopping and eating places were easily covered with the MTR, made moving around effortless. There are signs in English, and people seemed conversant in English, shouldn’t be too hard to travel.

USA and Caribbean 2012 Day 14 – NYC Times Square Countdown to 2013

The previous day continued into New Year’s eve early morning with a hurried walk from our checked out hotel to the Union train station in the freezing night. The sound from the rolling luggage was the only sound on the street especially at that time of the day. Having heard some not so good stories from our cruise dinner companions about taking over night buses gave us to goosebumps as we headed towards the bus station which was at the top floor of the train station. When arrived at the Greyhound counter, we proceeded to check in and get in line where there was already a queue. The place was lit up adequately and not as dangerous as described. Looking at the queue, we thought for a moment that we might not make the bus but there were in fact more than a bus going towards NYC.

After boarding the bus, everything else was a blur as we dozed, only waking up some 6hrs later. Brushed our teeth at the station’s toilet before taking the metro to our hotel on 45th Street, Room Mate Grace.

At the bus station waiting for our overnight bus.
At the bus station waiting for our overnight bus.

Checked in and was unexpectedly given a room. The modern reception designed was sleek and the room was nice too, except for the incredibly small area, given that it costed $780 SGD for that night alone – the steep spike due to New Year’s Eve where accommodations in the area were snapped up like hot cakes. Lazed on the bed for a while due to poor sleep on the bus the day earlier, before picking ourselves up and going for breakfast and explore NYC.

Indoor swimming pool of the hotel.
Indoor swimming pool of the hotel.

Times Square.
Times Square.

Breakfast at cafe.
Breakfast at cafe.

Cafe interior.
Cafe interior.

Xmas deco dotted the streets of this concrete jungle, a landscape that was familiar since we came from Singapore. Difference was the cool weather that made walking in the streets in nice jackets really pleasant.

Huge Xmas tree lighting.
Huge Xmas tree lighting.

Xmas .tree balls
Xmas .tree balls

Radio City building.
Radio City building.

One of the to-do list was to ice skate in Central park, easily reachable by foot. The ice skating rink was in the middle of the park and we had to queue and pay for usage. We rented the skates and left our bags in the small deposit boxes and rented the locks with keys for a fee. There weren’t a time limit for usage but the one-time fee wasn’t cheap either.

Statue at Central Park.
Statue at Central Park.

Ice skating rink at Central Park.
Ice skating rink at Central Park.

All set and ready.
All set and ready.

Beautiful park in the middle of a city.
Beautiful park in the middle of a city.

Lovely ducks.
Lovely ducks.

Bridge over a pond.
Bridge over a pond.

Bigger duck.
Bigger duck.

Snow on the grass.
Snow on the grass.

After a trip-filled ice skating experience and a walk through the park, we continued to walk the streets, for sightseeing and shopping to return to our hotel.

Gift wrapped building.
Gift wrapped building.

Statue at the front of Rockefella center.
Statue at the front of Rockefella center.

Giant Xmas tree at Rockefella Center and ice skating rink.
Giant Xmas tree at Rockefella Center and ice skating rink.

One of the tallest, Rockefella center.
One of the tallest, Rockefella center.

We packed lunch back to hotel and also sandwiches for dinner. These had to be brought along to the countdown since we would be expected to be human gridlocked in the crowd and thus unable to get food or drinks. This also meant that going to the toilet would be mission impossible, and for that, we had adult diapers on.

Lunch
Lunch

The hotel was actually very close to the stage, which was our main reason for getting this room. However, the side streets that the hotel was situated was blocked off from main Broadway. We had to get around the barricades by going in the opposite direction and that brought us many streets away from the stage. At 4pm, we were already stuck in the crowd as crowd controllers control human movement using steel barricades. We ended up packed in a certain section.

Crowded at 4pm.
Crowded at 4pm.

It was a really really long wait. Thought it would be fun, it wasn’t. People soon got tired of standing and started to sit around. That took up a lot more space and it was uncomfortable. There was even one guy who just laid on the road and sleep.

Being so far away, we couldn’t see the stage though there were some large screens. The music didn’t reach the us and thus the crowd wasn’t enthusiastic. From 6pm onwards, there were mini countdowns shown on the screen for other world cities that were going through their countdown to 2013. Soon I was just looking forward towards the hour mark to see who was countdowning next.

Ate some dinner, talked to a Mexican, watched some pre-recorded shows on ipad and soon, the party on the stage was on the way, with Gangnam style (though the crowd response was still cold like the weather). And the anticipated final hour finally came, the fireworks from the building became more frequent and soon after John Lennon’s “Imagine”, it was 3.2.1…Happy New Year! Confetti snowed and fireworks displayed on both ends of the streets. The streets were alive again with much merry making.

Every now and then, fireworks shoot from the sides of the building.
Every now and then, fireworks shoot from the sides of the building.

The electric atmosphere fizzled out pretty quickly, probably tired out by the long hours of standing out in the cold. Like the crowd, we moved quickly back to our hotel where there was a rowdier party going on at the bar. Luckily there wasn’t a need to use the diapers. Countdown in the Big Apple felt a little overrated but heck, crossed this out from our to-do list.