just got back from HK yesterday..geez..the weather was crazy...one minute the sun was blazing hot and scorching our backs..and the next minute..it was pouring. we were kinda lucky though..'cos we managed to catch the SAR celebrations and also some fireworks. however, kinda disappointed when it started to pour during the Symphony of Lights and everything was blurry. we were anticipating a lot of shopping but to our surprise..we were actually bored by the lack of uniqueness of the products as well as the high prices. so after 2 days of window shopping (without buying anything!)...we decided to give up and visited Lantau Island instead. Lantau Island was great...the big buddha oozed serenity..away from the hustle and bustle of the mad city life. We had the most wonderful vegetarian meal at the monastry for just HKG60/pax. The view from above was great, the air fresh and it was really windy..we felt 'cleansed'!
After the big buddha...we visited Tai O. interesting to see the traditional fishing villages...quite unspoilt from all the rapid developments on mainland HK. You see people leading simple lives...where the living condition though bad...but seems really idyllic. Lantau island is really huge...and we travelled from one place to another on aircon buses. We took a ferry one way and the MTR the other way just to experience different modes of travel.
Victoria Peak was great too. The first time i was there..it was morning and the view seemed less fantastic. but the night scene from up above was amazing..and v romantic! but we had to jostle our way to get a good view...'cos there were tonnes of tourists up there and everyone was fighting for a good spot to take photos and enjoy the view (& fireworks too).
we checked out SoHo in the day...we weren't really dressed for nightouts at Soho 'cos the only things in our backpacks were t-shirts, shorts and thongs (i mean the slippers not g-string!). we were expecting exorbitant prices but suprisingly...we got a hearty lunch set for only HKG70 which included a soup/appetiser, main course (steak/fish/chicken/pasta - take your pick), dessert and coffee/tea. i thought that was a fairly decent price...beer also seemed cheaper as compared to singapore. i'd say..cool/stylish eateries..and great place to people watch and chill.
it's amazing how hongkongers are so crazy about mangoes. coincidentally...i'm a great mango lover (but my poor friend hates it). it seemed to me that 75% of the dessert are mango-based?!!! my mango-hater friend was visibly upset...but boy, i had tough times trying to decide which mango dessert i want 'cos everything looked so yummilicious. best dessert that i've eaten there is from Hui Lau Shan...geez, they really know how to make their desserts!!! must try!
of course...we also checked out the famous sweet dynasty (great food but so-so desserts..a bit pricier), maxim, da bai dang etc. one restaurant which we just happened to chance upon while out food-searching late one night was Harbour Charm (no. 182 nathan road) - great porridge @ fairly decent prices!!
we stayed at the infamous chungking...we were expecting the worst but we realised all the scary tales were highly exaggerated. sure..there were lots of africans staying/hanging around the place but we didn't feel threatened 'cos those people were just like us..wanting a cheap place to stay in. our room (Li's Hostel) was very decent, clean with tv and ensuite (no window though). however, we were a tad worried about fire safety 'cos we actually witnessed a fire at a building just a couple blocks away from chungking. we realised the emergency exit stairways were narrow/dark and often obstructed by junks. but apart from that...we were quite comfortable in our little budget hostel.
for those of you heading out there in the coming week...my suggestion is to bring an umbrella...'cos i think downpours are expected later part of this week and probably next week too. in any case..you can use the umbrella for rain or shine! have fun exploring this interesting country of varied landscapes