The ANA flight went without hitch, though everyone said I was annoying with my usual nervous energy. They all slept, but I could not.
Our meals were, ok. Nothing memorable at all. But fortunately the Il Fornaio sandwich I had at the airport held me over. With usual Japanese efficiency, upon getting our assigned seats, one of the attendants was upon us, and asked if I was Yamashita-sama. She had two stickers, and I immediately knew that she was identifying the two seats which required the vegan meals that I had arranged beforehand. I couldn’t really say to myself what pains in the A$$ the kids were (as I usually do everyday), since it was easy to arrange.
I had REAL Japanese beer for the first time in a couple of years. The stuff we get in the USA is Canadian brewed IMPORTED stuff. This Sapporo was as I remembered, slightly sweet, and without the funny off-bitter taste of Canadian water. The mini portion of zaru soba was nice.
Arrived in NRT without incident. Fortunately, we only had to transit to another part of the terminal with only another security check. No removal of shoes in Japan.
Em and Connie went wild with Pokemon Go at Narita, though it wasn’t as rich of an environment as they hoped. Sam just sat at one of the gates for several hours, as I explored the terminal. Maybe I’m just used to NRT, but it was not very special to me.
Our unmemorable flight to HKG was delayed about 50 minutes due to air control issues in Hong Kong, but we ended up arriving on time. Nothing bad to say about this flight, but nothing great either. Good thing it arrived on time because I had arranged a limo (actually a Toyota minivan) transport from HKG, directly from customs to our hotel in Tsim San Tsui (TST). They charge you modest fees if they wait more than an hour beyond “usual” arrival times. I highly recommend KLOOK in Hong Kong; they get great reviews. Our limo was just over $60 US, a bargain, considering that a taxi at that time of night (our flight arrived about 22:30 PM) for the four of us would have been about $45 US, not to mention cramped. Plus, difficult to know if we would get ripped off by the cabbie. Public transport from HKG to TST at that time of night would have been multi-legged, still not super cheap, and I would have heard endless complaints from the other three. I could have saved a few bucks by booking a round trip with KLOOK, but I hesitated, since I wanted to see how the arrival trip went. I ended up booking the departure trip from our hotel to HKG as soon as we were settled in our hotel room, given that it went without a real hitch.
Connie wanted to go out and check out the “scene” at our hotel, but we said no way. It was just past midnight, Sunday, local time, and we were all bushed. She is a night person!
I arranged our two night stay at the Panorama hotel, a relatively new hotel located conveniently near one of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) stations. Don’t know if we’d stay here again. Decent rates, but the room was small (not like “Super Lohas in Tokyo” small), but there was enough room to relax, and not a deal breaker for future stays. We had a “family” room with two double beds (which were actually quite comfortable). We had a nice view of the harbor, but we were only on the thirteenth floor, so our view was obstructed by several large buildings. Nonetheless, we could see the harbor, and Hong Kong Island very well (as well as several slummish buildings).
Biggest issue was the internet access. No free wifi, and even the wired connection was expensive. Moreover, once I signed up for the wifi, I realized that one could not do both wireless and wired connections, even if you paid. Only one device too… Pretty stupid. So, grumbles from the others. Sad, what we’ve come to… Internet access so important.
Early AM on Sunday, I woke early, about 3 AM, and did my usual OCD research, and then went out at 5 AM. The others were asleep when I returned an hour and a half later. I went out to get some cash at an ATM (very easy all over) and get four Octopus cards (which was hard, since every 7-11 and other combine I went to said they didn’t have any). Actually, one 7-11 said they had one. I thought about getting it and telling the others that they’d be on their own trying to find theirs, but realized better. I purchased four at the TST MTR station later that AM when we took our trip to Hong Kong central. It was interesting around our hotel. It was alive even at 5 in the AM (not to mention hot and humid). Several bars had music blaring into the streets, and a number of noodle places were serving hung over patrons, slumped over their bowls. Fortunately, Hong Kong is safe to walk about at all hours.
We ate at a cafe about a block from our hotel. I don't remember the name, and it wasn't great enough to try to remember it. Sam had plain jook, and I had chicken mushroom jook; we both enjoyed the jook with the greasy doughnuts. I thought it was very good. Connie had wonton noodle soup, with the thin, firm, sort-of translucent egg noodles. Em had plain Cheung Fun noodles, those glutinous rolled rice noodles usually filled with pork or shrimp.
Anyway, we took the subway to Causeway Bay, on HK Island, and walked about in a relatively rich area. Along the way, at the Tsim Sam Tsui station, Em gets some soft mochis filled with sweet sesame paste, and then slathered with coarse grated coconut.
At Causeway Bay, Emily found a Wellcome (sic) store, which turned out to be an interesting find. Em bought some produce (fruit, really), and the variety of the food they had was huge. Basically, a chain of grocery stores, and this one was a very large one.
We then walked west, relatively aimlessly. You could tell that they were bored until we found a large area adjacent to Canal Street where there were small food stores. It was like “Chinatown” in China! We purchased several fruits here.
Poor Em had to carry all of Connie's loot.
By this time, it was mid to late AM, and we walked further to Wan Chai station to catch the subway to the next station (since were tired by that time), Central station, in order to get the Star ferry back to Kowloon, where our hotel was. We didn’t go to Victoria Peak since it was very foggy/hazy, and the views would have been quite obscured. It was nice to have our Octopus cards (similar to Suica/Pasmo/Icoca cards in Japan, or Clipper cards in the Bay Area) for the convenience. Long walk from Central to the Pier to get the ferry, but we saw a bunch of sights along the way, including a large ferris wheel.
