Hong Kong Phooey

Here we are, in the rainy and foggy Hong Kong. We got here this morning, one hour ahead schedule, so at 5am local time more or less. After 11 hours of flight, 2 films and a failed attempt to sleeping in the economy class air new Zealand, we were fresh as a daisy. We took the bus A21 to Tsim Sha Tsui and we were counting the stops to get of in the 14th one, but obviously we missed it and we had to walk back with our huge backpacks for 5 minutes. In the bus we found a Czech Republic girl who had been away for a year, in Hawai and NZ, with amazing experiences. The Chungking Mansions does look not honor at all its name, quite the contrary. Inside the hall it looks like a labyrinth with tiny shops and restaurants We took the lift to the 12 floor, but when we arrived to the guesthouse no one opened the door. Umm, it was 7.30 am, but we had written to the owner informing him that we needed a place to drop our luggage. So we phoned him and after 10 min he came. We then went in the sacred search of a coffee shop so we could start the day with energy and have a look at the map and guide to see what we were going to do.

We had time until 19.30 when we were meeting Beth and Paul, our friends from UK who were here also this weekend. So with renewed energy we started our inspection of the area were we are, at the end of Nathan road which is very centric. We visited the gardens just off this road with people doing Tai Chi all over the place, some others were kind of dancing with a HK version of the Spanish castanets. We visited the parrots, the swans, the ducks, the flamencos… Then we went to the Harbour area to admire the beautiful skyline of HK island which is one of the most impressive of the world. We passed through the most expensive European boutiques all lined up close to the big hotels. We went to the Avenue of the Stars, which pays tribute to the chinese stars of the HK cinema. with a big statue of Bruce Lee to welcome you. We continued to the Clock Tower, the landmark form the Age of the Steam and part of the original Kowloon Canton Railway Terminus, demolished in the 70s. We had lunch in one of the million restaurants in the area. I had fish balls with chicken in noodle soup and dani had a set menu with han chicken with a tasty sauce, a soup, rice and vegetables with oyster sauce, all very good. We went back to the guesthouse for a nap, so we could be up after 9 pm, but impossible to sleep, so shower and out. Beth had some recommendations for cocktails and we all went to the Acqua bar, a fancy restaurant and bar in floor 30 of a modern and curved building first line of the harbor.We were there for the Symphony of Lights which is a multimedia show with 40 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour depicting HK vibrancy in a myriad of colours. The views would have been fantastic in a clear day, but due to the fog and our excitement with the fancy bar and ever fancier cocktails we did not see very much of the show. The bill came and our card had a shock with a 130USD bill. Anyway , the place, the company, the cocktails and even the 5 pots of peanuts were worth it the price. But again it looked like our budget was exploding. We took the ferry and following Paul’s instructions we arrived to Soho were we had dinner in an Italian restaurant and then we headed to Lan Kwai Fong where night owls and partygoers are. All of them expats and tourists, not a single local, but the trendy area provided us with a fantastic night. Though the red berry mojito is not to be recommended. Then red taxy and to sleep.