The Star Ferry is a real bargain, only about $0.50 one way. A nice way to spend a few minutes on the harbour.
After disembarking, we walked back to our hotel, and rested an hour or so. Then back out to eat lunch. We went to Loong Yat Heen, an upscale Dim Sum place in the Kowloon Hotel, just off Nathan Road. We spent about $50 for the four of us, for about four dishes. We weren’t that hungry. None of us were super happy with this place.
It was not the kind of Yum Cha experience we were after. Too upscale. So, we went off afterwards, not satisfied, to Mong Kok, to get more of the Hong Kong experience.
Upon leaving the subway, we saw huge crowds, and had difficulty maneuvering on the streets. The we found our destination, Ladies Market, just a couple of blocks east of Nathan Road. A huge street festival, which makes the Millbrae street fair, pale in comparison. This street market is open daily 364 days a year (close on New Years). Soooo crowded with people and wares, many counterfeit and pirated.
The kids quickly grew tired of this, and we then walked about the Mong Kok neighborhood. We then started to look for Dai Pai Dongs, Hong Kong street food. Connie was reluctant to eat this wonderful looking food, given her friend’s experience with illness after indulging, but Em spied Dimdim Sum, which I had talked about earlier. We decided to eat lunch, part 2, there!
Dimdim Sum is a chain of about 4 places in Hong Kong. It was labelled by Newsweek as one of the top 101 places to eat in the world. We ordered our food (the vast majority of tea places in HK are “to order”, without the ladies walking around with carts/trays. Innovative presentation, even though the decor was austere, at best. I’d go back here in a heartbeat.
Cute steamed buns
We decided at that point that fatigue had set in, severely, so I suggested returning to the hotel and rest. We would go out later (turned out to be about 19:30 PM) to go to the Temple Street night market. There, we saw more stalls just like Ladies market, but with huge street “restaurants,” at the street intersections.
Hawkers would call out to us, but we politely declined. By this time, the kids were done. Totally exhausted. So, we returned to TST, and the kids went to the room, while Connie and I went to Spring Deer, just half a block from our hotel. This place is said to have the best Peking Duck in Hong Kong. Could we eat a whole duck between the two of us?
Yes, we could, though I ate most of it. It was quite good! Very moist, with crisp skin (though I like it crispier), served with little pancakes (at least 12 each for us!).
Carved at the table.
This is our order! Mmmmm.
Look at my huge bite!
I think that I prefer steamed buns, but these were definitely less filling, tastes great. We ordered nothing else, since it was just the two of us. Connie thinks she’s had better duck, but nonetheless, it was good (duck plus tea was about $55 US). What was interesting was that the carcass still had a LOT of good meat on it. Probably goes into jook or for the staff?
We walked about the area, and then had dessert, which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I was stuffed, just having finished practically all of Donald (the duck, not the chump). But Connie really wanted Geema Woo, and this place off Carnarvon Road, had it with Tofu fa. I think that good Geema Woo and/or Tofu fa brings her to her knees. I just wanted a simple scoop of Vanilla ice cream, but they said I had to order it with something else. I couldn’t think of anything, so I just ordered the same Geema Woo with Tofu fa. But the server soon came back and said the they were out of Tofu fa, so we went with just one bowl of Geema Woo shared for the two of us. It was only so so. Nothing memorable.
We woke the next morning, Labor Day in the US, but work for us! We planned to go get dim sum, but we arranged our pickup to the airport at 11:30 AM. Nearly all tea places in HK open late, as in after 11:00, so SOL. Searching allowed us to find Lin Heung, in HK Central. In a very unusual area, at least to us, Lin Heung is an old style tea house, opening at 6:00 AM. Filled with old Chinese men, reading their newspapers, it was an adventure, and authentic, down to the bowls of hot tea that they put on the table, so that diners can "wash" their cups and bowls when they first sit down, just like they do in Chinatown.
Of course, we are in "Chinatown." However, the food was lousy. They are said to have good steamed buns, especially the custard filled ones. But we didn't want to wait
So, the area is unusual, an amalgam of old and new.
The area is hilly, and every square inch is developed. It's an island, with a peak in the center, which we might have the tram up to, but with the fog, the view would have been non-existent. They have a network of steep alleys, with street vendors along all of them.
We took the subway back to our hotel, but we stopped along the way at the Garden of Stars, to see some stars. Or, at least, some handprints.
Like Hollywood, there are a bunch of handprints of "stars," most of whom are unrecognizable, but some are well known.
Some are long gone, and there are no handprints to make.
After a short rest, we go to the lobby to meet our hired van. However, not there. Connie was her usual frantic self, and I guess that I was nervous inside. It started raining right about then, and I wondered about the traffic going to the airport... Anyway, I had the concierge call KLOOK a couple of times, and the KLOOK guy kept saying that he's a minute away. Connie says that Chinese people lie, and don't tip the guy. Anyway, TMI, I know. So, he shows up at 11:55 AM. Fortunately, traffic is fine, and we get to the airport in plenty of time. Not certain if we'd use KLOOK again...
An efficient check in and we are at the gate, ready to start part 2 of our trip!
